TENNESSEE
The Tennessee Michelin Guide: These are the Volunteer State’s Star Worthy Restaurants
By Eric Barton | Aug. 10, 2025
Blackberry Farm
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
The Michelin Guide announced this year that it’s finally expanding into the South, including Tennessee, and we here at The Adventurist weren’t content to sit back and wait for it to happen.
So our team traversed from Chattanooga to Memphis, Knoxville to Nashville—dish-by-dish, chef-by-chef—to uncover the 15 restaurants that truly ought to be in the Guide.
Whether it’s a coveted star, a Bib Gourmand, or a solid Recommended mention, these kitchens deliver creativity, technique, and flavor rooted in their place. Here’s where you’ll find Tennessee’s finest.
A Dopo Sourdough Pizza — Knoxville
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A Dopo is a wood-fired pizzeria in Knoxville, known for its tangy Neapolitan-style sourdough crust and superbly balanced seasonal toppings. Each pie is a riff on comfort + craft, and the approachable vibe belies serious technique. A true neighborhood favorite.
What it deserves: Bib Gourmand
Alleia — Chattanooga
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In Chattanooga’s Southside, five-time James Beard nominee Daniel Lindley crafts rustic Italian using local ingredients—think wood-fired pizzas and handmade pasta in that charming brick-and-steel space. It’s intimate, warm, and unabashedly flavorful.
What it deserves: Recommended
Amelia Gene’s — Memphis
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Set in a former blacksmith’s shop in downtown Memphis, Amelia Gene’s—led by Chef Nate Henssler—serves globally inspired dishes like rabbit pappardelle with mint and sweet peas, alongside warm biscuits, honey butter, and an unforgettable cheese cart. The hospitality is as rich as the food.
What it deserves: One Star
Bastion — Nashville
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Chef Josh Habiger’s Bastion in Nashville is a 24-seat marvel of New American tasting menus—celery-root tacos, oyster-and-caviar arrangements, potato mochi with bonito—each inventive plate a nightly surprise. It’s high-concept warmth.
What it deserves: One Star
The Barn at Blackberry Farm — Walland
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Nestled in a lavishly luxe (and priced accordingly) Smoky Mountains spread, The Barn is the multi-course tasting menu restaurant that serves as the headliner of Blackberry Farm’s three restaurants. Chef Cassidee Dabney’s menus draw on Appalachian roots, foraged ingredients, impeccable service, and world-class wine programming. Every dish speaks of both exacting technique and a deep attention to sourcing the best of everything.
What it deserves: Two Stars
Calliope — Chattanooga
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Chef Khaled AlBanna channels his childhood flavors from Amman, Jordan, into Modern Levantine dishes over open coals. Raven Humphrey oversees one of the state’s finest beverage programs, pairing wines seamlessly. It’s cultural storytelling through cuisine, which is a recipe Michelin tends to adore.
What it deserves: One Star
Hog & Hominy — Memphis
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In Memphis, this neighborhood wood-burning eatery leans heavily on locally sourced ingredients, spotlighting dishes like the iconic Thunderbird pizza, while pieces of Southern fun—like bocce and porch-bar vibes—add charm.
What it deserves: Bib Gourmand
Husk — Nashville
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Helmed by former Sean Brock protégé Bryan O’Kelly, Husk redefines Southern through hyper-local, ingredient-first dishes—legendary deviled eggs included—with a thoughtful reclaiming of our food heritage.
What it deserves: One Star
J.C. Holdway — Knoxville
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Knoxville’s Chef Joseph Lenn, a James Beard winner, offers a refined, Southern-rooted tasting menu from a weekly changing, garden-to-kitchen sensibility—think farm-egg broth with gnocchi and chicken confit delivered beautifully.
What it deserves: One Star
Locust — Nashville
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Chef Trevor Moran’s Locust in Nashville blends Japanese and Irish influences in dishes like Belon oysters, roast sole with morels and uni, and sea snails served with spicy salt—creative yet grounded.
What it deserves: One Star
Noko — Nashville
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This Asian-inspired, wood-fired gem is co-founded by executive chef Dung “Junior” Vo (James Beard semi-finalist) and was named one of OpenTable’s Top 100 US restaurants (2023–24), with globally loved, rustic dishes.
What it deserves: One Star
Otsu — Knoxville
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Chef Jesse Newmister and Aiden Algier have built a hands-on kitchen where dumplings—whether a steamed “Saku Sai Mu” with tapioca-pearl skin or duck-enoki skewers from the Konro grill—are shaped and plated with intentionality and flair. It’s a small-plates bar that marries Japanese-charcoal technique and pan-Asian ambition with quietly standout cocktails and warm hospitality.
What it deserves: One Star
Peninsula — Nashville
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Peninsula is a cozy 35-seat restaurant where chef Jake Howell turns Iberian inspiration into artful small plates—like blood-sausage crepes, braised rabbit riffs, or tomato toast—set against a background of old-world wines and Spanish-style gin & tonics. It’s intimate, unpretentious, and deeply deliberate, with every dish and pairing designed to surprise you, not accommodate dietary fussy-ness.
What it deserves: One Star
Rolf & Daughters — Nashville
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Rolf & Daughters chef Philip Krajeck crafts ingredient-driven, pasta-centric fare—from ditalini to squid-ink canestri and pork rigatoni—served in vibrant, raw-walled surroundings.
