Good Start: The Best Nashville Breakfast Places

Breakfast at the Loveless Cafe is a tradition in Nashville. Known for its Southern hospitality and delicious home-cooked meals, the Loveless Cafe offers an experience that captures the essence of traditional Southern cuisine. From flaky buttermilk biscuits served with homemade preserves and country ham to golden fried chicken and waffles, every dish reflects the flavors of the South. While the Loveless is around a 25 minute drive west from downtown and often features a wait we still highly recommend making the trip.

At Monell's, breakfast is served in a communal setting where guests sit together at large tables and pass around platters of food. The breakfast menu at Monell's features a variety of Southern-inspired dishes that are made from scratch. From fluffy biscuits and gravy to crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and golden pancakes, Monell's will certainly provide you with a great meal to start the day.

Pancake Pantry is a Nashville breakfast institution that has been serving their famous flapjacks to hungry patrons in Hillsboro Village since 1961. With 23 different varieties, from traditional buttermilk pancakes to unique flavors like sweet potato and buckwheat, there is a pancake option to suit every taste. It is rare to drive by Pancake Pantry and not see a line, so much so that their line is pretty much a Nashville landmark.

Elliston Place Soda Shop is a beloved Nashville institution that dates back to the 1930s. At Elliston Place, you can expect a traditional breakfast menu that offers all the favorites you would expect from a classic diner. From fluffy pancakes and crispy bacon to hearty omelettes and perfectly cooked eggs, the Soda Shop is sure to satisfy your cravings.

417 Union is an American breakfast, lunch and brunch destination downtown housed in a building that dates back to 1897 designed in the Greek revival style. The restaurant, open since 2006, is designed in an old American style and features a collection of Civil War and World War 2 memorabilia. 417 Union's upstairs dining room permanently houses a Civil War exhibition emphasizing the war's impact on Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Sky Blue Cafe is a breakfast spot overflowing with charm in East Nashville’s Edgefield neighborhood. The menu at Sky Blue is distinct American featuring their amazing pancakes and a variety of creative omelet styles that take influence from all across the country.

Looking for a great bagel in Nashville? Star Bagel open since 1995 is Music City’s oldest, locally-owned bagel cafe. Over the years, Star Bagel has built a reputation for providing the best bagels with the best locally sourced ingredients in Nashville. All the classic spreads are available at Star, as well as a few creative options and we also recommend their smoothies.

Longtime Berry Hill favorite Pfunky Griddle is one of Nashville’s most fun and unique breakfast spots and a great bet for families with little kids. At Pfunky Griddle, you’re the chef. Make your own pancakes, French toast, eggs, grilled cheese and more, hibachi-style, over a griddle located in the center of your custom built table.

Cafe Roze is a chic modern all-day café specializing in fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner plates. Cafe Roze has a menu that showcases a fusion of international flavors and fresh, seasonal ingredients. From avocado toast and shakshuka to grain bowls and breakfast sandwiches, each dish is colorful and flavorful. In addition to their impressive menu, Cafe Roze takes pride in their specialty coffee, espresso and baked goods.

Big Al's is a down-home eatery, situated in the middle of a Germantown residential neighborhood that serves up southern comfort food, rich in soul, in massive portions at some of the most affordable prices in Nashville. Big Al’s menu is full of southern favorites. You end up wanting to order everything and then you do and by the time you’re halfway through your giant bowl of Shrimp n’ grits you’re falling asleep and have yet to take a bite of your bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.

Hearts is an all-day, Australian inspired breakfast, brunch and lunch spot featuring all your breakfast favorites plus some unique and exciting dishes inspired by Melbourne cafe culture. Hearts design is highlighted by huge floor to ceiling windows perfect for their abundance of house plants and wooden furniture. Hearts has two locations, one in East Nashville and one in 12 South.

Cafe Intermezzo, with its trademark European ambience, is one of our favorite options for breakfast in downtown Nashville. Intermezzo specializes in craft espresso and coffee, has a Mediterranean inspired menu, and features a vast selection of beautiful cakes and pastries.

Fenwicks 300 is a classic American diner in Nashville’s Melrose district that has a vast and affordable menu of breakfast and lunch classics. Fenwicks takes its name from the Kevin Bacon movie ‘Diner’ and a perfect score in bowling (Fenwicks location was previously used as a bowling alley).

Brunch born in New Orleans is the motto of Ruby Sunshine, the franchise which has opened two restaurants in greater Nashville, one in Hillsboro Village the other on Main Street in Franklin. Here you can expect a menu filled with creative twists on classic breakfast and brunch dishes and a commitment to New Orleans-inspired cuisine with dishes like shrimp and grits, jambalaya omelettes, and beignets.

Ladybird Taco is an Austin, Texas influenced fast casual breakfast spot serving up a number of different breakfast and lunch tacos on house-made corn or flour tortillas in 12 South. The menu at Ladybird features a diverse selection of tacos inspired by global flavors and culinary traditions.

Starting as a food truck, Biscuit Love has grown into a local favorite and a must-visit for breakfast lovers in Nashville. At Biscuit Love, the star of the show is their flaky, buttery, and made-from-scratch biscuits. These mouthwatering biscuits serve as the foundation for a variety of unique and flavorful dishes. From their signature 'East Nasty' biscuit sandwich filled with fried chicken, aged cheddar, and sausage gravy to their delightful 'Bonuts' (fried biscuit doughnut holes), the menu at Biscuit Love is full of creative combinations that are sure to satisfy your cravings.

Brought to you by the team behind seafood focused local favorite Urban Grub, The Butter Milk Ranch is a small batch bakery and day dining restaurant located in the heart of Nashville’s 12th South District. Butter Milk's walk-up counter offers up everything from croissants and coffee to sandwiches and fresh baked pastries, while the dining room features a chef-driven breakfast menu all week long.

The sister restaurant of the aforementioned Cafe Roze, Roze Pony offers a similar themed menu of colorful, multi-textured breakfast plates in Belle Meade. You must try the soufflé pancakes.

Toeing the line between breakfast and dessert, Five Daughter's is known for their delectable 100-layered donut which takes three days to make. Flavors range from their classic ‘Vanilla Creme’ to their notorious bacon and chocolate topped ‘King Kong’.

Open since 1996, Fido is a prominent college-style, local coffee shop that takes its name from the pet shop that used to exist at the location prior. For breakfast at Fido you can expect a diverse range of options from hearty breakfast burritos and fluffy omelettes to artisanal pastries and freshly baked bread.

One of the coolest stops in Nashville’s design district, Stay Golden is a beautiful breakfast spot serving craft coffee, food and cocktails seven days a week. At Stay Golden, coffee, food and cocktails are viewed as equals rather than putting one above the other.

One of our favorite under the radar spots for breakfast in Nashville is WeHo's Americano Lounge. Open all-day and operating in a unique breakfast and coffee in the morning and speakeasy with craft cocktails at night niche, the restaurant’s menu isn’t vast but everything on it from the pastries to the flatbreads are really good.

Frothy Monkey, now with five locations in Nashville, is a neighborhood-focused coffee shop with an all-day menu full of tasty and locally sourced dishes and drinks. A popular spot with locals and tourists in the know, Frothy’s OG 12 South location opened in 2004 and they've since opened shops in the Nations, Franklin, Downtown and East Nashville.