Signature dishes of Tennessee in Springfield
You do not have to drive to Nashville to eat the real Tennessee canon. Here are the six dishes worth ordering in Springfield and exactly where to find them.
Plate of Nashville hot chicken with pickles and white bread
Meat-and-three and country ham
The meat-and-three is Tennessee's midday religion: one meat, three sides, cornbread or a roll, and sweet tea. Kilgore's on the way to Cross Plains does a $12 plate that hits all the marks; fried chicken, green beans cooked with pork, mac and cheese, and turnip greens. Country ham, dry-cured and salty, shows up at breakfast at most Springfield diners. Java Jacks on Main Street serves a $10 country ham biscuit that will change your morning.
Hot chicken, barbecue, and biscuits
Nashville hot chicken has traveled north; a few Springfield spots do a credible version, though for the real thing drive down to Hattie B's ($16 a plate). Barbecue in Robertson County leans toward pulled pork with a vinegar-mustard sauce, best sampled at roadside smokers on Highway 76. Biscuits are non-negotiable at breakfast; Springfield Coffee Company's are $3 alone or $6 in a sandwich, and they use White Lily flour like the old-timers.
Whiskey and sweet tea
Tennessee whiskey means Jack Daniel's and George Dickel officially, but the newer craft distilleries deserve a taste. Old Glory in Clarksville is 25 minutes west; their single barrel is worth the $55 bottle. Sweet tea in Tennessee is aggressively sweet; if you want less sugar, order half-sweet or unsweet with lemon. Most sit-down restaurants offer free refills. Beer-wise, look for Yee-Haw and Wiseacre on tap around the square; local Robertson County breweries are limited but growing.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
A Tennessee lunch plate: one meat (fried chicken, meatloaf, catfish), three sides from a rotating list (greens, mac and cheese, beans, potatoes), plus cornbread or a roll. Usually $11 to $14.
Kilgore's for the meat-and-three version, or Java Jacks for a chicken sandwich. For hot chicken specifically, drive to Nashville.
Not at all. Sweet tea, local beer, and buttermilk are equally traditional pairings and every restaurant serves them.
A proper country ham biscuit at breakfast. Salty cured ham, buttermilk biscuit, no frills. Java Jacks or Springfield Coffee Company both do it well.
Hotels in Springfield
Hotels we cover across Springfield
- Quality Inn & Suites Joelton Nashville 2★ · 4.7/5
- Hampton Inn Pleasant View TN 2★ · 4.6/5
- Hampton Inn by Hilton Springfield 2★ · 4.4/5
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nashville North Springfield by IHG 2★ · 4.4/5
- Quality Inn Pleasant View 2★ · 3.9/5
- Quality Inn White House 2★ · 3.7/5
- Springfield Inn TN 2★ · 3.2/5
- Charming Springfield Escape with Furnished Deck 3★
- Family friendly Home w Yard: 27 Mi to Nashville 3★
- Comfort Inn White House 2★
- Hampton Inn White House 2★
- Holiday Inn Express White House by IHG 2★
- Motel 6 White House TN 2★
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Same room, same price you would pay anywhere else — with one verified tonne of carbon removed for every booking made through this site.