Tennessee's Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant Near Nashville Is A Roadside Gem With Legendary Chicken, Biscuits, And Charm

Just 30 minutes from downtown Nashville is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that's been one of the Volunteer State's most beloved institutions since 1951. The Loveless Cafe may have to change its name to "Lovemore," as this roadside gem receives half a million diners a year, thanks to its legendary fried chicken and soft, fluffy biscuits that might just be the platonic ideal of "biscuit." It's no wonder, since the restaurant produces up to 10,000 biscuits a day, all made using the original recipe of the cafe's first owner, Annie Loveless. 

The Loveless Cafe captures quintessential Southern charm and a bygone era: A retro neon sign outside declares "hot biscuits country ham," and the decor, marked by rocking chairs and checkered tablecloths, create a cozy atmosphere to enjoy the best of old-school home cooking with favorites like country ham with red-eye gravy and pulled pork with some of the best barbecue sauce in the city.

You'll find the accolades for the Loveless Cafe piled as high as the plates of biscuits at your table. Eater named it one of Nashville's essential diners in 2023, and Southern Living called these the "most legendary biscuits in Tennessee" in 2025.

What do Dolly Parton, Al Gore, and Martha Stewart all have in common? Big hair, bigger dreams, and a love of Loveless Cafe, as you'll see when you find their photos on the very full celebrity wall. Martha Stewart called it the best breakfast she ever had and even perfected her own country ham recipe in the Loveless kitchen, making this one of Nashville's go-to celebrity hotspots where you can see the stars. It's a far cry from the cafe's humble beginnings, when Annie Loveless and her husband Lon opened their home on Highway 100 to serve fried chicken and biscuits from their front porch and yard to offer passers-by a casual, cozy rest stop on their journeys. 

Word quickly spread about Annie's delicious biscuits and preserves and Lon's perfectly cooked country ham, so they converted their house into a restaurant and added a 14-room motel, which these days serves as spaces for events and shops like a country market and an apparel store. First-timers and repeat guests flock to Loveless to get their fill of biscuits and BBQ and enjoy the personable service, which has gotten the restaurant a 4.6-star rating on Google with over 12,400 reviews to date. Considering its popularity, it's best to make a reservation online, or else you might find yourself waiting up to 1.5 hours or more. 

The Loveless Cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and it opens at 7 a.m. on weekends. If you're jonesing for a biscuit (or 20) but can't make it to Nashville, don't worry; the cafe has an online store where you can order biscuit mix, preserves, and smoked meats.