What the menu at Locust lacks in length, it makes up for with some of the most interesting dishes in the city. Helmed by a former chef of The Catbird Seat, this small but mighty dumpling and kakigori shop in 12 South makes perfectly crisp dumplings doused in chili oil, chewy noodles, and fluffy cups of shaved ice that have inspired a local cult following. Is there sake? Of course there’s sake, and you can count on the sake sommelier to make sure the selection keeps you on your toes.

Bastion is like the mullet of Nashville restaurants: serious dining business up front and a nacho-filled party in the back (well, technically it’s their side bar, but you get the point). The 24-seat main dining room located in a Wedgewood-Houston warehouse is the perfect place to dig into the eclectic, daily changing menu. The staff regularly spins their favorite vinyl tracks on the restaurant’s record player while serving creative twists on things like raw scallops, beef tri-tip, and lamb.

Sure, it might seem hard to get a table at Kisser—this walk-in-only Japanese spot in East Nashville is roughly the size of a two-car garage and is only open four days a week for lunch. But after that, you’re in for a near-tranquil lunch fueled by rice balls and grilled 24-hour, sake-marinated yellowtail collar. Wash everything down with some sushi rice ale made in collaboration with Harding House Brewing Co. and finish your meal with blissful spoonfuls of miso creme brulee.

Like the 30,000 people who came for a bachelorette party on Broadway and decided to stay, chef Sean Brock left his Charleston restaurants and decided to open a handful of spots in Nashville—maybe the best of them being Audrey. The concept is an ode to his Appalachian grandmother, and it’s like the MoMA meets a rustic mountain cabin inside—clean, sleek, and minimalist, but also warm. The menu shifts seasonally, but you’ll always find ancient grains and ingredients native to the South.

Bolton’s is the best hot chicken in town because it’s a consistently spectacular fried bird—there are very few (if any) off days at this spot. The skin has just the right amount of crunch without turning the roof of your mouth into sandpaper, while the meat is nice and juicy. And perhaps most importantly, when they say “hot,” they mean it. A “medium” here is the equivalent of max heat at other hot chicken joints (that’s due to them using on a dry rub instead of sauce).

Rumor has it that Prince’s was the first hot chicken purveyor on the scene, the product of a spicy revenge dish cooked up by a spurned lover. That itself makes it worth a visit, but the chicken here is also freakishly hot, simple, and greater than the sum of its parts. You’ve got juicy meat that comes in a crispy crust dusted with a blend of spices that can be ramped up according to your chosen heat level—from plain to XXX Hot.

Everyone needs a spot in their back pocket that can impress a crowd. That’s Yolan. This polished dining room located on the ground floor of The Joseph Nashville is the best new Italian spot in the city and it has the caviar, creamy pappardelle, and cacio e pepe to prove it. If choosing between all the excellent options proves impossible, opt for the tasting menu—your choice of five or eight courses straight from Yolan’s formidable lineup.

For over 70 years, this meat-and-three mainstay in The Nations has been serving up a rotating menu of classic Southern and soul food dishes and sides. The menu changes daily, but you can’t go wrong with the meatloaf or fried pork chop as your meat and the fresh fried corn, marshmallow yams, and mac and cheese as your “three.” Post up for lunch in one of the well-worn booths and for a brief second, it’ll almost feel like you’ve time-warped to 1950s Nashville.

The focaccia pizza from St. Vito has us Googling different cloud terminology to accurately describe it. We’ve settled on a combo between “stratus” and “cumulus,” because this dough is about as airy and puffy as it can get. Come with a group and order the pizza party, which allows you to sample all six of their different rotating slices—the best we’ve tried comes draped with porchetta and topped with burrata and chili oil.

Permanently parked in front of Chopper Tiki, you’ll find the pinnacle of taco construction: a soft corn shell that can hold any and all toppings without falling apart. That’s because they use a traditional nixtamalization process to create stunningly perfect tortillas that make those Old El Paso ones at Kroger look like toilet paper. Whether it’s the quesabirria tacos, the roasted elote, or the satisfyingly sugary crunch of their churros, nothing at Maiz de la Vida will ever let you down.