Cornbread is serious business in the South. Not only does the Southern sidekick come in multiple forms—bread, stick, muffin, griddle cake—but also the flavor profile ranges from savory to sweet to spicy. Of course, picking the Best Cornbread in Nashville depends heavily on your personal preferences, but we’ve baked up a list that runs the palatable gamut.
Take a virtual taste of the Best Cornbread in Nashville, and keep the party going with Music City’s Best Biscuits, BBQ, Patios, Cigar Lounges, Meat & 3 Restaurants, Brunch Spots or Tourist Recs. In addition, stick around to the end for Outsider’s classic cornbread recipe.
The 404 Kitchen
Perfectly browned on the top and bursting at the seams with golden goodness—both a sweet (sugar) and savory (Grana Pando cheese) flavor—404 Kitchen’s skillet cornbread arrives at your table in its cast-iron cooking vessel. And yeah, it’s still warm, so the accompanying sorghum butter turns to liquid gold in just a few seconds.
The Farm House
The Farm House’s cornbread costs $12. It takes 25 minutes. And it’s worth every cent and second. The cast-iron confection is baked to order, accompanied by a dollop of Steen’s cane syrup whipped butter. Chef-owner Trey Cioccia has an assortment of sweets on his menu at the SoBro locale, but we prefer to cap our meal with his fluffy cornbread. And if you ask nicely, they’ll bring you an extra dollop of whipped butter.
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
- Location: 3108 Belmont Blvd., Nashville (is our favorite, but there are multiple locations, including Downtown, which has one of Nashville’s Best Patios)
- Website
Hoecakes—cornbread griddle cakes/pancakes—are a frequent staple at BBQ joints and Meat & Three restaurants in the South. Martin’s, which also made our list of the Best BBQ in Nashville, doles out a savory hoecake with hints of salt and black pepper. If you’re a fan of overly sweet cornbread, keep moving, because pitmaster Pat Martin keeps his cakes classic.
Edley’s Bar-B-Que
We’ll be the first to admit, Edley’s cornbread isn’t for everyone. But if a spicy kick is what you seek, look no further than Edley’s pan-baked cornbread. The butter-seared bread is brimming with jalapeños and red peppers. When you feel the need to turn up the heat, turn to one of Edley’s three Nashville locations. Although the scenic surroundings of the Sylvan Park location are our favorite.
Arnold’s Country Kitchen
Arnold’s, which made our list of the Best Meat & Three Restaurants in Nashville, regularly features both cornbread muffins and hoecakes. While the hoecakes are delightful when fresh from the griddle, the cornbread muffins are always a must-have. The muffin’s buttery, crispy exterior houses its moist, dense interior that won’t crumble after one bite.
Calypso Cafe
The Caribbean-inspired eatery boasts a sweet treat—boija muffin—on its menu that’s more dessert-like than bread-like. Nevertheless, the boija muffin, which is a sweet cornbread muffin topped with shredded coconut, is a damn delicious side item whenever it is consumed—before, during, or after your meal.
Outsider Cornbread
We like to keep our cornbread classic—baked in a cast iron skillet with a savory flavor and a crunchy crust.