Nashville Best Of 2026 · Best Breakfast
The Loveless Cafe
Hot biscuits, homemade preserves, and country ham have drawn hungry travelers to this spot on Highway 100 since 1951. Celebrating 75 years this year, the Loveless Cafe is our pick for the best breakfast in Nashville.
The Verdict
Why the Loveless Earns the Title
Plenty of Nashville spots serve a good breakfast, but only one has been perfecting it for 75 years. The Loveless Cafe still bakes its biscuits from Lon and Annie Loveless’s original recipes, turning out up to 10,000 of them every day and serving them warm with homemade preserves. Breakfast is served all day, so there’s never a wrong time to go.
The rest of the plate lives up to the biscuits: salty country ham with red-eye gravy, crispy fried chicken, and scratch-made Southern sides. Southern Living named it one of the South’s Best Breakfast Spots, and USA Today called it one of the 10 great places to get a Southern-style biscuit. Add the glowing neon sign and old motel rooms turned into shops, and a visit feels like stepping back in time.
1951
First Biscuits Served
10,000
Biscuits Made Daily
500K+
Guests Every Year
All Day
Breakfast Served
What to Order
The Plates That Made the Loveless Famous
Breakfast is served all day. Start with these Southern classics.
Biscuits & Preserves
The biscuits that put the Loveless on the map, baked from scratch and served warm with homemade preserves. One bite and you’ll understand the hype.
Country Ham & Red-Eye Gravy
A true Tennessee breakfast: salty country ham with classic red-eye gravy. It’s been a Loveless tradition since Lon cured and smoked hams right on the property.
Southern Fried Chicken
The dish Lon and Annie first served to travelers in 1951, still made from scratch with their original recipe. Pair it with a biscuit for the full experience.
The Story
75 Years of Biscuits on Highway 100
The story starts in 1951, when Lon and Annie Loveless began serving fried chicken and biscuits to hungry travelers on Highway 100, then the main road between Nashville and Memphis. Their cooking became so popular that they turned their home into a restaurant and built a 14-room motel next door.
Lon cured and smoked country hams while Annie made the biscuits and preserves, and their recipes are still used today. The old motel rooms now house gift shops, the neon sign is a Nashville icon, and more than half a million guests stop by every year. In 2013, the Loveless team was even invited to cook dinner at the famed James Beard House in New York City.
“All we can say is that you better come hungry!”
The Loveless Cafe
Plan Your Visit
Breakfast on Highway 100
The Loveless sits about 25 minutes southwest of downtown, right by the northern end of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Weekends get busy, so plan ahead.
Location
8400 Highway 100
Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 646-9700
Look for the famous neon sign in Bellevue.
Hours
Mon–Fri: 8 am – 9 pm
Sat–Sun: 7 am – 9 pm
Breakfast is served all day, every day.
Good to Know
Reservations aren’t required, but they help on busy weekends. If you do wait, browse the Hams & Jams Country Market and the shops in the old motel rooms.
The Biscuits Are in the Oven
Reserve a table on Highway 100, or order to-go and take a taste of the Loveless home.