Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant

Featuring live music most nights of the week and classic southern BBQ, Puckett’s offers the pleasures of downtown Nashville but is not overwhelming. It is a great stop for anyone looking for good grub without feeling too much like a tourist.

BBQ choices include pork chops; and wings are a favorite — especially cherry-smoked wings that are loaded with flavor, enough for any spice lover, but without overkill. A smoky sweet flavor combo paired with ranch or blue cheese dip, they are fall-off-the-bone delicious.

Peach glazed pork chop and cherry smoked ribs are two other favorites. The pork chop, smothered in a sweeter spicy sauce, is good enough that we finished the entire plate without blinking. Moist and tender, the meat is perfectly complimented by its glaze. Ribs are exquisitely smoked to the point that meat falls from the bone with the slightest pull of your teeth. With enough sauce to wet the palate but not drowning in it, the ribs are bold and sweet. House-made sauce adds a unique flavor note that easily persuades any foodie to buy a bottle to take home. It certainly convinced us to do so!

With sauces, rubs, and other to go deli-style salads for sale, Puckett’s is a good bet for times when you’re looking for a to-go snack instead of a sit-down meal. Just out of the way of Nashville tourist attractions, it is the perfect spot for people looking for a slower BBQ experience while still enjoying the live music so essential to the city’s character. Stop in even if just to have a drink and listen to a song. It is a fabulous joint for any Nashville visitor.

Note: Puckett’s is one of a handful of offshoots of the original Puckett’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork. There are other ones in Franklin, Columbia, Chattanooga, and Murphreesboro.