Tennessee is known for hot chicken, barbecue, and meat-and-threes, but the state also has a growing collection of upscale restaurants that challenge your wallet and reward your taste buds. From Memphis to the Smokies, chefs are crafting multi-course tasting menus, dry-aging prime steaks, and sourcing ingredients from local farms to create meals that feel like special events.
These ten restaurants come with higher price tags, but locals keep coming back because the food, service, and atmosphere deliver experiences you simply can’t replicate at home.
1. Chez Philippe, Memphis
Walking into Chez Philippe feels like stepping into a different era, one where dining is theater and every detail matters. Tucked inside The Peabody Memphis, this restaurant holds the rare distinction of earning both Forbes Four-Star and AAA Five-Diamond ratings, making it the only spot in Memphis with that double honor.
The menu changes with the seasons, but the commitment to French technique and Southern ingredients stays constant.
You can choose between a four-course experience or go all-in with the seven-course tasting menu, each plate arriving like a small work of art. The kitchen uses local farms when possible, weaving Tennessee flavors into classic preparations that never feel forced or gimmicky.
Service here is formal without being stiff, and the sommelier can guide you through a wine list that reads like a European vacation.
Expect to spend well over a hundred dollars per person before drinks, but locals save this spot for anniversaries, proposals, and those nights when you want to feel like royalty. The dining room itself is intimate and hushed, with soft lighting that makes everyone look good in photos.
Reservations are essential, especially on weekends, and the dress code leans toward business casual at minimum.
Chez Philippe isn’t trying to reinvent fine dining or chase trends. Instead, it delivers the kind of polished, luxurious meal that reminds you why special-occasion restaurants still matter.
If you’re celebrating something big or just want to treat yourself to Memphis’ fanciest night out, this is the place locals trust to get it right every single time.
2. Southern Social, Germantown
Southern Social sits in Germantown with the confidence of a restaurant that knows exactly what it does well. Prime steaks, fresh seafood, and a cocktail program that takes itself seriously without getting pretentious.
The space strikes a balance between upscale and approachable, with a bar scene that gets lively on weekends and a dining room that still feels special enough for a date night or client dinner.
The menu reads like a greatest-hits collection of American steakhouse classics, but the execution is what sets it apart. Steaks are cooked to order with a perfect crust, seafood arrives fresh and simply prepared, and the sides are generous enough to share.
The wine list is deep, the bourbon selection is respectable, and the bartenders know how to make a proper old-fashioned without needing to show off.
Locals appreciate that Southern Social delivers consistency. You’re not going to get a wildly creative tasting menu or avant-garde plating, but you will get a reliably excellent meal every time you walk through the door.
Prices reflect the quality. Entrees push into the forty-to-sixty-dollar range, and once you add appetizers, drinks, and sides, the bill climbs quickly. But diners keep coming back because the restaurant respects their investment.
The food tastes expensive in the best way, the atmosphere feels polished, and you leave satisfied rather than searching for a drive-through on the way home.
3. The Catbird Seat, Nashville
Only thirty-two seats surround the open kitchen at The Catbird Seat, and every one of them offers a front-row view of culinary precision. This is Nashville’s most ambitious restaurant, a place where dinner becomes performance art and the chefs are the stars.
In 2025, Michelin agreed, awarding The Catbird Seat a coveted star that confirmed what locals already knew: this is Tennessee’s most exciting fine-dining experience.
The format is pure tasting menu, no substitutions, no à la carte options. You surrender control and trust the kitchen to take you on a journey through techniques, flavors, and presentations that challenge everything you thought you knew about Southern food.
Dishes might arrive on custom ceramics, in clouds of smoke, or deconstructed in ways that make you rethink familiar ingredients entirely.
Reservations open weeks in advance and disappear within hours. The price per person hovers around two hundred dollars before wine pairings, making this easily the most expensive meal on this list.
But the experience justifies the cost for those who view food as more than fuel. You’re not just eating dinner; you’re watching skilled professionals execute at the highest level while sitting close enough to ask questions and see every detail.
The Catbird Seat isn’t for everyone. If you prefer knowing exactly what you’re ordering or need large portions to feel satisfied, this will frustrate you.
But if you’re curious, adventurous, and ready to spend serious money on something truly memorable, this is the restaurant that puts Nashville on the same culinary map as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
4. Cork & Cow, Franklin
Franklin’s historic downtown square already draws crowds for boutique shopping and Civil War history, but Cork & Cow gives locals another reason to park downtown after dark. This steakhouse takes the genre seriously, dry-aging prime cuts in-house and building a beverage program that earned national recognition.
The name tells you everything: exceptional beef and a wine list that demands attention.
The dining room blends modern steakhouse style with nods to Franklin’s history, creating a space that feels both current and rooted. Exposed brick, warm lighting, and well-spaced tables make conversation easy even when the restaurant fills up.
The menu focuses on what steakhouses do best, with premium cuts taking center stage alongside fresh seafood and seasonal sides that go beyond the standard creamed spinach.
What separates Cork & Cow from chain steakhouses is the attention to sourcing and preparation. The kitchen works with quality purveyors, ages beef properly, and cooks it with the kind of precision that makes paying fifty-plus dollars for a steak feel justified.
The beverage team matches that effort with a wine program that goes deep on both domestic and international bottles, plus a cocktail menu that shows real creativity.
Expect to invest at least a hundred dollars per person for a full meal with drinks. Locals treat Cork & Cow as a celebration spot, the kind of place you choose when the occasion calls for something more refined than your usual dinner routine.
The service team knows the menu inside out and can guide you toward the right cut, wine pairing, or cocktail without making you feel rushed or uninformed.
5. Riverdance, Guild
Perched above the Tennessee River Gorge near Chattanooga, Riverdance brings fine dining to Southeast Tennessee with views that rival anything on the menu. The restaurant sits in the small community of Guild, where the dramatic landscape provides a backdrop that most upscale restaurants can only dream about.
Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the gorge, making sunset reservations the most competitive slots on the books.
The menu leans into premium hand-cut steaks and elevated Southern dishes that feel appropriate for the setting. This isn’t fusion or experimental cooking; it’s confident American fine dining with regional touches that honor Tennessee ingredients and traditions.
The kitchen sources locally when possible, and the execution shows respect for both the products and the diners willing to drive out here and pay premium prices.
Riverdance is relatively new compared to some of the established names on this list, but it’s already built a loyal following among locals who appreciate having a true fine-dining option in this part of the state. The service matches the ambition of the food, with a staff that understands pacing, wine service, and how to make special occasions feel genuinely special without overdoing the formality.
Plan on spending upward of sixty dollars per entree, more if you’re ordering premium cuts or seafood. The location means you’re making a deliberate trip rather than stumbling in after shopping downtown, which adds to the destination feel.
Locals save Riverdance for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and those times when you want dinner to be about more than just the food on your plate.
6. Easy Bistro & Bar, Chattanooga
Chattanooga’s dining scene has grown dramatically over the past decade, but Easy Bistro & Bar remains the spot where locals go when they want to impress out-of-town guests or celebrate something important. Located in the Southside neighborhood, this restaurant has spent years building a reputation around exceptional seafood, a raw bar that takes oysters seriously, and a wine program that could stand up in much larger cities.
The menu reads like a love letter to coastal cuisine, which is impressive considering Tennessee’s landlocked geography. Fresh oysters arrive daily from both coasts, caviar service is available for those ready to splurge, and the house-made pasta shows Italian technique applied to local ingredients.
The kitchen balances refined preparations with approachable flavors, never getting so precious that you forget you’re here to enjoy yourself.
Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends when the dining room fills with a mix of regulars and special-occasion diners. The space itself feels more bistro than stuffy fine dining, with a bar scene that’s lively enough to be fun but not so loud that you can’t have a conversation.
The wine list is extensive, the cocktails are well-crafted, and the staff can guide you through both with genuine knowledge.
Prices reflect the quality and ambition. Entrees range from the mid-thirties into the fifties, and if you’re adding oysters, wine, and dessert, the bill climbs quickly.
7. J.C. Holdway, Knoxville
James Beard Award-winning chef Joseph Lenn brought serious culinary credentials to Knoxville when he opened J.C. Holdway, and the restaurant has lived up to the hype ever since.
The focus here is seasonal Southern food cooked over live fire, a technique that adds depth and smoke to dishes built around whatever’s best at local farms. The menu changes regularly, which means repeat visits reveal new combinations and preparations rather than the same greatest hits.
You can order à la carte or commit to the five-course chef’s menu, which lets the kitchen show off its range and creativity. Either way, expect ingredients you recognize prepared in ways that make them taste new again.
The cooking is confident and technically skilled without feeling showy, and the plating is beautiful without crossing into Instagram-bait territory. This is food that respects both tradition and innovation.
The dining room strikes a balance between upscale and comfortable, with an open kitchen that lets you watch the action without feeling like you’re sitting in the chef’s workspace.
The noise level stays manageable even when the restaurant is full, and the service team is knowledgeable without being condescending. They can explain techniques, suggest pairings, and adjust the pace to match your evening’s rhythm.
Dinner here will run you at least fifty dollars per person for food alone, more if you’re doing the tasting menu or adding wine pairings. Locals consider J.C. Holdway one of Knoxville’s crown jewels, the restaurant that proves East Tennessee can compete with any city’s fine-dining scene.
Reservations are essential, especially for weekend prime time, and the restaurant’s reputation means you’re often dining alongside food enthusiasts who traveled specifically to eat here.
8. Foothills Milling Company, Maryville
Blount County isn’t the first place most people think of when planning a fancy dinner, but Foothills Milling Company has been proving skeptics wrong for years. This longtime fine-dining destination sits in Maryville, serving upscale Southern cooking that emphasizes local ingredients, proper technique, and the kind of hospitality that makes spending extra money feel like a smart choice rather than an indulgence.
The menu covers steakhouse classics, fresh seafood, and Southern dishes elevated beyond what you’d find at a typical meat-and-three. The kitchen sources from nearby farms when possible, and you can taste the difference in vegetables that were picked recently rather than shipped across the country.
Steaks are cooked properly, seafood arrives fresh, and the sides show the same care as the main plates.
The space itself feels appropriate for the food, with an atmosphere that’s dressy without being uncomfortable. You’ll want to skip the jeans and sneakers, but you don’t need a suit to fit in.
The service team treats regulars and first-timers with equal attention, and they’re happy to explain menu items or make recommendations based on your preferences.
Entrees start in the mid-thirties and climb from there depending on your protein choice and any add-ons. It’s not cheap, but locals who want a special meal without driving to Knoxville or Chattanooga know they can count on Foothills Milling Company to deliver quality that justifies the price.
The restaurant has staying power because it focuses on doing classic fine dining well rather than chasing trends or trying to be something it’s not.
9. Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro, Townsend
Tucked in the quiet town of Townsend at the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro brings refined dining to a place better known for cabin rentals and trout fishing. The restaurant sits inside the Dancing Bear Lodge, and it’s become the go-to spot for locals and visitors who want something more sophisticated than the typical tourist-town fare found in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
The menu celebrates Appalachian ingredients and traditions while applying techniques and presentations you’d expect from a serious city restaurant. Farm-to-table isn’t just a buzzword here; the kitchen works with regional producers to source vegetables, meats, and other ingredients that reflect the seasons and the landscape.
The wine list is surprisingly deep for such a remote location, with selections that show real thought and curation.
The atmosphere matches the food’s refinement, with a dining room that feels both mountain-lodge cozy and upscale-restaurant polished. Large windows frame views of the surrounding forests, and the interior design uses natural materials that connect the space to its setting.
Service is warm and professional, striking that difficult balance between making you feel special and making you feel comfortable.
Expect to spend at least forty dollars per entree, more for premium proteins or specials. The total bill climbs quickly once you add appetizers, wine, and dessert, but locals save Dancing Bear for special occasions when they want to combine mountain scenery with a meal that feels like a genuine culinary experience.
10. Jackson’s Prime, Jonesborough
Tennessee’s oldest town might seem like an unlikely location for a polished steakhouse, but Jackson’s Prime fits perfectly into Jonesborough’s historic downtown. The restaurant brings upscale dining to Northeast Tennessee, serving premium steaks, fresh seafood, and refined American dishes in a setting that honors the town’s heritage while delivering the kind of meal you’d expect in a much larger city.
The menu follows the steakhouse playbook with quality execution that separates Jackson’s Prime from chain competitors. Steaks are properly sourced and cooked, seafood options show freshness and care, and the sides and appetizers go beyond standard issue.
The wine list is respectable, the cocktails are well-made, and the service team understands how to pace a meal and answer questions without making diners feel rushed or uninformed.
The location in historic Jonesborough adds character that generic suburban steakhouses can’t replicate. The building itself has history, and the downtown setting means you can walk around before or after dinner, exploring the oldest town in Tennessee while dressed up for a nice meal.
The dining room strikes a balance between formal and comfortable, making Jackson’s Prime appropriate for business dinners, anniversaries, or any occasion that calls for something more than casual dining.
Prices reflect the quality and the restaurant’s position as Northeast Tennessee’s premier steakhouse option. Entrees start in the mid-forties and go up from there, and a full meal with drinks and sides will easily exceed a hundred dollars per person.
But locals appreciate having a reliable upscale option in this part of the state, a place where you can celebrate important occasions without driving to Knoxville or Johnson City and settling for less.