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Short answer: Prince’s Hot Chicken says it makes “Nashville’s original hot chicken,” crafted more than 100 years ago, and Memphis barbecue shops such as Central BBQ and the Rendezvous list their own pit methods and hours. This guide gathers what their pages said on November 3, 2026, with nothing guessed.
- 100+ yrsAge Prince’s claims for hot chicken
- 1951Year Loveless Cafe says it started
- 22 hrLoveless hickory-smoked BBQ, per its site
- 11-9Rendezvous hours, Tuesday to Thursday
How we checked: the restaurants’ own sites: Prince’s Hot Chicken, Hattie B’s, Biscuit Love, Loveless Cafe, Central BBQ, Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous and Cozy Corner. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules and closures change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Claims such as “original” or “world-famous” are the restaurants’ own and are shown that way. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
Nashville Hot Chicken
- Prince’s Hot ChickenCalls itself “Nashville’s original hot chicken.” Locations on its page: 5814 Nolensville Pike; Assembly Food Hall, 5055 Broadway; Nashville International Airport (BNA); Tanger Outlets, Antioch.
- Hattie B’sIts location list shows four Nashville spots (Midtown, West, Lower Broad, Melrose) and one in Memphis. Menu and heat levels: Not confirmed
- Biscuit LoveServes a “Princess” sandwich of Nashville hot chicken with mustard and house-made pickles on its menu page; the Gulch location is at 316 11th Ave S. Started in 2012 as an Airstream food truck, per the restaurant.
Memphis-Style Barbecue
- Central BBQDescribes meat slow-smoked over hickory and pecan with a dry-rub spice mix and “no sauce in the pit.” Downtown location on Butler Avenue (38103). Menus and prices vary by location.
- Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous52 S. Second Street, Memphis 38103. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday hours: Not confirmed
- Cozy CornerLists its phone number, (901) 527-9158, and says it serves “the best BBQ that Memphis has to offer.” That is the restaurant’s claim. Address and hours: Not confirmed
Meat-and-Three and Country Cooking
- Loveless CafeSays Lon and Annie Loveless began serving fried chicken and biscuits in 1951; menus list country ham and 22-hour hickory-smoked barbecue. Open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Arnold’s Country KitchenOpened 1982; won a James Beard American Classics Award in 2009, per its site. Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Saturday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eat near downtown Nashville.
More barbecue: our Tennessee barbecue section lists more places by style, each linked to its own site, with Memphis ribs and West Tennessee whole hog explained, two barbecue road trips and the yearly festivals, including Memphis in May.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Heat levels and prices at Prince’s, Hattie B’s and Biscuit Love: not on the pages we read. Not confirmed
- Which shop is bestWe rank none. Not confirmed
- Cozy Corner’s address and hours. Not confirmed
- The Rendezvous on Sunday and Monday. Not confirmed
- Gus’s Fried ChickenIts page lists Bartlett, East Memphis and Germantown locations but we read no downtown Memphis one. Not confirmed
Sources Read
- Prince’s Hot Chicken, read November 3, 2026
- Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Locations, read November 3, 2026
- Biscuit Love, read November 3, 2026
- The Loveless Cafe, read November 3, 2026
- Central BBQ, read November 3, 2026
- The Rendezvous, read November 3, 2026
- Cozy Corner BBQ, read November 3, 2026
- Arnold’s Country Kitchen, read November 3, 2026
- Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, read November 3, 2026
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Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Tennessee BBQ and Hot Chicken Guide: Nashville and Memphis”, itstennessee.com/visit/where-to-eat/tennessee-bbq-and-hot-chicken-guide/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.