For a Life of Style + Substance
Whether you're in the mood for pho, dumplings, or pad thai, these under-the-radar restaurants offer some of the best Asian food in Nashville!
I’m a lifelong Nashville resident, and though I was born and raised here, my family is Laotian, so I have strong ties to Asian cuisine. My family owns a few Asian eateries — Siam Pad Thai in Franklin, as well as the Chang Noi and Chang Kham food trucks — but our favorite way to spend time together is cooking at home and exploring other Asian restaurants around town.
A question I get all the time is, “What’s the best Asian spot in Nashville?” to which I can only reply, “It depends what you’re in the mood for.” Today, I’m sharing seven of my go-to dishes at a variety of Asian restaurants in Nashville, each one Asian-owned. Enjoy!
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These five Nashville restaurants serve up a combined seven must-have Asian dishes!
5906 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209 • (615) 356-5995 Hours: Monday + Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Our first stop is VN Pho & Deli. Located right off Charlotte Pike in West Nashville, the family-owned eatery has only one chef — mom! Given the restaurant’s name, it’s no surprise that the primary specialty is pho. An aromatic broth filled with rice noodles, the pho order offers the option of several proteins and an assortment of toppings such as cilantro, onions, bean sprouts, and Thai basil. Their broth boasts rich and savory flavors, but I like to add siracha for a hint of spiciness or hoisin sauce for a sweet element. If you’re looking for comfort food, Pho at VN Pho and Deli is where it’s at.
The Special Beef Phot at VN Pho & Deli is serious comfort food.
VN Pho and Deli is also known for its excellent spring rolls, which are filled with your choice of protein, vermicelli noodles, and a variety of vegetables wrapped in rice paper with a side of peanut sauce. The most popular spring roll (and my favorite) is shrimp and pork. Before taking a bite, dip your spring rolls into the crunchy-sweet peanut sauce so you can appreciate all of the contrasting flavors and textures.
Be sure to bring cash! VN Pho & Deli is a cash-only establishment.
Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls with a side of peanut sauce. Simple, delicious.
3025 Nolensville Pike Nashville, TN 37211 • (615) 707-3926 Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
One of the best Pad Thai plates around town is at Degthai off Nolensville Road. It started as a food truck and has since expanded to a brick-and-mortar location. The interior features an ambiance that will make you feel like you’re in Thailand, and their Pad Thai possesses complex flavors. Savory and sweet, it has hints of nuttiness and saltiness thanks to its peanut topping. Before diving into your noodles, squeeze some lime juice on top, and mix it up to add the tang of citrus. Heaven!
Degthai’s Pad Thai, extra spicy, with a side of beansprouts and lime.
2121 Belcourt Ave., Nashville, TN 37212 • (615) 679-9941 Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
You’ll find a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Meet Noodles in Hillsboro Village off Belcourt — it is one of the best Chinese noodles and chicken spots! The noodle dishes are amazing, and they have a noodle soup for each type of flavor. In other words, no one will have trouble finding a noodle soup they enjoy. Though best-known for its noodle soups, my go-to order is the Chongqing Spicy Chicken, a traditional Chinese dish. The dish is made with chopped chicken thighs and served cold, but it is drenched in Sichuan spicy sauce and dried red chilies. (SB Tip: It’s meant to be eaten with chopsticks to help you avoid the Sichuan peppercorns and chilies!) If you like spicy food, this is a must.
Check out the Chongqing Spicy Chicken from Meet Noodles topped with red chili flakes.
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1801 Antioch Pike, Antioch, TN 37013 • (615) 333-3103 Hours: Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
King Market Cafe is the place to go if you’re into authentic Thai and Lao cuisines. South of Nashville, it’s located inside the King Market grocery store, and it happens to be one of the town’s best Thai/Lao restaurants. The eatery offers an array of dishes, from drunken noodles to larb, and my favorites include beef larb and fried chicken. Beef larb is a meat salad with different herbs to enhance the flavors of the beef. If you like to discover layers of flavor, larb is the dish for you — it is spicy, sour, sweet, bitter, and salty. You’ll also want to order a side of white or sticky rice to eat along with it. Larb is a traditional Laotian dish that is eaten family style.
Sliced Beef Larb topped with Mint from King Market Cafe.
King Market also serves some of the best Laotian fried chicken wings — crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It has the umami flavor of Laotian cooking, and you’ll want to dip it in the sweet sticky sauce that’s served on the side. If you love fried chicken, this is a must-try!
Fried Chicken Wings with a side of sweet, sticky chili sauce.
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1414 Dickerson Pike, Nashville, TN 37207 Hours: Thursday through Monday, noon to 10 p.m.; closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Not long ago, East Nashville welcomed a new food truck called Xiao Bao, which originated in Charleston. Currently enjoying a temporary location inside East Nashville’s Dive Motel, the eatery awaits its permanent home on Meridian Street, which is still under construction.
The truck offers a limited menu, but the Fried Sticky Rice Dumplings are a must. They are some of the softest, fluffiest, chewiest dumplings you’ll find around town. The inside is filled with caramelized chili lemongrass-minced pork, and it’s not your average-looking dumpling. Get ready for a gorgeous golden crust, and when you bite into it, it has the perfect amount of pork filling infused with spices. You’ll be ordering seconds!
Go ahead and order ried Sticky Rice Dumplings from Xiao Bao.
All photography by Amy Sengbouttarath.
Discover more delicious local eats around Nashville at our Local Restaurants page!