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Sopapilla’s queso — Sopapilla’s signature hatch chile-loaded queso

Where to Dip Chips in the Best Melty, Cheesy Bowls of Queso in Nashville

Dip all of the tortilla chips in these melty containers of hot cheese — all of these available in to-go form

by Delia Jo Ramsey@EaterNashville Updated Mar 30, 2021, 11:35am CDT

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Sopapilla’s signature hatch chile-loaded queso

| Delia Jo Ramsey / Eater Nashville

by Delia Jo Ramsey@EaterNashville Updated Mar 30, 2021, 11:35am CDT

Some call it queso. Some call it cheese dip. Whatever the preferred terminology, it’s quintessential comfort food that many people can agree to love dipping fresh, crisp tortilla (or flour) chips (or soft tortillas) in. On repeat.

Nashville has never been known as a hotbed of Tex-Mex restaurants, but with a few exciting options in town, there are now well over a dozen fine establishments serving up gooey, melty bowls of cheese that warrant tenacious tortilla chip dipping. Here, find a handy, heavily researched list featuring 20, count them, 20 of Nashville’s best bowls of queso. There are even two vegan-friendly variations thrown in for good measure.

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Redheaded Stranger

Hot, melty American cheese and cheddar combine forces in bowl form, benefitting all of Nashville, at Bryan Lee Weaver’s Eastside counter-service taco spot. Here it comes served with flour tortillas, not crispy tortilla chips, so add on extra to dip into that bowl of classic yellow queso.
*Open for dine-in, takeout, and patio dining.

305 Arrington St, Nashville, TN 37207

Redheaded Stranger bowl of queso

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Rosepepper Cantina

The buffalo white cheese dip with chorizo, served with crispy flour tortilla chips is some of the best in town — and that pairs well with one of Nashville’s most popular (and strongest) margaritas.
*Open for dine-in, takeout, patio dining.

1907 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

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The Wild Cow

Is this a traditional queso? Not by any means. But worth nothing for vegans: the ‘queso’ at East Nashville’s The Wild Cow. Their vegan take is a tapioca-based rendition that is soy-free and nut-free. It comes served with salsa verde and non-GMO chips.

*Currently open only for takeout and delivery.

1896 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Also featured in:

Butchertown Hall

The Germantown taco and barbecue spot uses Queso quesadilla cheese to achieve that cheese-pull-perfect consistency in their queso. Housemade Mexican chorizo and pico make this one of the few map options featuring meat.

*Open for indoor and patio dining, plus takeout.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

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Jewish Cowboy at Rosemary

Another pop-up perk in queso form is the Jewish Cowboy, serving up Middle Eastern/Texan fusion at RBQ in East Nashville. Follow along with them on Instagram for the next pop-up dates, but the dairy-free/soy-free/gluten-free/nut-free “Magic Queso” is available every day at the East Nashville hang.

1102 Forrest Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Also featured in:

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Mother's Ruin

Nashville landed the first outpost of the NY-based bar, a great late-night option (open daily until 2 a.m.) for queso in Nashville. The green chile queso is topped with chopped and served with corn chips, and the option to add spicy chorizo.

*Open for dine-in, patio dining, and takeout.

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

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Nectar: Urban Cantina

Nectar Urban Cantina’s poblano queso rings in at $6, over in the Donelson neighborhood. Tortilla chips dunk easily into the silky blend of extra melt cheese, jalapenos, and poblanos.

*Open for indoor and outdoor dining plus takeout.

206 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37214

Patio seating overlooking a container of tortilla chips, green salsa, and a tall margarita drink with a slice of lime and salt on its rim.

Also featured in:

Pancho & Lefty's Cantina

The rustic Mexican restaurant brings a praise-worthy bowl of spicy white queso to diners Downtown and in Sylvan Park. Poblano peppers pile on some added interest.

104 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

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Bakersfield Nashville

The wildly popular loaded queso at downtown’s Bakersfield is soupy in nature, then they add chipotle and poblanos, caramelized onion, and sherry. Queso quesadilla and sharp cheddar cheeses serve as the base of what many in the city call their favorite cheese dip variation. Chorizo and short rib versions are also available — order online for pickup or have it delivered.

201 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

Chips and queso at Bakersfield Nashville

Also featured in:

15 Must-Have Margaritas in Nashville

Saint Añejo

Head to M Street’s Mexican food hang for a green chile-laden queso con chorizo with smoky salsa and thin house chips. There’s also a massive tequila and mexcal selection, and of course margaritas to wash it all down.

Search for reservations

Capital One Dining

Book primetime tables set aside exclusively for eligible Capital One cardholders. Capital One Dining is the presenting partner of the Eater app .
SevenRooms

1120 McGavock St, Nashville, TN 37203

Also featured in:

15 Must-Have Margaritas in Nashville

White Duck Taco Shop

Head to downtown’s 6th and Peabody and find Ole Smoky moonshine tastings, beer, a truck serving Prince’s hot chicken, and a good bowl of white queso (featuring queso fresco) and tacos at Nashville’s outpost of Asheville-based White Duck Taco Shop.

423 6th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Also featured in:

11 Great Stops for Tacos in Asheville

Superica

Ford Fry’s Gulch temple of Tex-Mex offers a rainbow of choices for cheese-fiends: with four classic queso options and four variations of queso fundido. The compuesto is a popular choice — with the addition of picadillo, guacamole, and sour cream to the Tex-Mex gold standard, American cheese. Open for dine-in, patio dining, and takeout with online ordering and curbside pickup.

605 Overton St, Nashville, TN 37203

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Chuy's

The only big chain included in this list — any queso map would be incomplete without the Austin-based Tex-Mex mainstay. Chuy’s spicy chile con queso is a house blend of melted cheese, green chile sauce, and ranchero sauce. A meatier option is available in the queso compuesto — the same aforementioned queso, with ground sirloin, guacamole, and pico de gallo thrown into the mix.

1901 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

Also featured in:

Nada

Nada’s traditional queso is a four-cheese blend — but can be kicked up a notch with spicy “kreeper” habanero salsa, chorizo, and spicy escabeche. Bonus points for being the only “queso presentation” in Nashville — the server pours the melted smoky gouda atop the habanero salsa table-side.

202 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Also featured in:

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San Antonio Taco Co

The OG Nashville queso destination and staple among longtime locals offers up one of the city’s best hot bowls of cheese. No frills or flair here, just a styrofoam bowl filled with a top secret (probably off brand American) cheese, and house spices.

416 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Satco queso, taco, and enchilada

Also featured in:

Chago's Cantina

The chorizo-loaded queso fundido is the cheese-pull worthy star of the show at the Belmont Boulevard. Chef and owner Chad Head uses a blend of white American and mozzarella cheese here.

2015 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212

Chago’s queso fundido

Ladybird Taco

Austin-inspired Ladybird Taco is open only for takeout and patio dining daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ordering is available online for one of Nashville’s newest and best takes on queso. Choose from original or add chorizo or house-smoked brisket to make a meal of it.

2229 10th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Also featured in:

Taqueria del Sol

With locations in 12 South and on Charlotte on the Westside, the Atlanta-based taco joint serves a solid bowl of white queso. They use the standard Land O’Lakes extra melt American cheese, which is melted down with pickled jalapenos, then garnished with more fresh chopped jalapenos, adding an extra kick not found in many Nashville bowls of queso.

2317 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

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Sopapilla's

The Cool Springs New Mexican restaurant offers quadruple the queso options for dipping — but the Sopapilla signature chile con queso is a stellar place to start. The inclusion of Hatch chiles in a piping hot bowl of queso is always a good move, and Southwest transplant Steve Dale incorporates them with a blend of assorted yellow cheeses, house spices, and onion. Other options include queso topped with chipotle shrimp, brisket, or charred kale.

1109 Davenport Blvd, Franklin, TN 37064

Sopapilla’s queso

Garcia's - Cool Springs

Garcia’s has a couple of decades and a duo of locations under its belt, alongside a solid cup of white jalapeno cheese dip. The par-for-the-course melted white cheese starts a bit runny, then thickens after some dipping and cooling off. The standard bowl rings in at $6, while the fan-favorite flaming skillet of queso fundido with chorizo costs $11.

1709 Galleria Blvd #1013, Franklin, TN 37067

Garcia’s jalapeno cheese dip

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Redheaded Stranger

305 Arrington St, Nashville, TN 37207

Hot, melty American cheese and cheddar combine forces in bowl form, benefitting all of Nashville, at Bryan Lee Weaver’s Eastside counter-service taco spot. Here it comes served with flour tortillas, not crispy tortilla chips, so add on extra to dip into that bowl of classic yellow queso.
*Open for dine-in, takeout, and patio dining.

305 Arrington St, Nashville, TN 37207

Visit Website

Redheaded Stranger bowl of queso

Rosepepper Cantina

1907 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

The buffalo white cheese dip with chorizo, served with crispy flour tortilla chips is some of the best in town — and that pairs well with one of Nashville’s most popular (and strongest) margaritas.
*Open for dine-in, takeout, patio dining.

1907 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Visit Website

The Wild Cow

1896 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Is this a traditional queso? Not by any means. But worth nothing for vegans: the ‘queso’ at East Nashville’s The Wild Cow. Their vegan take is a tapioca-based rendition that is soy-free and nut-free. It comes served with salsa verde and non-GMO chips.

*Currently open only for takeout and delivery.

1896 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Visit Website

Butchertown Hall

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

The Germantown taco and barbecue spot uses Queso quesadilla cheese to achieve that cheese-pull-perfect consistency in their queso. Housemade Mexican chorizo and pico make this one of the few map options featuring meat.

*Open for indoor and patio dining, plus takeout.

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Visit Website

Jewish Cowboy at Rosemary

1102 Forrest Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Another pop-up perk in queso form is the Jewish Cowboy, serving up Middle Eastern/Texan fusion at RBQ in East Nashville. Follow along with them on Instagram for the next pop-up dates, but the dairy-free/soy-free/gluten-free/nut-free “Magic Queso” is available every day at the East Nashville hang.

Open in Google Maps

1102 Forrest Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Visit Website

Mother's Ruin

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Nashville landed the first outpost of the NY-based bar, a great late-night option (open daily until 2 a.m.) for queso in Nashville. The green chile queso is topped with chopped and served with corn chips, and the option to add spicy chorizo.

*Open for dine-in, patio dining, and takeout.

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Visit Website

Nectar: Urban Cantina

206 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37214

Nectar Urban Cantina’s poblano queso rings in at $6, over in the Donelson neighborhood. Tortilla chips dunk easily into the silky blend of extra melt cheese, jalapenos, and poblanos.

*Open for indoor and outdoor dining plus takeout.

206 McGavock Pk, Nashville, TN 37214

Visit Website

Patio seating overlooking a container of tortilla chips, green salsa, and a tall margarita drink with a slice of lime and salt on its rim.

Pancho & Lefty's Cantina

104 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

The rustic Mexican restaurant brings a praise-worthy bowl of spicy white queso to diners Downtown and in Sylvan Park. Poblano peppers pile on some added interest.

104 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

Bakersfield Nashville

201 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

The wildly popular loaded queso at downtown’s Bakersfield is soupy in nature, then they add chipotle and poblanos, caramelized onion, and sherry. Queso quesadilla and sharp cheddar cheeses serve as the base of what many in the city call their favorite cheese dip variation. Chorizo and short rib versions are also available — order online for pickup or have it delivered.

201 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201

Visit Website

Chips and queso at Bakersfield Nashville

Saint Añejo

1120 McGavock St, Nashville, TN 37203

Head to M Street’s Mexican food hang for a green chile-laden queso con chorizo with smoky salsa and thin house chips. There’s also a massive tequila and mexcal selection, and of course margaritas to wash it all down.

1120 McGavock St, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

White Duck Taco Shop

423 6th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Head to downtown’s 6th and Peabody and find Ole Smoky moonshine tastings, beer, a truck serving Prince’s hot chicken, and a good bowl of white queso (featuring queso fresco) and tacos at Nashville’s outpost of Asheville-based White Duck Taco Shop.

423 6th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

Superica

605 Overton St, Nashville, TN 37203

Ford Fry’s Gulch temple of Tex-Mex offers a rainbow of choices for cheese-fiends: with four classic queso options and four variations of queso fundido. The compuesto is a popular choice — with the addition of picadillo, guacamole, and sour cream to the Tex-Mex gold standard, American cheese. Open for dine-in, patio dining, and takeout with online ordering and curbside pickup.

605 Overton St, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

Chuy's

1901 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

The only big chain included in this list — any queso map would be incomplete without the Austin-based Tex-Mex mainstay. Chuy’s spicy chile con queso is a house blend of melted cheese, green chile sauce, and ranchero sauce. A meatier option is available in the queso compuesto — the same aforementioned queso, with ground sirloin, guacamole, and pico de gallo thrown into the mix.

1901 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

Nada

202 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Nada’s traditional queso is a four-cheese blend — but can be kicked up a notch with spicy “kreeper” habanero salsa, chorizo, and spicy escabeche. Bonus points for being the only “queso presentation” in Nashville — the server pours the melted smoky gouda atop the habanero salsa table-side.

202 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

San Antonio Taco Co

416 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

The OG Nashville queso destination and staple among longtime locals offers up one of the city’s best hot bowls of cheese. No frills or flair here, just a styrofoam bowl filled with a top secret (probably off brand American) cheese, and house spices.

416 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Visit Website

Satco queso, taco, and enchilada

Related Maps

Chago's Cantina

2015 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212

The chorizo-loaded queso fundido is the cheese-pull worthy star of the show at the Belmont Boulevard. Chef and owner Chad Head uses a blend of white American and mozzarella cheese here.

Open in Google Maps

2015 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212

Visit Website

Chago’s queso fundido

Ladybird Taco

2229 10th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Austin-inspired Ladybird Taco is open only for takeout and patio dining daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ordering is available online for one of Nashville’s newest and best takes on queso. Choose from original or add chorizo or house-smoked brisket to make a meal of it.

2229 10th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Visit Website

Taqueria del Sol

2317 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

With locations in 12 South and on Charlotte on the Westside, the Atlanta-based taco joint serves a solid bowl of white queso. They use the standard Land O’Lakes extra melt American cheese, which is melted down with pickled jalapenos, then garnished with more fresh chopped jalapenos, adding an extra kick not found in many Nashville bowls of queso.

2317 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Visit Website

Sopapilla's

1109 Davenport Blvd, Franklin, TN 37064

The Cool Springs New Mexican restaurant offers quadruple the queso options for dipping — but the Sopapilla signature chile con queso is a stellar place to start. The inclusion of Hatch chiles in a piping hot bowl of queso is always a good move, and Southwest transplant Steve Dale incorporates them with a blend of assorted yellow cheeses, house spices, and onion. Other options include queso topped with chipotle shrimp, brisket, or charred kale.

Open in Google Maps

1109 Davenport Blvd, Franklin, TN 37064

Visit Website

Sopapilla’s queso

Garcia's - Cool Springs

1709 Galleria Blvd #1013, Franklin, TN 37067

Garcia’s has a couple of decades and a duo of locations under its belt, alongside a solid cup of white jalapeno cheese dip. The par-for-the-course melted white cheese starts a bit runny, then thickens after some dipping and cooling off. The standard bowl rings in at $6, while the fan-favorite flaming skillet of queso fundido with chorizo costs $11.

Open in Google Maps

1709 Galleria Blvd #1013, Franklin, TN 37067

Visit Website

Garcia’s jalapeno cheese dip

Related Maps