Arnold’s Country Kitchen to open second location in North Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)– A beloved Nashville restaurant is set to expand its roots.

Arnold’s Country Kitchen, the meat-and-three restaurant known for its Southern comfort food, is opening a second location in North Nashville, slated to welcome customers in early spring 2025.

The new restaurant, which will be located off Buchanan Street on Cephas Street, has been a longtime dream for owner Kahlil Arnold.

Unlike the original cafeteria-style setup in The Gulch, the North Nashville location will feature a sit-down dining experience and a drive-thru.

While the meats and vegetables that Arnold’s is known for will still be available, the cooks plan to reimagine the classics.

“It’s like still trying to keep the traditional Nashville, Nash-Arnold’s food but giving it a different element,” Arnold said. “Taking our top three things here as far as meats go, having them as entrées, but also turning them into sandwiches and tacos.”

The decision to expand comes after a tumultuous couple of years for Arnold’s.

The restaurant was expected to close in January 2023 permanently, but the deal to sell the property fell through.

A year later, Arnold decided to reopen.

“In that year, it taught me a lesson—you can’t wait for what you want if you want to do other things. I always wanted to have Arnold’s but also have a second location, so I decided to go after it,” Arnold said.

While the idea of opening a new location in a challenging economic climate is daunting, Arnold remains optimistic.

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“Let’s be honest, with restaurants closing at an abundant rate, it’s kind of scary. The restaurant business is a hard business, but the people of Nashville have sustained me,” he said. “The restaurant business will suck it out of you, but I feed off the people in Nashville. I feed them, and the energy from them keeps me going.”

The new location will be on Buchanan and Cephas street.

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