One Of Tennessee's Oldest Restaurants Is A Beloved Chili Parlor

A little bit of history with your meal makes everything taste even better. We love finding the oldest restaurant in the entire United States, or the 150-year-old restaurant in Washington, D.C. that presidents have frequented, or any other number of other regional gems. These stories shape these restaurants with unique character and turn them into beloved local institutions. They also mean these businesses have been perfecting their crowd-pleasing recipes for decades. Tennessee is already known for its barbecue and comfort food, so it stands to reason that the state's oldest restaurant would be one that thrives on simple American classics. And that's just the case: The oldest operating restaurant in Tennessee is Varallo's Restaurant, and it's a chili parlor and southern grill.

Varallo's was founded by Italian immigrant Frank Varallo, Sr., who worked as an interpreter at Ellis Island before moving to Nashville to fulfill his dreams of a music career. After a hunting accident made that impossible, Varallo began cooking up his delicious chili at a saloon, and then opened Varallo's Chile Parlor in 1907. "Chili (or chile) parlors" were a common restaurant type at the time, and chili was as much a signature Nashville dish then as hot chicken is today. Now, Varallo's is the last chili parlor standing, flying the Nashville chili flag with renowned grub and hospitality. It remained family owned and operated, too, until 2019.

Over the decades, Varallo's outlasted other chili parlors by becoming a local favorite. The city's politicians and workers have long loved the spot. Menu items were added and locations changed a few times, but the business remained in the family until there were no more heirs to take it over, then Bob Peabody bought the eatery from Varallo, Sr.'s great-grandson in 2019. Peabody has made small changes to streamline what Varallo's does best, like nixing the meat-and-three option — meat-and-threes are like a southern-style buffet but different in that you get one meat entree plus three sides for a set price.

Today you'll find an all-day breakfast menu; sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs; spaghetti and salad; fried chicken and fried fish; and, of course, an entire chili selection. You can get it "straight," or on its own; "hot," with a tamale; "chili mac," with long spaghetti; "mix," with short spaghetti; or "3 Way," chili, spaghetti, and a tamale. There are also chili fries and chili pies, where the chili is poured over corn chips and topped with cheese. Regular sizes of most of these options are $6.50, with king-size offerings closer to $8.75 to $9.50. On Nashville's 4th Avenue, Varallo's is only open from 6am to 1pm Monday to Friday, so the focus is on breakfast and lunch. Especially if you've already explored Nashville's best barbecue restaurants, get to know its storied chili at Varallo's.