First housed inside an old mule-pulled trolley car, Brown’s Diner has changed hands three times since 1927 without losing its charm or its original ethos. Customers now have the option to dine on a covered patio area next to the old trolley, but the interior of the diner remains a time warp. 

The concise menu sticks to the classics—Frito chili pies, wings, fried chicken plates—and does them well. But the cheeseburger, Brown’s claim to fame, is what an old-school fast food burger aspires to be: a slender patty with a hint of char on the outside and a pink interior, blanketed in American cheese and Duke’s mayo. It costs less than $10, tastes like a million bucks, and can (and should) be ordered alongside a basket of ultra-crispy Tater Tots.

The diner also bears the unusual distinction of having Nashville’s oldest beer license. Throughout its lifetime, generations of recording artists—from John Prine to Vince Gill—have played on its small stage and knocked back a cold one at the bar.