Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint is the barbecue restaurant that Nashville locals actually eat at, and it happens to be one of the most effortlessly kid-friendly restaurants in the city. While tourists line up for hot chicken on Broadway, families who know Nashville head to Martin's for whole hog barbecue that has earned national recognition — and a dining environment where kids covered in sauce are not just tolerated but expected.

What makes Martin's different from every other BBQ joint is the whole hog technique. Most barbecue restaurants smoke pork shoulders or brisket. Martin's smokes entire hogs over hickory and charcoal in custom-built pits, a tradition rooted in West Tennessee pit barbecue.

The result is pulled pork with a complexity of flavor — smoky, slightly sweet, with crispy bits of bark mixed in — that you simply cannot get from a standard shoulder cook. Kids may not articulate the difference, but they eat it by the fistful, which tells you everything.

The restaurant operates on a counter-service model, which is a blessing for families. You walk up, order at the counter, get a number, and find a seat. Food comes out in 5-10 minutes.

There is no waiting for a server, no managing a fussy toddler through a 45-minute sit-down experience, and no bill to flag down someone for. You eat, you leave. The whole experience can take 45 minutes, which is the exact window most families need.

The kids' menu is solid and priced right. Pulled pork plates, chicken tenders, and hot dogs come with a side and a drink for around $7-$9. The sides deserve special mention: the mac and cheese is made from scratch and has the kind of stretchy, cheesy quality that kids worship.

The baked beans have bits of meat in them. The coleslaw is vinegar-based and cuts through the richness of the pork beautifully — even some kids who claim to hate coleslaw try it here.

The downtown location on 4th Avenue South puts you within walking distance of Broadway, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Bridgestone Arena district. It is an ideal lunch stop during a downtown sightseeing day. The space is big enough to accommodate strollers and large families without feeling cramped. On nice days, the patio provides outdoor seating.

For families staying longer in Nashville, the Belmont Boulevard location near Vanderbilt has a more residential neighborhood feel, a larger patio, and is generally less crowded than downtown. Both locations serve the same menu and maintain the same quality.