The Southern Steak & Oyster

The Southern Steak & Oyster sits a few blocks off Broadway in SoBro, and while it runs as a steakhouse and raw bar most nights, weekend brunch is where the kitchen shows the most range. Rather than a stripped-down brunch menu bolted onto a dinner concept, this is a full weekend service treated with the same attention as the steak-and-oyster program it's built around, which is part of why it draws a mix of downtown hotel guests and locals who know to book ahead.

The menu balances classic brunch plates with the restaurant's steakhouse instincts: lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote and shrimp and grits with creole sauce sit next to The Highway, a fried chicken breast stacked on a Belgian waffle, and a Steak & Biscuit Benedict that swaps hollandaise logic for beef tenderloin and gravy. For anyone who wants brunch to feel like a real meal rather than a lighter version of dinner, the T for Tennessee — grilled Angus flank steak with three eggs — is the option that leans furthest into that idea.

It's a good fit for a downtown morning that still wants some polish — a business breakfast that runs long, a group visiting for a bachelorette or wedding weekend, or anyone staying in SoBro who wants a sit-down brunch within walking distance of the honky-tonks rather than another biscuit counter.