Cookout Nashville TN: Menu Prices, Hours & Locations

Cookout Nashville TN: Menu Prices, Hours & Locations

Nashville runs on live music, and live music runs late. So it’s no accident that Cookout Nashville has become the city’s worst-kept secret for anyone who leaves a show hungry. The honky-tonks on Broadway wind down around 2 or 3 a.m., the Ryman lets out near midnight, and through all of it Cook Out is there with a $7.69 tray, forty-plus milkshakes, and a drive-thru line that moves faster than you’d expect. If you’re new to town — or just new to Cook Out — this guide has everything you need to know about Cookout Nashville: real menu prices, hours, how the famous tray works, and the shakes worth ordering.

This is an unofficial guide — cookoutmenu.today isn’t affiliated with Cook Out. We’re just fans who think Nashville deserves to know what the Carolinas have been raving about for decades.

Table of Contents

A close-up of a cheeseburger, the kind of burger Cook Out serves late into the night

Cook Out Locations in the Nashville Metro

Cookout Nashville locations are spread across the metro area, not stacked along Broadway. That’s actually good news — it means you’re never more than a reasonable drive away, and the parking lots are built for the late-night rush with plenty of drive-thru lanes. Cook Out is a drive-thru-first kind of place, and the Nashville-area locations are set up exactly that way.

Use the map below to find the Cook Out nearest you. Restaurant locations change over time, so confirm the address and hours before you head out:

A quick tip from the locals: every Cookout Nashville regular has a favorite location and will argue about it. The menu is identical everywhere, so don’t overthink it — just go to whichever one is closest. What varies is the crowd. A location near the universities pulls the college crowd; one off a major corridor pulls the after-work and after-show crowds. Both are worth experiencing at least once.

One thing first-timers notice about Cookout Nashville locations: the drive-thru is the whole show. Most spots have a walk-up window and some outdoor seating, but after 10 p.m. the cars are the crowd. A Cookout Nashville drive-thru at 1 a.m. on a Saturday is a scene — bachelorette parties, band crews, rideshare drivers on break, all in one line, all getting the same $7.69 tray.

Cook Out Nashville Hours

Most Cook Out locations stay open until 2 AM Sunday through Thursday and 3 to 4 AM on Friday and Saturday. Hours vary by location, so check your local Cook Out if you’re planning a late trip.

In Nashville, those weekend hours are the whole story. Broadway’s bars close around 2 or 3 a.m., and when they do, thousands of people pour out onto the street with exactly one thought: food. Cookout Nashville is the answer more often than any other option in town. The 3–4 a.m. Friday and Saturday closing time lines up perfectly with the end of a night out — and unlike a lot of late-night spots, the food here is genuinely good, not just “good at 3 a.m.”

Quick rule of thumb for Cookout Nashville hours: if the show just ended, Cook Out is open. The weekend 3–4 a.m. closing time exists for exactly those nights, and every Cookout Nashville location is used to the post-encore rush.

The Tray Deal: Nashville’s Best Late-Night Value

Let’s get to the main event. The Cook Out Tray costs about $7.69 and gets you one full-size entrée, two sides, and a large drink. In a city where a Broadway bar charges $14 for a cocktail, a complete meal for under eight dollars feels like a glitch in the matrix.

The entrée lineup is deep: Big Double Burger, regular 1/4 lb. burger, grilled or crispy chicken breast, spicy chicken, BBQ char-grilled chicken, three chicken strips, pulled pork BBQ, two hot dogs, or two quesadillas. Then two sides — fries, onion rings, hushpuppies, coleslaw, homemade chili, chicken nuggets, white cheddar cheese bites, or a bacon wrap. Our full Cook Out Tray guide breaks down every combination with calorie counts and the orders regulars swear by.

Running on a lighter appetite (or saving room for a shake)? The Jr. Tray is about $6.49 — a smaller entrée like the 1/8 lb. burger, two chicken strips, two corn dogs, a BLT, a hot dog, or a quesadilla, plus sides. Details in our Jr. Tray guide.

And here’s the pro move: swap the tray’s drink for a milkshake. A regular shake upgrade is just +$1.00; a fancy shake adds +$1.00 to $1.60. Tray plus milkshake, still under nine bucks. Nothing else in Nashville touches that value at 2 a.m.

Nashville regulars argue about tray combos the way they argue about hot chicken spots — endlessly, and with great passion. The Big Double Out West Style with fries and onion rings has a loyal following here, and pulled pork with hushpuppies and slaw leans into the city’s Southern roots. But the real Cookout Nashville signature might be the shake upgrade: tray plus a Peanut Butter Banana shake, under nine dollars, eaten in a parking lot while the night winds down.

Scoops of ice cream in a cup, the base of Cook Out's famous milkshakes

Burgers, BBQ, Hot Dogs & 40+ Shakes

Here’s the Cookout Nashville a-la-carte menu at a glance (prices vary slightly by location):

Burgers. Four sizes from the small 1/8 lb. ($1.99–$2.99) to the huge 1/2 lb. ($3.99), with the regular 1/4 lb. and the Big Double ($2.99–$3.99) between them. Then six signature styles change everything: Cookout Style (homemade chili, slaw, mustard, diced onion), Cheddar Style (sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, grilled onion, mayo), Out West Style (BBQ sauce, bacon, mayo, pickles, onion), Steak Style, House Style, and Nacho Chili Style — each adding $0.49 to $0.99. See every style in our Big Double guide and quarter-pound guide.

Hot dogs and BBQ. Plain dogs start around $1.99; the chili cheese dog runs about $2.99, with the chili dog and slaw dog in between. Pulled pork BBQ is roughly $3.99, and the BBQ plate with a toasted buttered bun is about $4.49 — a genuinely solid plate of Southern barbecue. Our hot dog page and BBQ plate page have the full details.

Chicken. Chicken sandwiches (grilled or crispy) run about $4.49, with six styles from Original to Cheddar. Three chicken strips are roughly $4.99. More on our chicken sandwich page.

The 40+ milkshakes. Regular shakes run $2.99–$3.99; fancy shakes $4.49–$4.99. The regulars — banana, chocolate, Oreo, peanut butter, strawberry — are classics for a reason. The fancy list is where things get serious: Peanut Butter Banana, Reese’s Cup, Oreo Mint, Banana Pudding, and Strawberry Cheesecake are the ones people write home about. And keep an eye out for the fresh watermelon shake, a July–August seasonal that has a genuine cult following. We’ve got the full ranking on our classic shakes and fancy shakes pages.

Sides and drinks. Fries, onion rings, and hushpuppies are about $1.99; coleslaw and chili around $1.49. The huge sweet tea is about $1.99, and the Cheerwine is a must-try if you’ve never had the iconic cherry soda.

First-Timer’s Order Guide

Never been to a Cookout Nashville location? Here’s the no-regrets order: a regular tray with the Big Double Cookout Style, fries, and hushpuppies, sweet tea to drink. That’s the baseline — the meal that explains the hype in one sitting. Second visit, branch out: try the cajun chicken, swap the tea for a shake upgrade, or go full fancy with a Reese’s Cup shake on the side. By the third visit you’ll have your own order, and you’ll defend it like a local. That’s how Cookout Nashville gets you.

The Perfect Cook Out Night in Nashville

Here’s how a perfect Cook Out night goes in Nashville, according to everyone who’s done it a hundred times. You catch a show — the Ryman, the Grand Ole Opry, a songwriter round at the Bluebird, whatever your thing is. The encore ends, the crowd files out, and your stomach reminds you that dinner was five hours ago. Now you’ve got two choices: pay too much for mediocre food, or find a Cookout Nashville location and do it right.

You pull into the drive-thru. The line looks intimidating but moves — Cook Out’s late-night crews are shockingly efficient. You order the tray: Big Double Cookout Style, fries, hushpuppies, sweet tea. Or maybe you’re a shake person and you upgrade to an Oreo Mint. Eight-ish dollars later you’re eating the best food you’ve had all day, in your car, at 1:30 in the morning, wondering why every city doesn’t have this.

That’s the thing about Cookout Nashville — it’s not a tourist attraction and it doesn’t try to be. It’s a working restaurant that happens to be open when you need it, serving food that happens to be excellent, at prices that happen to be from another decade. In a city that’s gotten expensive fast, that combination is rare. Treat it accordingly.

Burger and fries on a tray, like a Cook Out tray order after a night out

Cook Out Nashville FAQs

How much is the Cook Out Tray in Nashville?

About $7.69 for the regular tray (one entrée, two sides, large drink) and about $6.49 for the Jr. Tray. Prices vary slightly by location, so consider these close estimates.

What time does Cook Out close in Nashville?

Most locations are open until 2 AM Sunday through Thursday and 3–4 AM on Friday and Saturday — perfectly timed for Nashville’s late-night music scene. Hours vary by location, so check before you go.

Where are Cook Out locations in Nashville?

Cook Out has multiple locations across the Nashville metro area. Check the map above for the one closest to you, since locations can change over time.

Can I add a milkshake to my tray?

Yes — upgrade the tray drink to any regular shake for +$1.00 or a fancy shake for +$1.00 to $1.60. With 40+ flavors, picking one is the hardest part of the whole visit.

Does Cook Out deliver in Nashville?

Some locations deliver through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. There’s no official Cook Out ordering app, so third-party apps are the way to get it delivered.

Is Cook Out a good late-night option after Broadway?

It’s one of the best. With weekend hours running to 3–4 AM, real food at real prices, and a drive-thru built for volume, Cookout Nashville is purpose-built for the after-show crowd.

Is Cookout Nashville good for big groups?

Yes — it’s one of the easiest late-night group stops in the city. The drive-thru handles volume well, the prices mean nobody’s order breaks the bank, and a Cookout Nashville run after a show has become a genuine local tradition. If your group is huge, just order at the window in shifts.

Planning your Cookout Nashville run? Start with our Cook Out Tray guide to pick your combo, or see how Cook Out does in other cities with our guides to Cook Out Atlanta, Cook Out Charlotte, and Cook Out Durham. Head back to the cookoutmenu.today homepage for the complete menu, prices, and shake rankings.