The best lunch pizza in Nashville is the one that gets you fed before your afternoon starts — and if you’re in Midtown, that’s a slice at Two Boots on Broadway, where the kitchen opens at 11am and the counter moves fast. There’s a pie here with Hattie B’s hot chicken on it. That’s not a gimmick; it’s the reason this location’s menu reads differently from every other Two Boots in the country.
This is a lunch guide: what to order, how hot each thing actually is, and how to plan a midday stop around it.
Key takeaways
- Doors open at 11am Monday through Friday, and noon on weekends. Lunch is the least crowded service of the day.
- Slices are the lunch format — fast, no whole-pie commitment, and four people can order four different things.
- The Kitty is the Nashville pie. Hattie B’s hot chicken and jalapeños on a white pie, pickles on the side.
- Know the heat before you order. Several pies carry real heat, which matters more at lunch than at dinner.
- It’s Midtown Broadway, at 1925 Broadway where 21st splits into Broadway and Division — near Vanderbilt and Music Row, not the honky-tonk strip.
- The crust is cornmeal-dusted, which holds its crunch better than a soft base if lunch is happening at a desk.
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Lunch is a different order from dinner
At dinner you have time to read the board and let the table debate. At lunch you have an hour at most, and the best lunch pizza in Nashville is the one that’s already cut, already hot, and doesn’t require a conversation.
| Your lunch | What to order | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, quick | Two slices at the counter | Under 15 minutes |
| Eating back at a desk or office | Two slices to go, or a 10-inch pie | 10 minutes plus the walk |
| Lunch with a colleague | Slices each, or split a 14-inch | 30–45 minutes |
| Small team from a Midtown office | Call ahead and pick up | 15 minutes at the counter |
| Between Vanderbilt classes | Slices, counter service | Fast enough for a gap in the schedule |
| Weekend lunch with visitors | One 14-inch plus The Kitty by the slice | Make it the long version |
That fourth row is the one people get wrong. Five people ordering individually at 12:30 takes longer than one phone call at 11:45.
The heat ladder
More useful at lunch than a list of toppings, because the difference between mild and hot determines whether you’re comfortable in a 2pm meeting.
| Heat level | What to order | What’s on it |
|---|---|---|
| None | The Meg | White pie — provolone, parmigiano, ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic, oregano |
| None | Grandma Bess | Thin square Sicilian — San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, mozzarella |
| None | Cleopatra Jones | Sweet Italian sausage, roasted peppers, red onions |
| None | V for Vegan | Artichokes, red onions, shiitake mushrooms, two pestos, non-dairy cheese |
| Medium | The Bird | Buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, scallions, jalapeños |
| Hot | The Bayou Beast | Spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille, jalapeños — the original pie, from 1987 |
| Hot | The Kitty | Hattie B’s hot chicken, jalapeños, white pie, pickles on the side |
If it’s your first time and you’ve got the afternoon free, order The Kitty. If you’ve got a client meeting at two, start at the top of the table.
The Kitty, specifically
Hattie B’s hot chicken on a white pie with jalapeños, pickles served alongside, named for Kitty Wells. It’s the single best argument for eating pizza in a city better known for something else.
Hot chicken isn’t a recent invention or a tourist product. It was made and sold primarily in Nashville’s Black neighborhoods for the better part of seventy years before it became a national export — a history the Southern Foodways Alliance has documented in its oral history work on Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, the restaurant generally credited with originating the dish. The James Beard Foundation gave Prince’s an American Classic award for it.
So a hot chicken pizza in Nashville isn’t a novelty mashup. It’s one local tradition landing on top of another, and the pickles on the side are doing exactly the job they do on a hot chicken plate: resetting your mouth between bites. Use them.
What travels and what doesn’t
If lunch is going back to an office, this matters.
The cornmeal-dusted crust helps — it keeps a crunch on the bottom longer than a softer base does, which is the practical case for it when a slice has to survive ten minutes in a box.
Travels well: Grandma Bess, Cleopatra Jones, The Meg, V for Vegan, plain cheese. Eat it at the counter: The Bayou Beast, because seafood doesn’t improve on a walk, and The Kitty, because hot chicken is best when the crust is still crisp under it.
Sizing a group lunch
Whole pies come in 10, 14, and 18 inch. For a group over five with mixed preferences, two 14-inch pies beat one 18-inch — the instinct to order one large and let everyone pick around it reliably means somebody eats crust.
If there’s a vegan at the table, two 10-inch pies is cleaner than negotiating a single order. And for anything larger, call ahead. A twelve-slice order with modifications is faster on the phone than at a counter at noon.
When to go, and where you actually are
Two Boots Nashville is at 1925 Broadway in Midtown, in the building that used to house The Great Escape record store, at the point where 21st Avenue splits into Broadway and Division. That’s about a mile and a half from Lower Broadway — closer to Vanderbilt, Belmont, and Music Row than to the honky-tonks.
Lunch runs from 11am Monday through Friday and noon at weekends, and it’s the quietest service of the day. The evening picture is different: the kitchen closes at 9pm most nights and runs to midnight on Friday and Saturday. If you’re planning a later visit instead, our Nashville late-night guide covers the timing in detail.
For the full ordering rundown beyond lunch, the what-to-order guide goes deeper on the menu.
Come in for lunch at 1925 Broadway
For the best lunch pizza in Nashville without losing your afternoon to it, Two Boots is at 1925 Broadway in Midtown, open from 11am on weekdays.
Walk in for slices, order online if you’re picking up on the way, or call (615) 340-4343 for a group order you want ready when you arrive. The Nashville location page has current hours and the full menu.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best lunch pizza in Nashville?
If you want the answer that’s specific to this city, it’s The Kitty at Two Boots on Broadway — Hattie B’s hot chicken and jalapeños on a white pie with pickles on the side. For a faster, milder lunch, The Meg, Grandma Bess, and Cleopatra Jones are all no-heat options that are usually cut and ready.
What time does Two Boots Nashville open for lunch?
11am Monday through Friday, and noon on Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is the quietest service of the day.
Is Two Boots near Lower Broadway?
No. It’s at 1925 Broadway in Midtown, about a mile and a half west of the Lower Broadway honky-tonk strip, where 21st Avenue splits into Broadway and Division. It’s closer to Vanderbilt and Music Row.
How spicy is The Kitty?
Genuinely hot — it uses Hattie B’s hot chicken plus jalapeños. The pickles served on the side are there to reset your palate between bites. If you have an afternoon of meetings, The Meg or Grandma Bess are the safer lunch orders.
Can I order by the slice?
Yes, and it’s the right lunch format. No wait, no whole-pie commitment, and a group can order four different things without anyone compromising.
Do they have vegan and gluten-free options at lunch?
Yes to both. Around eight distinct vegan builds using non-dairy cheese and vegan ricotta, and gluten-free crust is available. Ask about shared prep and oven handling if the gluten restriction is celiac.
What should I order for an office lunch in Midtown Nashville?
Call ahead rather than ordering individually at the counter. For a group over five, two 14-inch pies with different toppings work better than one 18-inch, and if there’s a vegan at the table, two 10-inch pies is the cleaner split.
