Best French fries in Nashville? A new poll crowns a winner, runners-up

• A dive bar and restaurant with a nearly-50-year-old history in East Nashville takes the crown.
• An Asian comfort food restaurant, a celebrity chef spot and a street food restaurant also garnered votes in the poll.

At Dino's dive bar in East Nashville, a small neon sign flickers above the doorway leading to the back patio.

"Fries," it simply reads.

According to a recent poll conducted by The Tennessean and USA Today, the city's best French fries can be found right there.

Dino's has been around for decades and has gained a reputation as a friendly neighborhood bar with great food and reasonable prices. It joins Xiao Bao, Chauhan Ale and Masala House and a few other Nashville restaurants serving the best fries in the city, the poll reports.

Animal-style French fries from Dino's

Dino's doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the trendy cocktail bars of East Nashville, but that's exactly what makes it special. The bar is small and unassuming, but lovingly adorned with stickers, posters and Polaroid photos of guests over the years. On the back patio, guests can sit at picnic tables and enjoy a Dolly Parton lemonade stand.

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And on the menu: cheeseburgers, fries, chicken sandwiches and Frito pies.

The one to try is the bar's animal style, smothered with Velveeta cheese, grilled onions and a special sauce that's similar to Thousand Island Dressing. But Dino's also offers "Joe's style," topped with Velveeta, grilled onions, tartar sauce and hot oil. Don't neglect that one, it's excellent.

And you can never go wrong with a classic: crispy, salty, hot French fries with ample ketchup for dipping.

Pair your fries of choice with a Dino's cheeseburger (which you can also order animal style, might I add) and a beer to make a well-rounded meal.

The bar has been no stranger to accolades during its nearly 50-year history, racking up editorial recognition for having one of the best cheeseburgers in the U.S., being one of the best dive bars in Nashville and serving the best cheap eats.

Dino's fries claimed 31.73% of the votes in the poll, but other fries in Nashville are worth knowing about, too.

Beef fat fries from Xiao Bao

When asked about the beef fat fries from Xiao Bao in East Nashville, Tennessean senior food writer Mackensy Lunsford nearly fell out of her chair.

The original recipe for McDonald's French fries used beef tallow in the deep fryer until 1990, when the fast-food giant switched to vegetable oil. When Lunsford eats the beef fat fries from Xiao Bao, she's transported to the back seat of her mother's station wagon with a wave of nostalgia. Greasy, crispy, thin French fries from the McDonald's drive-through.

The fries from Xiao Bao, while very simple, are a must-try at the Asian comfort food restaurant. They're served on a big plate with a side of special sauce. They claimed just over 18% of the votes in our poll.

Honorable mentions

Voters in the poll also threw support behind menu items from Greko Greek Street Food and Chauhan Ale and Masala House.

Chauhan's dish is a stack of tandoori chicken, makhani sauce, and cheese curds over crispy masala fries. The poutine took almost 15% of the votes in the poll.

The street fries from Greko come topped with oregano and mizithra cheese. They're crispy and well-seasoned and claimed almost 13% of the reader votes.