Best Takeout in Cookeville, TN
Good takeout is harder to pull off than it looks. The food has to hold in the container. The packaging has to make sense. And the whole experience has to feel worth it when you get home, open the bag, and sit down.
Cookeville has a solid local food scene, and a handful of spots have figured out how to translate that into a takeout experience that doesn't disappoint. These aren't chain restaurants doing assembly-line work. These are places with kitchens that care what leaves through the back door, whether it's headed to your dining room table or your car console.
Here are seven picks worth calling.
1. Stroud's Barbeque
There's a reason Stroud's has survived this long. Barbecue is an unforgiving takeout food. You either smoke it right or you serve warm mush. Stroud's gets it right. The pulled pork is smoky and moist without being greasy, and it holds in the container better than most. Their ribs travel well too, which is not something you can say about every rib place. The bark on the ribs stays intact in the container, and the meat doesn't seize up on the drive home the way it can with poorly smoked pork.
The menu goes beyond meat: barbecue nachos, a barbecue baked potato, and a barbecue burrito that sounds like a stunt but actually works. The sides (beans, mac and cheese, potato salad) are made to order and don't turn to mush on the drive home. The jalapeño cornbread is worth choosing over the plain roll if you want a little heat with your plate. Banana pudding for dessert. That's the move. Get a cup of it to go and eat it before you leave the parking lot.
Located at 1201 E Spring St, they run a drive-through, which is the ideal setup for takeout. No wrestling with parking, no waiting to flag down a host. You pull up, you order, you leave. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call ahead at 931-528-7020 if you've got a big order.
2. Bubba Gandy Seafood
Most of the country doesn't associate Tennessee with good seafood. That's because most of the country hasn't been to Bubba Gandy. This place sources wild-caught Gulf seafood and either sells it fresh for you to cook at home or cooks it for you on the spot. Both options work.
The Hoot Plate is the one to know: one pound of Royal Red shrimp, corn, potatoes, and andouille sausage in a boil bag. It's a legitimate meal and it travels in the bag it comes in. The Royal Reds are a variety of deep-water shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico with a naturally sweeter, more tender flavor than standard white shrimp, and Bubba Gandy handles them correctly: steamed and seasoned rather than overcooked and buried in butter. Their shrimp po'boys are consistently called out in reviews as some of the best in the region, which is a serious claim. Lobster rolls, calamari, fried green tomatoes. The menu is tight and the quality is not something you'll find at a chain seafood restaurant.
The catch with Bubba Gandy is the hours. They're only open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at 370 S Lowe Avenue. Plan around it, because the 4.9 Google rating isn't an accident. Show up early on a Saturday if you want the full selection.
3. Big Tony's Pizzeria
New York-style pizza in Cookeville might sound like a stretch. It isn't. Big Tony's makes fresh dough daily, runs a wood-fired setup that produces a crust with real char and chew, and has built a loyal customer base that treats this place like it's the only pizza shop in town. Their Yelp rating holds at 4.7 across nearly 700 reviews, which is hard to maintain. A slice-by-the-slice format means you can mix and match toppings across a group without committing everyone to one pie.
You can order a whole pie or grab by the slice. Either way, the cheese is applied generously and the sauce has actual flavor: bright, slightly tangy, seasoned with enough oregano and garlic to taste like a sauce someone made rather than opened. The crust has enough char from the wood fire to give you a slight bitterness that balances the cheese. The pizza doesn't turn into a cardboard situation by the time you get home. That matters. Plenty of places do great pizza in-house and trash pizza to go. Big Tony's doesn't have that problem.
Find them at 866 E 10th St. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6:30 p.m. They're closed Mondays. Call 931-400-TONY or order through their website. If you're feeding a group, call ahead.
4. El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant
El Tapatio has been feeding Cookeville since 1992. That kind of longevity doesn't happen without consistency. They've got two locations: 190 S Willow Ave (931-520-4393) and 900 S Jefferson Avenue (931-372-0246), which means you're probably close to one of them no matter where you are in town.
The menu covers all the standards: fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and a seafood section for the adventurous. The chips and cheese dip are a legitimate snack on their own and hold up in a bag. Portions are large, which is either a selling point or a warning depending on your situation. The salsa has heat if you want it.
Both locations offer online ordering and are on DoorDash if you'd rather not pick up. But if you're driving through anyway, the pickup line moves fast. El Tapatio knows how to handle volume after three decades of Friday night rushes.
5. Persis Indian Grill
There are very few places in the Upper Cumberland where you can get properly made butter chicken. Persis is one of them. They're at 601 S Jefferson Ave, Suite C, and the kitchen runs a full Indian menu from curries to rice dishes to naan that comes out of a tandoor oven.
The butter chicken is the entry point for people who haven't been, but the Kadai Paneer and the lamb dishes are where regulars spend most of their time. The DoorDash rating sits at 4.7 across more than a thousand orders, which tells you the food is making the trip without problems.
Worth knowing: Indian food travels better than its reputation suggests, especially when it's curry-based. The sauces don't separate, the naan stays soft if you keep it in the bag, and the portions are generous. Persis can be reached at 931-854-9855. They deliver and offer pickup, and the online ordering works smoothly.
6. World Foods International Deli
World Foods at 22 N Cedar Ave is one of those places that feels too good to be this low-key. It's a market and deli combined, with a pizza operation that has people coming back specifically for the crust. The chicken pesto pizza gets mentioned in review after review. The cheesecake is made in-house and worth ordering alongside whatever else you get.
The sandwich menu runs from gyros to pastrami to house specials that rotate. The freshness of ingredients comes through in the food. This is not a shop that's sourcing cheap. The hole-in-the-wall setting means limited parking and limited seating, but both of those problems disappear if you're doing takeout.
World Foods has a 4.7 Google rating and a loyal customer base from the Tennessee Tech crowd and the downtown office workers who've learned to order early during lunch. Go later in the afternoon for a smoother pickup experience. They're right downtown, which makes them the easiest stop if you're already in the area.
7. Gene's Place Pizzeria
Gene's Place sits at 4 W Spring St, right on the square, and the wood-fired oven is the thing that separates it from every other pizza option in town. The crust comes out with a crisp exterior and a soft, airy interior that doesn't survive without that oven. The sauce is made in-house. The toppings are put on with some care.
But Gene's is more than pizza. The menu includes salads made with fresh ingredients, soup, chili, and soft pretzels with cheese sauce that are a legitimate reason to call ahead just for those. They also pour a wide selection of draft beers, which doesn't help takeout directly, but means the kitchen is set up for a full-service experience and takes the food seriously.
The owner is present and attentive, which you feel in the food. Reviews consistently mention the hospitality alongside the quality. Call the restaurant directly for takeout orders. The wood-fired pizza travels well if you're not driving across the county, so pick up and eat within 20 minutes for the best result.
Cookeville's takeout scene is stronger than it gets credit for. You don't have to settle for a chain when most of these spots are priced similarly and the food is doing something those chains can't replicate. Pick one you haven't tried yet and make the call.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best takeout in Cookeville TN? Stroud's Barbeque is the best all-around takeout in Cookeville, with a drive-through on East Spring Street and pulled pork and ribs that hold up on the drive home. Big Tony's Pizzeria on East 10th Street is the best pizza takeout, with wood-fired crust that stays good out of the oven. For something different, Bubba Gandy Seafood on South Lowe Avenue has a 4.9 Google rating and Gulf seafood boil bags that travel in the bag they come in.
Best food to order for delivery in Cookeville Persis Indian Grill on South Jefferson Avenue delivers well through DoorDash, with a 4.7 rating across more than a thousand orders. The butter chicken, Kadai Paneer, and lamb dishes all hold in transport. El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant has two locations and delivers through DoorDash from both. Stroud's Barbeque also delivers, with BBQ being one of the better delivery-friendly food categories because the sauce keeps the meat moist.
Good takeout places Cookeville Tennessee Top takeout spots in Cookeville: Stroud's Barbeque (drive-through, 1201 E Spring St), Big Tony's Pizzeria (866 E 10th St), Bubba Gandy Seafood (370 S Lowe Ave, Wed-Sat only), Persis Indian Grill (601 S Jefferson Ave), El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant (two locations), and World Foods International Deli (22 N Cedar Ave) for sandwiches and pizza with house-made ingredients.
What restaurants have good takeout in Cookeville? Stroud's Barbeque, Big Tony's Pizzeria, Persis Indian Grill, and El Tapatio consistently deliver strong takeout experiences in Cookeville. Stroud's drive-through is the most convenient. Big Tony's handles pizza transport better than most. Persis is the go-to for Indian food delivered to the door. Gene's Place Pizzeria on the square also offers wood-fired pizza takeout that's worth the pickup if you're within a short drive.