Popcorn is popcorn is popcorn. It’s light and crispy, salty and buttery. Delicious! But is it special? Can one popcorn really be better than all the rest? At East Nashville’s family-owned popcorn shop Kernels, the answer is undoubtedly yes. Whatever their flavor of the month is, get it. In February it took me just one day to down a whole bag of the best popcorn I’ve ever had, a cherry and chocolate mix where the fluffy corn puffs were coated in the ideal amount of vibrant red and fruity coating and finished off with a generous drizzle of dark chocolate. April was lemon-glazed cake, and September was caramel corn drizzled with sunflower butter and dark chocolate. The limited-edition flavors are always daring, but familiar enough to crave. Kernels’ Nashville hot popcorn — a menu mainstay — is a must for visitors hoping to fully experience Nashville’s most famous food, but a warning to the weak: It’s spicy enough that I have to cut it with some of the buttery caramel corn to cool down the heat. Even when I have picked all the caramel kernels out of the bag I can’t resist — at times it’s punishing, but always worth it.
Best Popcorn
