The Where to Eat in Nashville Guide is Live

After 10+ years hosting thousands of Nashville guests, one question comes up more than any other: where should we eat?

Why I built this

I love a good listicle as much as the next person. But when guests message me the night before they arrive asking where to eat, I never send them Yelp’s top 10. I send them the same 20-30 places, over and over, depending on what they’re in the mood for. Steakhouse for the celebration? Kayne Prime. Best all-around dinner? Urban Grub. Actual local hot chicken? Red’s 615 Kitchen.

I finally wrote it all down. Every neighborhood favorite, every hidden gem, every “you have to book this now or you’ll miss it” ressie — all in one guide that you can bookmark, share, and reference before every Nashville trip.

What’s in the guide

Over 100 restaurants and bars organized by exactly how you’d actually pick one:

• Best-of picks #1 in each category — my single top choice for date night, hot chicken, brunch, steak, sushi, BBQ, rooftop drinks, and more. No “5 tied for best” cop-outs.
• The hardest ressies in town Book Now — ELEVEN11 on Dickerson Pike (the new 11-seat Vietnamese counter that’s currently the hottest ticket in Nashville) and Kasé (12-seat omakase in the Gulch) both go fast the moment reservations drop on OpenTable.
• Edgy & off-the-map Locals only — the sceney, small, easy-to-miss spots you leave Broadway for.
• By neighborhood — East Nashville, Germantown, 12South, the Gulch, Downtown, Wedgewood-Houston — with a “stay closest” note for each of our vacation rentals.
• By vibe — date night, brunch, family-friendly, late-night, coffee, cocktails, breweries & distilleries, live music with dinner.
• The special-request answers — best CMA Fest dinner strategy, where to eat before a Titans game, the actual best rooftop, and my picks for the hardest tickets in town.

Newest additions this month

Three cocktail bars just got added that are earning their spot fast:

• Charmers Neuhoff · New — the new riverside bar from the Peninsula team, hidden so far back in the Neuhoff District you’ll have to hunt. Rare Cumberland River view, dark and moody, and one of the best cheeseburgers in town.
• Close Company Neuhoff · New — the Nashville outpost of NYC’s Death & Co, done in an unbuttoned, unpretentious little-sister style. Modern twists on classics, batched freezer drinks, and clever bar snacks. Walk-in only.
• Cherries Dickerson Pike · New — the “it girl” bar of the Dickerson Pike corridor. Red-lit sultry interior, but the real move is the massive patio. Happy hour daily from open to 8pm.

The one restaurant I’m telling everyone about

If you take one thing from this guide: book ELEVEN11.

ELEVEN11 on Dickerson Pike is two experiences under one roof — a high-energy cocktail bar and discotheque on one side, and an 11-seat Vietnamese counter-service restaurant on the other. Chef Son Pham (formerly of The Catbird Seat) cooks the entire menu in front of you. Tomato rice, hand-cut garlic noodles, whole grilled fish, a Bear Creek ribeye that critics are already calling one of the best steaks in the city, and ginger tofu ice cream served on a cold rock. Owned by Michelle Pham and Alexis Soler (also behind Old Glory).

Reservations on OpenTable are recommended — there are only 11 seats and they go fast. This is the ressie you brag about getting.

Booking with us? I’ll book your dinner too.

If you’re staying at one of our Music City Magnolia vacation rentals, text me the night you’re in town and the size of your group — I’ll book the ressie for you at any of the restaurants in this guide. Local access, no dinner-hunting stress.

Browse our Nashville rentals and book direct to save up to 20% off OTA rates.

— Loni Walters
Music City Magnolia