Lower Broadway honky tonks and SoBro hotel restaurants. Husk on Rutledge, Drusie and Darr at the Hermitage, plus the Assembly Food Hall.
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, run today by chef de cuisine Brian Baxter.
OrderThe cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
TipLunch is a quieter seat with the same kitchen. Book the porch in spring; it overlooks downtown.
The Joseph Hotel's Italian fine-dining room in Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional cooking. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$$$.
OrderPasta tasting and the whole fish; pair with the Italian-leaning wine list.
TipThe espresso bar on the ground floor serves the same kitchen at half the price for an aperitivo.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Hermitage Hotel restaurant in downtown Nashville opened 2022 with seasonal cooking, Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence.
OrderThe plant-forward plates the kitchen builds around Tennessee produce.
TipBreakfast at the Hermitage is the unsung meal: best biscuits in the hotel dining circuit.
A 22-seat counter on the fifth floor of the Bill Voorhees Building in Paseo South Gulch, Nashville, awarded a Michelin Star in 2025 under Ortiz and Doubrava.
OrderThe full chef's counter tasting; the menu shifts seasonally.
Book4 weeks ahead
TipReservations open one month in advance on Tock. Wednesday through Saturday only; one seating per night.
The Joseph Hotel's Italian fine-dining room in downtown Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional Italian cooking. A Forbes Star award-winner.
OrderPasta tasting paired with a deep regional Italian wine list.
Book3 weeks ahead
TipThe espresso bar on the ground floor serves casual antipasti at half the price; counter seats welcome walk-ins.
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, recommended in the 2025 Michelin Guide American.
OrderCornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipLunch is quieter with the same kitchen. Book the porch seats in spring; they overlook downtown.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Hermitage Hotel restaurant in downtown Nashville opened 2022. Order the plant-forward small plates built around tennessee produce.
OrderPlant-forward small plates built around Tennessee produce.
Book3 weeks ahead
TipWeekend brunch at 11:00-14:00 is the Hermitage's quieter face; the bar pours top by-the-glass selections.
Pat Martin's Nashville BBQ joint in downtown runs old-school whole-hog barbecue, a massive beer garden and live music nightly behind the Music City Center.
OrderPulled pork sandwich with Alabama white sauce on top, and a side of mac.
TipThe beer garden out back is the move on warm nights; live music starts at 19:00 most days.
Strategic Hospitality's 13,000 square-foot Peabody Street complex in downtown Nashville combines a restaurant, copper-bar cocktails, six vintage bowling.
OrderBurger at the bar; banana cream pie on weekends.
TipBowling books out for weekend nights; the patio with mini bocce takes walk-ins year-round.
Crema's downtown Hermitage Avenue flagship in Nashville opened 2008, runs the city's longest-tenured third-wave espresso programme and a coffee education lab.
DrinkEspresso
TipPublic coffee classes run from this location; sign up online. The patio is small but quiet on a weekday morning.
Crema's downtown Hermitage Avenue cafe in Nashville houses the company's Coffee Education and Events Lab, where all public classes and cuppings happen.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Pour over, Subscription
TipCoffee classes run monthly; book online. Pourover flight tastings let you try three single origins at one sitting.
Robert's Western World on Lower Broadway in Nashville has anchored the honky-tonk strip since 1996. Free live country music from 11:00-02:00 every day.
DrinkBeer with fried bologna sandwich
FoodBologna sandwich and snacks
TipTip the band $5 or $10 if you stay through a set. The Recession Special is fried bologna with chips and a PBR for $7.
Assembly Food Hall at Fifth and Broadway in downtown Nashville opened 2021 with 30 stalls including Prince's Hot Chicken, Hattie B's, Hattie Jane's Creamery.
TipPrince's Hot Chicken inside is the easy way to try the original without trekking to Nolensville. Rooftop bar is the move at sundown.
Walk Eat Nashville's flagship downtown tour visits five restaurants and shops in Nashville over three hours, named a Top 15 US Food Tour. Small groups.
TipSunday and Monday brunch versions run a slightly different stop list; arrive 10 minutes early at the meeting point.
A Little Local Flavor's founder-led Downtown Nashville Food Tour walks six locally owned scratch kitchens in three hours, capped at 14 guests and closing with live music at a honky tonk.
TipPublic tours cap at 14 guests and most weekends sell out two to three weeks ahead, so book early.
Sidewalk Food Tours runs two Nashville routes in either downtown or East Nashville, with authentic Tennessee cuisine and history stops. National operator.
TipTours run rain or shine. The downtown route is the better first-time-visitor option; East Nashville suits return visitors.
Nashville Wine Auction l'Été du Vin, founded in 1980, is billed as the country's longest running charity wine auction, with three late-July nights of tasting, dinner and auction for cancer causes.
TipThe three nights are the seated Vintners' Tasting on Thursday, the Patrons' Dinner on Friday and the l'Été du Vin dinner and auction on Saturday; in 2027 they fall on 29, 30 and 31 July.
The Nashville Predators Wine Festival and Tasting in Nashville benefits the team foundation, with 200 wines, signature pours and chef stations inside.
TipVIP tickets get early access and access to a special grand-cru room; general admission opens 60 minutes later.
Sidewalk Food Tours runs the Nashville Cuisine cooking class downtown: a two-hour hands-on session covering Nashville hot chicken, biscuits and gravy.
TipTwelve-ticket minimum even for smaller groups; bachelorette parties of six or seven typically still book the full twelve and split a couple of guest slots.
The Recession Special at Robert's Western World on Lower Broadway in Nashville is fried bologna with chips and a PBR for $7, plus free live country music.
TryFried bologna sandwich with chips and beer
TipCash for the bar; tip the band $5 per set. The Recession Special is one of the city's most reliable cheap meals.
Strategic Hospitality's 13,000 square-foot Peabody Street complex in downtown Nashville serves weekend brunch with bowling lanes, copper-bar coffee cocktails.
OrderBrioche French toast
TipFamily groups book the lanes; brunch + a game runs about $40 per person. Reserve 10:00 lanes for a quieter time.
Robert's Western World on Lower Broadway in Nashville stays open until 02:00 every night with free live country music, the Recession Special and a fast-pour.
TryFried bologna sandwich with chips and beer
TipTip the band $5 per set if you stay. The Recession Special: fried bologna sandwich, chips and a PBR for $7.
Honky Tonk Central at 4th and Broadway in Nashville is the three-floor honky-tonk that holds 840 dancing bodies under live country bands every night.
TipOpen 11:00-03:00 daily, 10:00 open on Friday and Saturday. No cover, kitchen runs until 22:00.
AJ's Good Time Bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville is Alan Jackson's three-floor honky-tonk, with country bands on each level and a rooftop overlooking the strip.
TipLive music starts at 10:00 daily and runs until last call at 03:00. The rooftop opens later and is the easier dance floor on Saturdays.
Whiskey Bent Saloon on Lower Broadway in Nashville pairs country dance bands with a deep bourbon list, two stages running back-to-back acts all night.
TipNo cover and free entry until close. Bourbon flights are the move; cash and card both work at the saloon-style front bar.
Tin Roof on Demonbreun Hill in Nashville opened in 2002 next to Music Row, with a live music stage, a DJ-led Green Room dance floor and four bars under one roof.
TipNo cover any night. The Green Room DJs spin until 03:00 Thursday through Saturday; weeknight live bands start at 21:00.
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Lower Broadway in Nashville is the purple honky-tonk that fed the Ryman backstage since 1960, with live country on three stages daily.
TipOpen 09:30-03:00 every day with no cover. The upstairs stage is the easier walk-up; tip the band a few dollars per song.
Robert's Western World on Broadway in Nashville is the honky-tonk in a former Sho-Bud guitar shop, with classic country bands and the Recession Special at the bar.
TipRecession Special is a fried bologna sandwich, chips, Moon Pie and a PBR for $6. All-ages until 18:00, then 21+ only.
Legends Corner on Lower Broadway in Nashville lines its walls with country album covers and runs live honky-tonk bands from 10:00-03:00 every day with no cover.
TipOpen 10:00-03:00 daily, all-ages until 18:00 then 21+. The corner location at 5th and Broadway puts you closest to the Ryman.
Rare Bird on the 13th floor of the Noelle hotel in downtown Nashville pours craft cocktails on a wraparound deck above the Cumberland River and State Capitol.
TipWeekend hours run to midnight, weekdays close at 22:00. Cabana seating books out by 19:00; the bar rail walks in easy.
Acme Feed & Seed on Broadway in Nashville is the 1890 feed-store turned four-floor music hall, with a top-floor rooftop framing the Cumberland and Nissan Stadium.
TipRooftop runs 12:00-20:00 Sunday to Friday, 11:00-22:00 Saturday. No cover; arrive before sunset to catch the skyline turn.
The Nash Rooftop Lounge above Printers Alley in downtown Nashville is the ten-story backyard with a retrofitted 1956 Scenicruiser bus, cabanas and a bag-toss lawn.
TipOpen to the public except the pool. Live music on the backyard stage runs most weekend afternoons; Friday closes at midnight.
888 at the base of the JW Marriott in Nashville is the Japanese kissa-style vinyl bar with 2,000 records on a wall chosen with Grimey's and United Record Pressing.
TipOpen 17:00-23:00 Sun-Wed, later Thu-Sat. Happy hour 16:00-18:00 at the bar only; full sushi menu on the dining side.
Skull's Rainbow Room in the 1948 Southern Turf basement in Printers Alley Nashville is the only downtown jazz lounge, with nightly bands and late burlesque sets.
TipJazz nightly from 17:00, burlesque Thursday to Sunday at 23:00 with a $25 cover from 21:00. Reserve via OpenTable for dinner first.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Walk through Downtown Nashville with five food tastings, lively stories, and sights like the Ryman, Country Music Hall of Fame, Broadway’s honky tonks, and hidden gems...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Experience East Nashville through 5 tastings and stories of resilience, creativity, and community on a guided walking food tour.
Guided tour · 4 hours
Experience the best of Nashville on a bus tour. Visit a local distillery for a guided tour and whiskey tastings, enjoy a meal at a local BBQ joint, and sip on a flight...