Strategic Hospitality's 13,000 square-foot Peabody Street complex in downtown Nashville serves weekend brunch with bowling lanes, copper-bar coffee cocktails and the patio.
Must order: Brioche French toast
Tip: Family groups book the lanes; brunch + a game runs about $40 per person. Reserve 10:00 lanes for a quieter time.
Address: 33 Peabody Street, Nashville, TN
Proper Bagel on Belmont Boulevard in Nashville opened 2017 with New York-style hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels and a full appetising counter for weekend brunch.
Order: Everything bagel with whitefish salad
Tip: Saturday line builds by 10:00; Sunday is quieter. The lox platter with sliced Gaspe Nova is the upgrade move.
Karl and Sarah Worley's Gulch biscuit counter in Nashville opened 2012 and pioneered the city's all-day biscuit sandwich format. Now ships nationwide via Goldbelly.
Order: Bonuts (biscuit doughnuts with lemon curd)
Tip: Bonuts are the order; East Nashville location at 1024 Woodland gets through the queue faster on weekends.
Hillsboro Village's Pancake Pantry in Nashville has cooked scratch pancakes since 1961, with 23 varieties and a queue that wraps the block every weekend.
Order: Sweet potato pancakes
Tip: Weekday line is easier; tourists pile up Saturday and Sunday from 09:00. Sweet potato pancakes are unsung.
Loveless Cafe on Highway 100 in Nashville has served scratch biscuits, country ham and redeye gravy since 1951, anchoring the Natchez Trace's tourist circuit.
Order: Country ham with redeye gravy and biscuits
Tip: Lines build by 09:00 weekends; put your name down and shop the on-site Hams & Jams Country Market while you wait.
Julia Sullivan's Germantown seafood room in Nashville runs a Saturday and Sunday brunch with raw bar and wood-grill plates. The Champagne list is unusually deep.
Order: Oysters and the wood-grilled fish brunch
Tip: Brunch is the easier seat than dinner; book the bar for walk-in availability.
Jonathan Waxman's Gulch room in Nashville opens Sundays for an all-you-can-eat buffet brunch with carving station, smoked salmon, pastries and the JW chicken.
Order: Buffet plus the JW chicken
Tip: Book mid-morning; the carving station replenishes through service. Reservations open 30 days out.
