Tony Mantuano's Joseph Hotel Italian room in downtown Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional Italian cooking, awarded a Michelin Star in 2025.
Must order: Pasta tasting paired with a deep regional Italian wine list.
Tip: The espresso bar on the ground floor serves casual antipasti at half the price; counter seats welcome walk-ins.
Address: 401 Korean Veterans Blvd, Nashville, TN 37203
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, recommended in the 2025 Michelin Guide American South.
Order: Cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Tip: Lunch 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. Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2025 and Modern Luxury hotel pick.
Order: Plant-forward small plates built around Tennessee produce.
Tip: Weekend brunch at 11:00 to 14:00 is the Hermitage's quieter face; the bar pours top by-the-glass selections.
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, recommended in the 2025 Michelin Guide American South.
Order: Cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Tip: Lunch 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. Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2025 and Modern Luxury hotel pick.
Order: Plant-forward small plates built around Tennessee produce.
Tip: Weekend brunch at 11:00 to 14:00 is the Hermitage's quieter face; the bar pours top by-the-glass selections.
Strategic Hospitality's Gulch steakhouse in Nashville cuts dry-aged beef tableside, runs a deep American wine list in a slick warehouse-converted dining room.
Order: 32oz dry-aged ribeye for two; cotton candy foie gras as the starter.
Tip: The bar runs walk-in service with a $25 burger that pairs with the same wine list at half the spend.
Philip Krajeck's Germantown Italian-American kitchen in Nashville earned a Michelin Recommended listing in 2025 for its handmade pastas and wood-fired plates.
Order: Squid ink chitarra with octopus and chickpea, plus seasonal vegetable plate.
Tip: Reservations on Resy 30 days out; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00 and serves the same menu.
Tandy Wilson's James Beard award-winning Italian-Southern kitchen in Germantown, Nashville opened 2007. Bradley Midgett took executive chef duties in March 2025.
Order: Belly ham pizza with mozzarella, oregano, chiles and pickled peppers.
Tip: Sunday Suppers are the easy seat: family-style menu, $65 per person, no special-occasion bookings.
A 22-seat U-shaped counter on the fifth floor of the Bill Voorhees Building in Wedgewood-Houston, Nashville, awarded a Michelin Star in 2025 under Ortiz and Doubrava.
Order: The full chef's counter tasting; the menu shifts seasonally.
Tip: Reservations open one month in advance on Tock. Wednesday through Saturday only; one seating per night.
