Jonathan Waxman's Gulch room in Nashville cooks seasonal California-style food in a converted automotive garage. Open kitchen, garage doors open in warm months.
Signature dishes: JW chicken, JW potatoes
Must order: JW chicken with crispy potatoes, salsa verde on the side.
Tip: All-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet is the value play; carving station, smoked salmon, pastries.
Address: 1210 McGavock St, Nashville, TN 37203
Maneet Chauhan's Gulch room in Nashville runs globally inflected American comfort food with strong cocktails, opened 2018 and steady at the top of the area lists.
Signature: Crispy pork shank, Fried chicken
Order: Crispy pork shank with chili crisp, plus the kale Caesar.
Tip: Happy hour is generous and easy to walk into; book ahead for the patio in warm weather.
Maneet Chauhan's Gulch room in Nashville runs globally inflected American comfort food with strong cocktails, opened 2018 and steady at the top of the area lists.
Signature: Crispy pork shank, Fried chicken
Order: Crispy pork shank with chili crisp, plus the kale Caesar.
Tip: Happy hour is generous and easy to walk into; book ahead for the patio in warm weather.
Chef Philip Krajeck's Germantown Italian-American kitchen in Nashville opened in 2012 inside the Werthan factory and runs handmade pastas and wood-fired plates.
Signature: Squid ink chitarra, Wood-fired pork chop
Order: Squid ink chitarra with octopus and chickpea, plus the wood-fired pork.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Resy; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00 and serves the same menu.
Chef Tandy Wilson's Germantown room in Nashville serves blue-collar Italian and Southern cooking since 2007. Wilson won the James Beard Best Chef Southeast in 2016.
Signature: Belly ham pizza, Catfish with chickpeas
Order: Belly ham pizza with mozzarella, oregano, chiles and pickled peppers.
Tip: Bradley Midgett took executive chef duties in March 2025; the menu stays Wilson's. Sunday Suppers are the easy seat.
Chef Julia Sullivan's Germantown seafood room in Nashville opened in 2017 with a raw bar, wood-grill program and a wine list built around growers.
Signature: Oyster tower, Wood-grilled fish
Order: Half-dozen oysters from the daily list, then the wood-grilled whole fish.
Tip: Brunch on Saturday is the easier seat. Happy hour 17:00 to 18:00 runs $1 oysters at the bar.
Ford Fry's Atlanta-born seafood concept landed in Nashville's Germantown Hammer Mill in 2023, anchoring a seafood tower programme and Le Loup cocktail lounge.
Signature: Seafood tower, Oysters and grilled fish
Order: The opulent seafood tower for two, plus the wood-grilled fish of the day.
Tip: Skip the line by booking the bar; downstairs at Le Loup serves the same raw bar with cocktails.
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.
Signature: Cornbread skillet, Pork belly with peas
Order: The cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Tip: Lunch is a quieter seat with the same kitchen. Book the porch in spring; it overlooks downtown.
