Sprawling Rooftop Bar Zeppelin Debuts With Downtown and Germantown Views

Zeppelin, a new rooftop bar and restaurant from a team of industry veterans behind hospitality firm Big Little Fish, debuts on Friday, November 6.

The sprawling 4,500-square-foot space with views of downtown and Germantown crowns the top (seventh) floor of the new TownePlace Suites hotel, located at 505 3rd Ave North. There is a street entrance leading upstairs to the new bar and restaurant.

Executive chef Aaron Thebault (most recently of Nashville’s new Italian gem Yolan) and owner/creative director Scott Baird are running the show, food-wise at Zeppelin — with a menu fusing coastal and global flavors alongside interesting takes on American standards. To start, charred carrots are kicked up a notch with gochujang tomato and black sesame. Or, find coastal flavors like hamachi crudo and oyster platters. American throwback dishes are also on the menu — from a patty melt to pork loin with blue cheese and tarragon. Beef kalbi ribs with fish sauce and a five-spiced chicken thigh with kewpie mayo are also on the menu.

Thebault began his culinary endeavors at James Beard Award-winning Girl & the Goat in Chicago, where he eventually assumed the role of chef de cuisine. Thebault moved on to gain experience in fine Italian dining at Michelin-starred Spiaggia in Chicago before relocating to Nashville to work alongside the Mantuanos at the The Joseph Hotel’s flagship restaurant.

Baird has created a fun and well-executed drink menu, including vodka cocktails served in boot-shaped glasses, and the spice-rimmed Alyssa margarita featuring a house tequila blend and aromatized agave.

Designed by the award-winning Gettys Group, the bright and light, purple and pink-studded restaurant seats 165 guests. An exposed all-white ceiling lends to a loft-like ambiance, flanked by wrap-around windows that open up to offer an indoor-meets-outdoor dining experience. Anchoring the center of the space is an 18-seat grand bar appointed with white metal, soft wood, and a finely detailed stone top. Zeppelin also boasts a 500 square-foot all-season outdoor lounge with four firepits that features misting and heating systems to provide a temperature-controlled outdoor retreat year-round. Oh, and there’s a sparkly pink girls’ bathroom floor, too.

Zeppelin will open fo dinner and drinks Tuesday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight, and Friday/Saturday from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m.. Private dining and outdoor lounge areas will be available for special event bookings.

Big Little Fish is a hospitality development and management firm founded in 2018 by industry veterans Scott Baird, Will Friedrichs, and Brett Orlando — a crew touting over 20 years’ experience as managers, partners, chefs, and creators. Big Little Fish just opened Moonshot Coffee downstairs in the same hotel, and now Zeppelin in Nashville, with additional projects in the works across the United States in 2021 and beyond.

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