A Chic, All-Day Cafe by Celebrity Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten Opens Downtown

Internationally celebrated restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten rounds out his new Nashville presence at downtown’s historic Hermitage Hotel with the addition of a dainty, morning-to-night cafe. The Pink Hermit by Jean-Georges is the casual counterpart to Drusie & Darr, the hotel’s months-old flagship restaurant that marked the Michelin-starred chef’s first foray into Nashville.

His versatile new cafe, open weekdays to start from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (231 6th Ave N., Nashville), brings downtown a sun-drenched spot to grab coffees, pastries, and takeout-friendly sandwiches and salads. A sit-down dinner menu designed for pre-and post- theater meet-ups includes decadent bar snacks, French wines by the glass, and elegant cocktails like a raspberry lychee bellini and a Plymouth gin-filled cucumber martini and negroni.

The Pink Hermit kicks off the day with juices, espresso drinks, and loose-leaf teas from In Pursuit of Tea; bakery bites like brown butter chocolate chip cookies and vegan blueberry matcha muffins; and chia seed pudding and croissants stuffed with egg whites and goat cheese. Savory sandwiches built on a brioche roll include prosciutto and mozzarella or ham and gruyere varieties, joined by seared tuna nicoise or roasted beet salads.

The intimate cafe, accessed through a new street-level entrance at the corner of Union and Sixth Avenue, offers a mix of cozy seating inside and out. Award-winning interior designer Thomas Juul-Hansen, who also put together the look of Drusie & Darr, dressed up The Pink Hermit in floor-to-ceiling gray marble accents and pale pink tones (with blush-toned cups and plates to match).

A one-page dinner menu adds wood-fired pizza topped with black truffles, ahi tuna tartare, elaborate charcuterie and cheese boards, a big-ticketed order of egg toast topped with caviar ($58), and lush desserts like a salted caramel fudge sundae. The Hermitage’s executive chef Kelsi Armijo oversees the day-to-day menus in Nashville.

The 122-room hotel’s owners Molly and Robert Hardie also teamed up with the acclaimed French chef to lead Marigold’s menu at sister property Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The luxury, art deco hotel born in 1910 got a top-to-bottom makeover last year, all while preserving original elements like a stained glass ceiling above the lobby.