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A red-hued, dimly lit stretch of bar with wood paneling, lamps, and a row of seats.
The bar at Blind Barber in the Gulch.
Nathan Zucker

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The Gulch Gets a Barbershop Speakeasy, Bestia Mare Brings Italian Seafood to Franklin, and More Openings

The latest bar and restaurant openings in and around Nashville, Morning Intel-style.

by Jackie Gutierrez-Jones
Jackie Gutierrez-Jones is the editor of Eater Nashville. She has over a decade of experience writing, editing, and leading content teams in the food, drink, travel, and tech space.

Get a haircut and a shave (followed by a stiff drink) at Blind Barber

After a few delays, Blind Barber finally opened its doors on Friday, October 6 in the Gulch. The Nashville location joins spots in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia to mark the New York City-based venue’s seventh location.

By day and early evening, Blind Barber functions as a classic three-chair barber shop marked solely by an iconic striped barber pole. Haircuts, shaves, blow dries, and styles will feature the brand’s signature line of grooming products endorsed by Blind Barber co-owner and. partner, Major League Baseball All-Star Bryce Harper. Complimentary signature cocktails are offered with every service.

After hours, guests can enter through a door in the back into a 70’s-inspired speakeasy outfitted in gold trim and accents with velour booths, a spacious dance floor, an expansive bar serving cocktails, mocktails, and light snacks. To make reservations for the barbershop or to reserve a table, book online or download the app.

A lounge with a DJ booth, black-and-white checkered flooring, brick walls, and tufted sofas.
The DJ booth at Blind Barber.
Nathan Zucker
A brightly-lit barber shop space with white walls, wood panels and three barber shop chairs situated in front of mirrors.
Haircuts and shaves will come with a complimentary cocktail at Blind Barber.
Nathan Zucker

Feast on coastal Italian cuisine in Franklin

Frank Pullara, owner and executive chef of the popular Franklin Italian restaurant Culaccino, has opened a second concept across the street from his Main Street flagship location. Bestia Mare, which opened on October 9, pulls inspiration from the Italian South with a strong focus on coastal Mediterranean dishes and seafood.

The light, airy space utilizes sustainably seafood sources and features a raw bar with oysters, caviar-topped tuna tartar with house-made chips, and octopus carpaccio, as well as starters like stracciatella and arancini. Mains include a snapper al cartoccio (baked in parchment), Faroe Island salmon, and land-based dishes like Cornish hen and a pork rib chop.

A long wooden banquette with several wood tables featuring gray and white place settings in front of it. Stephanie Mullins
Four different coastal Italian dishes plated on white dishware on a wooden table with a bright orange cocktail in the corner and a gray linen napkin on the table Stephanie Mullins

Grab a beer and throw a few darts at Schulman’s

Icon Entertainment & Hospitality (House of Cards, Skull’s Rainbow Room, Nudie’s Honky Tonk) opened Schulman’s Neighborhood Bar on October 5 in East Nashville. Named in honor of David “Skull” Schulman, the local behind Skull’s Rainbow Room and the pioneer of Nashville’s authentic dive bar scene, Schlman’s honors the dive-bar ethos with wood-paneled walls, vintage signs, dart boards, a jukebox, and an old-school cigarette machine that dispenses cartons (smoking is only allowed on the outside patio, though).

Drinks are tightly curated with a stripped-down selection of cocktails that includes a martini, a negroni, a frozen margarita, and the Frozen Fernz with rum, Fernet, coconut, and mint. The bar — which also offers fried bologna sandwiches and fried pickles for munching on — is open seven days a week until 2 a.m.

A bar with green paneling, shelves lined with liquor bottles, and black-tufted stools on a black-and-white checkered floor.
The bar at Schulman’s.
Cody Jordan

Stock up on cool Halloween candy at Lucky Rabbit

Female entrepreneurial duo Allison Holley (Apple & Oak) and Camille Alston (N.B. Goods) have teamed up to open Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop on October 21 at 703 Porter Road in East Nashville. The brightly-colored 240-square-foot microshop, which will offer classic and current pre-packaged candy and sodas, joins both Holley and Alston’s businesses at the Shops at Porter East. In addition to seasonal favorites and local Nashville sweets, Lucky Rabbit will offer a variety of merchandise, foreign sodas, and nostalgic candy that are difficult to find around Nashville, including gluten-free and vegan options. The shop will be open daily starting at 11 a.m.