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Robert’s Western World, an iconic honky-tonk on Broadway in downtown Nashville.
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13 Great Places to Dine Around Downtown Nashville

The blocks surrounding Broadway offer everything from Italian fine dining Italian to comforting Southern meat-and-three plates

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Robert’s Western World, an iconic honky-tonk on Broadway in downtown Nashville.
| via Getty Images

When people think of going out in downtown Nashville, they usually envision Broadway’s raucous pedal taverns, honky-tonks, and rooftops rather than high-quality food at intriguing restaurants. But the influx of visitors in recent years has helped draw excellent new options to augment some existing charmers. Dining out in the city center has never been better, whether you want Italian fine dining or comforting Southern meat-and-three plates. Here are downtown Nashville’s top restaurants.

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Black Rabbit

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The Farm House chef-owner Trey Cioccia now has two downtown restaurants under his belt with the addition of this cozy Printer’s Alley cocktail den — and both have solid happy hours. Black Rabbit is an ode to a bygone era, with both decor and menu reflecting that aesthetic. Standouts range from the signature rabbit rolls to a grilled Caesar to a smoked rib-eye with mustard-seed chimichurri.

Skull's Rainbow Room

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The original Skull’s Rainbow Room from the 1940s, a legendary hangout and performance venue, shuttered in 1999. The Printers Alley icon reopened in 2015 with nightly live jazz, late-night weekend burlesque, and many of the vintage touches of the original. The revamped dinner menu features luscious lobster bisque, prime rib empanadas, and an excellent garlic honey-glazed pork chop.

Manny's House of Pizza

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Tucked inside the Arcade, Manny’s House of Pizza is easy to overlook — but that’d be a big mistake, as the small counter serves some of the city’s best cheesy, pepperoni-studded slices. Originally from Brooklyn, Manny Macca has owned and operated this pizza joint since 1984, and it’s quite a popular lunchtime destination, selling calzones, subs, and New York-style pie whole or by the slice.

Rae's Sandwich Shoppe

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A line is a common occurrence at this longstanding deli on Union, open only for lunch most weekdays. Find standout versions of hot sandwiches like Cubans, Monte Cristos, and hot brown handhelds all served on New Orleans-style French bread alongside original creations, soups, and salads.

Daddy’s Dogs

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Walk up to the Daddy’s Dogs late-night window in historic Printers Alley to try Nashville’s top dogs during a night out. Choose classics like the New York- or Chicago-style dog or get over-the-top originals like the Big Daddy topped with cream cheese, bacon, pickle, grilled onion, jalapeno, and Daddy’s secret sauce.

Puckett's Restaurant

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The lively downtown Nashville location of Puckett’s, a regional chain that originated in the 1950s as a grocery store in nearby Leiper’s Fork, hosts near-daily live music and serves a wide range of standout Southern fare. You’ll find everything from biscuits and gravy at breakfast and meat-and-three lunch specials like blackened catfish with collards, mashed potatoes, and cowboy caviar to killer fried chicken and barbecue for dinner. Finish things off with a rotating selection of cobbler.

D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe

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Nashville native David Andrews moved back from NYC in 2016 and opened his first shop downtown. At D’Andrews, grab an espresso, nitro cold brew, or latte with scratch syrups to go with decadent rotating pastries including double-butter croissants, s’more croissants, and brioche pecan cinnamon buns. The breakfast and lunch cafe also makes an enticing assortment of salads, soups, and sandwiches, including a BLT, a pimento grilled cheese, and egg sandwiches, all on house focaccia.

Robert's Western World

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Since what feels like lightyears before Broadway’s streetscape was overtaken by three-story mega-bars named after modern country music stars, Robert’s Western World has consistently offered old-school country music and rockabilly for those seeking a true Nashville honky-tonk experience. And while this is undoubtedly more bar than restaurant, Robert’s $6 Recession Special — a fried bologna sandwich with an icy PBR and Moon Pie for dessert — is an iconic Music City meal.

Fifth + Broadway

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Massive mixed-use development Fifth + Broadway added dozens of excellent dining options for those visiting the popular honky-tonk strip. Standalone highlights include locally grown chains Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and Slim & Husky’s (the pizzeria made history as the first-ever Black-owned restaurant to open on Broadway) plus the glamorous Twelve Thirty Club, which offers live music and food across several floors. And the Assembly Food Hall here has a staggering variety of stalls and seating areas across multiple levels, including local favorites like Thai Esane, Saffron the Indian Kitchen, Steam Boys, Donut Distillery, and Prince’s Hot Chicken — creator of the iconic Nashville hot chicken.

An overhead view of Assembly Food Hall in downtown Nashville
Assembly Food Hall at Fifth + Broadway.
Assembly Food Hall

The Southern Steak & Oyster

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This was long one of the only places in town with an oyster bar, and it remains a local and tourist favorite for its refined Southern dining experience and top-notch street-level patio even as other oyster bars have cropped up around town. Chase the briny bivalves with thoughtfully prepared traditional dishes like fish and grits, fried chicken with collards and country ham gravy, and steak and blue cheese biscuits.

Revered chef Deb Paquette has a knack for bold flavor, which Etch showcases charmingly in unexpected dishes like octopus and shrimp bruschetta and confit duck leg with ginger lemongrass white bean cassoulet. Perhaps the most popular dish: roasted cauliflower, available at lunch, dinner, and happy hour with truffled pea puree, salted almonds, feta crema, and red bell pepper sauce. As always, when a restaurant has a pastry chef, save room for dessert; here, Megan Williams turns out gems like a Hazelnut Black Forest with hazelnut brownie and mousse, cherry compote, and more lush elements.

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint

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Martin’s is an easy place to recommend to folks with a hankering for Southern barbecue. Pitmaster Pat Martin is keeping the West Tennessee tradition of whole-hog barbecue alive and well, growing his Nolensville-based restaurant into a chain spread across several states. The downtown Nashville location has a mammoth beer garden in the back, providing tons of seating, games, and a stage for live music. Don’t miss Martin’s quintessential pulled-pork barbecue sandwich; other hits include wings, wet or dry ribs, brisket sandwiches, barbecue bologna sandwiches, and Redneck Tacos on cornbread hoecakes.

Nashville scored big when James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano and wine expert Cathy Mantuano came to town. The powerhouse couple brought the fine dining Italian menu and see-through cheese cave Nashville had been missing, along with standout service and a welcoming atmosphere inside the Joseph hotel. Try a chef’s tasting menu — there’s even a rare vegetarian version — or order any of the pasta options a la carte and save room for jaw-dropping desserts from executive pastry chef Noelle Marchetti.

A pasta dish in a wide white bowl
Pasta at Yolan.
Haas & Haas Photography/Yolan

Black Rabbit

The Farm House chef-owner Trey Cioccia now has two downtown restaurants under his belt with the addition of this cozy Printer’s Alley cocktail den — and both have solid happy hours. Black Rabbit is an ode to a bygone era, with both decor and menu reflecting that aesthetic. Standouts range from the signature rabbit rolls to a grilled Caesar to a smoked rib-eye with mustard-seed chimichurri.

Skull's Rainbow Room

The original Skull’s Rainbow Room from the 1940s, a legendary hangout and performance venue, shuttered in 1999. The Printers Alley icon reopened in 2015 with nightly live jazz, late-night weekend burlesque, and many of the vintage touches of the original. The revamped dinner menu features luscious lobster bisque, prime rib empanadas, and an excellent garlic honey-glazed pork chop.

Manny's House of Pizza

Tucked inside the Arcade, Manny’s House of Pizza is easy to overlook — but that’d be a big mistake, as the small counter serves some of the city’s best cheesy, pepperoni-studded slices. Originally from Brooklyn, Manny Macca has owned and operated this pizza joint since 1984, and it’s quite a popular lunchtime destination, selling calzones, subs, and New York-style pie whole or by the slice.

Rae's Sandwich Shoppe

A line is a common occurrence at this longstanding deli on Union, open only for lunch most weekdays. Find standout versions of hot sandwiches like Cubans, Monte Cristos, and hot brown handhelds all served on New Orleans-style French bread alongside original creations, soups, and salads.

Daddy’s Dogs

Walk up to the Daddy’s Dogs late-night window in historic Printers Alley to try Nashville’s top dogs during a night out. Choose classics like the New York- or Chicago-style dog or get over-the-top originals like the Big Daddy topped with cream cheese, bacon, pickle, grilled onion, jalapeno, and Daddy’s secret sauce.

Puckett's Restaurant

The lively downtown Nashville location of Puckett’s, a regional chain that originated in the 1950s as a grocery store in nearby Leiper’s Fork, hosts near-daily live music and serves a wide range of standout Southern fare. You’ll find everything from biscuits and gravy at breakfast and meat-and-three lunch specials like blackened catfish with collards, mashed potatoes, and cowboy caviar to killer fried chicken and barbecue for dinner. Finish things off with a rotating selection of cobbler.

D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe

Nashville native David Andrews moved back from NYC in 2016 and opened his first shop downtown. At D’Andrews, grab an espresso, nitro cold brew, or latte with scratch syrups to go with decadent rotating pastries including double-butter croissants, s’more croissants, and brioche pecan cinnamon buns. The breakfast and lunch cafe also makes an enticing assortment of salads, soups, and sandwiches, including a BLT, a pimento grilled cheese, and egg sandwiches, all on house focaccia.

Robert's Western World

Since what feels like lightyears before Broadway’s streetscape was overtaken by three-story mega-bars named after modern country music stars, Robert’s Western World has consistently offered old-school country music and rockabilly for those seeking a true Nashville honky-tonk experience. And while this is undoubtedly more bar than restaurant, Robert’s $6 Recession Special — a fried bologna sandwich with an icy PBR and Moon Pie for dessert — is an iconic Music City meal.

Fifth + Broadway

Massive mixed-use development Fifth + Broadway added dozens of excellent dining options for those visiting the popular honky-tonk strip. Standalone highlights include locally grown chains Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and Slim & Husky’s (the pizzeria made history as the first-ever Black-owned restaurant to open on Broadway) plus the glamorous Twelve Thirty Club, which offers live music and food across several floors. And the Assembly Food Hall here has a staggering variety of stalls and seating areas across multiple levels, including local favorites like Thai Esane, Saffron the Indian Kitchen, Steam Boys, Donut Distillery, and Prince’s Hot Chicken — creator of the iconic Nashville hot chicken.

An overhead view of Assembly Food Hall in downtown Nashville
Assembly Food Hall at Fifth + Broadway.
Assembly Food Hall

The Southern Steak & Oyster

This was long one of the only places in town with an oyster bar, and it remains a local and tourist favorite for its refined Southern dining experience and top-notch street-level patio even as other oyster bars have cropped up around town. Chase the briny bivalves with thoughtfully prepared traditional dishes like fish and grits, fried chicken with collards and country ham gravy, and steak and blue cheese biscuits.

Etch

Revered chef Deb Paquette has a knack for bold flavor, which Etch showcases charmingly in unexpected dishes like octopus and shrimp bruschetta and confit duck leg with ginger lemongrass white bean cassoulet. Perhaps the most popular dish: roasted cauliflower, available at lunch, dinner, and happy hour with truffled pea puree, salted almonds, feta crema, and red bell pepper sauce. As always, when a restaurant has a pastry chef, save room for dessert; here, Megan Williams turns out gems like a Hazelnut Black Forest with hazelnut brownie and mousse, cherry compote, and more lush elements.

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint

Martin’s is an easy place to recommend to folks with a hankering for Southern barbecue. Pitmaster Pat Martin is keeping the West Tennessee tradition of whole-hog barbecue alive and well, growing his Nolensville-based restaurant into a chain spread across several states. The downtown Nashville location has a mammoth beer garden in the back, providing tons of seating, games, and a stage for live music. Don’t miss Martin’s quintessential pulled-pork barbecue sandwich; other hits include wings, wet or dry ribs, brisket sandwiches, barbecue bologna sandwiches, and Redneck Tacos on cornbread hoecakes.

Yolan

Nashville scored big when James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano and wine expert Cathy Mantuano came to town. The powerhouse couple brought the fine dining Italian menu and see-through cheese cave Nashville had been missing, along with standout service and a welcoming atmosphere inside the Joseph hotel. Try a chef’s tasting menu — there’s even a rare vegetarian version — or order any of the pasta options a la carte and save room for jaw-dropping desserts from executive pastry chef Noelle Marchetti.

A pasta dish in a wide white bowl
Pasta at Yolan.
Haas & Haas Photography/Yolan

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