A staple since opening nearly 15 years ago, Nashville native Tandy Wilson’s Southern riff on rustic Italian fare made him the first Nashville chef to take home a James Beard Award. The belly ham pizza, Sunday supper’s meatball special, and talented pastry chef Rebekah Turshen’s desserts are all crucial when dining at City House.

Nicky’s is a hands-on affair — all the charcuterie, pasta, bitters, infusions, and shrubs are made in-house here. While the coal-fired pizza is definitely a thing, dishes like spicy Gulf shrimp spaghetti, gnocchi and beef shank sugo, and cavatelli bolognese are absolute showstoppers. Be sure to wind up the meal with one of Nicky’s house-spun gelatos or sorbets. There’s also a temporary plant-based menu featuring BeHive products.

The Nashville outpost of this upscale New York-based Italian restaurant lives up to its reputation with both flawless service and exquisitely presented dishes. Start with the calamari picante, then move onto one of the pasta dishes, like the goat cheese ravioli or fettuccini with Parmesan cream sauce. The filet is another standout for those avoiding pasta. Finish with the warm brioche budino with grappa-soaked raisins — just think of it as a digestif.

Ask any local about their top three favorite Italian joints around town, and this Gulch date night contender consistently sweeps the list. And it’s no surprise — one look at the sleek midcentury modern decor, discreet wraparound booths, and warm candlelit glow practically clinches its spot on those lists. But the black spaghetti with lobster ragu and Heritage pork chop (with FatBack bacon) on the menu are proof that Moto has just as much substance as it has style.

Though they relocated from West End to Hayes Street, this Midtown staple has been serving up Italian classics to hungry locals for over 25 years. Think homemade lasagne with wild boar bolognese, bucatini, and cioppino.

Visitors can load up on fresh burrata, heaps of fettuccine with meatballs, and deep-dish timpano at this restaurant/market hybrid. Post-carb-feast served either indoors or on the covered patio, diners can enjoy a glass of wine or beer while perusing the Italian market. You can also find a smaller outpost at downtown’s Assembly Food Hall.

This longstanding West End location of the mini-chain is one of the only familiar restaurant faces in the area in this day and age. Here, find pizza, pasta, salads, and meaty entrees — plus an entire menu for gluten-sensitive diners, including a tasty peanut butter blondie made with rocky road ganache.

The brainchild of chef Gerard Craft, Pastaria serves up some seriously craveable carbs from its bright and airy outpost in the OneC1ty complex. Watch as dishes like cacio e pepe, garganelli, and pistachio ravioli pile out fresh from Zane Dearien’s open kitchen. The grab-and-go gelato counter by the door is a nice touch, for a post-pasta sweet treat.

While Bella Napoli is known for its perfectly blistered pies using ingredients imported directly from Italy, the rest of the menu is worth its weight in pasta gold. Especially when it comes to dishes like rigatoni salsiccia and the pork saltimbocca with Parma prosciutto and fontina cheese. During happy hour, glasses of the house red or white go for $5; well drinks are only $4.

Chef Egidio Franciosa and partner Jannah Franciosa recently gave their popular mobile pizzeria a permanent location in Wedgewood-Houston, serving up Neapolitan-style pies like the diavola, topped with pomodoro, fior de latte, and calabrese salami. The menu doesn’t stop at pizza, though, folks are also raving about the restaurant’s carpaccio, antipasto spreads, and pasta features like the bucatini with wild-caught octopus ragu and cherry tomatoes.

Chef Daniel Maggipinto has been charming guests at this Sylvan Park eatery with his grandmother’s (the titular Nonna) traditional recipes for years. Starters like arancini and a hearty Tuscan bean soup segue smoothly into mains like mussels served fra diavolo or apulia-style with a saffron-tomato broth. There’s also a build-your-own pasta plate option featuring rigatoni, gnocchi, and risotto with an abundance of sauces, meats, veggies, and cheeses for topping.

Culaccino, the culinary brainchild of chef Frank Pullara, officially opened its doors in early 2021, bringing downtown Franklin its very first outdoor bar. Standouts dishes include the scratch-made veal shoulder-stuffed ravioli marinating in bone marrow, robiola cheese, and butter sauce; “Nonna’s lentil soup” simmering with aromatic vegetables, San Marzano tomato and pecorino; and 72-hour fermented wood-fired pizzas like the “L’Arrosto” with slow-roasted pork, taleggio, arugula, and fennel pollen. “