Sean Brock’s June, opened in East Nashville’s McFerrin Park neighborhood in late July, might just be one of the most exciting new restaurants to hit the city this year. It’s poised as a culmination of the famed chef’s career, a return to the grand tasting menus that he became known for more than a decade ago. The dinner menu, set to change twice a season, is composed of 20 or more courses over two to three hours. Dishes like snow crab, freeze-dried buttermilk, and parsnip pudding, and a savory beignet with smoked hollandaise and caviar are divided into five “acts”: canapes, water, land, dessert, and petit fours.

Admittedly designed to be social media and bachelorette-friendly, Layer Cake Social club is a four-level mix of restaurants and bars, with each floor and space aiming to provide distinct settings and experiences. The ground floor is a bar with a pub menu and occasional live music, and on floor two is a full-service dining room serving a hodgepodge of cuisines. After your meal the idea is to head up and up to the clubby rooftop, lit up by neon signs and string lights and offering bottle service, or request VIP table service at the private cocktail bar, the Cherry Lounge (customers can inquire about VIP table service by texting a phone number).

1 Kitchen opened in late July as part of 1 Hotel Nashville, a luxury hotel brand that claims to be “consciously cultivated.” As such, the restaurant, led by former Top Chef contestant Chris Crary, aims to differentiate itself with things like an onsite garden, a glass pulverizer, composting and recycling oil, and zero waste menu items. Proteins and vegetables from farms including Bucksnort Trout Ranch, Pig & Leaf, and Bear Creek are used to compose dishes like fried chicken pot pie, pork Milanese, beet Wellington, and grilled baby carrots with salsa verde and fried onions.

Dark, loud, and fun is the vibe at this new all-day neighborhood bar and cafe, with subs, salads, and tavern-style pizza to accompany the atmosphere. It’s homey, funky, and eclectic, a nice reprieve from the hyper-chic, stylized establishments nearby (think Soho House). This is the best new spot to grub on satisfying, carb-filled nosh, cold beer, natural wine, and excitingly, frozen drinks.

One of the most exciting openings of the year is the re-emergence of the much-missed International Market — the Myint family’s longtime Nashville mainstay. Now open in the former Blvd space right across the street, look for familiar favorites alongside new offerings like Burmese tomato relish with shrimp powder and shrimp paste — served with prawn crackers and pork rinds for dipping.

Open since late September, Scout’s Pub is a community-focused bar and restaurant serving reimagined pub dishes — think caramelized onion dip spiked with porter beer and french fries swathed in a whiskey glaze — in Nashville’s Midtown neighborhood. Its original location opened in Franklin in 2016.

Almost Friday is a sports bar, music venue, and restaurant in one — and a rollicking good time for sports revelers and all-week brunch-goers seeking comfort food in a sleeker setting. The nighttime menu features dishes like a beer can chicken-stuffed Cubano and rotating bratwurst platter; the brunch lineup includes powdered and glazed doughnut holes, chicken and waffles, and a breakfast enchilada plate.

Located in the former Bound’ry space, Midtown’s newest culinary addition has three floors to explore, each one with its own unique vibe and offerings. Love Language’s first floor checks off the outdoor patio box but also features an airy dining space served by an Italian-influenced menu with ahi tuna carpaccio, beef tartare, a variety of pastas (hello, cacio e pepe), and wood-fired pies. The tiki-influenced, rum-happy bar on the second floor is complete with unfussy small plates conducive to conversation. And for your next big soiree, check out the third floor — a spacious event venue with stone fireplaces and a full-service kitchen.

The Four Seasons is throwing its hat into the Italian ring with its newest culinary contender, Mimo. Helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Aniello “Nello” Turco, the restaurant harnesses Southern Italian influences as well as flavors and ingredients endemic to the U.S. South. Seafood is the name of the menu game with clams conchiglie, caviar linguine, and towers toppling over with crustaceans. But diners will also find comfort in porcini mushroom soup, sourdough bread, and radiatori pasta in its relaxed, olive grove-like atmosphere.