Every student needs a solid pizza joint in their back pocket. Nashville-based Slim & Husky’s fits that bill. Its flatbread-style pies earned Tennessee State alums Clint Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed James Beard semifinalist status in 2023. Expect some unconventional toppings (i.e. smoked salmon and Nashville hot chicken sausage), local beer on tap, and a steady stream of hip-hop amping up the scene. In addition to a standalone North Nashville location near TSU, the burgeoning fast-casual chain has food court stalls in downtown’s Fifth + Broadway and Midtown’s Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital.

Lonnie’s has been a late-night karaoke staple for the 18-and-over crowd since 1989, and stars like Jimmy Fallon and the cast of the TV series Nashville have made guest appearances on the stage. The food and drink at this downtown dive are simple: pizza by the slice and beer. Depending on the time and day, there might be a $5 cover charge, but the show is well worth the low admission price.

Game day gets its proper due on two massive jumbo TVs flanking the outdoor bar at Bringle’s Smoking Oasis in the Nations, a short walk from Tennessee State. The picnic tables and Adirondack chairs on the outdoor turf at this former serving station are usually brimming over with groups of family and friends sharing standout pastrami, brisket, and a rotating roster of home-cooked sides. Dogs are also welcome to join in the festivities on the lawn area outside.

Located right off Broadway, Assembly Food Hall is a uniquely Nashville food court in all the best ways. It’s a casual one-stop shop representing dozens of local restaurants and bars, including two favorites for Nashville hot chicken: Hattie B’s and Prince’s, which created the iconic dish. Coupled with a rooftop event space and three stages for live music, it has a little bit of something for everyone, including revelers along the famous party street that is Lower Broadway.

This three-story ode to brunch in the Gulch tends to get loud and rowdy on weekends, and that’s exactly the point — it’s a coastal party in the style of P. Diddy’s Hamptons soirees circa the early 2000s. Groups of chatty friends and bachelorettes crowd each level with copious rounds of rosé cocktails, sparkling seafood towers, lobster rolls, and slices of tres leches pound cake.

Pinewood Social rises to just about any occasion, whether it’s blood orange margaritas, nonalcoholic sippers, and tacos next to the dipping pool or crispy tots and large-format cocktails before hitting up the bowling lanes. Located in the historic Trolley Barns on the Rolling Mill Hill Greenway along the Cumberland River, this lofty space works for a casual hangover brunch with friends or a celebratory birthday dinner. The communal tables next to the cafe are also ideal for getting work done with some sticky buns and espresso.

When Top Ramen isn’t cutting it, Otaku comes to the rescue — especially on those chilly winter nights. Two locations (in the Gulch and West Nashville) serve up generous bowls of steaming tonkatsu and shoyu broth loaded with fillings like pork belly, ground pork, and smoked tofu. Level up a meal with a variety of add-ons like ramen eggs, kimchi, and miso butter, plus a boba tea concoction. The wait can get lengthy so try to get there during off-peak hours.

While this local brewery puts out a solid roster of beers using Tennessee grains (try the State Park Blonde Ale), it’s the food that consistently blows patrons out of the water. The kitchen boasts some bonafide cooking chops — the executive chef spent time at Sinema, another local favorite — so the spent-grain falafel, cheese board, and requisite Five Beer burger all slap. The taproom, just south of downtown, also features live music just about every night of the week.

Count on a couple of Miami expats to open a sultry lounge that flies in the face of Broadway’s honky-tonks. Wedgewood-Houston’s Flamingo Cocktail Club pulls in the artsy cool-kid crowd with late-night nachos, warm bowls of cheese dip flanked by crispy Cuban bread, and a bevy of tropical cocktails like the Deep Tropics with Brazilian rum, guava, coconut, and lime — all of which serve to fuel the DJ-backed dance party.

For those mornings when the effort of changing out of pajamas feels like too much, Fido is the answer. This comfy, unpretentious Hillsboro Village cafe — related to local roaster Bongo Java and Grins Vegetarian Cafe, which operates during the school year in Vanderbilt’s Hillel center — has been serving organic coffee and an all-day breakfast menu to sleepy-eyed locals since 1996. Grab a McFido with scrambled eggs and cheese on an everything bagel along with a cup of bottomless drip coffee and settle into one of the wooden banquettes with other laptop warriors.

Pinball wizards and Pac-Man pros gather to show off their slickest moves at this 10,000-square-foot super arcade in South Nashville, where the arcade cabinets are free to play and pinball machines cost one or two tokens. Smashburgers, hot dogs, and margarita towers make the rounds while patrons attempt to level up at one of the hundreds of games. Take the action outdoors with a round of cornhole or ping-pong alongside one of Game Terminal’s signature mocktails.