Eternally hip East Nashville is a veritable breeding ground for experimentation and fresh, artsy concepts. From molecular riffs on Spanish tapas and eyebrow-raising cocktails to Asian comfort food with natural wine and local rice beer, these restaurants and bars deliver a culinary adventure that’s a bit off the beaten path.
Read MoreEat Well at East Nashville’s Effortlessly Cool Restaurants
Inventive food, unusual cocktails, and vibes for days on the east side
Lou
It’s easy to see why Mailea Weger’s Lou is one of the city’s best places for weekend brunch: The warm, homey environs invite lingering conversation over skin-contact wines, sour ales, and thoughtfully concocted plates like saucisse and chervil pesto tartine, chocolate maple buckwheat pancakes, and fried eggs with brown butter whipped beans. That sense of easy engagement carries over into the dinner menu — especially during its Sunday roast chicken dinner which includes a half or whole buttermilk and preserve-lemon brined bird with wheat sourdough from Dozen bakery.
The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club
The Fox, co-owned by Dan + Shay drummer Andrew Cook, is an elegant, old-timey bar serving out-of-the-box drinks to a discerning crowd. The bartenders aren’t afraid to get a little wonderfully unexpected here, filling your cup with ingredients like yam, cassava pearls, peated tea, and hot-chicken spice (of course). Creative small plates like miso deviled eggs and vegan pimento cheese also hold their own.
Kisser
The brick-and-mortar location of Brian Lea and Leina Horii’s pandemic-born pop-up has made quite the splash with its 25-seat cafe in East Nashville. Situated in Highland Yards, the space is only open for lunch Friday through Monday but manages to pack a crowd that clambers for its milk bread sandwiches, chicken katsu, and rotating udon, soba, and ramen dishes. Many of the items are also vegan and gluten-free friendly. There are no reservations here, so keep that in mind if you’re in a time crunch.
The Wash
The Wash is composed of six bays, each of which houses a micro-restaurant that’s testing out its concept before investing in a permanent brick-and-mortar spot. Currently, you’ll find a lineup that cuts a wide cultural swath: Thai fried chicken at 2023 Eater Nashville Awards winner SS Gai, Cuban sandwiches and orange-garlic mojo marinated pork butt at Soy Cubano, and bowls of aromatic phở at Vietnamese start-up East Side Pho, generously stuffed quesadillas at Sweeza, and ceviche at Leche de Tigre. After securing a spot on the outdoor patio, make a final stop at Bay 6 for some beer, wine, or a cocktail.
Pelican & Pig
Owned by award-winning husband-and-wife team Nick and Audra Guidry, Pelican & Pig is a handsome, rustic spot that sets the mood for a quiet, intimate date night. Its scene-stealing feature? A wood-burning oven that lends its alluring aroma to charred rosemary focaccia with crispy garlic, Bear Creek farm ribeye, and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. This place is a literal and figurative smoke show.
East Side Banh Mi
When lunchtime rolls around, those hankering for a solid sandwich turn to Gracie Nguyen and Chad Newton’s East Side Banh Mi for a casual, come-as-you-are meal. While the restaurant’s been recently renovated, you’ll still find tasty iterations of the Vietnamese staple on freshly baked baguettes with high-quality fillings for both meat lovers and vegetarians, including pork, chopped steak, Impossible meatballs, and chile crisp tofu. The noodle bowls are a hit too, especially when paired with East Side’s toasted peanut rice milk.
Xiao Bao
What started as a pop-up at the Dive Motel has gracefully segued into a permanent little locale on Meridien Street, a cool space where ’50s diner meets Chinese restaurant. Xiao Bao, a Charleston import from husband-and-wife duo Josh Walker and Duolan Li plus Joey Ryan, pairs varied Asian comfort food — Taiwanese buns, Chinese hand-pulled noodles, Japanese okonomiyaki — with natural wine, Koji Gold rice lager from nearby Proper Sake Co., and on-theme cocktails like a hot toddy with yuzu and chile honey. Prepare for a bit of wait — the popular restaurant doesn’t accept reservations.
Folk
Philip Krajeck’s pizza-focused Folk has earned its way into many restaurant rotations. High ceilings, exposed brick, and marble countertops make this upscale seasonal restaurant an attractive place to hang out — especially during its new Apero Hour from 5 to 6 p.m. with reduced prices on snacks and spritzes. As far as food and drink, clam pies, calzones, intriguing cocktails, and sherry on tap, have made this a long-time neighborhood favorite.
Lyra
In the summer of 2018, Hrant Arakelian and Elizabeth Endicott opened this lofty, modern Middle Eastern gem, bringing kibbeh, baba ganoush, seared octopus fasoulia, and sumac fried chicken to East Nashville. Along with the vegan-friendly dinner menu, you’ll find a drink selection that leans heavily into whiskey cocktails. Just save room for a pistachio ice cream sandwich with a cup of Turkish coffee for dessert.
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Audrey
James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock settled his flagship restaurant in a minimalist but warm bi-level space adorned with Appalachian art. The seasonal menu here is an ode to Brock’s grandmother (the eponymous Audrey) and his Southern heritage: Appalachian sourdough bread, truffle-dusted chicken and dumplings, and paw paw pie offer a modern view of time-honored dishes.
Peninsula
This intimate, dimly lit alcove takes inspiration from the Iberian Peninsula for inventive twists on traditional Spanish tapas and Portuguese cuisine. The tightly curated menu is dotted with successful dishes like chewy rice with lobster and octopus with wasabi and lime leaf. And true to Spain’s love of the gin and tonic, Peninsula offers eight different varieties of the classic cocktail, not to mention an extensive list of sherries and wines from Spain and Portugal.
Noko
You can practically smell East Nashville’s wood-fired, Asian-influenced restaurant, Noko, from the parking lot — and that’s a very good thing. Chef Dung “Junior” Vo shows off his culinary chops with standout dishes including tuna crispy rice, wood-fired 42-ounce tomahawk ribeyes, and the District Sando, a glorified grilled cheese stuffed with prosciutto, truffle aioli, white cheddar, and togarashi. Wash it all down with a wagyu fat-washed Old Fashioned. The Sunday brunch service is also a hit with its Japanese fried chicken and waffles and the ube colada — a riff off the piña colada with coconut ube cream, pineapple, and rum.
Maiz De La Vida
In 2020, Julio Hernandez gifted Nashville with some traditional Mexican eats in the form of heirloom corn he painstakingly nixtamalizes and mills himself. He turns that corn into richly flavored tortillas that hold firm no matter what fillings you throw in them — try the quesabirria tacos with a side of crunchy churros — and offset the bombastic tropical drinks at delightful East Nashville bar Chopper Tiki, where the Maíz De La Vida food truck holds a permanent spot.
Lockeland Table
You’ll find rustic, farm-to-table fare at this longtime East Nashville staple. Housed in a restored 1930s dry goods store, Lockeland’s known for its pillowy, wood-fired pies and hearty starters like crispy pork belly and empanadas. Take advantage of discounts during Community Hour Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., which also gives back to school PTOs around Nashville.
Bad Idea
Alex Burch, an advanced sommelier who’s led the wine programs at Bastion and Henrietta Red, and Colby Rasavong, a 2022 StarChefs Rising Chef Award recipient, have brought Lao cuisine and a dizzying array of fantastic wine to East Nashville. Starters like nam khao croquettes segue into scallop-stuffed crepes with nam prik blanquette and bucksnort trout served alongside turmeric crepes. You can count on a perpetually full glass thanks to the 3,000 bottles in the custom-made wine cellar.
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Butcher & Bee
Butcher & Bee works on a few levels — it’s just the right spot for an intimate date night in a quiet nook or a convivial dinner party at a communal table, and it even has a lovely patio. The idea here: Southern-style tapas, like a whipped feta and avocado sticky rice that you can’t miss, rounded out by regional beers and playful cocktails.