Nashville, TN, Tennessee, Where to eat, Where to drink, Where to shop, Restaurants, Bars, Shops, Chef’s Recs, Bartenders, Best Restaurants, Where Chefs Eat, Chefs Feed, Best Restaurants in Nashville, Food Scene, Eating, Drinking, Shopping, Insider Tips, Travel, Guide, City Guide
Nashville’s nickname is Music City, but the food scene is catching up. A few days here and you may need to move a couple of notches on the old cowhide belt.
Here are 12 eating and drinking spots to get you started on a trip to Nashville, all recommended by local chefs, bartenders and sommeliers.
12 Things... Nashville, TN
October 7, 2013
Photo Credit: mikerhicks [flickr]
Sweet Treats
Chocolate maker Scott Witherow at Olive & Sinclair
Photograph courtesy of Olive & Sinclair
Olive & Sinclair
Chef-turned-chocolate maker Scott Witherow worked at famous restaurants like the Fat Duck and Nobu in London and Alinea in Chicago before he began making artisanal bean-to-bar chocolates. Chef Sean Brock of Husk calls their chocolate “outrageous” and uses it in his restaurant. You can drop by for a tour of their factory on Fridays at 4:30pm.
1404 McGavock Pike, Suite C, Nashville, TN
T: 615.262.3007 | www.oliveandsinclair.com
Markets & Food Stalls
Nashville Farmers Market
Photograph courtesy of Nashville Farmers Market
Nashville Farmers Market
This daily farmers market began in 1828 and local chefs like Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters and Margo McCormack of Margot Cafe shop here for their restaurants. In addition to the produce, Margot likes the atmosphere, “It’s like a party every week with music and food trucks and other entertainment.”
900 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208
T: 615.880.2001 | www.nashvillefarmersmarket.org
Meat n’ Three
Arnold’s Country Kitchen
One of the best known meat n’ three restaurants -- one main dish and three sides. Chef Tandy Wilson of City House is a fan, “Where else do you find a place where they still make yeast rolls? Not many. They’re making their own pie crust. Everything is seasoned to perfection.”
605 8th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203
T: 615.256.4455
Chef-Driven
City House
Photograph courtesy of City House
City House
This is the restaurant that every chef in town passes along as a recommendation. Chef Tandy Wilson’s Germantown Italian menu includes artisan pizzas cooked in a wood-fueled oven and house-cured salami. Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson of The Catbird Seat say, “They do a killer job. I wish I could cook octopus as good as they do. Also order the Frico and Carolina trout.”
1222 4th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208
T: 615.736.5838 | www.cityhousenashville.com
Dinner & Cocktails at Rolf & Daughters
Photograph courtesy of Rolf & Daughters
Rolf and Daughters
The restaurant is housed in a historic 100-year-old Werthan Factory and chef Philip Krajeck cooks seasonal Mediterranean food with Southern ingredients. Chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson of The Catbird Seat recommend ordering the squid ink pasta.
700 Taylor Street, Nashville, TN 37208
615.866.9897 | www.rolfanddaughters.com
Charred Root Vegetable Salad at The Catbird Seat
Photograph courtesy of The Catbird Seat
The Catbird Seat
This small tasting room is open four nights a week and there is no ordering. It’s a set tasting menu with 7 to 9 courses where chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson are not only cooking, but serving. Barista Rachel Lehman of Crema loves the cherry crisp with a smoked ice cream and droplets of Maker’s Mark bourbon balls in gel form.
1711 Division Street, Nashville, TN 37203
T: 615.248.8458 | www.thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com
Hot Chicken at Prince’s Hot Chicken
Photo Credit: Sean Russell [flickr]
Classic
Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack
So hot, it’ll make you sweat and cry. Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters calls it a hole in the wall, “They essentially fry it in cast iron on a home stove in the back. It is wicked hot and they serve it on top of bunny bread.”
123 Ewing Drive, Nashville, TN 37207
T: 615.226.9442
Off The Beaten Track
Mas Tacos Por Favor
Photograph courtesy of Mas Tacos Por Favor
Mas Tacos Por Favor
Teresa Mason started the business in 2008, selling Mexican street food from a 1970s Winnebago. Popularity led to opening this storefront shop. Chef Philip Krajeck orders the fried avocado taco, tortilla soup and pozole. “They make great horchata and agua frescas.”
732 B Mcferrin Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206
T: 615.543.6271
Cocktails
The Patterson House
A speakeasy that pays homage to bourbon, as well as the Tennessee governor who vetoed the return of state-wide prohibition in 1909. Chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson work upstairs at The Catbird Seat and go down for cocktails, “They really focus on the classics, but contribute original cocktails to the menu as well. You must order the doughnuts!”
1711 Division Street, Nashville, TN 37203
T: 615.636.7724 | www.thepattersonnashville.com
Honky Tonk
Robert’s Western World
Photograph courtesy of Robert’s Western World
Robert’s Western World
Live hillbilly, rockabilly and traditional country music with no cover charge. Chef Philip Krajeck gets the Recession Special, “a fried bologna sandwich, a bag of chips and a PBR for $5.”
416 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
T: 615.244.9552 | www.robertswesternworld.com
Coffee
Coffee at Crema
Photo Credit: Joshua Cole
Crema
Bean-t0-barista with a few important steps in-between. This is where the industry comes for coffee, like chef Tandy Wilson who gets their Cuban coffee, “It is so sweet, wonderful and delicious with sweetened condensed milk.” Josh Habiger says, “When I saw the barista weighing coffee grounds with a gram scale and then weighing the actual espresso shot, I was impressed.”
15 Hermitage Avenue, Nashville, TN 3704
T: 615.255.8311 | www.crema-coffee.com
Coffee at Barista Parlor
Photograph courtesy of Barista Parlor
Barista Parlor
“One of the best coffee places in Nashville,” sommelier Mollie Ward of Rolf and Daughters says, “it’s in an old garage and when it’s nice, they roll up the doors.” They serve Stumptown, Coava Coffee, Counter Culture, Madcap, Sightglass, Intelligentsia, Four Barrel Coffee, Verve, and Handsome Coffee Roasters. You can also get local products like chocolates from Olive & Sinclair and meats and cheese from Porter Road Butcher.
519 Gallatin Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206
T: 615.712.9766 | www.baristaparlor.com
More Nashville
Download the F.E.D. iPhone app and get many more Nashville recommendations from chefs, sommeliers, bartenders and food artisans.
Contributing Pros
Chef Sean Brock | Husk
37 Rutledge Street, Nashville, TN 37210
T: 615.256.6565 | www.husknashville.com
Chef Philip Krajeck + Sommelier Mollie Ward | Rolf and Daughters
700 Taylor Street, Nashville, TN 37208
615.866.9897 | www.rolfanddaughters.com
Chef Tandy Wilson | City House
1222 4th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208
T: 615.736.5838 | www.cityhousenashville.com
Chefs Josh Habiger & Erik Anderson | The Catbird Seat
1711 Division Street, Nashville, TN 37203
T: 615.248.8458 | www.thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com
Chef Margo McCormack | Margot Cafe
1017 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206
T: 615.227.4668 | www.margotcafe.com
Barista Rachel Lehman | Crema
15 Hermitage Avenue, Nashville, TN 3704
T: 615.255.8311 | www.crema-coffee.com
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