Move

No menu — tell them what you like, they figure it out. Worth the detour.

Sun–Thu 5pm–2am, Fri–Sat 4pm–2am · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

The Duke's crew opened this Korean spot in Riverside Village with an Atlanta chef in the kitchen. Sit-down dinner, good cocktails, a little more considered than the rest of the East Side.

Hours not listed · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Right across from Basement East. Good burger. Get there before the line.

Open until 10 PM · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

The original Barista Parlor. Big space, good coffee. Grab a table and stretch the afternoon before the show.

Open until 6 PM · Walk-in coffee stop.

This is the hot chicken shop you're looking for. Just don't get it above medium on your first try. Trust us.

Open through dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

A small bar on Dickerson that gets quieter and better the later it gets. Go late.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

The Coral Club feels like SoCal by way of Mars. The crowd looks the part. Their team makes good drinks, too.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

The best burger spot in Nashville. Grab a bacon cheeseburger, special sauce, animal style fries. You'll be back.

Open late · Walk-in bar food.

Duke's is the bar of bars, our favorite in the whole city. The drinks are cheap and stout. The DJs hit every time. The bartenders and owners embody the closeness and creativity of this big small town.

Open late · Walk-in bar.

Deep bins, genuine opinions. A good browse here can eat a loose afternoon. That is the point.

Open until 8 PM · Check shop hours before heading over.

Memphis fried chicken on Dickerson. Get it spicy.

Lunch & dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Tiki bar, kitsch, good punch drinks. Strange and easy. Good after a show.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

A food hall with several kitchens. Grab a burger at Hugh Baby's, a gyro at Music City Gyros, or Vietnamese at Vui's. Useful when the group needs dinner without turning it into a reservation project.

Open through dinner · Counter-service food hall.

Curly fries, chicken on a stick, crispy burgers, and milk shakes thick enough to turn upside down. Maybe get one of each?

Open through dinner · Walk-in counter service.

A slower pre-show dinner room for nights when the meal should have its own space. Lockeland Table is special because it has something for everyone, with every dish done with more care than anyone else.

Dinner, closed Monday · Call ahead on busy nights.

Underneath Basement East. The after-show that requires no planning — you are already there.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Mas Tacos is an East Side staple. Order a lot, leave happy.

Tue–Sun 11am–9pm · Walk-in counter service.

Dark. Glowing red. Great jukebox. Pool, darts. Smoky patio. Need we say more?

Open late · Walk-in bar.

Mitchell's IS Riverside Village. Relaxed, caring, neighborly. Here at The Rounds, we love the French dip, but we can't advise against anything else.

Daytime · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Beachy cocktails and a loose patio, useful when the first stop should feel social without getting too loud. Enjoy the tropics for an hour or two.

Late afternoon through late night · Great for groups; call ahead if needed.

A Texas-inflected East Nashville institution. The crunch wrap reigns supreme. The margs will get your day well underway.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Five Points cocktail bar. Good drinks, open late. End the night here.

Open late · Walk-in bar.

Butcher counter and meat-and-three. A gem of the community. Roy will probably greet you himself, and will make you feel like you should move to the neighborhood.

Daytime · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Riverside Village bar for one more stop without the debate about where to go.

Hours not listed · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

A relative newcomer to the East Side, Schulman's already feels like part of its fabric. Classic rock blaring, greasy eats cooking, and a neon-lit, smoke-filled back patio. Good for a quick bite during the day or an extended--and we mean extended--hang at night.

Open through dinner · Walk-in friendly; call ahead for larger groups.

Take a walk along the Shelby Bottoms trailway. Get a little lost. Wander and wonder for a while.

Dawn to dusk · Walk-in.

Sandwiches and fried things from the Turkey and the Wolf crew, now in East Nashville. You'll like the lights and the decor. You'll want to hang for a while. Get the burger.

Daytime through early evening · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Ramen (try the tonkotsu!), izakaya snacks, and a deep Japanese whiskey list. Better for a seated dinner than a quick pre-show bite.

Dinner hours · Call ahead on busy nights.

Hang outside and have a beer. Take your time. Grab a pretzel, pet a dog. This is Riverside Village.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

A record shop and bar on Gallatin, best when the pre-show move can be a deliberate east side detour. Stay for a show, or jump across to Schulman's for another round.

Hours not listed · Walk-in.

Wilburn is the neighborhood bar in McFerrin. Have a whiskey, talk about a whole lotta love or a whole lot of nothing. Stay long enough, and you may get some extra tunes.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Daniel Lindley's five-time James Beard-nominated wood-fire room in a 96-year-old barrel-roof warehouse — formerly a cotton bag plant. Mashed potatoes on every table. An 8-foot grill, a 28-foot bar. Less famous than Rolf & Daughters, equally good.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

The Germantown outpost. The Black Eye is the move: espresso dropped into drip coffee. Big and bright, enough room to settle into the afternoon.

Daytime through early evening · Walk-in coffee stop.

Beer hall with late-night food. Still serving when the show lets out.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Tandy Wilson. Eight James Beard nominations. Won Best Chef Southeast in 2016. The belly ham pizza — pork belly brined and treated like prosciutto cotto — has been on the menu since they opened in 2007. It's still the thing to order. The cornbread gnocchi, too.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Death & Company opened this in the basement of the Neuhoff's Curve Building in May 2025 — their 'unbuttoned, unpretentious younger sister.' Walk-ins only. Conversation pit, Bitter Melon Negroni. Nashville Scene's Best New Bar. Go.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Julia Sullivan's Food & Wine Best New Chef 2018, James Beard nominee. The raw oyster program is the reason to start at the bar. The smoked mackerel toast and wood-roasted fish are worth knowing about. A polished room that isn't stiff.

Tue–Sat dinner, Sat–Sun brunch · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Named for the cappelletti — 'little hats' in Italian. Descended from Alfresco Pasta, which fed Nashville for decades. The meatball sub and the sausage and peppers sandwich. Italian market, imported goods, great soup. Get here early.

Mon–Sun 11am–8pm · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Family-style Southern in a Victorian house in Germantown. You sit with strangers, the dishes rotate: fried chicken, country ham, biscuits, cornbread, green beans. One price, all-you-can-eat. Pass the dishes. A genuine Nashville ritual.

Daytime through early dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Good cocktails, open till 2am daily. The name fits the city.

Daily til 2am · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Right in the neighborhood. Food stalls, produce, local vendors. Good for a loose afternoon wander before an evening show.

Daytime · Walk-in.

Phil Krajeck's pastas are the reason Germantown has a food reputation. The cecamariti — cultured butter, black pepper, cacio e pepe logic in fresh pasta form — is the dish people talk about years after eating it. James Beard semifinalist. One of the best restaurants in Tennessee.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Big outdoor patio with fire pits and cabanas. Dog-friendly. Comedy nights, karaoke, cheap beer. Germantown without the scene.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Direct-trade roaster on Taylor Street. They take origin trips. The flash-chilled coffee soda in summer. Minimalist, calm, closes at 4pm.

Daytime through early evening · Walk-in coffee stop.

The rooftop is the reason. Panoramic views of the Cumberland, Nissan Stadium, Riverfront Park — retractable panels. Best rooftop bar in Nashville per Nashville Scene readers. Sushi and Southern food on the same menu, which works better than it sounds.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Two dozen kitchens under one roof a block off Broadway. The move when the group can't agree and you want everyone fed before the show without a reservation.

Open through dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Bright, seriously-run downtown espresso bar. Closes at 6, so it's a daytime or early-evening move before a Broadway show — not an after-stop.

Open until 6 PM · Walk-in coffee stop.

Built 1933–34 as Nashville's main post office — cast aluminum doors, colored marble floors, Art Deco stonework throughout. Opened as an art museum in 2001. The building is worth the visit even without the exhibition. Closes at 5:30pm.

Open until 5:30 PM · Walk-in.

Founded 1879 by the Hatch brothers — 145 years old and still running letterpress presses, some over 100 years old. Created posters for Earl Scruggs and Led Zeppelin. Now inside the Country Music Hall of Fame complex. Thirty minutes here earns the rest of the night.

Open until 5 PM · Walk-in.

Layla Vartanian opened it in 1997 — the only female-owned independent bar on Lower Broadway. While everything around it plays country radio, Layla's books bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Americana. Vintage license plates on the ceiling. Better drink prices than anything near it.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Old-school counter-service downtown. A simple, good ice cream stop.

Open daily · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Restaurant and bar with a weekend music room upstairs — a reliable sit-down dinner before a bigger show a few blocks away.

Open through dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

The best honky-tonk on Lower Broadway. No cover. Whoever's playing is probably incredible.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

222 Printers Alley, basement of the Southern Turf Building. Skull Schulman opened it in 1948. Elvis and Johnny Cash came through. Burlesque twice nightly Thursday through Sunday. Nashville's only downtown jazz lounge. The checkerboard stage is original.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Inside The Harpeth Hotel. 240-plus whiskeys in the keep, live music four nights a week. The quietest way to land in Franklin after a show.

Open late for Franklin · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Named for I-55, the highway connecting Memphis to New Orleans. Jason McConnell grew up hauling horses down I-55 and fell in love with Delta and Gulf Coast cooking. Fried catfish, po'boys, shrimp and grits in a room with corrugated metal and a gas station light fixture. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Lunch & dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Steakhouse and wine bar on Main Street. Good wine list, dependable dinner when you want to sit and spend a bit. Jason McConnell's room — he also does Red Pony and 55 South nearby.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

The Gray's Drug Co. sign has been on Main Street since 1952. The building is from 1876. Michael and Joni Cole restored it in 2013 — original wood floors, tin ceilings, structural timbers. Southern food, live music upstairs on weekends. The right room for a Franklin dinner.

Tue–Sun dinner, live music upstairs Fri–Sat · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Franklin-born roaster. Locals have been loyal since the start.

Open daily · Walk-in coffee stop.

A no-fuss Irish pub on Main Street. Pints, pub food. The easy pre-show drink in Franklin.

Open through late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Merridee Erickson started selling bread from a log cabin in Fairview in 1981, moved to this old hardware warehouse on 4th Avenue in 1984. Scratch breads, pastries, breakfast and lunch from 7am Monday through Saturday. Whatever you get, take your time.

Daytime · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Built in 1929 as a stove manufacturing plant — Magic Chef stoves came out of here. Now 83 tenants: restaurants, shops, a Broadway-style theater, a concert venue. The red brick and factory windows are preserved. Enough to fill an early evening.

All day · Walk-in.

Nashville's art-house cinema since 1925. Independent, nonprofit, member-supported. A film before the show makes the evening feel like it started with intention.

Evening showtimes · Walk-in.

1927. Stay there. Order a beer. Nashville's most comfortably unchanged bar.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Named after the pet shop sign that used to hang here. Bob Bernstein opened it in 1996 — the Bongo Java people. Enough room to spend three hours and not feel watched. One of Nashville's real third places.

Open daily · Walk-in coffee stop.

Jeni Britton's ice cream, Hillsboro Village. Brown butter almond brittle or wildberry lavender. Two scoops. The afternoon is better for it.

Open daily · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Cash register, dart board, cheap beer. Hillsboro Village. Been here since before you needed a reason.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Darek Bell and Andrew Webber opened Corsair in 2010 — Nashville's first distillery since Prohibition. Guided tasting of five spirits in what they call a 'bootlegger-style' setup. Taproom and bottle shop on site.

Afternoon through evening · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Summer and Jake opened Dead End Records for metal and punk vinyl — doom, death metal, hardcore, everything that makes parents nervous, hand-selected. Cassettes, CDs, art, monthly markets. Open Wed–Mon 11–6.

Daytime through evening · Walk-in.

Coffee in the morning, cocktails at night — inside Marathon Village. Wed–Thu 3–10pm, Fri–Sun 10am–midnight. The preamble and the after in the same room.

Wed–Thu 3pm–10pm, Fri–Sun 10am–midnight · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Small-batch roasted coffee inside Marathon Village. Lattes, baked goods. The morning stop.

Daytime · Walk-in coffee stop.

Charles Nelson — a German immigrant — founded this in 1867. At its peak in 1885, the largest sour mash producer in Robertson County. DSP-TN-5, an older federal distillery number than Jack Daniel's TN-7. Shut down in 1909 when Tennessee enacted state Prohibition. His great-great-great-grandchildren reopened on November 23, 2014. Tours, tastings, cocktail bar.

Afternoon through evening · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Nashville's improv and comedy theater inside Marathon Village. 99-seat main room, 30-seat Loft. National touring acts — the Third Coast Improv Festival brings 50-plus troupes annually. Worth checking the calendar.

Evening shows · Walk-in.

On the National Register of Historic Places. Lynn Chandler opened it in 1939 — a soda fountain that had been on this block since the 1920s. Get the Dreamsicle: vanilla ice cream spun with orange juice and sherbet. Or the griddle burger with crinkle fries. Jimmy Buffett ate here after playing Exit/In.

Mon–Sat 7:30am–4pm, Sun 9am–3pm · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Pat Martin's whole-hog tradition from Henderson, Tennessee. Same operation as the original Nolensville spot. Brisket, ribs, pulled pork on Elliston Place — the pre-show logic if you're headed to Exit/In.

Open through dinner · Elliston Place location; verify hours before you go.

The building has been a bar since 1896 — built as the barroom for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Speakeasy during Prohibition. The lore says Al Capone and Jimmy Hoffa both hid out here. Pool tables, pinball machines, bumper stickers floor to ceiling. Live music five nights a week. Just go.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

A neighborhood bar and working music room on Elliston Place. The easy pre-show drink when you don't want a plan.

Open through late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

In the old Café Coco space on Louise Ave, still pulling the Vanderbilt crowd. Coffee and Japanese comfort food until 3pm. Cocktails heavy on amaro Thursday through Monday from 5. Happy hour 5 to 7.

Dinner hours · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

James Beard American Classics winner since 2009. Cafeteria line since 1982 — pick your meat, pick your three sides, pay cash. Kahlil Arnold runs it now. Monday through Saturday until 3pm, closed Sunday — plan around it or miss the show.

Mon–Sat until ~3pm, closed Sun · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Po'boy bread flown in from New Orleans. The chicken and andouille gumbo is the anchor; the debris fries are worth knowing about. This is the real Cajun thing.

Open through dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

One of the most extensive Jamón Ibérico programs in the country. The bacon-wrapped dates, the croquetas, the pulpo. Dim lighting, marble and tile. A deliberate Gulch dinner.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Chef Julio Hernandez started making tortillas during the pandemic from his garage — masa milled from nixtamalized corn his family has grown in Tlaxcala for generations. James Beard semifinalist before the restaurant even opened. The tortillas are the whole deal. Get whatever's wrapped in one.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

$1.50 oysters at happy hour Monday through Friday, 5 to 7pm — one of the better steals in The Gulch. Gulf Coast-rooted, New Orleans-inflected. Brack May is in the kitchen.

Open late for the neighborhood · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Carey Bringle named the restaurant after the leg cancer took when he was a kid. Texas Monthly called the dry-rub pork ribs the best Memphis-style in the country. That's the order. Don't skip the pimento cheese.

Open til close · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Amy found a decaying old beer joint behind a donut bakery and sex toy shop in then-undiscovered Madison and kept the plywood floors. Margo Price and Elizabeth Cook were early regulars. Frozen drinks, Frito pie, 70s country lounge. Fri–Sat till 3am. The best bar in Madison.

Mon–Thu til 1am, Fri–Sat til 3am · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Reliable, affordable Mexican on Gallatin Pike. No pretense, no wait on most nights. Locals eat here constantly.

Lunch & dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Chriss Goyenechea named it after his kids Mae and Max. Full Filipino market and restaurant in Madison. Chicken adobo, sisig, lumpia, palabok, sweet longanisa. All-you-can-eat buffet with live music every Friday and Saturday. A real find on Gallatin Pike.

Lunch & dinner · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Kava is a root from the Pacific Islands — ground and mixed with water, mildly sedative, earthy, non-alcoholic. Nashville's kava lounge: Victorian aesthetic, 21+, open 8am to 2am every day of the year. Live music Monday and Tuesday, trivia Wednesday, karaoke Thursday.

Daytime through evening · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Newer Gallatin Pike bar. Beer, cocktails, easy.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Vintage bowling lanes from a 1950s Indiana Bowl-O-Rama. Handcrafted cocktails, dipping pools, a covered patio. A quieter way to keep the night moving once Broadway gets to be too much.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Josh Habiger's WeHo anchor — Michelin star, James Beard nominee, Food & Wine Best New Chef. Two sides: the bar is walk-in; the 24-seat tasting menu room is behind an iron door and requires booking ahead. The bar side is the right call before GEODIS.

Hours not listed · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Doug Havron named it after his daughter Gabriella. Opened 2009 in the building that used to be Hap Townes. Grass-fed beef, house-baked buns, milkshakes made with house-made syrups. Lunch only — closes around 2:30pm. The pre-show stop when the show starts in the evening.

Lunch only, closes ~2:30pm · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Wood-fired tacos and a rooftop with margaritas. The easy pre-show anchor in Wedgewood-Houston before a GEODIS night.

Hours not listed · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Elmer 'Santa' Irwin built this karaoke bar inside a double-wide trailer on Bransford Ave and hung Christmas lights that never came down. He died in September 2025 at 75; his grandson Riley runs it now. Cash, beer only, and no cursing on the mic — those were his rules and they still stand. Ed Sheeran and Kacey Musgraves both sang here. Open Wed–Sun from 4pm.

Wed–Sun 4pm–3am · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Burgers and craft beer, right on 8th Ave. Open through late. The practical 8th Ave South anchor.

Open late · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Founded 1944. Nashville's oldest pool hall — an underground space in Melrose with tables, cheap drinks, and no pretense. Just show up.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Bread and pastries. The quiet Franklin daytime stop.

Daytime · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Vintage and antique browsing before an Opryland evening. Useful for stretching a loose afternoon.

Daytime · Walk-in.

Local ice cream on Music Valley Drive. The sweet stop before the show.

Open daily · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Hand-cuts steaks in-house daily, bakes yeast rolls from scratch. Consistent, family-friendly, wide price range. The wide-net dinner before a long Opry night.

Dinner hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

It's Waffle House. Open always. No explanation needed.

24 hours · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

In-house roasting on 8th Ave. Iced coffee on tap. The daytime stop before the night starts.

Daytime through early evening · Walk-in coffee stop.

Family-owned Thai in a tiny house-shaped building on 8th. The pad thai is the reason people wait. Get there when they open. Closed Sunday and Monday — plan around it.

Lunch & dinner, closed Sun–Mon · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Norman Fox opened it in 1973. The original sign came from a Memphis franchise and still hangs outside. For the 50th anniversary they sold glazed for 25 cents — the 1973 price. Get the glazed.

Daily 5am–9pm · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

Ann Patchett opened this in 2011 because independent bookstores kept closing and she couldn't stand it. National authors make it a tour stop — hundreds of events a year. The shop dogs are a feature. Thirty minutes here makes the evening feel like it started with intention.

Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 12–6pm · Walk-in.

Cold beer, neighborhood crowd, Gallatin Pike. Nothing fancy.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

The Inglewood outpost of the local burger chain. Same formula: burgers, craft beer, open through late.

Open late · Walk-in; reservations help on busy nights.

A 19-room boutique hotel in two restored 1920s Craftsman cottages that used to house Asylum Records and Spirit Music. LeBlanc+Smith — the Barrel Proof people. Gulf Coast cooking from Matt Regan, Tennessee whiskey cocktail program from Jason Sorbet. The least hotel-feeling hotel bar in Nashville.

Open 7am–11pm · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.

Nashville's last songwriter bar on Music Row. Six owners, three locations, nearly a century — now at 9 Music Square South, the only live music venue left on the Row. Pick-and-sing nights. The real thing.

Open late · Walk-in unless the bar says otherwise.