Move

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.

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 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.

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.

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.