Nashville is such a fun place and it’s one of my favorite cities to visit! There are so many things to do, lots of amazing restaurants, and so many incredible coffee shops to try out! I’ve gotten the chance to visit the past couple years over my spring break and I’ve absolutely loved the time spent with family and friends, and exploring this awesome town. So I thought I’d share some of my favorite places with ya’ll and some places I can’t wait to check out on my next Nashville trip.
If you find this Nashville guide helpful, please let me know and definitely feel free to share!
Good Eats
If you like street tacos with a sophisticated upscale twist, Bartaco is your place. The coastal vibe, delicious cocktails and drinks, plus incredible upscale street tacos and street corn create an unforgettable experience. I tried the carne asada, spicy cauliflower, and chicken chorizo street tacos and the street corn– AMAZING! The tacos are the best, but even if tacos aren’t your thing, they have other entrees to try.
This eclectic quaint cafe is located in the historic Edgefield neighborhood of East Nashville. I decided to visit for brunch and I loved the fun chill atmosphere and awesome food! And apparently they are known for their homemade chocolate milk, which I’ll have to try next time. I ended up ordering the banana and nutella french toast, (which was GIGANTIC), a side of eggs over easy, grits, and a mimosa and coffee. The menu isn’t huge, but there are lots of options for brunch or lunch.
The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden
I visited the Pharmacy a couple years back and absolutely loved the cool vibe and the food. If you’re looking for a great burger, this place will not disappoint- The burgers are amazing! Not only do they have great food, but they also have a huge selection of beers and a beautiful outdoor seating area with bistro lights.
This is a must when visiting Nashville! Home of the bonut and the huge lighted Nashville sign, Biscuit love is a family business born in the South serving breakfast, lunch and brunch. There is almost always a line, but it moves rather fast and rain or shine, you’ll be taking care of. I would definitely suggest getting there earlier to avoid the longer lines. My friend, Marie and I visited last summer and it was rather hot, but the servers welcomed us with umbrellas to shield ourselves from the sun and a cup of water to stay hydrated. And if you go, you just have to try to the bonuts- fried biscuit dough, tossed in sugar, topped with a lemon mascarpone, served over blueberry compost– YUM!
There are three locations: The Gultch, Hillsboro Village, and Downtown Franklin.
The original location for Biscuit Love opened in 2015 in a popular shopping and dining area of Nashville known as The Gulch.The second Nashville location is in the heart of a residential, shopping and dining area called Hillsboro Village, and It’s just steps away from Vanderbilt and Belmont UniversityThe third location is in the historic Corn House on Third Avenue South off the square in Downtown Franklin!
OMG! I absolutely love this ice cream! Jeni’s Ice cream is not a Nashville thing, but since I don’t have any of these scoop stores near me, I try to frequent the shop multiple times while in Nashville. My favorite flavors are wildberry lavender, pistachio honey, and honey vanilla! They also let you sample any ice cream you’d like to try to make sure you are happy with your end choice! They are all quite delicious and unique! All of their locations are really nice, sparkly clean and in a beautiful crisp spacious space.
The Loveless Cafe– ( Bellevue Area)- A Nashville Staple. This is the place for the ultimate southern breakfast and comfort food, with lots of biscuits, preservatives, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, home fries, and Country Ham. This cute little cafe has been around for 65 years and is a favorite pit stop for many looking for some good downright southern home cooking, quaint shops full of signature and unique gifts, and for those creatives wanting to snap that perfect picture in front of the iconic neon sign. This is on my list of places to eat next time I’m in town. While I didn’t have the chance to eat there over my trip, I did drive out to the location to see it in person and to snap a pic of that Iconic sign.
This cute restaurant is located in Midtown, and was originally founded in Charleston. It offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunches, wine bar and small plates. A go-to coffee spot, gourmet sandwich shop, and caterer, this husband and wife store is the perfect spot to grab coffee with a friend, have a meeting, or indulge a little. The interior is gorgeous and simply a bloggers dream. I have heard incredibly things about the food, the atmosphere and have seen some incredible pictures taking there that it has made my list for my next trip.
This was my first time having Ramen and I loved it! I’m sure there are other Ramen places that are popping up around Nashville now, but in 2012 when Sarah Gavigan,( the owner and chef of Otaku Ramen), returned after 20 years,there were no Ramen places. She realized that Nashville was “Ramenless” and decided to start her own Ramen restaurant– first starting with some pop ups around town and then eventually leading to the success of her Restaurant.
If you like spicy chicken, you have to try one of Nashville’s favorite Spicy chicken places, Hattie B’s. It was amazing!!! Loved the flavor, atmosphere, and spice! But everybody has heard how good it is, so there’s usually a pretty long line. Get there before the noon rush and you should be fine!
This is a newer burger place off of Charlotte Road in Nashville. Farm Burger works with local farmers to give you the best meat – grass-fed and locally sourced for your burgers. The trendy, rustic burger joint, had incredibly juicy burgers with lots of amazing add ons, speedie service, and a cool chill vibe.
My sister, Emily and I visited this local establishment for Sunday brunch, and it was fabulous. Henrietta Red, located in German town, is an American restaurant offering seasonal contemporary cooking and an oyster bar. Focusing on simple, fresh ingredients, Henrietta Red also has a wood burning oven, and a wide variety of oysters and shellfish, which drive the menu. 
Five Daughter’s Bakery ( 12th South)
I was so excited to finally visit this cute little bakery! I’ve seen so many cute pictures on Instragram and I just had to take a trip to see it and eat some sugary goodness. Run and operated by Isaac and Stephanie Meek and their cute five daughters, (of which the name came from), this family business has the best fresh donuts and currently has six locations, with two in Nashville and one in Franklin. The 12th South location is the cutest with it’s white brick walls, pastel pink and turquois colors, neon signs, and swivel stools — you’ll want to take some pics, trust me. And the donuts!!! They were amazing! My sister and I woke up early one morning to grab some donuts and coffee before she had to work. I ended up trying the maple glazed creme filled donut and my sister got the lavender donut– both were incredible from the flavors to the consistency. And if you’re health conscience– they buy organic and locally sourced products whenever possible, and all their ingredients are non-GMO. They don’t use any artificial sweeteners or soy, and always use grape seed oil for frying.
This European style bakery and cafe is located in the heart of historic East Nashville, in an area called “five points” and serves brunch daily! The rustic elegance creates an enjoyable atmosphere for any occasion and the farm to table food is a must experience. Natural light pours in from the floor to ceiling windows to create a warm and inviting atmosphere . The hubby and I got to visit this beautiful restaurant, while he was still a resident of Nashville and I remember our trip fondly. The menu changes daily based on the seasons and the local produce, but when we visited I had an incredible smoked salmon bagel with capers, coffee, and a beautiful fresh salad. This would be the perfect spot for a lunch with a friend, a brunch with your girls, mommy-daughter date, or to host a sweet baby shower or bridal shower one an evening.
Coffee Shops
This is one of my favorite spots to grab coffee or wine and do some writing. Primarily a coffee shop, there are a couple different locations throughout Nashville with different looks and feels. This has been a staple in Nashville since 2004. This is another place that likes to do business with local farmers and desires to create original plates served in a cozy, approachable atmosphere. The chef driven menu offers breakfast, brunch every day until 5, kids menu, lunch + dinner with expanded beverage offerings including coffeehouse standards as well as craft beer, wine + cocktails. And if you’re a wine lover, they are adding a fun event every Wednesday evening, at select locations where you can get 3 pours of wine and snacks for $15 from 5-7pm. Check it out here
This was a coffee place my family and I kind of stumbled upon one day while we were visiting my sister and I adore it. This homey eclectic, retro cafe on the west side near “The Nations,” is full of antiques, character, and lots of seating. This is definitely not an upscale coffee shop and while the coffee was alright, I really like the place for its uniqueness and interesting antiques. My parents and I stopped in again on this recent trip and enjoyed a lovely time of chatting. Since it is off the beaten path, there aren’t usually as many customers that frequent it, so it is a great place to study or meet up to have a more intimate/ personal chat. They also sell pastries, donuts, and ice cream from local establishments.
This hipster coffee joint is a clean, modern environment to grab an amazing cup of coffee, hang with your best friends, or have a business meeting. I tried the bourbon vanilla latte and I loved it! This is also a wonderful place to get some amazing pictures if you’re a blogger, a model, or just wanting some amazing shots for Instagram.
This place was an incredible find! I am all about old school, interesting, unique places and this place is definitely one of those. They serve classic coffee drinks and a light but tasty food menu during the day, and at night cocktails and drinks. It’s 1940’s decor takes you back in time and helps you relax while sipping your coffee or drink. And besides the amazing decor, they have jazz nights every Friday and Saturday evening.
They say ” coffee is their thing.” This was one of the first coffee shops I frequented when Dave lived in Nashville. I love the clean, artsy atmosphere and the awesome patio seating in the front, not to mention they make a pretty great latte!
Hello, Instagram -able coffee shop! This is on my list for next time, but looking at the pictures it seems like a great place to get some pictures for Instagram. And the coffee looks incredible!
Places to see / Shop
12th South has lots of incredible places to eat and shop! It’s a beautiful outdoor mall, home of the “I love nashvile” mural, and Draper James.
This is such a cool place to visit and you can get a tour with all the background on this incredible venue. I have only ever seen pictures, but I really want to have a tour the next time I’m back.
The cutest little city only 30 minutes outside of Nashville with adorable streets and boutiques.
Hopefully I gave you some ideas for your next trip to Nashville! I can’t wait to explore more… until next time Nashville…
