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Restaurants We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. Restaurant prices are subject to a sales tax of 13.25%, which is usually added to the bill at the end. It is not common to find a service charge added as well, so it is assumed that diners will tip 10-15% of the total. The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include tax or tip. Gastronomic Arthur’s The most elegant Italian restaurant in town is housed in the splendid Union Station hotel (see the Hotels section). Award-winning Arthur’s boasts lofty ceilings, a huge fireplace, marble floors and wood-panelled walls. While the menu is fixed-price, it would take the most impervious of palates not to enjoy the seven courses, which include sea bass, turbot, kangaroo, partridge and ostrich. After 20 years of formal dining, Arthur’s has recently bagged a string of awards including the Mobil Four Star and the AAA Four Diamond. 1001 Broadway Tel: (615) 255 1494. Website: http://home.att.net/~arthursrestaurant Price: US$60 (fixed-price seven-course menu). Wine: US$26. CaféOneTwoThree The cosy Prohibition era feel of CaféOneTwoThree does not describe the ‘dryness’ of the restaurant, as it has an extensive wine list, but more the live jazz, the candlelight, the cosy dark wood surrounds – which all certainly add to that 1930s ambience. The menu should please the most jaded of palates, with dishes such as fried oysters with gorgonzola crème brûlée, blackened spicy shrimp with rémoulade sauce, ginger-crusted sea bass with risotto plum, mustard-covered pork chops with fried plantains, and ostrich quesadilla. Closed Sunday. No lunch. 123 12th Avenue North Tel: (615) 255 2233. Fax: (615) 256 7372. E-mail: faison@faisons.com Website: www.faisons.com/newsite/cafe123.htm Price: US$40. Wine: US$22. Capitol Grille One of the finest restaurants in Nashville is to be found in its finest hotel, The Hermitage (see the Hotels section). Its vaulted ceilings, iron candelabras and comfortable furnishings lend a cosy feel to the establishment, which serves a menu of tasty North American dishes with a Southern twist. The crawfish with tempura and candied pecans, the Cornish game hen and the Southern-style bouillabaisse are all particular hits with the locals and guests who dine here. Closed Sunday. 231 Sixth Avenue North Tel: (615) 345 7116. Fax: (615) 254 6909. Website: www.capitolgrille.com Price: US$45. Wine: US$25. Le Cou Rouge Le Cou Rouge (‘The Red Neck’) certainly attracts a following the direct opposite of the type of people its name suggests. Open beams wrapped in copper, blended with crisp white tablecloths – this is a modern Parisian take on old Tennessee. And the food reflects this: foie gras on hash browns, oyster and sausage au gratin with potatoes, or leeks and sea scallops with polenta and sweet jalapeño confit. Very simply, delicious. 2201 Bandywood Drive Tel: (615) 292 7773. Price: US$30. Wine: US$23. The Merchant’s The original building that now houses The Merchant’s used to be a pharmacy. On the first floor, ice cream sodas were served at the marble-top fountain, still intact today. The building became a hotel in 1925, when the original Grand Ole Opry opened at the Ryman across the road. A great place to come to be in the heart of Nashville, The Merchant’s has been serving food to the likes of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton since 1988. But star or no star, the staff greet everyone warmly. The ground floor hosts a huge bar, but upstairs the dining is formal (no jeans). The cuisine is Modern North American – grilled steak and lobster tail, cioppino seafood stew with shrimps, clams, mussels and scallops in a fresh tomato wine broth. The salads are huge and tasty, the steaks significant and succulent, the seafood fresh – all the dishes in general are thoughtful in design and execution. 401 Broadway Tel: (615) 254 1892. Fax: (615) 254 3012. Price: US$40. Wine: US$20. Business Caffe Nonna Rustic Tuscan cooking is to be had at this popular and cosy restaurant, with distressed ochre walls and dark wood tables and chairs. Lamb Shank Toscana (US$15.95) or the Linguine Angelina (US$13.95 – clams and pancetta), which comes with a choice of white or red sauces, can be recommended. Closed Sunday. No lunch Saturday. 4427 Murphy Road Tel: (615) 463 0133. Price: US$40. Wine: US$25. Margot Café and Bar Situated in up-and-coming East Nashville, Margot McCormack’s Mediterranean food is encouraging Nashvillians and visitors alike to venture over the Cumberland River to experience some fine cuisine. Seated either in the main restaurant or the pretty ground-floor patio, diners can choose from a wide variety of generous dishes from the entrée menu, such as spinach and goat’s cheese polenta soufflé, roast veal tenderloin with artichoke parmesan risotto. The homemade rosemary bread is delicious and the food is complemented by an extensive and good-quality wine list. Inside, the rustic feel is continued in the cosy bar with simple white-clothed tables and yellow walls, where it is possible to have a snack and drink (rather expensive) cocktails. Closed Monday. No lunch. 1017 Woodland Street Tel: (615) 227 4668. Price: US$35. Wine: US$24. Sperry’s This award-winning steakhouse in Belle Meade serves up blue cheese-stuffed beef fillet, or swordfish, halibut or tuna with jalapeño sauce, or ‘bananas foster’ flaming at the table. Established in 1974 and little changed since then, this cosy English pub-style eating place attracts a more mature crowd – with its reproduction wooden furniture, bare brick open fireplace and very unEnglish lobster tail by the pound. No lunch. 5109 Harding Road Tel: (615) 353 0809. Fax: (615) 353 0814. E-mail: info@sperrys.com Website: www.sperrys.com Price: US$40. Wine: US$25. Sunset Grill Having made it in Nashville’s music scene, this is where you’ll want to be seen, alongside other pundits from Los Angeles and celebrities such as Garth Brooks. It is very popular as a result, so it is necessary to book a table in the conservatory or on the brick patio. Special dishes include the vegetarian voodoo pasta (fettuccine with exotic seasonings), duck rigatoni, smoked salmon orzo, Gouda grits with crawfish and jalapeño veal. No lunch Saturday-Monday. 2001 Belcourt Avenue Tel: (615) 386 3663. Fax: (615) 386 0579. E-mail: sunsetgrill@mindspring.com Website: www.sunsetgrill.com Price: US$45. Wine: US$23. Trendy Bongo Java The place for the Nashville hipsters to hang out. Expect to be sitting next to a group of talented musicians or artists whatever time you drop by. Owned by the producers of the most popular coffee in town, this café is mainly a caffeine addict’s heaven, with an array of different coffees to choose from. A good menu of breakfast treats, all-day bagels (the ‘Egg McBongo’ is a speciality) and other simple yet delicious specials (turkey jerk) are chalked onto the board each day. Enjoy watching the world go by seated on the inviting front deck, or take refuge in the air-conditioned, relaxed seating area inside. No dinner. 2007 Belmont Boulevard Tel: (615) 385 5282. Fax: (615) 777 5282. E-mail: bongojava@aol.com Website: www.bongojava.com/master.html Price: US$4. Coffee: From US$1.24. Bosco’s One of several bar-restaurants in Nashville that brew their own beer, this is the home of a menu of at least 35 beers. It also serves good food – until 0230. The beer is brewed in copper tanks and can be viewed from the restaurant. Also, a cask-conditioned beer is tapped each day as a special for the evening. Any leftover beer is often used to bake homemade bread, as well as being added to a variety of sauces to accompany staples like oven-fired pizzas, salads and meat dishes. 1805 21st Avenue Tel: (615) 385 0050. Fax: (615) 385 0170. E-mail: nashville@boscosbeer.com Price: US$35. Wine: US$19. DaVinci’s Gourmet Pizza It might be expected that a pizza parlour named after the great Leonardo may turn out works of art rather than pizza with cheese and veggies. But who would have thought of oysters, or shrimp and scallops, or rosemary potatoes as fair game for pizza toppings. More straightforward combinations can be had, such as the Bella Vita with fresh spinach, feta and provolone, topped with fresh tomatoes and garlic. DaVinci’s feels more than a pizza parlour, housed as it is in a lovely blue-washed house with open-air dining on the verandah. No lunch Saturday-Tuesday. 1812 Hayes Street Tel: (615) 329 8098. Price: US$30. Wine: US$23. Kote Relatively new and very welcome in hip Belmont (not far from the local college) is Kote, an undisputedly great place to eat – and to be seen. Chef Gene Kote and his wife have revamped this old clapboard house with light colours, cane chairs and ample seating on the verandah overlooking the boulevard. The Modern North American food is equally light and tasteful, such as the grilled chicken topped with cheese, crispy onion strips and horseradish sauce. Closed Sunday. No dinner Monday. No lunch Saturday. 2017 Belmont Boulevard Tel: (615) 463 3350. Price: US$30. Wine: US$23. Mirror With its bright blue walls, neat aluminium furnishing and giant mosaic, Mirror is much cooler than its 12 South neighbourhood. The food is just as cool too. Its Miami proprietors have tried to give Nashville something truly special and they have achieved this with their primarily Modern North American cuisine – steaks and seafood etc. However, they also serve up inexpensive tapas and a ‘Country of the Month’ special menu, which has even ambitiously and successfully attempted Russian cuisine, for example the vegetable borscht. Closed Sunday. 2317 12th Avenue Tel: (615) 383 8330. Price: US$35. Wine: US$23. Budget Baja Burrito A really great cheap and cheerful Tex-Mex restaurant that is friendly, fun and busy. The ‘Peasant’s Plate’ is a US$4 hearty meal of filled burritos, rice and beans accompanied by a ‘bottomless soda’, with choices of corn or flour burritos. Their side order of corn chips and excellent salsa is highly recommended and the fish burritos have people flocking to its tables. 722 Thompson Lane Tel: (615) 383 2252. Fax: (615) 383 5021. Price: US$20. Wine: US$18. Benkay Japanese Restaurant Benkay is one of the longest standing Japanese restaurants in Nashville, however, the sushi and Japanese cooking is less authentic and more accessible to average Western tastes. The food is always fresh, the miso soup with tofu and mushrooms is fantastic and the bento boxes are packed with reliable meat and fish sushi. While Benkay is very reasonably priced, it does have more expensive dishes, including lobster tempura and sukiyaki prepared tableside. While the exterior is modern with stone-clad walls, the interior does adhere to more traditional Japanese decor with a tatami room. No lunch Sunday. 40 White Bridge Road Tel: (615) 356 6600. Price: US$20. Wine: US$18. Crow’s Barbecue Place No trip to Tennessee would be complete without a trip to a Southern barbecue and Crow’s is probably one of the best. This is where Tennesseans and tourists alike come for their fill of: ribs, chicken and fish. Tyrone ‘Crow’ Wilson makes his barbecue sauce hot and tasty to go with his specialities, such as a shoulder of beef sandwich on sweet corn bread or his fried fish sandwich. Closed Sunday. 730 McFerrin Avenue Tel: (615) 262 1311. Price: US$20. Beer: US$1.50. Pancake Pantry The almost inevitable queue outside the Pantry should not put you off – nor should the often under-whelming welcome from the manager. Once inside, the service is great and the blueberry pancakes are to die for. All-day breakfasts is the guise but pancakes are the real reason for the queue – all served with almost cream-like whipped butter and every topping or filling imaginable. We recommend forgeting the calorie-counting and going for both –eggs, bacon, hash browns etc, which are all excellent, and pancakes on the side, smothered in butter and syrup. They do good juices, tea and coffees too. Allegedly, even the ‘legendary’ country singer Garth Brooks cannot jump the queue here, but he still comes because it is worth it. 1796 21st Avenue South Tel: (615) 383 9333. Fax: (615) 383 0659. Price: US$15. Unlicensed. Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack Home of the all American Southern-style fried chicken, the word ‘hot’ in this restaurant’s name is not misleading. Fried in lard in traditional cast-iron skillets, this chicken is served in four varieties: mild (which is hot) to extra hot (which is killer). All quarter chickens (choose from breast and wing or thigh and leg) are served on two slices of white bread. Closed Sunday and Monday. 123 Ewing Drive Tel: (615) 226 9442. Price: US$20. Wine: US$18. Personal Recommendations 12th and Porter Predominantly a music venue, this building also houses a bar and restaurant. A limited menu offers a range of meals – from shell prawns on ice served with piquant dipping sauce to substantial chicken and rice dishes, and beef and fish. The kitchen stays open late so that music-lovers can go through to the back of the building and enjoy the food and the live music in one. The MC has also been known to offer free shots when the mood takes him! Wood-panelled walls, simple table and chairs lend this nightspot an unpretentious feel. 114 12th Avenue Tel: (615) 254 7236. Fax: (615) 259 2957. Website: www.faisons.com/newsite/12th.htm Price: US$17. Wine: US$20. Blue Moon Waterfront Café With great views over the Rock Harbour Marina, it is no surprise that seafood looms large on the Blue Moon menu. The Siamese catfish, prepared with toasted sesame seeds, plum sauce and hot mustard, is a particular hit. It is open air with simple tables and chairs and, while it is not the most glamorous of eating places, the glamour of the boats docked in the harbour will surely make up for it. 525 Basswood Avenue Tel: (615) 352 5892. Fax: (615) 353 0913. Price: US$25. Wine: US$20. Elliston Place Soda Shop The original Nashville soda shop, this place is stuck in the 1950s: from the original Wurlitzer jukebox to the neon signs above the bar, it is all truly authentic. The Elliston Place Soda Shop vies for the honour of best milkshake in town and serves traditional diner-style fare – burgers, breakfasts, grits etc. It is worth it for the decor alone. Closed Sunday. 2111 Elliston Place Tel: (615) 327 1090. Price: US$20. Soda: US$2.50. Kien Giang This was Nashville’s first Vietnamese restaurant and, although it is built from modern breeze blocks with no attempts to hide the fact, the taste of the dishes far exceeds the prices charged for them. The noodle soup is particularly good, as are the banh xeo (pancake with shrimp, pork, onions and bean sprouts) and gao xao xa ot (a hot and spicy stir-fried chicken dish with lemongrass). Closed Monday. 5825 Charlotte Park Tel: (615) 353 1250. Price: US$20. Beer bottle: US$1.50. Loveless Motel & Cafe Slightly out of town up Highway 100 but well worth the drive, The Loveless Motel & Café is where the stars of country and western music and their fans have flocked for over four decades. Paul McCartney is just one of the many international stars who have sampled the Southern home cooking. The best time to go is probably when the day begins with breakfast waffles and Southern-fried grits. The day ends with their special-fried chicken and biscuits served with homemade peach and blackberry jams. Whitewashed clapboards outside and wood-panelled walls hung with autographed photos inside add to its homely, cosy feel. 8400 Highway 100 Tel: (615) 646 9700. Fax: (615) 646 1056. E-mail: george55@aol.com Website: www.lovelesscafe.com Price: US$20. Unlicensed. Mad Platter If the name doesn’t intrigue enough, the sumptuous but simple dishes will. The Modern North American menu changes regularly but the wild mushroom ravioli with mustard tarragon sauce, sautéed crab cakes garnished with passionfruit honey mustard sauce or the grilled snapper over wild mushroom linguini puttanesca are sure to win the heart of the most ascetic eater. Bare brick walls, wooden floors, bookcases and friendly personal service will all contribute to a very relaxed dining experience. No lunch Saturday-Monday. 1239 Sixth Avenue North Tel: (615) 242 2563. E-mail: madplat@aol.com Website: www.madplatter.com Price: US$35. Wine: US$18. |
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