This article is part of 52Cities, a column where we share editor-curated and community-loved recommendations for visiting our favorite places.
Nashville has it all: live music, great food, and an easy way of life that’s delightful to dip into for a weekend (or longer). While many tourists come here for the tunes and honky-tonks that make up so much of the local economy, the so-called Music City has also become a destination for incredible food over the last decade. While you could easily spend a week here eating nothing but hot chicken and barbecue, you can also find innovative, local-leaning restaurants, world-class bakeries, and thrilling cocktail bars. Balance all of that with thoughtfully curated home goods shops and a bookstore run by an award-winning novelist, and you have one of the country’s most exciting travel destinations, whether you’re bringing your family or heading out for a solo trip.
1. The Hermitage (231 6th Ave. N.)
If you like your hotels old-school and gorgeous, this Nashville classic is the charming, elegant spot for you. It’s right downtown, offering convenience on top of opulence. The atrium-like lobby features an intricate skylight, and it’s so well-appointed that it’s a rare hotel common space you’ll actually want to spend time in.
2. Noelle (200 4th Ave N.)
The Noelle is a design hotel through and through. It’s modern without being cold, housed in a beautifully renovated 1930s building. The rooms, while small, are comfortable and chic with marble in the bathrooms and light wood accents throughout. You’ll find great coffee downstairs at Drug Store Coffee, where you can start your day before stepping out into downtown Nashville.
3. Opryland Hotel (2800 Opryland Dr.)
This hotel is part accommodation, part sight-seeing destination. The Opryland is enormous, situated just outside the city and, yes, near the Grand Ole Opry and the Cumberland River. While it’s a great place to stay if you want to be a little outside the city, or are with a big group, it’s a fun spot to visit, thanks to its three greenhouse-like atriums full of plants.
4. Proper Bagel (2011 Belmont Blvd.)
Started by a family of New York transplants, this is the spot if you’re looking for, yes, a proper (New York-style) bagel. Their bagels are boiled the traditional way—in large kettles—but offer modern fixings, like jalapeño bacon cream cheese and avocado-egg sandwiches.
5. Loveless Cafe (8400 Hwy. 400)
Here’s another restaurant that comes highly recommended from the Food52 community—one enthusiast even claims it’s the best breakfast they’ve ever had. This quaint café has been offering southern food with a side of southern charm since the 1950s. Expect great barbecue, pimento cheese-topped burgers, and the sort of sides—grits, fried okra, creamed corn—you could make a meal out of.
6. 5 Daughters Bakery (Multiple Locations)
This beloved Nashville bakery specializes in donuts, and they’re known for their 100-layer donut, which is made from laminated pastry. Similar to a cronut, these are like croissants in donut form, with a rotating cast of flavors like Vietnamese Coffee and Coconut Cream Pie.
7. Dozen Bakery (516 Hagan St. #103)
One commenter on Instagram claims that Dozen offers the “best scrambled eggs and baguette you'll have this side of Paris,” which is a claim we’d happily book a trip to verify. This bakery offers not just artisan sourdough loaves, but also elegant pastries and, yes, savory food like scrambled eggs. Baguette optional.
8. Mas Tacos Por Favor (732 McFerrin Ave.)
This highly-recommended restaurant is a staple in Nashville. Its name translates to “more tacos, please,” which is just what we hear you’ll be asking for once you begin a meal here. They began as a food truck that evolved into a cozy restaurant where you can order tacos, aguas frescas, and margaritas all day. Many have declared these the best tacos in the city.
9. Suzy Wong’s House of Yum (1519 Church St.)
If you like good times and bellinis, attending a drag brunch is never a bad idea, but it’s an especially great idea if you’re interested in supporting the Tennessee LGBTQ+ community at a time when they’re facing aggressively oppressive legislation. At Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, your weekend drag performance comes with a side of Katsu chicken and waffles, fried rice, or avocado toast.
10. The Butter Milk Ranch (2407 12th Ave. S.)
If you want great pastries, this is your spot. They pump out brilliant sweet treats every day, like babka croissants, churro croissants (!!!), and fresh-made Little Debbies—sorry, little Deborahs. If you need to counteract that sugar rush, you can also get a savory breakfast here, with plenty of eggs and bacon to sturdy you for a long day of sightseeing.
11. Yeast Nashville (805 Woodland St. #300)
One commenter claims that these are the “best kolaches” in Nashville, which make for a quick and delicious breakfast. Their kolaches—a Czech-style pastry popularized in the states by immigrant communities in Texas—are baked fresh daily, with fillings like sausage and cheese or sweet jam. Round it out with a coffee and a cinnamon bun for good measure.
12. Edleys BBQ (Multiple Locations)
The white oak-smoked barbecue here is top notch, but, as one commenter advises, don’t sleep on the fried pickles. While you can happily grab a simple brisket platter here, you can also try out barbecue nachos and smoked hot sausage with pimento cheese.
13. Martins Bar-B-Que Joint (Multiple Locations)
Many claim this to be the city’s best barbecue, and one commenter urges you to order the “spare ribs, dry. You won’t regret it.” They’ve got all the classics here—brisket, ribs, and wings—but also boast an unconventional “taco” that features the barbecue meat of your choice piled high atop a cornbread hoecake.
14. Peg Leg Porker (903 Gleaves St.)
This is a true family-style barbecue spot. Owned and operated by the Bringle family, Peg Leg Porker offers no-frills, ultra-comforting barbecue, including their crowd-favorite dry-smoked ribs. And while those ribs are technically dry, you’ll want to douse them in the house barbecue sauce, which is the perfect balance of sour and sweet.
15. Locust (2305 12th Ave. S.)
Open for a handful of years, this restaurant is already a fan favorite. Chef Trevor Moran’s rotating menu always includes dumplings and shaved ice, as well as a great selection of sake. You won’t find any servers here, but that means your chef will be the one serving up the plates that they have artfully arranged.
16. Xiao Bao (830 Meridian St.)
This restaurant comes highly recommended from our community, and offers a variety of Asian dishes served up in an old diner space. Snack on Sichuan tuna tartare and Taiwanese bao buns at the revamped bar (complete with red leather stools), or sip a soju cocktail on one of their lush, lounge-like couches.
17. Lou (1304 McGavock Pike)
If you’ve got a hankering for natural wine after a few days of beer and barbecue, swing by Lou for a glass of low-intervention lambrusco. One community member calls this wine bar “quaint and casual” with a “perfectly executed menu,” which includes an impressive charcuterie spread, seasonal vegetables and salads, and kimchi-wrapped dry aged steak.
18. The Catbird Seat (1711 Division St.)
The Catbird Seat has developed a reputation for its rare combination of experimentation and consistency. The menu changes nightly, but always impresses with its boundary-pushing New American food. You’ll need to book your reservation at least a few weeks in advance in order to snag a seat at their U-shaped bar.
19. Chauhan Ale and Masala House (123 12th Ave. N.)
A dinner here is bound to be lively and exciting. The restaurant sits inside a renovated brick garage, and chef Maneet Chauhan’s menu combines Indian and southern flavors for a thrilling menu packed with dishes like tandoori chicken poutine, masala braised lamb, and saag mac and cheese.
20. Husk (37 Rutledge St.)
This popular dinner spot serves their ever-changing menu in an old Victorian mansion that’s the sort of venue that makes you feel like you’re in a movie. The menu, which focuses on Southern dishes and comfort food—like a top-notch burger—relies heavily on their in-house garden and many local farms. Book well in advance, as seats fill up quickly.
21. Monell's (1235 6th Ave. N.)
Another restaurant serving comfort food in an old Victorian house, Monell’s does things family-style. Once you grab a seat, you’ll pass around the night’s menu of meats and sides, and eat all you can—this is bottomless comfort food, served with love.
22. Dino's (411 Gallatin Ave.)
If you’re looking for cold beer and one of the city’s best burgers, Dino’s is your spot. It’s affordable and lively, with both indoor and outdoor seating. If the line is long, one commenter recommends, “just order two drinks with your burger and hang out in the backyard while you wait for your food.”
23. Rolf And Daughters (700 Taylor St.)
“Super cute dinner vibe, and they have GREAT cocktails,” one commenter writes of this city favorite. They’re well known for their pasta dishes, like malfadine with nettles and pine nuts, or garganelli with smoked eel.
24. Henrietta Red (1200 4th Ave. N.)
This is the single most-recommended place on our list, which says something about the passion that locals and visitors alike have for this restaurant. Inside a gorgeously appointed, minimal dining room, you can enjoy a menu focused on seafood—they’ve got an excellent raw bar, as well as a wood-fired oven in case you prefer your fish fully cooked. If you’re just looking for a drink, take a seat at the bar for a cocktail and some oysters.
25. Lyra (935 W. Eastland Ave.)
This Middle Eastern restaurant offers super affordable food in a casual, bright space. Community members recommend the grilled octopus and feta dip, and you should also grab a few of their wood-fired breads.
26. Hawkers (626A Main St.)
This restaurant specializes in Asian street food, like baos (try the Seoul hot chicken!), wontons, chicked wings, noodles, and satay skewers. You can enjoy all of this in front of a backdrop of beautifully loud technicolor murals, and wash it down with a beer. They’ve even got a daily happy hour special.
27. Redheaded Stranger (305 Arrington St.)
One commenter claims that this Mexican restaurant has the best flour tortillas in town; they also offer a spin on Taco Bell’s iconic Crunchwrap Supreme. Take a seat in their beautiful outdoor space, where you should definitely order a margarita or two.
28. Pharmacy Burger (731 Mcferrin Ave.)
This place is usually packed, according to an in-the-know Food52 staffer, but they say it’s worth it if you’re down to wait—especially if you can sit in their beer garden. The burger here is smashed, griddled, and topping-heavy, made with your choice of beef, chicken, turkey, or bean patty. They’ve also got an old-school soda fountain, and you know what that means: milkshakes! Oh, and don’t skip the tots.
29. Hattie B's (Multiple Locations)
If you’re headed to Nashville and you’re not a staunch vegetarian, you must eat hot chicken; it’s simply a rule. Hattie B’s is one of the city’s most popular spots for this signature, crackly, spicy food. The chicken is juicy, the hot sauce is hot, and the “dirty bird fries” are a must. If you order something a little hotter than expected, they’ve got plenty of beer to cool you down.
30. Prince's Hot Chicken (5055 Broadway)
This is the original Nashville hot chicken restaurant, and still serves some of the city’s best to this day. Especially as hot chicken franchises spread across the country, becoming increasingly distanced from the Black chefs who developed it, it’s important to pay a visit—and your respects—to the site of its inception.
31. Attaboy (8 Mcferrin Ave.)
At Attaboy, whose first location was in New York City, all you need to do to order a drink is tell someone from their staff a little bit about what you like (resist the urge to sidle up to the bar—they'll come to you!). They’ll take it from there, and you can always trust that you’re in good hands, no reservation required.
32. Mother's Ruin (1239 6th Ave. N.)
Another NYC transplant, Mother’s Ruin is a cocktail mecca that locals have grown to love. But it’s not snobby by any means: Here, you can enjoy an expertly crafted boozy slushy in the backyard while eating Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries on the outdoor patio.
33. Santa’s Pub (2225 Bransford Ave.)
If you like karaoke, you can’t miss Santa’s. This Christmas-themed bar that’s located inside an old double-wide trailer offers karaoke five nights a week. The beer is cheap, the music is loud, and the energy is contagious.
34. Robert’s Western World (416B Broadway)
This is Nashville, which means you’ll want to see some live music. One of the most popular spots for locals downtown is Robert’s Western World, where you can get cheap beer and listen to great country music from a rotating cast of local and visiting acts. As for food, they make a mean fried bologna sandwich.
35. Smith & Lentz (903 Main St.)
According to multiple trusted sources, this is the best pizza in Nashville. Smith & Lentz is a craft brewery that makes excellent use of their wood-fired oven, churning out vodka pies and crispy pilsners with equal pizzazz. They’ve also got a strong wine list and a beautiful outdoor space.
36. Pinewood Social (33 Peabody St.)
You could easily spend a whole afternoon here, letting it bleed into evening, as Pinewood Social is part restaurant, part bar, and part bowling alley. The fun begins at breakfast and lasts until 11p.m., which means new American fare, custom cocktails, and excellent coffee all day long.
37. Rice Vice (3109 Ambrose Ave.)
This bar is all about sake. Opened last year by the team behind Proper Sake Co., a Nashville-based distillery, the folks at this bar can teach you everything you ever wanted to know about the fermented rice spirit. They also offer house-made koji beer, and a rotating selection of snacks.
38. Chopper Tiki (1100B Stratton Ave.)
Studded with colorful glowing lamps and what you might call art deco-kitsch decor, this tiki bar serves up exciting rum drinks in a bevy of different mugs. Bonus: There’s a food truck that serves tacos that’s often parked outside.
39. The Patterson House (1711 Division St.)
“Amazing drinks and the vibe is so cool,” one commenter writes about this craft cocktail den. Old-school vibes and a few strict rules define the place—you can’t use your phone near the bar, which means all there is to do here is enjoy your martini and the company you came with.
40. Cheekwood Estate & Gardens (1200 Forrest Park Dr.)
If plants are your thing, the botanic garden is a must-visit. Cheekwood Estate & Gardens includes 55 acres of gardens, as well as an impressive art collection. The gardens are filled with stunning flowers, rare shrubs, and even a Japanese-style garden.
41. Radnor Lake State Park (1160 Otter Creek Rd.)
Just outside of the city lies over 1,000 acres of gorgeous nature preserve, which offers a welcome respite after a couple days of eating, drinking, and honky-tonking. The park includes five miles of unpaved trails with plenty of wildlife to see, as well as the large, scenic lake.
42. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center & Greenway (1900 Davidson St.)
If you’re looking for green space within city limits, head to the Shelby Bottoms. The nature center is home to miles of paved and unpaved trails, but you can also just bring a picnic basket and enjoy the greenway by the river if that’s more your speed.
43. Frist Art Museum (919 Broadway)
Housed in a beautiful, old Post Office building, this fine art museum offers an impressive rotation of exhibits. They also have an entire gallery devoted to activities for children, which makes it an ideal family destination.
44. National Museum of African American Music (510 Broadway)
This downtown museum pays tribute to the enormous contributions of African Americans to musical history. It’s a fitting location for the collection, as country music—and the city it built—wouldn’t exist, or look the same, without Black musicians. For anyone interested in music or history, this is a must-visit.
45. Bicentennial Mall Park (600 James Robertson Pkwy.)
This park was designed to highlight the capital city’s history and is a wonderful spot for wandering. After you enjoy the view, head to the Nashville Farmers’ Market just next door, which is open indoors all year with outdoor stands in the warmer months.
46. Imogene + Willie (2601 12th Ave. S.)
Housed inside an old, white-washed gas station is the flagship location of this proudly U.S.-made denim brand. At imogene + willie, which opened their first location here in 2009, you can shop for high-quality denim (sewn in Los Angeles), as well as knits, tees, jackets, and home goods. It’s very Nashville in its style: laid back but thoughtfully crafted, and easily paired with a wide-brimmed hat.
47. Parnassus Books (3900 Hillsboro Pike #14)
This independent bookstore is owned and run by the one and only Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto and The Magician’s Assistant, among others. Even if you’re not a Patchett fanatic, you’ll want to swing by this well-curated shop to pick up a book (or three) to enjoy during your vacation downtime.
48. Hatch Show Print (224 Rep. John Lewis Way S.)
This print shop doubles as a gallery, which means you can come to learn about the traditional printing techniques used here—and the impressive, old printing machines they use—and then pick up a print or two to bring home for your walls.
49. Keep Shop (200 4th Ave. N.)
On the ground floor of the Noelle, an Arts District hotel, is one of the city’s most exciting home goods shops. At Keep, you’ll find beautiful ceramics, beauty products, accessories, and design pieces, many of which are exclusively made by local artists and makers for the shop.
50. FLWR Shop (Multiple Locations)
This “boutique florist with a passion for beauty” will make you wish you lived in Nashville so that you could adorn your home with their blooms on a weekly basis. These are less “bouquets of flowers” and more floral sculptural pieces, the ideal way to stun with a hostess gift or perk up your Airbnb or hotel room.
51. White's Mercantile (Multiple Locations)
A modern-day general store, White’s Mercantile was opened by singer-songwriter Holly Williams in 2013. (It’s also the second shop on this list that opened in an old gas station.) Here you can find an expertly curated selection of pantry goods, gifts and home decor, aprons, and even personal fragrance.
52. Spread (1330 5th Ave. N.)
This market is the perfect place to stock up on hostess gifts, snacks and goodies for your rental, or provisions for a picnic in Radnor Park. Spread is stocked with elegant pantry items (like jams, oils, dried beans, and hot sauce), delicious baked goods, and an impressive selection of wine. One commenter calls it “the cutest neighborhood food shop.”
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