Tenn Sixteen and Smiley's

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Tenn Sixteen and Smiley's

They put up the front sign for the new Tenn Sixteen Food and Drink Company yesterday. The restaurant is in East Nashville next to Five Points Pizza (it's at 1016 Woodland, thus the name). We're told it will feature a Cajun and Southern inspired menu. The interior looks like it will have a large bar area. And we're told that will include

Fat Bottom First Look

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Fat Bottom Tap Room

It's great to see Nashville expanding, not so much in size, as in coolness. The latest cool to spread past the traditional hipster limits is the Fat Bottom Brewery at 9th and Main Street in East Nashville. Weiss Liquors has deserved hip neighbors for some time. The Repurposed Fluffo factory provides a nice brick haven for the Fat Bottom

Stone Fox First Look

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Stone Fox First Look

Cool, laid back and unpretentious describe the DIY vibe at the Stone Fox, the new bar, restaurant and music club in West Nashville. We had our first look on Saturday and enjoyed the heck out of the place. On this sunny day, with dozens of folks filling the bar, parking lot and beer garden for a PseudoMoto motorcycle event, it felt like a

Peppers and BE Hive

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Peppers and BE Hive

It's a pepper extravaganza at local farmers' markets these days. The West Nashville Farmers' Market even featured a pepper village this weekend, basically a special section of the market for everything pepper. Folks were selling pepper jelly, the infamous ghost peppers, fresh ground pepper and, of course, many varieties of fresh peppers.

We

Hot Chicken in the West End

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Hot Chicken in the West End


Hattie B’s is open and hopping on 19th street, across the street from the Broadway Brewhouse. A first look found a large covered deck, a tight, roadhouse-style interior and a well-run kitchen. The chicken comes in Southern for no heat and turns it up to hot and damn hot for those who like it seriously spicy. The medium was akin to the

Lockeland Table

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Lockeland Table
1520 Woodland Street
Nashville
615-228-4864
www.lockelandtable.com

A restaurant nestled in a residential neighborhood might seem like a conflict waiting to happen and yet at Lockeland Table it seems to work. While we can’t speak for the neighbors, the place does seem to fit the billing as a “community kitchen and bar”. Two young girls ride their

Pomodoro East

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Pomodoro East
701 Porter Road
615-873-4978
Facebook Page

A bustling restaurant on a Friday night is a thing of beauty; a first date couple sharing a pizza at one table; a group of friends ordering the second bottle of wine at another. The space should enhance that feeling- at once bringing everyone together and yet giving each group a little island of warmth. The

Urban Grub

Resto and kafe Restaurants and Food
Urban Grub
2506 12th Avenue South
Resto and kafe
http://cookshopresto.blogspot.com/

serving all kinds of food, available trending special menu, and various health drinks and refreshing beverages.
Everything about Urban Grub is writ large: multiple patios, two bars and several dining areas. Even the website proclaims the place to be the next star on the Resto and kafe dining scene. If this seems like a turn-off, it’s easy enough to get over it. Inside Urban Grub you’ll find a stylish and

Shabu-Shabu House

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Shabu-Shabu House
945 Richards Road
Antioch
615-832-2336
www.thaishabushabu.com

Shabu-Shabu is a Japanese cook- it- yourself, hot pot serving style and probably best enjoyed with a group. It’s a bit of a party thing, popular with tourists in Japan and with folks in many cities around the U.S. It’s also big with the Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese community and it’s

VN Pho and Deli

Nashville Restaurants and Food
VN Pho and Deli
5906 Charlotte Pike
Nashville
615-356-5995

VN Pho and Deli is an unassuming little restaurant tucked away in a nondescript set of stores on Charlotte Pike. And that appears to be exactly what the Luu-Nguyn family is looking for. The big Vietnamese joints are just across the street. VN Pho is going for a homier approach.

You’ll feel that welcome

New Farmers’ Markets

Nashville Restaurants and Food
New Farmers’ Markets

This week launches the expansion of the Good Food for Good People Farmers’ Markets projects organized by our neighbor, Sean Siple. Sean and his folks are passionate about locally sourced, nutritious, accessible food and this extends well beyond the farmers’ markets that they organize. On any given day you can find Sean actually helping people

Pupuseria Salvadorena

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Pupuseria Salvadorena
340 Welch Road
Nashville
615-293-0437

It’s catch up time on the blog. Folks have been saying good things about Pupuseria Salvadorena for some time now. It’s been a regular stop for Lannae and that’s a good recommendation for us. Salvadorena does some big family business. A Saturday afternoon finds the place packed and a bit smoky from

Al-Quds

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Al-Quds
Inside A and H Food
1104 Murfreesboro Pike
Nashville
615-360-8092

Some of the best places to eat are often hidden away in Nashville. That’s certainly the case for restaurant Al-Quds. You probably wouldn’t know it was there if you didn’t stumble into A and H food mart for some fresh pita bread. The Middle Eastern grocery store is in a tiny strip mall, just

The New York Times Takes on Nashville

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The New York Times Takes on Nashville

It's always interesting, and sometimes amusing, to see what outsiders think of your city and it's dining scene. The New York Times chimed in today with a decent article that at the very least seeks to show the breadth of the dining scene in the Music City. It does tend to make East Nashville sound like a den of crime, only

Jay Luther

Our hearts go out to the family and restaurant family of Germantown Cafe and Germantown Cafe East co-owner Jay Luther. He died after becoming stuck in the cooler at Germantown Cafe East. Luther and his partner Chris Lowry had the vision to see the potential in the Germantown neighborhood and took another chance with the Fifth and Main project, first called Allium. We enjoyed a lunch at the

Bang Candy Company

Nashville Restaurants and Food Bang Candy Company
Marathon Village
1300 Clinton Street
Nashville
615-587-4819
www.bangcandycompany.com

Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Oklahoma, Ohio. It’s easy to play the license plate game at Marathon Village these days. Everyone has antique fever and the tourists are lining up to check out the Antique Archeology store, made famous by those genial guys from “

Café Fontanella

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Café Fontanella
Fontanel Mansion
4225 Whites Creek Pike
Whites Creek
615-724-1600
Website

Ah, the wonder of a good eggplant rollatini. It’s a dish that always reminds us of Valentine’s Day, because the Veggie Eater always ordered it at our favorite Sicilian joint in Milwaukee. The version at Café Fontanella is our favorite on their menu of Italian-American

Welcome CMA Visitors

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Welcome CMA Visitors

Downtown is going to be busy for the next few days. If you would like a list of restaurants we recommend in downtown Nashville you can click here for the list. Have a great visit and be sure to wear that sunscreen!

Bella Nashville

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Bella Nashville
Nashville Farmers’ Market
900 Rosa Parks Blvd.
Nashville
615-457-3863
Facebook

It’s back to basics at Bella Nashville. The new pizzeria in the Nashville Farmers’ Market is keeping things simple and putting all their attention to quality. It’s a mere wisp of a menu and the pies themselves are blissfully simple. However, it all adds up to good,

Eat Well Market

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Eat Well Market
1000 Riverside Drive
Nashville
615-763-3287
Facebook Page

Cristy Powell takes food seriously. It’s in her blood, so to speak. Her family ran a restaurant in Louisiana.  You might find Cajun and Creole on the Eat Well Market menu from time to time, as she stocks up on all sorts of goodies when she is back in Louisiana. The big question is whether

Athens

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Athens
2526 Franklin Road
Nashville
615-383-2848
www.athensfamilyrestaurant.com

It’s a catch-up day here at the Nashville Restaurants Blog. There are a few classic Nashville joints out there that we have not reviewed yet. While most of you have probably been to Athens Family Restaurant many times, we wanted to make sure it was represented on the blog. It’s one of

Mama Josie’s

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Mama Josie’s
620 Gallatin Pike N.
Madison
615-868-6851
http://www.mamajosies.com/

Mama Josie’s Home Cooking is tough to spot, even if you’ve been there before. It’s well worth making the effort- they’re serving up very good meat and three in Madison. It’s the standard daily line-up of pork chops, meat loaf, chicken wings, beef tips and chicken and dumplings. It’s

Bella Nashville Pizza-Farmers' Market

There's a new restaurant at the Nashville Farmers' Market and we think they'll be doing some big business. Bella Nashville pizza had a soft opening on Sunday night. They're serving a modest menu to begin with, but everything is handcrafted and well considered, right down to the house made sodas and yerba mate tea.

Emma Berkey and Dave Cuomo have a wood fired oven roaring away in the space

West End Café

Nashville Restaurants and Food
West End Café
1720 West End Avenue
Nashville
615-321-2209
www.westendcafenashville.com

The diner concept is simple: breakfast and lunch served quickly and hopefully with a homey feel. The upscale diner sounds like an oxymoron, but it simply elevates the food and décor. The point is still the same: quick, dependable comfort. The West End Café serves a section of

Mesob

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Mesob
1310 Antioch Pike
Nashville
615-712-8453
www.mesobcuisine.com

Ethiopian food has a complex set of flavors with berbere sauce a centerpiece. Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant takes those flavors up a notch with bold use of those berbere peppers, ginger, garlic and fenugreek. Throw into that mix Ethiopian herbs and you have tongue tingling cuisine. Mesob has been

Gnocchi in Whites Creek and Eating Well in East Nashville

Nashville Restaurants and FoodGnocchi in Whites Creek and Eating Well in East Nashville
The Farmhouse restaurant at the Fontanel is gone and the replacement is Italian cuisine via Nolensville. Café Fontanella opened up a couple of weeks ago. They remodeled the former Farmhouse restaurant to give it a more upscale dinner vibe with a full cocktail bar. Pasta and Martinis anyone? The new joint comes

Connie Lee Ronk Panebianco

If the creation of good food is love, Connie Panebianco shared love often and with an enjoyment in the process as well as the result. Connie is Katie’s mom. She stayed with us in Nashville for a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. During her radiation and chemotherapy treatments she cooked wonderful dishes nearly every night. At first it was disconcerting- shouldn’t we be the ones

Top 3 for Winter 2012

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Top 3 for Winter 2012

It’s actually been a pretty good season for new restaurants in Nashville. We had a number of good possibilities for the Top 3 Restaurants we reviewed this winter. Here are our choices:

1. Fleet Street

A festive St. Patty’s day lunch yesterday put this one over the top in our choice for number one. The Hatton Cross Hot Hen- Cornish game hen

Downtown Nashville Dining

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Downtown Nashville Dining
We know there are folks visiting Nashville this weekend for the NCAA playoff games. Welcome and we hope you enjoy your stay. We hope you have an opportunity to visit a couple of the cool Nashville neighborhoods like Five Points, Hillsboro Village and 12 South. Chances are though you'll be downtown. We have a short list of downtown Nashville

Butterbean Bakery and Bistro

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Butterbean Bakery and Bistro
112 College Street
Gallatin
615-461-7442
www.butterbeanbistro.com

Launching a vegetarian restaurant in Tennessee requires equal doses of bravery and good planning. Unveiling a vegetarian, gluten-free restaurant in Gallatin takes that challenge up several notches. Meredith Jones, the owner and chef of the new Butterbean Bakery and Bistro

Flourgirls

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Flourgirls
201 S. Main Street
Goodlettsville
615-851-7437
www.flourgirlsonmainstreet.com

Pastry folks are known as being sticklers for detail. It’s perhaps one reason that bakeries often do well when they cross over to a wider restaurant menu. Trish Golter has spent much of her life in cooking and pastry creation. She worked at Mad Platter for 11 years. Her latest

The Jam Coffee House

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Jam Coffee House
1210 Wedgewood Avenue
Nashville
615-823-3292
Facebook page

The Newton family has transformed this small storefront in a tiny strip mall a stone’s throw from the Belmont campus. The retro sixties DIY décor is both warm and whimsical. It’s just far enough from the edge of campus to make it a pioneering project for the Jam Coffee House. One year

West End Café - First Look

Nashville Restaurants and Food
West End Café - First Look

There’s been a serious breakfast and quality sandwich shortage in the West End area for some time now. The West End Café opened three weeks ago to fill the void. It’s an upscale diner in concept and menu, with an emphasis on breakfast and lunch. The good news is that they stay open until 9 p.m. for dinner, including some small plates. The

Butterbean and Santo Nino

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Two Reasons to Visit Gallatin on a Weekday

I had my first look at the new Butterbean Bakery and Bistro in Gallatin last week. It’s nestled in a stately older home a couple of blocks off the courthouse square. The concept of a vegetarian and gluten-free restaurant in Gallatin seems a bit odd, but once you visit, you realize that the overall effect is one of a warm

Last Minute Valentine's Day Ideas

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Last Minute Valentine's Day Ideas

Okay, so you blew it. You didn't make dinner reservations for Valentine's Day and now your significant other is going to be sad. A couple of weeks ago we gave our ideas for places that you probably need reservations (scroll down) and while there still might be the odd reservation or two available out there (and by odd we mean

Edley’s Bar-B-Que

Nashville Restaurants and Food Edley’s Bar-B-Que
2706 12th Avenue South
Nashville
615-953-2951
www.edleysbbq.com

Edley’s Bar-B-Que is off to a smoky good start. The crowds are flocking to the new 12 South restaurant and for one primary reason: these folks know their meat. Take a bite of the brisket: smoky and tender with just a little fat and bit of charred rub for flavor. Paired with a grilled,

Nashville Valentine’s Day Suggestions 2012

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Nashville Valentine’s Day Suggestions 2012

It’s time to start making those reservations. Here are some ideas for Valentine’s Day dining in Nashville 2012.

1. Table 3

They’ve had fits and starts at Table 3 due to the fire, but the place is back in business and seems to be doing quite well. It’s a warm and comfortable dining room thanks to dark wood and plenty of

The Pharmacy

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Pharmacy
731 McFerrin Avenue
Nashville
615-712-9517
Facebook page

Popularity can be a double-edged sword. It’s something that every new restaurant craves. And yet, there’s value in being able to start your business slowly, work out the kinks quietly and then build steam. The foodie buzz induced steam had already built to a whistling head when the Pharmacy

Roc’s Bar-B-Que

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Roc’s Bar-B-Que
4037 Clarksville Pike
Nashville
615-876-7544
Facebook page

It takes a tough soul to do battle with Metro Codes. Roc is an ex-Army Ranger and a restaurant business veteran, as well. Despite that determination and experience it took him 14 months to get the tiny, down-home barbecue shack up to Metro par. Roc’s is finally open for business and smoking

Willie Mae’s Barbecue

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Willie Mae’s Barbecue
200 8th Avenue East
Springfield
615-384-8383
Facebook

Barbecue eaters know that to get the good stuff you often have to forage well outside the city limits. Willie Mae’s Barbecue in Springfield provides another good reason for a ‘cue road trip. They’re smoking some of the better barbecue this eater has sampled in the Nashville area.

The

Nashville Originals Restaurant Week

Just a reminder that next week is the Nashville Originals Restaurant Week from January 16-22. It's a great opportunity to dine local, dine independent and get a good deal in the bargain. The Nashville Originals group started a few years back.They formed to support the indie restaurants in the area and it has grown by leaps and bounds, now counting more than 50 members. Those restaurants have

Joey’s House of Pizza

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Joey’s House of Pizza
897 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville
615-254-5639
www.joeyshouseofpizza.com


Anyone worried about the new Joey’s House of Pizza location pulling in customers can rest easy. Joey has brought his regulars up from Brentwood and is garnering a new fan base for the lunch spot just off Fesslers Lane and I-40. While some have worried that it isn’t near any

Pharmacy First Look

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Pharmacy First Look

We broke in the Pharmacy beer garden this weekend. A sunny Saturday prompted the Veggie Eater to insist on outside seating and the staff promptly informed us that we were the first. Folks quickly joined us as the  new East Nashville eatery filled up. It’s a terrific outdoor space and perfect for letting kids run around, which a couple of

Sloco

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Sloco
2905 12th Avenue South
Nashville
615-499-4793
www.Slocolocal.com

It’s not unusual for a successful owner/chef to start a new restaurant. Jeremy Barlow of Tayst certainly has the credentials and reputation in Nashville to start a new joint. What’s cool is that he is tackling a whole new concept in the process. The focus of his new 12 South sandwich joint Sloco