Where to Eat in January: Lyra, Graze, Lou, and More

If a Mediterranean diet is on your 2023 plan, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better menu than at this East Nashville stalwart. The menu shows off a modern approach to Middle Eastern cuisine, utilizing global spice rubs and glazes to add fascinating layers of flavors to roasted and braised meats and vegetables. A bracing Turkish coffee accompanied by a pistachio ice cream sandwich on a sesame tahini cookie is a delightful ending to the meal.

While the flagship restaurant at the 1 Hotel Nashville doesn’t necessarily trade on serving “health food,” it is a place where you can feel good about yourself when you dine there. The kitchen maintains a laser focus on seasonal ingredients, sourced as sustainably and locally as possible from farmers around the region. The resulting menu features fun culinary puns combining classic international dishes with local ingredients, like the Beet Wellington and Deconstructed Fried Chicken Pot Pie.

The area around 100 Oaks has long been the domain of national chains and fast food restaurants, but in the quaint little strip of businesses across Thompson Lane you can still find some local gems, like this 100% vegan cafe. Serving plant-based burgers, bowls, and burritos, Sunflower Cafe also offers daily specials, and those are often the power play. Like at any good Nashville “meat”-and-three, smart diners plan their calendar around Wednesday lasagna or Friday mock crab cakes that are nothing to mock!

For optional reservations of parties of 8 or more, call 615-457-2568.

This innovative plant-based bistro is the latest restaurant from the owners of another beloved East Side vegan spot, The Wild Cow. Serving brunch until 3 p.m. followed by dinner service seven days a week, Graze is your all-day destination. Brunch is suitably decadent, with biscuit sandwiches, breakfast bowls, and burritos, just with less guilt thanks to the use of meat substitutes like tempeh and seitan. Dinner leans a little more international with Asian and Mexican influences, plus a tempeh version of the iconic Nashville hot chicken sandwich.

No reservations; call 615-686-1060 for info.

Butcher & Bee is the kind of place where a party of four can make a meal out of small mezze plates shared around the table and then suddenly realize, “Wow, that was all vegetarian!” The whipped feta dip with black pepper and fermented honey gets a lot of attention, but don’t skip the ember roasted turnips, served cacio e pepe-style. Other standout plates include the avocado crispy rice served with a peppery scallion/tahini dressing and a unique lion’s mane mushroom shawarma.

Started by members of a local band seeking out vegan alternatives to traditional meat cold cuts, Be-Hive has expanded into retail from their traditional wholesale distribution of plant-based pepperoni, chorizo, and deli slices for restaurants. With the opening of The Be-Hive Deli and Market, shoppers can stock up on all sorts of vegan products and take home ready-made sandwiches to enjoy. The deli offers vegan versions of classic subs and sandwiches, tacos, and fried “Chx” that are alternatives to traditional deli fare.

No reservations.

AVO started out as a raw vegan cafe, but eventually started to add some cooked plant-based items to the menu to meet customer requests. In an effort to meet customers “where they are,” AVO still offers great salads and raw dishes like pad thai and kimchi spring rolls, but now you can satisfy your desire for organic vegan food with lentil-walnut burgers, or a pan-seared oyster mushroom version of a Philly sandwich. Plus, much of the food is gluten-free, and it’s all kosher-certified.

Boqueria offers a remarkable variety of small plates featuring creative presentations, flavors and textures. Choose wisely from the long list of small plates and you can tantalize your taste buds with dishes like mushroom croquettes, blistered shishito peppers, marinated olives, and fire-roasted eggplant.

Nashville’s first vegan taqueria laid down roots at the farmers’ market, and fans have been beating down the doors ever since. The couple behind the operation moved to Nashville from Mexico City and Costa Rica and have created a street food experience with the convenience of fast-casual dining. Traditional taco recipes like al pastor, tinga, and asada substitute non-meat alternatives like seitan, chipotle carrots, and soy, and most diners don’t even notice the difference.

No reservations.

The talented culinary mind behind (lowercase) lou has experience cooking in France and California. At all-day brunch and for the evening meal, lou serves a global menu of inspired dishes that focus on seasonal local ingredients with a truly fascinating list of natural wines from all over the world. Some of these funky wines might seem challenging to some palates, but when paired with the food at lou, they sing.