The Resy Hit List: Where In Nashville You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

Chef Philip Krajeck moved to Nashville after earning a James Beard nomination for his work in the kitchen at Fish Out of Water in the Florida panhandle. Why would anyone leave paradise? Because he thought it would be a great place to raise his children — the “and daughters” of the restaurant’s name. Nashville is a much better place because of his decision. Rolf and Daughters has introduced local diners to cutting-edge culinary trends through the years: communal tables, natural wines, naturally fermented pastas and pizza crusts, bitter amari-based cocktails, and whole-animal cookery. And Krajeck keeps pushing the envelope of traditional European cuisine by placing vegetables and seafood at the forefront, and introducing unexpected flavor elements to the delight of lucky diners. His cooking has become emblematic of the city’s progress.

After leaving the tables set and ready for guests for more than a year while waiting out the pandemic, chef Sean Brock finally opened his shrine to Appalachia in late 2021. Since then, Audrey has provided a meditation on the rural cooking of Brock’s youth. Open-fire cookery combines with molecular gastronomy to extract the essence of heritage ingredients like sour corn and greasy beans, creating 21st century dishes that tell the story of the hardscrapple residents of Appalachia. And Brock continues to push the cuisine forward with a perpetual reimagining of the flavors of his native region. Whether á la carte or as part of a fixed menu of the kitchen’s favorite dishes served family-style, a dinner at Audrey is always a treat.

Although the original Charleston location of this Middle Eastern restaurant has been converted to another concept, the Nashville outpost of the Bee is still setting the standard for seasonal Israeli-inspired cuisine after almost a decade of crowd-pleasing cuisine. The whipped feta and fermented honey dip is legendary and a can’t-miss appetizer, but don’t be afraid to dig deeper into the menu for inventive shareable dishes made with local ingredients and served family-style to the table. Pro tip: Opt for the “Eat Like a Chef” experience to sample the current favorite dishes of the kitchen staff, coursed out and presented by the cooks that prepared them.

For a city like Nashville where transplants from California are often viewed with suspicion (at the very least), East Side Banh Mi owners Chad Newton and Grace Nguyen were welcomed with open arms. In fact, notable Nashville restaurants clamored to be the next addition to the restaurant’s monthly roster of guest chef-inspired sandwiches, a high honor for all involved. Combining classic elements of Vietnamese cuisine with family recipes and local ingredients, ESBM has created a whole new category of sandwich shop. Ham hocks, pork shoulder, and smoked bologna step in for the usual Vietnamese chua lua ham and paté paté; the result is a banh mi that’s unusual and familiar at the same time, and Nguyen’s fresh house-baked baguettes provide the perfect canvas for her culinary inspiration.

No reservations. Find more info here.

As soon as patrons enter this zen space with its background of chill house music, they’re grounded in the present moment. That’s amplified by the house specialty: sake sourced from Asia and the U.S.; general manager Rick Margaritov’s encyclopedic knowledge of the spirit ensures perfect pairings with chef Ryan Costanza’s menu of small bites and large plates. Our big pro tip? The new omakase experience is a two-plus hour long journey through the mind of the chef, with more than a dozen focused dishes prepared and explained by Costanza for no more than six people at a time. Let Margaritov provide the suggested sakes to complement the journey, and you’ll fully understand the restaurant’s gestalt.

Henley takes its design inspiration from the legendary hospitality of a stately Southern manor. Enter through a sidewalk patio and belly up to the bar for a welcome drink as some of Nashville’s finest bartenders serve thoughtful cocktails and drams of the restaurant’s special selections of single-barrel whiskeys. The cozy dining room is where most diners sit down to a menu of fun Southern dishes accented with international flair. At the back of the restaurant, a clubby snooker room offers private dining and overflow space on busy nights, but an even greater surprise lies behind a secret door in a bookshelf. The Rabbit Hole is a tiny table in the kitchen where up to four patrons can enjoy a special multi-course tasting menu.

In a town filled with excellent taco options, Maiz de la Vida stands out thanks to chef Julio Hernandez’s fanatical dedication to spreading the gospel of heirloom Mexican corn, literally the “corn of life” that inspired the restaurant’s name. You haven’t truly tasted a tortilla until you’ve tried one made with maize sourced from Mexican fields, nixtamalized and ground by hand to create the perfect texture, and then griddled on a flattop before being stuffed with expertly prepared fillings. Don’t forget to take home a package of almost translucent lard-infused tortillas to raise your family Taco Tuesday to the next level. It’s currently operating out of a small tortilleria in North Nashville, and from a taco truck in residence at East Nashville tiki bar Chopper, but Maiz de la Vida will receive a huge upgrade when a larger location opens up this spring in The Gulch.

No reservations. Find more info here.

“Casual elegance” is an overused and seemingly oxymoronic descriptor when it comes to most restaurants, but in the case of world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first foray outside of the biggest global culinary centers, it’s actually quite accurate. Tucked away in the cozy rathskellar underneath the Hermitage Hotel and painted in calm pastels, Drusie & Darr caters to a wide range of clientele, from tourist guests enjoying a meal before a night out on the town to politicians and businesspeople seeking a power lunch. Patrons enjoy Jean-Georges’ globally-inspired preparations of Tennessee produce including as toppings for wood-fired pizzas or as standalone vegetarian dishes.

For locals and visitors seeking a great meal and some live music entertainment without having to fight the bustle of Lower Broad, Black Rabbit is an oasis. Housed in a historic building that was once home to Jimmy Hoffa’s attorney’s office — where FBI agents bugged the fireplace — it comes by its speakeasy vibe legitimately. Boasting one of downtown’s best happy hours, the bar is a popular gathering point for upscale cocktails and snacks from the wood-fired oven and grill while enjoying live music from small combos. Some nights the bands and the party have been known to spill out into the outdoor patio for a little alfresco fun.

Seeking a slightly calmer atmosphere than they experienced at their Michelin-starred restaurant Spiaggia in Chicago, chef Tony Mantuano and his wine expert wife Cathy brought their culinary expertise to Nashville to open their new regional Italian fine-dining spot Yolan, the likes of which the city has never seen. Seasonal tasting menus showcase the cuisine of different regions of Italy, and à la carte offerings include some of Mantuano’s signature dishes like bucatini all’amatriciana and a massive 55-day dry aged, 36-ounce Kansas City bistecca.

Call 615-231-0405 for reservations.

What do you get when a talented pastry chef marries a cook obsessed with cooking over open fire? Well, you get a great meal at Pelican & Pig, thanks to chef-owners Audra and Nick Guidry. The open kitchen creates a fully immersive dining-slash-theater experience, as just about every ingredient on the menu benefits from Nick Guidry’s elevated caveman cooking, deftly adding a kiss of flame or a waft of smoke to meat dishes and a surprising array of seafood options. The menu changes frequently and seasonally, so there’s likely something new and wonderful to discover at each visit. One of Audra Guidry’s sweet treats is a mandatory end to the meal, even if you have to take it home because you overordered at dinner.

This latest offering from the team behind The Mockingbird in the Gulch is a trip back to the roots of co-owners Brian Riggenbach and Mikey Corona — when the couple used to cater uproarious Mexican pop-up dinners in their Chicago apartment before opening their first legit restaurant with partner Maneet Chauhan. With Tio Fun, they have recreated the over-the-top whimsical menu of Mexican munchies that earned them a dedicated following at those house parties of yore. From tacos and quesadillas to a foot-long Tijuana Dog topped with bacon, chipotle cremosa, and pico, a visit with Tio Fun is a decadent opportunity to be spoiled by your new favorite uncle.

No reservations.

Waits of up to an hour are common at Kisser as hungry diners line up before the restaurant opens for lunch-only service at this tiny Cleveland Park Japanese neighborhood newcomer. Husband-and-wife chef team Brian Lea and Leina Horii work their stations in the diminutive kitchen with zen-like precision, preparing their own brand of Japanese haute comfort food. Rice dishes, salads, noodles, and a chicken katsu sandwich served on delectable toasted milk bread are menu standouts, but Kisser’s version of a traditional Japanese breakfast with miso-marinated fish, three vegetables, a rolled omelet, soup, and furikake rice represents the chefs’ full culinary sensibilities in one spectacular menu item.

No reservations.

For a landlocked city, Nashville boasts some outstanding seafood restaurants, and Henrietta Red belongs at the top of any roster of them. Whether you’re enjoying a cocktail or a glass from their nicely curated list of interesting international wines along with a half-dozen oysters from the raw bar, or you opt for a full meal of seafood-centric sharing plates and individual entrees, it consistently delights thanks to a scrupulous dedication to sourcing the freshest products from the sea. The vibrant atmosphere of the attractive dining room doesn’t distract the chefs working in the open kitchen as they offer fastidiously-plated dishes.

In the year since Food & Wine magazine named Locust “Best Restaurant of 2022,” it has become one of the toughest tables in town. In an attempt to democratize the experience, they’ve switched up their service model to offer an ever changing menu of razor clams, dumplings, caviar, tartare, and the Japanese shaved ice dish of kakigori for dessert from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. After a brief restaurant reset, the kitchen will reopen for no-reservation walk-in service with a tight menu of beer, wine, and cocktails plus dumplings from 6 p.m. until closing. Just because the menu is limited doesn’t mean it won’t be spectacular. Now diners can take their chances to just walk in and hope to find a seat.