Nashville’s Newest Restaurant Openings, Now on Resy

When acclaimed chef Sean Brock turns his hand to pizza, you know it’ll be something special. At this sleek “neo-Neapolitan” pizzeria, the handmade Italian pizza oven is wood-fired, the dough is fermented for 72 hours for a light and flavorful crust, and the toppings are seasonal and locally-driven — and the results are definitely Brock-quality.

Because two former Husk chefs are bringing Mexican and Latin flavors to this good-looking Sylvan Park spot. Tantísimo spotlights local farms in creative dishes, like churrasco steak with yuca encebollada and a poblano Caesar with Japanese turnips. And fair warning: It’s all too easy to fill up on the housemade bolillo (a type of savory bread) with chorizo butter.

This Reno-born family-owned bakery and cafe brings warm hospitality, freshly baked treats, and classic daytime dishes to downtown Nashville’s historic boat house building. For an early breakfast, there’s croissants and other decadent pastries rolling fresh out of the ovens and lemon ricotta pancakes from the griddle. For a leisurely lunch, the rotisserie drives premium sandwiches and fresh salads.

If you’re looking for a full evening’s experience, country music star Eric Church’s downtown extravaganza is for you — a six-level restaurant, bar, and music venue crowned by a rooftop outpost of Whole Hog BBQ, the domain of legendary South Carolina pitmaster and James Beard best chef Rodney Scott.

A tasty history lesson: Salento, in the heel of the Italian boot, was once colonized by Greeks, so it makes sense that Greek-American brothers Bill and Sam Darsinos (of GReKo) add some Greek flavors to their otherwise classic Italian menu at this genial Donelson neighborhood trattoria (think pizza with lamb ragout and feta).

This longtime Belmont-Hillsboro favorite closed in 2022, but it didn’t take long for restaurateur Steven Smithing to step in and bring it back — and it’s just as wonderful as you might remember, serving everything from its celebrated queso to burritos as big as your appetite.

Franklin might be 400 miles or so from the nearest body of saltwater, but at this polished Italian seafood restaurant from chef Frank Pullara of Culacino fame, the distance disappears the moment you open the menu full of raw bar specialties, housemade shellfish pastas, whole roasted fish, and more.

It’s easy being green at this rustic-chic-looking restaurant at the eco-friendly 1 Nashville Hotel, where culinary director Chris Crary, a onetime “Top Chef” contender, sources 75% of his ingredients from within a 200-mile radius, composts and recycles everything — and incidentally serves a menu of must-try modern Southern dishes.