The Resy Hit List: Where In Nashville You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
Consider it your essential resource for dining in Nashville: a monthly-updated guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Three Things In Nashville Not to Miss This Month
- Dine Nashville Highlights: The city’s month-long celebration of local restaurants Dine Nashville returns to town for the fourth year next month, which means January is your key time to make reservations. Collaborative chef experiences bring together some of the city’s top culinary talents for one night only, including highlight dinners that will showcase Chris Crary of 1 Kitchen Nashville, along with Joshua Homacki from Fancypants for a special meal prepared together on Monday, Feb. 3. Husk’s Ben Norton will team up with Ben Tyson of Butterlamp for a multi-course tasting dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Butcher & Bee – Nashville chef Chris Dejesus will create a special Restaurant Week collaboration with Henley’s Kristen Beringer on Wednesday, Feb. 5, blending Southern fare with a Mediterranean twist. Other events will include a Restaurant Week promotion with participating spots offering discounted prix-fixe menus along with other specially priced deals at smaller restaurants throughout the city. Take the post-New Years lull to get planning.
- Wine Time: City Winery is already known as one of the best venues in town to enjoy dinner and a show, but not everyone realizes that it is an actual working winery where imported grapes from major growing regions across the world are converted into worthwhile bottles. Take a peek behind the scenes at one of their Winery Tour & Tasting events, where you’ll enjoy a backstage pass to the music and winemaking operations along with a guided tasting of four wines paired with a chef-selected cheese and charcuterie board.
- Taco the Town: Despite all the new taqueria openings in the past year, apparently, Nashville has not quite reached “maximum taco” status yet. Denver-based Dos Santos recently fired up the griddles at their latest location in Wedgewood Houston, bringing their brand of internationally-inspired tacos to town. Born of Yucatan roots, tacos come on corn tortillas and feature more seafood selections than most chain restaurants. Vegetarian options are also readily available, including a delectable carrot mole taco dressed with cilantro crema, sesame seeds, pepitas, and fresh cilantro.
New to the Hit List (Jan. 2025)
Il Forno, Saffire, Southside Grill, Iggy’s.
1. Audrey McFerrin Park
Chef Sean Brock continues to push the envelope at his shrine to the regional ingredients of his native Appalachian youth with a constantly-evolving menu of innovative cuisine at Audrey. Utilizing modern gastronomic techniques and equipment along with primitive open-fire cooking methods, Brock and his team draw out new flavors from humble ingredients like shagbark hickory and sour corn to create dishes that previously only existed within the mind of the genius chef. A walk-in only lunch service offers another opportunity to experience the magic of Audrey at a lower price, like partaking in the most elevated “meat-and-three” ever. Brunch and dinner have completely different vibes, so any trip to Audrey is bound to feel unique.
2. Husk Nashville Rutledge Hill
For more than a decade, Husk has represented the epitome of farm-to-table fare in Nashville — with a laser focus on the mandate by opening chef Sean Brock: “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the kitchen door!” The stately Italianate mansion that is Husk’s home was once the home of a 19th-century Nashville mayor — and is reflected in the courtly hospitality — yet the cuisine continues to combine modernism with historical techniques of preservation, pickling, and some of the finest fried chicken in the land. And both kitchen and the bar staff take full advantage of the restaurant’s garden, where they grow heritage seeds into plants that show up as ingredients and garnishes.
3. Present Tense Wedgewood-Houston
The industrial zen vibe and lo-fi hip-hop soundtrack set the atmosphere at this standout modern izakaya and sake bar. Whether diners opt for á la carte service or offer themselves to the chef’s whim with an omakase experience, they’re sure to be delighted by the precisely plated parade of small dishes coming from the kitchen. Much of the menu focuses on seafood flown fresh to town from across the globe. Pro tip for sake fans: Present Tense has their own brand called Pure Land, crafted in Kyoto, with complex flavors that complement myriad dishes. Don’t be afraid to ask for pairing advice.
4. Rolf and Daughters Germantown
Natural wood brings warmth to the post-industrial exposed brick and steel girder ambiance of the converted factory that is home to chef Phillip Krajeck’s flagship restaurant. The reservation book fills quickly with intelligent patrons who know that the kitchen serves up some of the most interesting European cuisine in the entire city. The menu changes often, as the kitchen staff experiments with novel fermentations and takes advantage of the best seasonal ingredients. But the beloved heritage pork ragu with rigatoni, tomato and Parmesan is a menu stalwart that remains unchanged since opening night. The thoughtful wine list offers uncommon bottles with an emphasis on natural wines that are downright inspired, especially with some of the fermented dishes.
5. Fancypants East Nashville
From the team that brought Butcher & Bee and Redheaded Stranger to town, this is an exciting new dining option that aims to turn fine dining on its head. Offering a prix fixe menu of meticulously plated dishes, Fancypants isn’t necessarily a tasting-menu restaurant because patrons have choices among several different vegetable-forward options. Add-ons are available, and carnivores can always find something meaty to enjoy. The converted Piggly Wiggly supermarket has become a lovely dining space with a whimsical decor of pretty florals, bold colors, and an inviting outdoor patio space. Put on your stretchy pants and head here for a dining experience unlike any other in Nashville.
6. Halls Catch Nashville
The latest project from South Carolina-based Hall Management Group is right across the lobby from their first Nashville restaurant Halls Chophouse. Sharing the same fanatical attention to service and hospitality as its corporate cousin next door, Halls Catch focuses on the bounty of the sea. The dining room sets the aquatic mood with organic curves hanging from the ceiling reminiscent of ocean waves and iridescent aqua tones that mimic fish scales. The restaurant has a “48-hour rule” for their seafood and demands that every ingredient take no more than two days from the ocean to the plate. A tight selection of premium beef items are also available to create your own surf-and-turf.
7. Two Ten Jack – Nashville East Nashville
Nashville’s premier izakaya and ramen house introduced many local diners to the concept of Japanese bar culture. Beers and highball cocktails are accompanied by small plates like edamame, shishito peppers or dumplings followed by courses that become increasingly more substantial. Yakitori skewers range from vegetable bites such as corn in miso butter or wasabi avocado to heartier options like pork belly, short rib or even chicken hearts. A bracing bowl of tonkatsu ramen in a creamy pork broth with a soft egg is a meal in and of itself.
8. Green Hills Grille Green Hills
Just because the vibe at a restaurant is laid back doesn’t mean the experience can’t be top-shelf. That’s the promise of this neighborhood favorite for a generation. Fans have followed the restaurant to three different locations because they appreciate the dedication to excellent service, delicious food, and consistency. Flexible seating options allow for large parties celebrating a special occasion to graze across the eclectic, internationally inspired menu, as well as plenty of space to catch up with a friend at the bar while enjoying the creamy, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip — a menu staple for more than 20 years.
9. Carne Mare The Gulch
Nashville’s preeminent contemporary Italian steakhouse has settled in nicely in the luxurious W Hotel in the Gulch. Chef Andrew Carmellini has imported his effort from New York, with a menu that combines the regional flavors of Italy with hand-cut steaks, fresh pastas, and seafood. The clubby atmosphere of the main dining room feels like every table is a private dining experience, but the best seats offer a view into the open kitchen. The porchetta-spiced slow-roasted prime rib is a menu standout, and a dessert of baked spumoni flambéed tableside is the perfect dish to share at the end of a memorable meal.
10. Saffire Franklin
Seven years after closing to the disappointment of long-time fans, Saffire has reemerged like a phoenix from the flames in the Factory at Franklin. Patrons can again enjoy cocktails at the 300-year-old wooden bar that was a favorite gathering spot and which returns to Saffire 2.0. Under the same management, the new iteration of the restaurant brings back some old favorites along with fresh new takes on bracing Southern cuisine. From a prototypical fried chicken platter to meatloaf that would make your grandma proud, it marries fine dining with classic down-home fare. Wood-fired meats hot off the grill are the highlight of the main course options, accompanied by Southern sides ranging from white beans and collard greens to whipped potatoes and white cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese.
11. Butcher & Bee – Nashville East Nashville
The Southeast meets the Middle East at this Mediterranean- and Israeli-inspired neighborhood favorite. Working with locally-sourced ingredients, the kitchen at the Bee creates vegetable-forward dishes that are filled with exotic flavors and beautiful flourishes of color and texture. 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 entrees served family-style to the table. Another favorite option is to make a happy hour grazing meal out of the wide selection dips and mezze small plates while you enjoy cocktails from one of the most talented staffs of mixologists in town. Butcher & Bee defies convention as a restaurant, so feel free to choose your own adventure.
12. IL Forno Nashville
Il Forno can be a little tough to find, tucked in the back of an industrial-looking building in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, but the Neapolitan trattoria is well worth the effort to seek out. Naples-born chef Egidio (Egi) Franciosa started out cooking pizzas in a food truck and moved into the new space after demand outstripped what he could create in his tiny mobile kitchen. The move allowed him to expand his menu of wood-fired pies to include salads and pasta along with two beloved carpaccio appetizers, one featuring octopus and the other offering thin slices of marinated filet mignon. The addition of cocktails and a tight list of Italian wines is another nice upgrade from the food truck days.
13. Bad Idea East Nashville
Beverage expert Alex Burch founded Bad Idea as a concept to bring a dynamic wine bar to East Nashville. Thanks to Burch’s fantastic wine and cocktail program and the inspired Lao-centric menu created by chef Colby Rasavong, Bad Idea has evolved into much more. The interior of the vaulted dining space is softened by natural materials accented with splashes of bold colors, and the lively bar scene adds energy to the room. A seasonally changing menu of small plates combines traditional Laotian cuisine with fun regional touches along with large format dishes sized for sharing. Open late with a limited, but no less intriguing menu, Bad Idea is the best idea for night owls seeking something more than a “last call” burger.
Call or text 629-729-4332 for reservations.
14. Edessa Elysian Fields
Nashville is home to the largest population of Kurds in the country, and their contributions to the local culinary scene are finally seeing the national spotlight since the New York Times named Edessa as one of the country’s best restaurants for 2024. For more than 20 years, Edessa has been delighting local diners with Turkish and Kurdish cuisine, including house-made hummus, kebabs, fresh-baked pita, and flavorful meze dishes, including novel preparations of regional favorites. The warm interior of the stylish restaurant creates a welcoming ambiance that is unexpected considering the strip mall exterior, but those who know what awaits inside are rewarded with some of the most flavorful and exciting food in the city.
More info here.
15. Lockeland Table Lockeland Springs, East Nashville
Few restaurants are more ingrained in their community than Lockeland Table, the sort of place where diners secure standing weekly reservations and neighbors gather frequently during the restaurant’s Community Hour to catch up on school events and support local PTOs, with a portion of the proceeds from sales of shareable small plates. The burnished copper pizza oven is a work of art and the centerpiece of the open kitchen, and the pies and roasted vegetables that emerge from the infernal oven are centerpieces of any meal at Lockeland Table. Chef Hal Holden-Bache’s signature N.Y. strip steak served with spicy chimichurri is a menu stalwart and one of the best beef deals in town.
16. Southside Grill Sugar Valley
Founded 15 years ago by the Darsinos family, Southside offers contemporary American food with fun little Mediterranean touches inspired by the family’s Greek heritage. Dine at the bar, in the inviting main dining room or on the covered patio that’s open year-round as you work your way through a menu that features seafood appetizers such as octopus, calamari and a warm lump crab meat salad before moving on to main dishes of meats and fish. The beef truffle burger is an indulgent treat that frequently appears on “best burgers” lists around town, and Southside’s filet mignon with gouda mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus is a classic steakhouse dish.
17. Margot Café & Bar East Nashville
Chef Margot McCormack made a brave leap of faith decades ago when she converted a former filling station into a French-inspired and Southern-informed brasserie in the Five Points neighborhood long before fine dining was commonplace in that part of town. She has been rewarded with an ardent legion of fans, many of whom have standing weekly reservations so that they can catch up with friends and neighbors while dining on a creative seasonal menu of bistro food that changes frequently based on the freshest ingredients coming through the door of the kitchen. Whether it’s a quick drink at the cozy bar or a convivial meal in the boisterous main dining room or a romantic tête-à-tête at one of the secluded upstairs tables, Margot Café is the premier meeting and eating spot in East Nashville.
18. Kisser East Nashville
The lines haven’t gotten any shorter at this diminutive lunch-only spot in Cleveland Park, and the national acclaim continues to pour in for the husband-and-wife chef team of Brian Lea and Leina Horii as they continue to push out delicious plates of Japanese comfort food from the tiny kitchen. Returning diners know the drill: scan the QR code to hold a place in the queue and wait your turn in line to be rewarded with craveable plates like egg salad or chicken katsu sandwiches on house-made milk bread, noodle bowls and curry rice dishes, grilled fish or a full Japanese breakfast featuring miso-marinated fish, three vegetables, a rolled omelet, soup, and furikake rice.
No reservations. More info here.
19. Iggy’s Wedgewood Houston
Chef Ryan Poli and his brother/general manager Matthew represent a dream team of hospitality professionals who have worked together at notable restaurants in Nashville and around the country. Together, the brothers have created their dream Italian restaurant with Iggy’s. The neighborhood gathering spot shows off all of the Polis’ most beloved things: handmade pasta, great Italian wines, craft cocktails, and a diverse soundtrack of energetic music to help set the mood. “No Decision Sundays” offer the chance to sit at the chef’s counter and let the kitchen and sommelier select two starters, three pastas, a dessert and a bottle of wine for you. As a bonus, a small display case near the front door offers fresh pasta and sauces to take home for another meal later in the week.
For reservations, call 615-645-9949.
20. Fonda on 12th – Nashville 12 South
When acclaimed chef Roberto Santibañez chose Nashville as the first place to open a new iteration of his Fonda restaurant group outside of New York, many locals didn’t realize how lucky they were. The quartet of Fondas has since been joined by a fifth in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza District, so we’re sitting in some pretty high cotton. Santibañez’s modern Mexican cuisine takes the dishes and ingredients of his Mexico City hometown and adds urbane flourishes to create bold new combinations of flavors like his family’s traditional Oaxacan mole served over slices of wagyu ribeye and maitake mushrooms. Artful plating further tunes up the menu of tacos, enchiladas, and small plates to surprising heights.
