The Resy Hit List: Where In Nashville You’ll Want to Eat in Nov. 2025

Although the team at Fancypants recently celebrated their first anniversary since opening in 2024, they haven’t lost any of their sense of humor. The restaurant’s website still reads: “No dress code. Wear pants.” The mostly vegetable-centric menu still gently pokes fun at pretentious fine dining traditions, and the option remains to add “chef’s big ass wood grilled steak” to a selection of the kitchen’s current favorites to create a unique dining experience. Most diners opt for some variation of the tasting menu, but on Sundays, the kitchen offers more á la carte options to allow for experimentation. A well-curated list of wines by the glass, beers by the can, and whimsical cocktails complement a visit to Fancypants. 

Founding chef-owner Margot McCormack was the urban pioneer with the audacity to open a French-inspired, Southern-influenced bistro in the Five Points neighborhood long before it was the hip dining destination it has become. Here, working with executive chef Hadley Long, McCormack creates seasonal menus of classic bistro fare for lunch and dinner. Regular customers enjoy standing reservations at Margot, but they’re always welcome to newcomers seeking a quick drink at the cozy bar, a full meal in the main dining room, or a quiet date at one of the romantic and secluded tables upstairs, away from the crowd below.

When two restaurant veterans decided to open answer. in Sylvan Park, it was exactly what the growing neighborhood needed. Since the area is mostly residential, there weren’t many places for people to grab a casual bite. Now, the intimate space is usually buzzing with conversations over dishes from the globally-influenced menu, so the atmosphere feels quite festive. For nights where cooking at home feels like an impossible chore, answer.’s takeaway suppers are a lifesaver. Sized for two or four people, these ready-to-go meals are available on Wednesdays and Sundays, making a weeknight dinner a total breeze.

Chef Andrew Carmellini has reimagined the classic chophouse in his first foray into Nashville from New York. Carne Mare melds the regional soul of Italian cuisine with the decidedly American obsession over hand-cut dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood, in a menu that is both inventive and deeply comforting. Clubby leather booths offer privacy for date night, while the boisterous bar is the place to meet with discerning friends for a fine cocktail or a glass from the restaurant’s wine list. For more participatory dining, book a table with a view of the open kitchen where you can watch steaks and chops hit the grill for the perfect kiss of fire or watch the porchetta-spiced prime rib emerge from the oven after a 12-hour roasting.

Butcher & the Bee sits at a fascinating crossroads between time-honored Southern food and Middle Eastern cuisine, emphasizing locally-sourced seasonal ingredients accented with deeply flavorful international spices. Drawing on ancient traditions of many cultures, “The Bee” (as many fans call it) manages to create something entirely modern. A seat at the large chef’s bar offers a peek behind the curtain to see talented staff members carefully prepping and cooking individual dishes, and it’s a more entertaining show than most sporting events in Nashville lately. The whipped feta and fermented honey dip is a creamy, tangy, sweet, and savory masterpiece of an appetizer that is a non-negotiable must-try. In fact, clever diners sometimes craft an entire meal out of nothing but the dips and small plates. And we salute them.

Liberty Common is open for brunch-only service Thursday through Sunday, but this breezy bistro manages to pack more fun into those four days of dining than most other restaurants can in a whole week. Located close enough to Lower Broad to be convenient, but also just far enough away to escape the heart of the downtown craziness, Liberty Common features a unique two-sided indoor/outdoor bar, ideal for watching the pedestrian traffic walking by. Jewel tones, pastels, penny tiles, and live greenery combine to create a fabulous ambiance for decadent brunches highlighted by waffles, Benedicts, fried chicken, biscuits, burgers, and bottomless mimosas and bellinis. 

What happens when a Californian with Mexican heritage meets a Nashvillian while they’re both working in the kitchen of one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country? In the case of Ana Aguilar and Josh Cook, they combined the dedication to local ingredients they learned from their time at Husk with their passion for Latin flavors to create Tantísimo. Aguilar’s family recipes are the basis for many dishes on the menu, accented by influences from across Latin America. The restaurant sources from local farmers and purveyors to create four seasonal menus per year. The self-proclaimed “Mexicana-owned Spanglish Shop” operates as a cafe for breakfast and lunch before transforming into a sultry spot for shared plates and creative cocktails in the evening. 

With a motto like “South of Somewhere,” it makes sense that a trip to Southern Steak & Oyster is somewhat of a geographic voyage. The menu takes diners on a journey to many southern locales with highlights of Gulf Coast seafood, Texas barbecue, New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp, Latin American specialties, and Lowcountry cuisine. Featuring a very “hands-on” kitchen, meats are smoked in-house, and dry-aged steaks are cut to order in the Southern’s attached butcher shop. The restaurant recently extended their lease for a remarkable 20 years, so diners can expect the same attention to detail and hospitality for decades to come.

Experienced diners know to hit this miniscule Thai restaurant right when it opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. Why? The tiny parking lot can be an adventure, and the entire kitchen operates out of just a couple of woks, so latecomers might find themselves at the back of a long line of orders. However, the food is worth the wait. Rotating daily coconut milk-based curries and the restaurant’s signature pad Thai maintain a delightful harmony, balancing sweet, sour, salt, and spice. The kitchen isn’t afraid to bring the heat in noodle and rice dishes, so be careful if you challenge them with your order. Better to aim low and augment the spice level with the housemade sauces and spice mixes at the table. 

No reservations. Find more info here.

Sometimes a restaurant and a neighborhood fit like a hand in a glove. That’s the case with Lockeland Table, a warm and inviting gathering spot where neighbors catch up with each other during the generous Community Hour, with a portion of the tab going to support local schools. Those who choose to stick around for dinner are rewarded with a menu of Southern dishes with international twists, like the popular NY strip steak topped with peppery chimichurri sauce or the crispy pork belly appetizer accompanied by soy chile green beans. Pizzas served piping-hot straight from the wood-fired oven are shareable treats for the table.

The Grille is a rare find: a neighborhood restaurant with a casual ambiance that delivers a top-notch dining experience. For more than 20 years, this spot has been a local favorite, and its loyal fans have followed it across three different locales — a testament to the staff’s remarkable consistency and commitment to friendly, flawless service and delicious food. The inviting space offers a multitude of seating possibilities, equally suited for an intimate conversation with a friend at the bustling bar or for a large group celebrating a family birthday. With an internationally inspired menu offering something for just about anyone, this simplifies the dining decision, making it a stress-free choice for any group.

Absence has clearly made the heart grow fonder when it comes to this new, (old) favorite inside the Factory at Franklin. Saffire was renowned as the clear best dining choice at the Factory from when it opened in 2001 until it closed in 2017. Now that it has returned like a phoenix from the fire, new and former devotees are raving about the menu of high-end Southern comfort food classics like fish and grits, smoked prime rib, and fried chicken topped with country ham gravy. Generous happy hour deals and popular weekend brunch service add to the fun at Saffire, and “Wine Down Wednesdays” offer half-price bottles all day during the mid-week.

This is renowned chef Sean Brock’s latest project, in the burgeoning Riverside Village neighborhood of East Nashville. Along with co-founders Mary Carlisle and Ben Gambill, Brock has created a vibrant shrine to the craft of neo-Neapolitan pizza-making. Inspired by the obsessively precise pizza chefs of Tokyo, the Sho kitchen has perfected their own making and baking process. After years of experimentation, Brock settled on a dough made using a three-day fermentation, which is topped with imported Italian mozzarella, local produce and meats, and baked in an oak- and hickory-fueled oven. Diners can watch the show from a 12-seat chef’s counter or enjoy pizzas in the cozy dining room or outdoor patio.

Step into iggy’s, and you’ll immediately feel the vibrant energy of a restaurant operating at peak performance. Talented chef Ryan Poli and his brother, the gracious general manager Matthew, have poured years of shared experience from acclaimed kitchens across Nashville and the nation into their ultimate Italian haven. The menu revolves around the brothers’ most cherished passions: pasta served alongside perfectly paired Italian wines. The best seats in the house are along the chef’s counter, looking into the open kitchen where the chefs turn an encyclopedic offering of fresh-made pasta shapes into composed dishes that represent different regions of Italy. Between a glass wall and concrete floors, the buzz of the dining room tends to ramp up over the course of the evening, but that’s just another measure of how much fun the diners are having sharing in the Poli’s dream.

Book on Tock.

After the departure of founding chef Sean Brock, many wondered whether Audrey would maintain his previous focus on rustic Appalachian-inspired food. With the naming of long-time Brock kitchen lieutenant Sam Jett to the role of executive chef, the East Nashville restaurant remains in steady hands. Jett’s culinary interests are rooted in Appalachia, as are those of new general manager Hannah LaFary, who focused on the region as part of her rural sociology studies. Audrey’s menu continues to evolve seasonally and intentionally at brunch, lunch, and dinner to ensure that frequent diners can find new discoveries on every visit. The menu of ingredient-driven dishes specifically calls out the farmers and purveyors who are integral to Audrey’s success, and the kitchen shows great respect for their beloved suppliers.

Waits of up to an hour are a testament to the popularity of Kisser, a tiny Japanese newcomer in Cleveland Park. Hungry diners happily line up before the restaurant’s lunch-only service begins, eager for a taste of its celebrated cuisine. Husband-and-wife chef team Brian Lea and Leina Horii work with masterful precision in the kitchen, elevating Japanese comfort food to a whole new level. Rice dishes, salads, noodles, and a chicken katsu sandwich on toasted milk bread are all standouts, but the spectacular Japanese Breakfast is the perfect showcase of the chefs’ talents. This dish features miso-marinated fish, three different vegetables, a rolled omelet, soup, and furikake rice, and is only available on the weekend. 

 No reservations. Find more information here.