The Resy Hit List: Where In Nashville You’ll Want to Eat in Jan. 2026
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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
- Chattanooga Dining Guide: You only have to look as far as the latest list of Michelin honorees for the American South to confirm that Nashville is an excellent dining destination. But occasionally, you might want to expand your horizons with a culinary road trip. Chattanooga is a fine option, not only for its roster of restaurants but also because of the time zone difference that allows visitors to grab an early dinner and gain an hour driving back home before the babysitter needs to clock out. Standouts in The ‘Noog include Easy Bistro & Bar for seafood and classic Southern fare, handmade pastas at Alleia, the full modern izakaya experience courtesy of Two Ten Jack, and the elegant continental cuisine of St John’s.
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January at January: Speaking of the Michelin awards, the international restaurant rating organization bestowed a rare Green Star to January, the flagship restaurant of the luxury Southall Farm & Inn. Said star is reserved for restaurants that pay meticulous attention to eco-conscious practices and ethical considerations. January grows much of its own produce on-site, while focusing on biodiversity by preserving heritage seed varieties. The restaurant also strives for zero-waste status by eliminating single-use plastic bottles and maintaining a robust recycling program.
- Last Call at Margot: Beloved East Nashville bistro Margot Café & Bar recently announced that the restaurant would serve its last plate on June 5, 2026, almost exactly 25 years after opening in a converted service station in Five Points. In 2001, fine-dining options were almost nonexistent on the east side, and chef/owner Margot McCormack made a bold bet on the growing community. Many of the city’s best young chefs came up through her kitchen, and the family tree of Nashville culinary talent certainly would have to feature McCormack on the very highest branches. Long before farm-to-table was a trend, the menus at Margot changed nightly depending on the freshest seasonal produce that came through the back door of the kitchen. Reservations will be tougher to get as the closing date approaches, so don’t wait six months for your last supper, so to speak — book now.
New to the Hit List (Jan. 2026)
Culaccino Nashville Yards, Drusie & Darr, Miel Restaurant & Bar, Philippe Chow.
1. Pastis – Nashville Wedgewood-Houston
Years after the first rumors of a planned Nashville outpost of the famous NYC bistro, the dream has become a reality. The ambiance is boisterous and buzzy, with the sounds of contented diners and clattering forks bouncing off the subway tiles and tin ceiling. Tables are set close together to magnify the convivial vibe, as diners inspect nearby meals to decide what to order from the list of bistro classics. Oysters are always a good choice for starters, served with spicy cocktail sauce and tangy mignonette. From there, pick from Parisian standbys like a croque monsieur or madame, steak frites with your choice of beef cuts, salade Niçoise or a trio of excellent fish options: trout amandine, grilled branzino, or salmon served with a beurre blanc.
2. Fancypants East Nashville
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.
3. Margot Café & Bar East Nashville
Even though ownership has announced that Margot will permanently close, the restaurant intends to make the most of every remaining moment. Since the menu changes daily, there are still plenty of new dishes to try as the kitchen races to the finish line. The melange of rustic French influences and soulful Southern ingredients creates opportunities for creative discovery, and the local purveyors that provide the freshest ingredients are a crucial part of the process. Regulars have their favorite perches within the restaurant: the bustling main dining room, the cozy bar, the enclosed garden patio, or the secluded mezzanine, or you can switch it up so that each visit can be a novel experience.
4. Philippe Chow Nashville Nashville
Food is theatre at Philippe Chow, the latest outpost of the NYC-based, Beijing-inspired restaurant. From the iconic Peking duck carved tableside with pancakes and plum sauce to the grand presentation of a torched baked Alaska, dinner here is a feast for your senses. Guests dress to impress, lest they be overshadowed by the opulent interior of the architecturally stunning dining space. The private dining room is particularly impressive, and if it’s not booked on busy nights, management opens it up for overflow seating. Known for superior service and hospitality, this is an excellent option for celebratory dining or any occasion you want to make a little more special.
5. Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges Downtown
Nashville is blessed with many impressive hotel restaurants, but none continue to resonate with locals quite like like Drusie & Darr at the Hermitage Hotel. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is a master at creating cuisine that combines seemingly humble dishes such as a simple egg salad on toast with upgrades like a heaping dollop of caviar sourced from Petrossian especially for his restaurant empire. Wood-fired pizzas benefit from local produce toppings and luxury ingredients like black truffle or manchego cheese imported from Spain. The dining area is accented with pastels and jewel tones, and the dramatic vaulted arches of the rathskeller design focus the sounds of conversations at individual tables.
6. Culaccino Nashville Yards Nashville Yards
Just a few years ago, the new mixed-use development that is Nashville Yards was nothing but parking lots cut off from the rest of downtown by the railroad tracks that run through the Gulch. Now it’s one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the urban core, featuring performance venues, luxury residences, and a growing roster of excellent dining options. Frank Pullara is a visionary restaurant owner who saw the potential of the burgeoning area and was an early mover when he announced that the second location of his beloved Italian restaurant in Franklin would open as an anchor tenant. He brought the same menu of housemade pastas and wood-fired pizzas along with an extensive global wine list. It hasn’t taken long for Davidson County food fans to discover a new favorite.
7. Butcher & Bee – Nashville East Nashville
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.
8. Liberty Common SoBro
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.
9. Perenn – Franklin Historic Downtown Franklin
When the word got out that husband-and-wife baking team Tyler and Aubrey O’Laskey were bringing their culinary talents to Franklin after opening several bakeries and cafes in Nevada, diners began to buzz over the prospect of new pastry options in town. What many didn’t realize was that Perenn is a full-fledged all-day restaurant, converting from a cafe and bakery in the morning to a European-style rotisserie and bistro for the evening meal. Sure, the bread and other baked goods are phenomenal, but it’s the savory menu at night that has cemented Perenn as a tough table to score in the face of the constant stream of traffic during dinner hours. Fortunately, you’ve got Resy to help out with that.
10. Tantísimo Nashville
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.
11. The Southern Steak & Oyster SoBro
Forget your preconceived notions of “Southern food” when you enter the front door of this popular SoBro steak and seafood restaurant. The menu hops borders to showcase the commonalities and differences between regions that fit within the restaurant’s motto of “South of Somewhere.” Texas barbecue and steaks are cooked over hickory on a live fire wood grill. A different sort of barbecue makes an appearance in the form of a Worcestershire and butter sauce served over New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. Other regional cuisines featured on the menu include Latin American, Lowcountry, and Gulf Coast seafood dishes. A rotating selection of “shucked-to-order” oysters from ports around the South ensure the freshest possible options for slurping.
12. The Smiling Elephant Melrose
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.
13. Lockeland Table Lockeland Springs, East Nashville
Few restaurants capture the soul of their neighborhood like Lockeland Table. Always a popular gathering spot for Lockeland Springs residents, the restaurant especially comes alive during “Community Hour,” where locals catch up and a portion of the proceeds supports area schools. Those staying for dinner are treated to Southern staples with international accents like a NY strip steak finished with chimichurri or crispy pork belly paired with soy-chile green beans. After years of mastering wood-fired pizzas, the kitchen has decided to mix things up a little bit by pausing their pies while they play with new dishes in the oven, offering a kiss of smoke and fire to new options like chicken wings, scampi-style oysters, and even French onion soup.
14. Green Hills Grille Green Hills
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.
15. Saffire Franklin
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.
16. Sho Pizza Bar Riverside Village
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.
17. Miel Restaurant & Bar West Nashville
Whether you’re enjoying a cocktail and a special off the happy hour menu at the popular marble bar or ordering a bottle of wine off one of the best-curated lists in town to accompany a meal of farm-fresh fare, it’s hard to believe that this restaurant was once a neighborhood butcher shop. The kitchen has a particular facility with seafood, often featuring less familiar fish that don’t show up on many menus. With advance notice, Miel also offers large-format dishes like roasted pig’s head or a full bone-in rib loin along with special curated dinners like personalized seafood boils. A private standalone dining space called “The Barn” is home to frequent wine classes and special thematic dinners.
Book now on Tock.
18. Audrey McFerrin Park
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.
19. Kisser East Nashville
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.
20. Fonda on 12th – Nashville 12 South
For many years, New York City was the only home to chef Roberto Santibañez’s acclaimed Fonda restaurants. Nashville became the lucky first city outside of New York to welcome a new location, a group that has since expanded to include a fifth restaurant in the trendy Ginza District of Tokyo. Santibañez’s menus reflect both the seasonality and regionality of Mexican cuisine. Small plates encourage experimentation, including a surprising variety of seafood dishes for a landlocked state, and the specialty of the house is a list of homestyle baked enchiladas. Those delightful enchiladas also appear during brunch service alongside egg dishes like migas and chilaquiles divorciados, so you can enjoy them at almost any time of day.
