Chapter Six
Esoteric, underground drinking — speakeasies, vinyl listening lounges, and a converted church.
Speakeasy. No menu. You tell the bartender what you like.
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar in East Nashville, sibling of the legendary Manhattan original. No menu — you tell the bartender what you like and they build something. Skews young (early-to-mid 20s), can be loud and dense on weekends.
You enter through an actual red phone booth. You need the password.
Speakeasy in SoBro. You enter through an actual red phone booth, you need the password (book through their site to get it). Cocktail-focused, dim, intimate.
Welcoming cocktail lounge between Alla Vita and Momotaro. Ask for Noah.
Middleman is a welcoming cocktail lounge nestled between Alla Vita and Momotaro in Wedgewood-Houston. Though all three concepts are distinct with their own executive chef, they share ownership and create a unique dining and social experience within one connected space. It's an ideal spot to gather for drinks before dinner, after dinner, or simply to enjoy the atmosphere. Ask for Noah.
Creative diner with a high-end "Punchin' Brunch."
A modern diner in the Gulch known for playful, elevated comfort food and its creative "Punchin' Brunch" running Friday through Sunday.
3rd-floor indoor/outdoor patio lounge with skyline views.
A high-end hotel lounge at the Conrad with an elevated 3rd-floor indoor/outdoor patio, skyline views, and a refined cocktail program. Works for brunch, golden hour, or a nightcap.
A converted East Nashville church. Michelin Sommelier Award.
Housed in a converted East Nashville church, Bad Idea earned the Michelin Sommelier Award for its beverage program. Esoteric wine, ambitious plates, a one-of-a-kind room.
Inglewood neighborhood cocktail club. A foundation move.
A warm, expertly run neighborhood cocktail club in Inglewood — serious drinks without the attitude. A foundational craft-cocktail stop on the East side.
Sleek, design-forward cocktails. A foundation move.
A sleek, design-forward cocktail bar with a tight, well-built menu and a stylish room. A foundational craft stop for a dressed-up night in East Nashville.
Cocktails in a former laundry boiler room. Soaring industrial space.
A cocktail bar built into a former industrial laundry boiler room in Edgehill — soaring ceilings, dramatic vertical space, and a strong drink program. Esoteric architecture, easy vibe.
Japanese-inspired vinyl listening lounge with a curated bar.
A high-signal locals' move: a Japanese-inspired vinyl listening lounge pairing a minimalist, sophisticated atmosphere with a curated cocktail program. Sit, listen, sip.
Pre-Prohibition craft in a classic speakeasy.
An essential destination for the art of the cocktail — refined, pre-Prohibition style drinks in a dim, classic speakeasy below The Catbird Seat. No standing, no shortcuts.
Sophisticated cocktail emporium, host to elite industry pop-ups.
An intimate, sophisticated cocktail emporium known for hosting elite industry pop-ups and a high-end, focused drinking environment. A bartender's bar.
Elevated tropical lounge — a coastal reset in East Nash.
An elevated tropical lounge in East Nashville with high-quality island-style craft cocktails and a coastal escape vibe. Tiki done with real technique.
José Andrés rooftop — coastal Mexican, panoramic views.
Another José Andrés concept atop the W Nashville in the Gulch: a rooftop lounge with panoramic skyline views and coastal Mexican-inspired fare and cocktails.
Sophisticated rooftop at the Noelle, off the Broadway strip.
The rooftop bar atop the Noelle hotel at 200 4th Ave N — a sophisticated downtown experience just off the main Broadway strip, with skyline views and a serious cocktail list.
Chocolate shop by day. When the green light is on, it's an absinthe lounge.
Nashville's premier absinthe lounge, operating inside Tempered Fine Chocolates in Germantown. During the day it's a chocolate shop; at night, when the green light is on, it transforms into an absinthe-focused cocktail lounge — the green light is the whole signal. Absinthe flights and cocktails paired with Tempered truffles. Intimate space that gets packed quickly.
Intimate Downtown craft bar. Strong local pedigree.
An intimate neighborhood cocktail bar in Downtown Nashville with a focused, well-curated menu. Strong local pedigree and a relaxed atmosphere that rewards regulars.
Natural wine and considered cocktails. Small, precise, East Nashville.
A tight, discerning bar in East Nashville focused on natural wine and considered cocktails — small list, high execution. The kind of place where the person behind the bar knows what they're doing and why.