8th Ave South

In-house roasting on 8th Ave. They close at six, so this one only works if you're already out.

Daytime through early evening

A bakery and cafe on 8th doing pastries, sandwiches, and coffee. There are a few tables inside and a counter to order from. It closes at seven most days, earlier on Sunday.

Mon to Sat 8am to 7pm, Sun 10am to 4pm

A diner named for Kevin Bacon's character in the 1982 film Diner, with 300 standing for a perfect bowling score and nodding to the Melrose Lanes that once occupied this strip. The bar was built from a repurposed bowling lane. Breakfast and lunch only, seven days.

Mon to Fri 7am to 2pm, Sat and Sun 7am to 3pm

A multi-dealer antique mall off 8th at Powell Place, with dozens of booths under one roof. A second building, GasLamp Too, sits a few doors down at 128 Powell Place. Furniture, jewelry, and small collectibles make up most of it.

Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun 12pm to 6pm

George Gruhn founded this guitar store in 1970 and it has been a reference point for vintage instruments ever since. Three floors of acoustics, electrics, mandolins, and banjos, with an appraisal and repair operation in back. You can ask to play almost anything on the wall.

Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun 12pm to 5pm

Hot chicken at the Melrose end of 8th, ordered by heat level from mild up through Shut the Cluck Up. There is a bar attached and a patio on the side. The line moves, and it runs later than most of the corridor.

Until 10pm, 11pm Fri and Sat

A French-leaning bakery and coffee counter on Craighead with croissants, quiche, and espresso. The space is small and mostly takeaway. Weekday hours run to four and Saturday ends at noon.

Tue to Fri 7:30am to 4pm, Sat 8am to 12pm

Biscuit sandwiches and coffee at the Melrose end of 8th. You order at the counter and they bring it out. Daytime only, closing at two on weekdays and three on weekends.

Mon to Fri 7am to 2pm, Sat and Sun 7am to 3pm

Architectural salvage on 8th: doors, hardware, mantels, and chandeliers pulled from buildings dating between the 1850s and the 1940s. Stock is arranged by type across a warehouse floor. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Tue to Sat 9am to 5pm

Twenty acres on the hill above 8th, built around a reservoir that city engineer J.A. Jowett designed in 1887 and finished in August 1889. The limestone walls stand about thirty-four feet and you can walk the full perimeter for a view over the south side. Courts, a playground, and picnic shelters sit on the lower ground, on the site of the Civil War earthwork called Fort Casino.

Dawn to dusk

A vintage and boutique guitar dealer that started in 1993 and moved to Nashville in 2016. The inventory leans toward rare electrics and small-batch builders. It is a quiet store with a handful of instruments out at a time.

Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm

Family-owned Thai in a tiny house-shaped building on 8th. The pad thai is the reason people wait. Get there when they open. Closed Sunday and Monday, so plan around it.

Lunch & dinner, closed Sun and Mon

A vintage store on 8th with clothing, furniture, records, and oddities spread across a deep floor plan. Prices are marked and the stock turns over weekly. Easy to lose half an hour in.

Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun 11am to 6pm

A vegetarian restaurant in a converted house on Azalea Place, open since 2012. The menu runs from black bean burgers to Indian and Mexican plates. Closed Sunday.

Mon to Thu 11am to 9pm, Fri and Sat 11am to 10pm, closed Sun

Cold-pressed juice, smoothies, and a short menu of bowls and wraps on 8th. Orders come out fast and most people take them to go. Opens at seven on weekdays.

Mon to Fri 7am to 6pm, Sat and Sun 8am to 4pm

Vietnamese on Bransford with rice plates, vermicelli bowls, and pho. You order at the counter and find a table. Open eleven to nine every day, which covers an early bill.

11am to 9pm daily

Pizza and a full bar on Lindell, off the 8th Ave corridor. Slices and whole pies, plus salads and a draft list. Closed Monday, open late the rest of the week.

Tue to Thu until 11pm, Fri and Sat until midnight, closed Mon