Plan
Where to go before and after.
Browse stops
9 stopsReliable, affordable Mexican on Gallatin Pike. No pretense, no wait on most nights. Locals eat here constantly.
Lunch & dinner
Madison's community coffee house, open on Gallatin Pike since 2021. Espresso, drip and pastries, tables you can sit at for a while, and a counter that stays open until eight on weekdays.
Mon to Fri 6:30am to 8pm, weekends from 7am
Chriss Goyenechea named it after his kids Mae and Max. Full Filipino market and restaurant in Madison. Chicken adobo, sisig, lumpia, palabok, sweet longanisa. All-you-can-eat buffet with live music every Friday and Saturday. A real find on Gallatin Pike.
Lunch & dinner
Kava is a root from the Pacific Islands, ground and mixed with water. Mildly sedative, earthy, non-alcoholic. Nashville's kava lounge: Victorian aesthetic, 21+, open 8am to 2am every day of the year. Live music Monday and Tuesday, trivia Wednesday, karaoke Thursday.
Daytime through evening
New York style 18-inch pies in the old Sir Pizza building on Gallatin Pike, with toppings like pistachio pesto and lamb flank. Indoor bar seating and an outdoor patio with picnic tables. A long nonalcoholic list, including mocktails.
Tue to Sat 11am to 8pm, Sun noon to 5pm
Texas-style barbecue on Gallatin Pike, served from a counter until it sells out. American wagyu brisket and salt-and-pepper ribs are the reason to come. It is listed in the Michelin Guide, it takes no reservations, and it closes at three.
Wed to Sun 11am to 3pm or until sold out
Amy found a decaying old beer joint behind a donut bakery and sex toy shop in then-undiscovered Madison and kept the plywood floors. Margo Price and Elizabeth Cook were early regulars. Frozen drinks and Frito pie in a 70s country lounge. Fri and Sat till 3am. The best bar in Madison.
Mon to Thu til 1am, Fri and Sat til 3am
A Greek and Mediterranean counter on Gallatin Pike that runs to two in the morning. Gyros, falafel, kebab plates and fries, ordered at the register. Food, not a scene.
Daily 10am to 2am