17 picks worth planning around.

Before

Peg Leg Porker · short ride recommended · 3 min

Carey Bringle named the restaurant after the leg cancer took when he was a kid. Texas Monthly called the dry-rub pork ribs the best Memphis-style in the country. That's the order. Don't skip the pimento cheese.

After

L.A. Jackson · short ride recommended · 4 min

The roof of the Thompson, open since the hotel was in 2016. Two hundred seats looking back at downtown. Doors at two on weekends, so it works after a matinee as well as after a late set.

Before

Mike's Ice Cream · 0.4 mi · 8 min walk

Old-school counter-service downtown. A simple, good ice cream stop.

After

Layla's · 0.5 mi · 10 min walk; 2 min ride

Layla Vartanian opened it in 1997, the only female-owned independent bar on Lower Broadway. While everything around it plays country radio, Layla's books bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Americana. Vintage license plates on the ceiling. Better drink prices than anything near it.

Before

Pyramids Cafe · 0.4 mi · 9 min walk

Family owned since 1993, serving Mediterranean and Greek plates from a counter inside Opry Mills. Gyros, kebabs, falafel and hummus, ordered at the register and out fast. The independent option in a mall otherwise full of chains.

After

Dave & Buster's · 0.2 mi · 4 min walk

An arcade and bar at Opry Mills, open to midnight most nights and two in the morning on Saturday. Games, a long bar and a full menu. Worth knowing because almost nothing else at Opry Mills serves past ten.

Before

Puckett's Grocery · 0.4 mi · 8 min walk

Restaurant and bar with live music upstairs on weekends. A reliable sit-down dinner before a bigger show a few blocks away.

After

Layla's · 0.2 mi · 3 min walk

Layla Vartanian opened it in 1997, the only female-owned independent bar on Lower Broadway. While everything around it plays country radio, Layla's books bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Americana. Vintage license plates on the ceiling. Better drink prices than anything near it.

Before

Café Intermezzo · short ride recommended · 3 min

European-style coffeehouse at 205 Demonbreun with a long pastry case and a full bar. Open from 8 AM until 9 PM, and to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday.

After

Tennessee Brew Works · 0.1 mi · 2 min walk

Brewery and beer hall at 809 Ewing Avenue with a kitchen that cooks with its own beer. Large enough to absorb a group without a reservation.

Before

Husk · 0.3 mi · 6 min walk

Sean Brock opened this one in 2013 in a 19th-century house on Rutledge Hill, a few blocks south of Broadway. Southern cooking built around ingredients sourced in the region. Allow time for a seated meal.

After

NashHouse Southern Spoon & Saloon · short ride recommended · 3 min

Ground floor of the Cambria hotel at 114 8th Avenue South, on the line between SoBro and the Gulch. Southern plates and a full bar, serving from 7 AM until midnight.

Before

Assembly Food Hall · 0.1 mi · 1 min walk

Two dozen kitchens under one roof a block off Broadway. Useful when the group cannot agree or you need dinner without a reservation.

After

The Twelve Thirty Club · 0.1 mi · 2 min walk

Three floors on Broadway at Fifth: a bar at street level, a supper club above it, and a rooftop on top. The rooftop is the reason to go.

Before

Nadeen's Hermitage Haven · 0.4 mi · 7 min walk

A scratch kitchen and cocktail bar on Lebanon Pike. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 AM to 9 PM, which covers breakfast through a late dinner.

Before

Iberian Pig · short ride recommended · 4 min

One of the most extensive Jamón Ibérico programs in the country. Get the bacon-wrapped dates, croquetas or pulpo. Dim lighting, marble and tile.

After

L.A. Jackson · short ride recommended · 4 min

The roof of the Thompson, open since the hotel was in 2016. Two hundred seats looking back at downtown. Doors at two on weekends, so it works after a matinee as well as after a late set.

Before

Mike's Ice Cream · 0.4 mi · 8 min walk

Old-school counter-service downtown. A simple, good ice cream stop.

After

Layla's · 0.2 mi · 3 min walk

Layla Vartanian opened it in 1997, the only female-owned independent bar on Lower Broadway. While everything around it plays country radio, Layla's books bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Americana. Vintage license plates on the ceiling. Better drink prices than anything near it.

Before

Little Hats Italian Market · 0.3 mi · 6 min walk

Named for the cappelletti, 'little hats' in Italian. Descended from Alfresco Pasta, which fed Nashville for decades. The meatball sub and the sausage and peppers sandwich. Italian market, imported goods, great soup. Get here early.

After

Sonny's Patio Pub · 0.7 mi · 14 min walk; 2 min ride

Big patio, fire pits, cabanas, comedy, karaoke and cheap beer. Easy place for a group.

Before

Honest Coffee Roasters · 6.1 mi · 18 min ride

Franklin-born roaster. Locals have been loyal since the start.

After

1799 Kitchen & Cocktails · 0.3 mi · 6 min walk

Inside The Harpeth Hotel. 240-plus whiskeys in the keep, live music four nights a week. The quietest way to land in Franklin after a show.

Before

Slice House by Tony Gemignani · 0.4 mi · 9 min walk

Tony Gemignani opened the first Tennessee location of Slice House on Main Street in April 2025. Four crusts are on offer, New York, Detroit, grandma and Sicilian, sold by the slice or as a whole pie, with craft beer and natural wine. An hour of parking is validated.

After

The Pond · short ride recommended · 3 min

Open since 2005 in a Hillsboro Road strip center, with a ceiling shingled in beer tap handles they claim is a world record. Three in the morning, seven nights a week. Everything else in Franklin is dark by then.

Before

Iberian Pig · short ride recommended · 4 min

One of the most extensive Jamón Ibérico programs in the country. Get the bacon-wrapped dates, croquetas or pulpo. Dim lighting, marble and tile.

After

L.A. Jackson · short ride recommended · 4 min

The roof of the Thompson, open since the hotel was in 2016. Two hundred seats looking back at downtown. Doors at two on weekends, so it works after a matinee as well as after a late set.

Before

The Standard at the Smith House · 0.4 mi · 8 min walk

Dinner in an 1840s Italianate townhouse on Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. Prime steaks and seafood, Monday through Saturday from 5 PM. Reservations are worth making.

After

Layla's · 0.1 mi · 1 min walk

Layla Vartanian opened it in 1997, the only female-owned independent bar on Lower Broadway. While everything around it plays country radio, Layla's books bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Americana. Vintage license plates on the ceiling. Better drink prices than anything near it.

Before

Maemax · 6.7 mi · 20 min ride

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.

After

Gyros King · short ride recommended · 5 min

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.

Before

Iberian Pig · short ride recommended · 4 min

One of the most extensive Jamón Ibérico programs in the country. Get the bacon-wrapped dates, croquetas or pulpo. Dim lighting, marble and tile.