Nashville's Best New Restaurants

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Salt & Vine

Like a breath of fresh air, the modern, white-with-pops-of-yellow space of Salt & Vine seems to have helped usher new life into a once neglected area along Charlotte Avenue. Owner Mattie Jackson and general manager Hannah Schneider worked together to conceptualize the open design, welcoming experience, and dynamite food and beverage programs. Jackson’s wine list is an ever-changing joy of discovery, as the young expert (she’s a certified sommelier and has worked harvest in Napa) seeks out unique varietals and labels to put in front of her customers. (Bottles are available for sale at the neighboring Bottle Shop.)

Meanwhile, consulting chef Molly Martin takes inspiration from Middle Eastern flavors to craft dishes that excel and enhance the wines, without overpowering them—so, spiced lamb meatballs and crispy Brussels sprouts become thoughtful partners to the list itself. All of this is wrapped up with casual, attentive service and delivered in a bright, cheerful space that begs to be lingered in. 4001 Charlotte Ave, 615-800-8517; saltandvinenashville.com

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Fin & Pearl

When restaurateur Tom Morales opens a restaurant, you can be sure to find its seats filled almost instantaneously. His fans arrive en masse for what has become a signature style—there’s typically a rollicking bar scene, a lengthy menu full of options to appease all types of diners, and an army of service staff working the floor. His latest, Fin & Pearl, delivers on all counts, with added perks like contributing a much-needed seafood-focused menu to the city’s mix, and the having a goal to become a zero-waste establishment.

Morales describes it as a fish house, but his culinary team, led by executive chef Matt Farley, has crafted something more ambitious: a menu that pushes diners into new territory, with options like a smoked-and-cured plate, charred octopus, and whole-roasted fish. Yes, there are more predictable selections (a stand-out chowder; cornmeal-crusted fried fish; calamari) and even a section of land-based proteins—but that only adds to the appeal for the masses. 211 12th Ave S, 615-577-6688; finandpearl.com

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Barcelona

Today’s trend of small, shared plates is rooted in the Spanish food culture of tapas: savory bites to accompany glasses of wine. Opened in Edgehill Village, Barcelona Wine Bar draws on that culture, serving classic and inspired dishes in a savvy, laidback setting. One of nine such bars across six states, Barcelona defies the chain stereotype. Executive chef and Tennessee native Andy Hayes has the freedom to imbue a great portion of the menu with his own creativity, using locally sourced ingredients (i.e., meats from Porter Road Butchers and produce from Greener Roots).

The tapas roster is vast, changing, and irresistible, beckoning many returns. Among the traditional plates of ham-Manchego croquettas, spiced beef empanadas, and potato tortilla, you’ll find Hayes’ twists. He plates Georgia shrimp, seared on the plancha, with red cabbage braised in pork broth. He glazes fried Brussels sprouts in a reduction of sherry. He serves crispy pig ears over a salad of fennel, endive, and kale. The Barcelona folks make it fun and easy to explore the world of Spanish and South American wines, which are available by the glass, taste, bottle, or in custom flights. 1200 Villa Pl, 615-327-0600; barcelonawinebar.com

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Etc.

You could call this restaurant Etch’s suburban little sister, and you’d be correct—insofar as it presents a smaller, more intimate dining space in Green Hills, compared to the open, minimal vibe of the SoBro establishment. But make no mistake: Chef Deb Paquette has created a different experience and set of menus for diners at Etc. Hallmarks of her cuisine, like the broad and bold use of the global palate in sculptural presentations, are well in evidence. Nowhere else in the city will you find a salad of beets made into sandwiches spread with sambal-spiked chevre. Or grilled octopus in a swirl of smoked lima-bean puree and caper-kale pesto. Or tomato-masala-napped lamb loin sidled by confit-ginger Portobello mushroom, and coconut-potato croquettes. Further, pastry chef Megan Williams’ desserts are gorgeous constructions that complement Paquette’s work. (Don’t miss her buttermilk panna cotta with key-lime curd, torched meringues, graham crumble, and vanilla-lime whip.)

It adds up to cozy, yet adventuresome, dining in a part of town otherwise known for its dearth of chef-driven cuisine. Judging by the crowds (yes, reservations are essential) the neighborhood is embracing the differences. 3790 Bedford Ave, 615-988-0332; etc.restaurant

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Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Posh. Opulent. Swanky. The Cincinnati-based steakhouse, Jeff Ruby’s, fills the lower level of downtown’s UBS building in high, Art-Deco fashion that’s personalized for Nashville. The ambience taps in to the decadent spirit of the Roaring Twenties, and the glitz of “NashVegas. x93 The food follows suit. You’ll be dazzled by the grand chandeliers and red Alaskan king crab legs on icy display at the raw bar. Perfectly cooked, cracked, chilled, and served with Dijon sauce, they are a supremely satisfying indulgence. Specialty rolls from the sushi bar are just as lavish, foremost The Godfather, where rare seared slices of filet mignon enwrap tempura lobster, asparagus, and avocado.

The steaks here rule. Raised and selected especially for Ruby’s establishments, all come with the USDA Prime seal. For depth of beefy flavor, the Cowboy Steak, a 22-ounce dry-aged bone-in ribeye, can’t be beat. The same cut is used for the Music City Jewel, encrusted in chili rub and crowned with roasted cippolini onions and shishito peppers. Paramount to the Jeff Ruby’s experience is polished artful service, a style of which harkens to another time and carries seamlessly throughout the meal. You leave feeling like you’ve spent time pampered in the lap of luxury. 300 4th Ave N, 615-434-4300; jeffruby.com

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Urban Cowboy

This neighborly public house in Lockeland Springs has a kind of Wild West-meets-Route 66-meets-It City aesthetic that makes it one of the most exciting and unusual gathering spots in town. It is the creation of Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks, owners of the adjacent Urban Cowboy B&B. Inside the bar and dining hall, exposed brick walls and a beamed ceiling give it a rustic saloon feel. And there are artful, campy design elements: hammered metal stars, Navaho style blankets, bleached cow skulls, a vintage cigarette machine. A roll-up garage door opens to the courtyard, where you pull up a chair around the campfire and hang out with friends.

A retro van, outfitted with a kitchen, is permanently parked on the grounds. The centerpiece, though, is the wood-fired cook station, over which a team of talented chefs has free rein. Inspired by the gaucho-style, open-range cuisine of Argentine chef Francis Mallman, the guys—Tom Bayless, Colby Landiss, and Matthew Mosshart—are firing up the likes of charred stuffed onions, lemon-smoked chicken, and deeply smoked all-beef Cowboy Chili. It’s terrific fare, especially when paired with Urban Cowboy cocktails, heady quaffs as fashioned by mixologists Matt Izaquire and Brice Hoffman. 103 N 16th St, 347-840-0525; urbancowboybnb.com

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Nicky’s Coal Fired

After Caroline and Tony Galzin, there was hope they would stay in town and reappear somewhere. The fact that they stayed in The Nations makes it even better for fans of West Nashville’s nascent culinary boom.The pasta dishes are thoughtful, elevated, and, most importantly, well-prepared enough that they could find their way onto menus at high-ranking Italian joints on both coasts. They don’t mess up daily fish and steak offerings, either, using great cuts and cooking them to perfection in the purgatory of the signature coal oven.

We mention those plates first because this is more like atomic energy where the sum is greater than the parts. People will always look to the pizza first, and that’s fine, because they are really good, with dough that puffs and blisters within seconds, yielding tasty, thin pies. That’s just to remind everyone to look beyond the pizza to really appreciate Galzin’s deft touch. 5026 Centennial Blvd, 615-678-4289; nickysnashville.com

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Bastion

What started as a gloriously superficial paean to nachos evolved into something deeper, something we’ve come to expect from Josh Habiger’s imagination. Yes, it was the “adulting x93 bar that we first fell in love with, the stark simplicity of the playful antique mall decor, and those damn nachos. The cocktails were good, too, and the list a relief in its brevity.The restaurant, though, cements the relationship between Habiger and his fans. Interactive, teasing, delicious: It’s a return, with a twist, from what he started at the Catbird Seat.

It’s all hidden from the subtle carnival at the bar, like a secret. The small space is just intimate enough, and the food, no matter how bent and inventive, retains enough familiarity to be comforting. If you are willing to suspend your culinary disbelief and like the challenges of a tasting menu, but with a little more control, Bastion is your destination. 434 Houston St, 615-490-8434; bastionnashville.com

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Marsh House

It’s a big deal that chef John Besh chose to expand his dining empire to Nashville. It feels even bigger once you enter the Marsh House, inside the Thompson Nashville hotel. The modern space, with a surround of glass looking out to the busy Gulch, is designed in hues of browns and blues, evocative of the Mississippi Delta marshlands. In these serene environs, you are treated to sustainably sourced fish and seafood of that region, as conceived by the New Orleans-based chef, who is long committed to preserving that area’s food ways.

Besh has placed executive chef Nathan Duensing at the helm to guide the restaurant’s mission. From a humble bowl of gumbo to an elaborate presentation of crawfish-stuffed flounder with blood-orange hollandaise, it’s done with finesse. Details, such as a complimentary amuse of lemon-champagne gelee with blackberry pearls, or house-made cornbread madeleines with sea salt butter, spark the palate and elevate the experience.

Based on what’s fresh and available, the raw bar changes daily. But you can count on a selection of pristine Gulf oysters, a house specialty. Other offerings can include wild-caught Royal Red shrimp, and Crab ravigote—lush crabmeat cloaked in a lemony aioli that’s laced with horseradish. And the house-made pasta dishes, like squid ink garganelli with shrimp in lemon cream, are swoon-worthy. Thompson Nashville, 401 11th Ave S, 615-262-6001; marshhouserestaurant.com

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Top 5 Like New

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint

It’s surprising, yet fitting, that Pat Martin opened his flagship joint the same year he celebrated ten years of business. The pit master concedes that it took that long to achieve the vision—and it’s one heckuva flagship. Housed in a former music venue, his SoBro hang appeals to tourists and Nashvillians alike. The expansive space holds levels for dining inside or in the alfresco beer garden; areas for playing darts, ping-pong, or shuffleboard; and nooks for simply relaxing with a cold beer, wine, whiskey, or a signature cocktail. Another boon: It’s given Martin increased room for his heritage whole-hog pit cookery, ensuring even more of his luscious pulled pork sandwiches, redneck tacos, and pit-master combos. 410 4th Ave S, 615-288-0880; martinsbbqjoint.com

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>>> Best Restaurants Readers Poll Results

If 2016 taught us anything about Nashville's ever-evolving dining scene, it's that the bar has been set infinitely higher than ever before. Nashvillians now have great expectations when they seek out new dining experiences, whether it's with an inventive and thoughtful chef cooking in a kitchen hidden beside a bar (while also manning the old-school turntable) or a grilled-cheese joint that produces mind-melting sandwiches and shakes.

Though Nashville has welcomed almost 100 new restaurants since 2014, we looked at the restaurants that opened between January 2016 and January 2017 and selected a very tight number to include on this year's list. As you'll see, only ten full-service spots get our nod for 'best”; we also call out the tops in a growing segment of the field called 'fast-casual.” To round out the list, we couldn't resist taking a closer look at a few restaurants that, after a move, a misstep, or a disappearing chef (another growing trend in town), have regrouped to create 'like-new” dining experiences. So, consider this the 20 restaurants you need to trybecause these are the ones proving that there's no better time to be eating out in Nashville!

April 2017

Salt & Vine

Fin & Pearl

Barcelona

Etc.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Urban Cowboy

Nicky’s Coal Fired

Bastion

Marsh House

TKO

Top 5 Fast Casual

Bajo Sexto Taco Lounge

Top 5 Fast Casual

The Grilled Cheeserie Melt Shop

Top 5 Fast Casual

Funk Seoul Brother

Top 5 Fast Casual

Little Mosko’s Muncheonette & Bake Shop

Top 5 Fast Casual

Vui’s Kitchen

Top 5 Like New

Le Sel

Top 5 Like New

1808 Grille

Top 5 Like New

Treehouse

Top 5 Like New

Little Octopus

Top 5 Like New

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint

>>> Best Restaurants Readers Poll Results

As seen in the April 2017 issue of Nashville Lifestyles magazine!

As seen in the April 2017 issue of
Nashville Lifestyles magazine!