1 of 13
Emily Dorio
2 of 13
Emily Dorio
3 of 13
Emily Dorio
4 of 13
Emily Dorio
5 of 13
Emily Dorio
6 of 13
Emily Dorio
7 of 13
Emily Dorio
8 of 13
Emily Dorio
9 of 13
Emily Dorio
10 of 13
Emily Dorio
11 of 13
Emily Dorio
12 of 13
Emily Dorio
13 of 13
Emily Dorio
The four owners behind Pearl Diver, a new East Nashville lounge and bar, named their restaurant after the Ama, a group of free-diving, pearl collecting women in Japan.
It’s also the name of a superb, Polynesian cocktail of blended butter, rum, and spices created in the 1950s. Both nods evoke a sort of wanderlust to far-off islands, to watery expanses and soft, tropical breezes. Inside Pearl Diver, similar themes transport you there—mermaids beckon from shelves, blue-green and brass accents peek out from nautical themes, palm fronds on the wallpaper guide you from lounge to bar to back patio. It’s an exotic escape, one built thoughtfully and with respect to the countries and islands it pulls inspiration from.
Ben Clemons and Jamie White, owner and barman of No. 308, bonded with Corey Ladd and Matt Spicher, owners of Treehouse, over bowling. The combo team entered in to Pinewood’s industry league, which led to long conversations over spares and strikes about creating a project together. All four impressive in their respective ways, they didn’t realize yet that a dream team was forming. (As Clemmons describes it, they’re like an Ocean’s Four, all with distinct and necessary skills.) But as plans unfolded, and the location was locked down, their talents kicked in, so that everything from the build-out and wood staining, to the arduously thought-out color palette, to the menu design and playlists, came from their collective creativity.
“The fun part was us playing our hands in front of each other and going ‘wow,’” Spicher says.
More than a bar, more than a restaurant, Pearl Diver is a lounge that tells a story. The drinks pay tribute to island classics and Hemingway favorites. (Yes, there are tiki classics and inspirations. Just please don’t call this a tiki bar.) The food goes a similar direction with island-inspired savory small bites. The space, which is a refurbished auto repair garage, is casual. There’s no table service, just order at the bar.
There might be a wait at the door, intentionally, so that when you get inside, there’s elbowroom and maybe a few extra minutes to chat with the bartenders.
They pace the door, Clemmons says, so that “when you get inside, you can find a seat and you can move around and talk to your friend and not feel cramped.”
At the bar, they’ll share a story, or a few lines about how their daiquiri is not the blu-ish frozen concoction you remember, but one brought straight from Cuba, from Papa Hemingway’s old stomping grounds. Same with the mojito, not an herb-stuffed, shaken concoction but one that’s layered in a glass, like they do in Havana.
Your experience will depend on where you sit. The patio beckons with casual seating, cozy nooks, and torchlights—get out there before the cold sets in. In the bar, blue-green stools offer a front-row seat to the frenzy of measuring, pouring, shaking, and stirring. Often, the seats are filled with jovial friends who might be buying each other shots and sharing good stories—when it’s busy, you’ll be calling drink orders over their shoulders. A quieter spot is a roomy banquette, good for groups who want to sit, eat, and sip.
WHAT TO ORDER:
- Daiquiri, $11
- Pearl Diver, $13
- Dumplings, $8
- Cubano, $10
- PuPu platter, $40
First, order a drink. The list ranges from classics to tiki favorites to “strange and wonderful” signatures. Shots and shooters, as well as a list of beers heavy on Mexican options, and a short wine list follow. Cocktails are the strong suit, so go for one like the Mai Tai, a boozy mix of dark and Agricole rums. The Pearl Diver, the bar’s namesake, is an iced, sexy brown stunner, blended with honey butter cream, orange, and baking spices. The Hotel Nacional, served in a coup, benefits from a sliver of pineapple, while the tequila-based Devil’s Flower is a short and potent punch with hints of kiwi and lime.
The food is smartly done: salty, handheld bar snacks that go great with booze. Try the PuPu Platter, which is lit by a small flame and topped with pineapple skewers. On a tray underneath, there’s an assortment of fried snacks—wings, eggrolls, coconut shrimp, shishitos. The pork dumplings are perfectly steamed-yet-crisped on the bottom and full of flavor. Fish tacos get a heavy dose of slaw and there’s a range of yakitori that are easy to mix and match—pineapple goes with shishito goes with beef bulgogi. A feat is the Cubano, a Floridian crusty-bread creation stuffed with roasted pork, Swiss cheese, and a fair layering of pickles.
Like most memorable bars, Pearl Diver reveals its stories gradually—in the thoughtful mixing that goes on in the glass, on the screen flashing surf films and images of Hemingway, in the evocative design. And they go deeper than those that might come out of a themed bar experience. But that’s exactly what the owners want to convey. Pearl Diver is an escape from the day-to-day, a tribute to the wandering soul. And a destination worth returning to again and again.
1008 Gallatin Ave, 615-988-2265; pearldivernashville.com