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Mama Yang & Daughter
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Noosh
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Valerie Quintero Photo
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Alebrije, cr/ Nashville Business Journal
From Mobile to Bricks-and-Mortar
ALEBRIJE
604 Gallatin Ave, Suite 203, Nashville; alebrijenash.com
Hecho con amor means made with love — evident in every taco, sope, quesadilla, and empanada, prepared by Chef Edgar and team — initially from their food truck — now in their eatery opened on Gallatin Pike. Everything is made from scratch, including nixtamalized masa for their tortillas. Recommended: Street-style Tacos Carnitas, Shrimp Empanadas, Quesadilla with house molé, refried beans, salsa matcha
Valerie Quintero Photo
TANTÍSIMO
306 46th Ave N, Nashville; tantisimo.com
Chefs Ana Aguilar and Josh Cook have created a warm, welcoming spot in Sylvan Park that captures the vibrant colors, lively sounds, and rich flavors of Latin America, all with a farmto-table ethos. Their move from pop-ups and farmers market booths to a full restaurant justifies the name “tantísimo,” meaning “so very much,” as the couple now shares the diverse Latin American dishes they’ve grown to love. Recommended: Abuelita Cuca’s Enchilada Verde, Bear Creek Farm Chirrasco with leek chimichurri, Tlayuda with garlic, black beans, salsa roja, quesillo
MAMA YANG & DAUGHTER
83 Van Buren Street, Nashville; eatmamayang.com
Desiring to share her Taiwanese culture and cuisine, Grace Tseng and her mother launched Mama Yang and Daughter in 2022 at local farmers' markets. The duo cultivated a dedicated following, inspiring them to open a storefront in Germantown. In addition to serving their superlative dumplings and other delicious Taiwanese dishes, they also offer dumpling and boba tea classes. Recommended: Pork-Cabbage Dumplings with Mama Yang’s special sauce, Cucumber Salad, Strawberry Matcha.
NOÔSH PERSIAN CUISINE
21 White Bridge Rd #104, Nashville; nooshpersiancuisine.com
Culinary curator turned restaurateur, Naz Kiani, wants her guests to have the best experience of Persian fare and hospitality, a mission she is successfully achieving at Noôsh Persian Cuisine on White Bridge Road. She calls her menu “a love letter to Nashville.” With the vibrant dishes served with a joyful spirit, diners feel it. Recommended: Fesenjan Chicken in walnut-pomegranate sauce, Basmati Rice with barberries, Baklava Cake with saffron-rose water ice cream, Cardamom tea
By the numbers, 2025 was a stellar year for Nashville dining — five James Beard Foundation semifinalists, one finalist, and a Best Chef Southeast honor — while the Michelin Guide’s American South edition further validated the scene with three starred restaurants, seven Bib Gourmands, a Green Star, a Sommelier Award, and 12 recommended spots. New openings arrived at a steady clip of roughly three per month, reshaping neighborhoods and expectations alike.
By another measure — our taste buds — the year stacked up as stunning. Food trucks leapt into brick-and-mortar spaces, hospitality groups from major metros planted flags in Music City, and local independents branched into sister concepts. Nashville takes its food seriously, but never at the expense of a good time — and nowhere captures that better than this issue’s cover star, V Modern Italian in the Gulch.
Born from European aperitivo culture and built for all five senses, the 7,000-square-foot see-and-be-seen space blends velvet booths, a leafy patio, DJ nights, and a lively bar with Italian classics reimagined. Collaborations with Michelin-starred Chef Stefano Ciotti shape playful dishes — house-made pastas and Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas made with a sourdough starter tracing back to 18th-century Italy — while cocktails by Federico Pollarolo keep the energy high from brunch to late night. It’s exactly the kind of place Nashville dining has become: ambitious, social, and just as much about atmosphere as appetite.
Led by V Modern Italian, the following is a snapshot of those places that captured our hungry eyes and appetites.