This segment of my Nashville Recommendation Blog series will not only focus on Beverages, alcoholic or otherwise, but will also feature a few venues. As Nashville likes to marry the two quite often, music goes hand in hand with libations. Much like my other lists I will only be recommending places I have been. If I haven’t been there, I can’t recommend it in good conscience! This list will also evolve over time!
Drink:
8th Ave:
8th & Roast: Solid Pourover Coffee! Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies!
The Basement: A quant little music venue below the Grimey’s record store! A good place to hear local or emerging talent!
Santa’s Pub: Hugely famous karaoke bar in Nashville. Hella cheap beer & often a celebrity or two. Wear clothes you don’t mind having smell like cigarettes for the next eternity though…
Urban Juicer: Get your juice cleanse on. Time for the best hangover cure, The Liver Lover with added Ginger. The Bee Green & The Cold Buster are also great choices!
12th South:
Frothy Monkey: Monkey Mocha with Extra Banana! If you’re looking for something a little less sugary I recommend a Drip Coffee or Cold Brew with Rosemary Honey!
Mafiozo’s: Two for one Beer & Cider (Drafts & Bottles) as well as Pizza Slices every Tuesday Evening! Very much a Belmont/College crowd though. Always feel like an ancient going in there.
Bellevue:
Alley Pub: Writer’s Rounds & Karaoke. People come from all over Nashville to hang with the Bellevue locals here!
Belmont:
Bongo Java: The sister coffee shop of Fido, great Seasonal Lattes & Food!
Brentwood/Franklin:
Gray’s On Main: Have won several Craft Cocktail competitions! A great place to hang, grab a bite, & overlook Downtown Franklin!
Charlotte Pike/Silvan Park/The Nations
Avo: Vegan Cocktails. Famous for their Avocado Margarita!
Chaatable: Very unique Indian Fused Cocktails! Brunch menu has a few extra not always on the menu & Happy Hour features a "Beer of the Moment,” a “Wine of the Moment,” & a “Cocktail of the Moment!”
Donelson:
McNamara’s: Best Irish Coffee in town! In addition to that they feature Live Irish Folk music, incredible food, & a wide selection of imported Whiskies & Beers!
Downtown:
Beer Seller: Dive bar located under 2nd Avenue. A tad smoky but it’s one of the few “local hangs” in downtown Nashville. Huge beer selection as well!
Black Rabbit: Dark & Brooding, just like you in your early teens. Upscale Craft Cocktails & Shots w/ a menacing atmosphere.
Broadway Brewhouse: Locations all over Nashville! Hundreds of Beers on tap! I’d recommend one of the locations a bit farther out.
Crema: Two locations right across the street from each other. One is located in Pinewood Social, the other across the street. I prefer the Pinewood locations because of what they do with Coffee Cocktails! Both locations have a very good Cuban!
Drugstore Coffee: Located in the Noelle this Coffee Shop is a subsidiary of Barista Parlour! More of a grab & go feel than its parent company but still the same quality!
Fleet Street: Located in Printer’s Alley, a smoky little English Pub that boasts an extensive Import list from the British Isles as well as pretty solid food!
Flying Saucer: Hundreds upon hundreds of Draft Beers & Bottles. While a small chain, Flying Saucer prides itself on its variety of beer. Everything from your standards to an “Agua Fresca” infused beer. Food is incredible as well!
Hidden Bar: Located in the basement of the Noelle Hotel. Looks like you’re walking into a broom closet until it opens up! Really cool vibe! It becomes a Christmas themed bar for the month of December!
Honky-Tonk Central: Three stories tall, each with a different band! Introduced to Nashville before its explosion in popularity, it still retains some of the old Nashville charm while fusing in nicely with the new & over commercialized.
House Of Cards: Hidden under the Johnny Cash Museum is an Upscale Magic Bar. Stationed around the room are several types of magicians & illusionists. Fairly high dollar so bring your cash as well as your best duds; they have a dress code.
L27: Located on the 27th floor of the Weston Hotel! Kind of a Far East mysticism theme inside with a Cabana feel out by the pool.
Legends Corner: One of three great Honky-Tonks in a row. Legends, Tootsie’s, & Robert’s were all some of the originals. Usually have pretty solid bands as they’re the top notch spots to play on the strip.
Pinewood Social: A Bar meets a Restaurant meets a Bowling Alley meets a Coffee Shop meets a Pool meets a Karaoke Bar. Yes. All those things! Great food & drinks abound!
Robert’s Western World: The most Honky-Tonk of the major three, go get your yee-haw on!
Skull’s Rainbow Room: A Haunted Burlesque Jazz Bar located at the end of Printer’s Alley! Amazing food, especially their Lobster Bisque!
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: The middle of the major three Honky-Tonks, may know it from their Orchid colored stand in the airport (which just happens to have some pretty bomb chicken wings.)
East Nashville:
Attaboy: Knock to enter. No menu, staff makes you whatever you feel like drinking based on your taste!
Beyond The Edge: A total Bro-y Sports Bar but a great place to play Pool!
Camp At 308: Bad Taxidermy Animals set to a Live DJ, what else could you ever want? Really great cocktails, either packed or dead depending on the night. It’s really up the the flip of a coin which it’ll be though.
Crying Wolf: Sometimes have a Folk/Americana or a Bluegrass Band! An awesome spot to hunker down with friends on the east side. Rustic feel, great drinks!
The Lipstick Lounge: While it is a Lesbian Bar don’t let it detour you (especially if you identify as Lesbian/Bi/Pan) this place is the jam! My favorite Karaoke Bar in Nashville for multiple reasons; the people are a blast, the atmosphere is fun, & there’s no smoke!
Red Door East: Way better than its Midtown counterpart. This is where a lot of the locals hang. Nothing frilly about it, just a good bar! Look through the floor.
Rosemary & Beauty Queen: Stained-Glass abounds! Cool drinks & atmosphere with an awesome outdoor seating area in the back!
Tree House: Also among one of the top rated restaurants in town the beauty of Tree House is that it’s open late! Think the actually tree house is currently undergoing renovations.
Urban Cowboy: An old Inn turned Bed & Breakfast that now has a craft cocktail bar where the stables were. Often have fire pits & fireplaces going in the back courtyard to sit around. She cozy.
Edgehill:
Edgehill Cafe: A great place to hang & get some work done, or have a meeting! Free refills on Drip Coffee but also some exceptional Seasonal Lattes!
Old Glory: Located in an old boiler room for a steam cleaner, Old Glory is the place I would choose to live when the apocalypse happens & zoning codes don’t matter anymore. Interesting Craft Cocktails & Empanadas are the highlight here aside from the location!
Germantown:
Tempered/The Green Hour: Coffee/Chocolate Shop by day, Absinthe Bar by night! A great place to try Absinthe if you never have, they do it right. If you’re not a fan of Absinthe they still offer many delicious cocktails Absinthe free! Also their truffles are bangin’!
The Back Corner: A cool bar/venue. Just wish they’d redo the sound system in there. It’s a bit impossible to hear a good mix from anywhere other than behind the bar. On nights they don’t have events it’s a bit of a dance party!
Green Hills:
Green House: A Bar set inside a literal green house! Perfect for winter when you want to feel like you’re outside but it’s too cold!
The Gulch:
Barista Parlour: Locations all over Nashville, not sure if this is the original location, but it is to me! Upscale coffee shop that believes coffee is an art & treat it as such! Also a great place to get some work done!
Killbrew Coffee: Located in the Thompson Hotel. Used to have a Matcha Piña Colada, not sure if that’s the case anymore. They also just have some pretty great Lattes!
L.A. Jackson: Located atop the Thompson. One of the most popular Rooftop Bars in Nashville! A little on the pricy side, but a cool place to hang never-the-less. Kinda 70s art deco feel! DJs on weekends.
The Pub: Wanna try some Scotch? This place has an extensive Scotch & Beer list. It’s where I developed my taste for the drink! Also have an incredible Pot Roast!
Rudy’s: Jazz Bar! Nightly performances, look at their website before hand to see what kind of Jazz you’re walking into!
Whiskey Kitchen: A popular local hang, be sure to try their Whiskey Sour!
Yazoo Brewery: The brewery itself does a Tasting Tour, but they also have an attached Tasting Room that offers limited batches of Nashville’s Favorite Beer!
Hillsboro Village:
Fido: Parent of Bongo Java, an awesome Coffee Shop to get some work done in or grab some food! Their Seasonal Lattes are always on point as well!
Revelator: More in line with the Artsy Coffee Shops, Revelator takes their time with your drink & it shows!
Midtown:
Kung Fu Saloon: Think a grown up Chuck-E-Cheese without the Prizes or Tokens! Popular spot for Celebrity Spotting.
Losers: The diveier sibling of Winners, never has packed. Always a more local crowd! Get a Bootwacker!
Patterson House: MY FAVORITE BAR IN NASHVILLE!!! Incredible Craft Cocktails, the menu changes seasonally. If you’re not sure what to order the staff is very helpful & knowledgeable. They also may have one of Nashville’s Best Burgers! Don’t skip it. Come with a small group of friends & honor the house rules!
Rebar: Construction themed bar with an extensive Outdoor Patio! Has all your standard Bar Games as well!
Tin Roof: The O.G. One side is a traditional bar with Live Music, the other has a DJ & a Dance Floor!
Two Bits: Barcade! This one has old consoles though so bring friends & come get your old school N64 Smash & Mario Kart on!
Winners: Mondays & Thursdays this place is packed for Whiskey Jam so come discover a band you might not know but probably should! Busy on weekends as well, during the day it’s a writer’s hangout!
Wedgewood/Houston:
Bastion: Best Negroni in town. I like the Donkey Kong Classic. Live Jazz band on the weekend. AMAZING NACHOS!
Corsair Distillery: Technically Wedgewood-Houston, Corsair is my favorite Distillery in town! Not just a Whiskey Distillery, Corsair also has won America’s Best Gin! Their distillery does tours with a tasting at the end as well as offering some pretty great cocktails at their bar!
West End/Church:
Canvas: Yes, it’s a Gay Bar but I think it has the best Dance Floor in Nashville! Plus their Jello Shots rock!
Tarboosh: Why not throw a hookah lounge on here! Takes me back to my college days! A great place to hang with friends & pass around a Hookah! Turkish Coffee is great here as well!