Woodland Wine Merchant is great. I don’t go there much because it’s pretty far from me, but I try to stop by any time I’m in the area, and they have done a couple of special orders for me.
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Just wanted to stop by and thank all the participants in this thread for their recommendations. My oldest daughter just moved to Nashville and my wife and I drove down last week to check out her apartment, etc. We ended up eating at:
The Optimist on Tuesday
The Treehouse on Wednesday
Rolf & Daughters on Thursday
and Lockeland Table on Friday.
Enjoyed all our meals - hard to compare experiences, as the restaurants are all so different, but I would have no problem revisiting any of these places on a future visit. We also found the time to visit Woodland Wine Merchants to help select a mixed case for my daughter to “christen” the new apartment - apparently, this was the newer/smaller location in Sylvan Park, but I thought the selection was nice for someone like my daughter who is still in the early stages of her wine appreciation journey.
And just in case anyone here likes sushi/Japanese cuisine, we hit a small place called Sonobana for lunch one day - very good, with a comprehensive menu including some pretty nice Bento box options, and judging from the line at the front of the restaurant waiting to be seated, doing pretty good business.
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A bit outside of Nashville, but the new owners of Fox and Locke (formerly Puckett’s) in Leipers Fork have done a really nice job with it. We’ve seen a few songwriter rounds there, and had great experiences every time. They’re getting some good talent, and the food is solid (meat & three style — I wouldn’t say it’s a dining destination, but for dinner + a show, we have been very satisfied). Worth adding to the list if you’re into that kind of thing.
planning a family trip to Nashville in the fall to celebrate a birthday. Any ideas as to which section of the city we should be targeting ?
Nick…What age (range)? Somewhat regardless, and assuming you want to be in/near restaurants, music, museums, shopping, etc., The Gulch and areas around downtown are where to look for hotels. If you like NFL, Titans tickets can be had and you can walk to the stadium from downtown. Alternatively, you may want to avoid a Titans weekend to perhaps find better hotel rates. Candidly, you should start checking hotels NOW…rates here are ridiculous almost every weekend…like SF and NY rates…even higher.
Adam
I’ve already looked and did see very high rates. We are doing an extended family trip for my wife’s birthday. About 10 people in all. 7 adults and 3 kids aged 9, 15 and 16.
Bumping this thread as I just got back from what May become an annual excursion to see our daughter and her husband in Nashville.
This year we ate at The Optimist, Husk, Yolan and Urban Grub. And once again I really enjoyed all the restaurants and would have no problem revisiting any of them.
The double cut pork chop at Urban Grub deserves a special mention - that is one impressive chop 
. The service at all four places was exemplary, and it should be mentioned that they have $50 corkage at Yolan, which came in handy as I was able to bring two ‘90 Barolos (birth year wines) to help celebrate my daughter’s birthday 
.
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Just bumping this thread to ask about updated recommendations. My wife and I and another couple are heading to Nashville later this month for a long weekend. No preset plans, just looking to have fun. We are staying downtown, but will also have a car.
Thanks in advance.
Went to Bastion for dinner and had a great time. Definitely recommended. Enjoyed The Optimist as well.
For music, if you’re downtown I recommend finding places off of Broadway, particularly at night. Even a half block off on any of the side streets was far more enjoyable IMO. Broadway vibe was better during the day and week nights. 12/30 Club has a songwriters show on Weds afternoons on the top floor that’s good. Station Inn in The Gulch for more authentic bluegrass and such. There’s also a jazz club there. There are some good places for more authentic / less touristy music in Murfreesboro (1/2 hour SE of Nash) as well.
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Strongly agree.
For actually seeing a show (as opposed to just having some music going on in the background), my favorite venues in town are The Ryman, Bluebird Cafe (if you want to do this, you MUST go online the moment tickets go on sale and buy them — there is a standby line, but you’d be committing a good chunk of your day to just standing around), 3rd and Lindsley, Station Inn, and Basement East.
Just skimming the previous posts, one food option I like that I don’t see mentioned is Pelican & Pig.
In downtown, Assembly Food Hall has a bunch of food options including some local institutions. My (somewhat limited) experience is that the food hall locations of these places tends to not be as good as the “real” locations, but if there’s something you’re dying to try and that’s the only way to get it, it is an option to be aware of.
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