Five delicious adventures not to miss in NASHVILLE!
Helping you have delicious adventures is why we exist! NASHVILLE is a city bursting with energy (music spilling out everywhere from the second you step off the plane and hear a live performance at Tootsies inside the airport), culture/history and mind-blowing food and drinks. Its the kind of city that makes you want to dance (even if you don’t know how) and sing (even if you don’t know the words), eat comfort food and drink (coffee shops, distilleries and killer cocktails!). The vibe is southern hospitality with tons of fun making it perfect for solo travelers, couples, friends and families.
Here are our top 5 not to be missed NASHVILLE foodie/culture adventures:
1. Where we stayed
We love the Kimpton Aertson in Midtown for its artsy boutique vibe. The complimentary wine happy hour, rooftop pool and Peloton bike in their 24-hour gym make us happy too! But seriously its the Henley restaurant attached to the Kimpton that started our Taste Journey with a seasonal farm-to-table menu and yummy creative cocktails. AND if you feel like a margarita and chips/Queso to start off your afternoon or eve Nada is just a few steps outside the doors of the Kimpton.
2. Coffee
Nashvillians loooove their coffee! If you're looking for hipster vibes Barista Parlor, Pinewood Social- serving local coffee roasters Crema Coffee (more on this destination later) or Fido are pretty popular. A new place to recharge is located in the funky, fun Graduate Hotel and is called Poindexter. You can surround yourself in Nashville history and legend as the story of music city is told through their decor. Grab a coffee among Vanderbilt students, locals and hotel residents and take it all in. One of our very favorite coffee destinations is a cute little place called Killebrew Coffee connected to The Thompson Nashville hotel (another awesome place to stay) that has great coffee but also THE BEST Breakfast Hand Tarts and Cinnamon Rolls . You need to get one of each if you go.
3. Local food that makes an impression
There is no shortage of iconic southern food in Nashville. It’s a given that we can lead you to an awesome meat and three, banana pudding and hot fried chicken! We aim to encourage you to experience places that are a bit more off the general radar and want to suggest some not so traditional options. Here is just a small sample:
Breakfast/Lunch:
Big bad Breakfast (BBB)- We LOVE breakfast, specially when we are away from home and someone else makes it for us! BBB just opened at the end of last year in Nashville and it is our new favorite place to greet the day together in Nashville. Bonus, they serve lunch too. The biscuits are insane here (love the jam from the squirty bottle) and the Huevos Ranchero Grit Bowl is not to be missed. Seriously, order this and ask for the house made hot sauce to top it with. The Original Grit Girls Grits served here will make you talk about coming back before you pay your bill.
Get yourself out of downtown Nashville and discover a piece of food history in the one-of-a-kind Loveless Cafe. Southern hospitality oozes from the staff as well as the food platters. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served and the cute gift shop offers more edible souvenirs (see the biscuit mix in must grabs below) than one can fit in their suitcase- which is why you can have them ship anything that doesn’t fit!
Lunch/Dinner:
Pinewood Social- A go to for locals and visitors open from early morning to late at night. This community hangout has a coffee shop (mentioned in my coffee section above), a bar, a restaurant that puts out delicious food, a bowling alley and even two small outdoor pools! Fried broccoli and cocktails while bowling, yep that was us! This is not like the bowling in your hometown.
Epice- A family owned lebanese bistro in the heart of the cool 12 South of Nashville. Their hummus is SO creamy and you need to try the Manoushi flatbread. Great to combine with shopping on 12 South.
Chauhan Ale & Masala House- We love the modern Indian street food menu here. They have a great happy hour and tons of vegetarian options. The Chili Cheese Kulcha is amazing. They even offer an Indian “meat and three” giving Indian food their own Nashville spin!
4. Meaningful, must do activities with a splash of culture
There are so many cool things to do in Nashville and although our primary passion is food we know you can’t really get to know a place through food alone so we like to mix in local activities that teach you a thing or two about your destination. We figured why not Spirits and Chocolate?!
The Whisky Trail:
Tennessee is synonymous with whisky and distillers like Jack Daniel’s and Makers Mark. It wasn’t until the last decade, though, that a distiller was able to set up shop right in Nashville proper. A change to local legislation made it legal to produce whisky in city limits, for the first time since prohibition.
Visit Nashville Craft Distillery to get your inaugural stamp on your TN Whisky Trail passport (this is a real thing!). Take a tour and learn the science of distilling, founder Bruce took us on our tour and it was incredibly educational. After the tour distiller Rachael made our cocktails with their small batch spirits and they were AMAZING! The Nashville Honey and Golden Biscuit were our favorites and we had to include them in this trips “must grab foodie souvenir”. Since we were so close we decided to check out Corsair Artisan Distillery (right around the corner) and handcrafted small batch spirits. You can take a tour of the distillery, have a cocktail at their bar and bring home souvenir flavors like Triple Smoke, Spiced Rum and Pumpkin Spice Moonshine. Stamp #2 in the passport!
Honestly, we are not huge whisky people but these distillery visits are so unique and local. We decided to venture out of the city to the big daddy- Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg TN. It’s a bit of a drive but the tour and tasting did not disappoint and it was a history lesson as well. Stamp #3!
Chocolate
Olive & Sinclair, the only bean-to-bar chocolate company in the entire state of Tennessee has a great tour of the factory to get an in-depth look at the process of handcrafting artisan chocolate. You will be glad you learned what southern artisan chocolate is and YES there are plenty of SAMPLES!! Tours only take place on Saturdays and must be booked online in advance.
Goo Goo Cluster. In 1912 America’s first combination candy bar was invented in Nashville! Learn how the name came about and the southern tradition that is associated with Nashville. Visit the downtown shop just off Broadway. There is a dessert bar and on most weekends they offer a CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE for some hands-on fun with chocolate.
5. Must grab foodie souvenir
We love to support local businesses and bring home a taste of our journey destination! Always on the look out for foodie souvenirs, here are a few goodies we brought home with us from Nashville:
1. For a one size fits all souvenir everyone will love, hit the Goo Goo shop in downtown Nashville (conveniently located next to the Johnny Cash museum).
2. Nashville Craft Distillery’s newest spirit containing the goodness of Sorghum called Naked Biscuit. Not rum, not vodka, but something unlike anything on your liquor store shelves. It goes a long way in mixed drinks, especially with lemon and basil, or what the distillery folks call a "lemon biscuit." They're clever that way.
3. If your trying to up your Southern Belle game then a bag of Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix is a must have. If you don’t make it to the Cafe you can always mail order some along with other southern goodies from their shop.
4. Tru Bee Honey- “Tennessee Snow” (they liked that name since it rarely snows in middle TN!) whipped Honey. A given that this stuff is perfection on a biscuit but also makes a dreamy Peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich. Its spreadable with no drippy mess.
5. Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Bars. So many styles to choose from. Our favorites include the Salt and Pepper and the Mexican-Style Cinnamon Chili Chocolate Bar. The 8 bar box set works nicely if you just can’t choose!
This is just a taste of the Nashville adventures we can share with you! Taste Journey Travel was selected by Redfin as a top Nashville, TN local expert. See the Redfin article we were featured in for more tasty recommendations: Hidden Gems in Nashville: Local Foodies Reveal the Must-Try Restaurants | Redfin
We know the best rooftop bars, places to explore in 12 South, favorite photogenic murals throughout the city, music shows and culinary tastings just to name a few. Let Taste Journey craft your ultimate Nashville food and culture itinerary. From one day to a week we have y’all covered!
