My trip to Nashville was paid for by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. As always, all content and opinions are my own.
I recently took a press trip to Nashville, Tennessee hosted by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. I'm looking forward to writing about my experiences in a journalistic capacity, but in the meantime, I wanted to highlight some of the delicious things I ate and drank during my four-night stay.
Here are the best things I ate and drank in Nashville, in chronological order—this is only a taste of what the Music City's wide-ranging dining scene has to offer.
1. Wild caught scallops, The Twelve Thirty Club
Our first official meal of the press trip was at The Twelve Thirty Club, a multi-story downtown venue that includes a honky tonk, rooftop patio, and supper club. The supper club has a luxe atmosphere and a steakhouse-style menu with seafood and sushi options. The wild caught scallops were skillfully prepared, with a perfect sear and smooth, tender chew. The accompaniments were great too, especially the sweet potato puree, caramelized onions, crispy Brussels sprouts, and roasted squash. Each bite was an opportunity to mix and match to see how the different flavors and textures complemented each other.
2. Grape leaves salad, Chicago Style Gyros
In addition to open-air outdoor farm sheds, the downtown Nashville Farmers' Market has an indoor market house with shops and counter-service restaurants serving a wide range of global cuisines. Chicago Style Gyros specializes in Greek and Middle Eastern dishes—it's a great vegetable-forward, vegetarian-friendly option. My grape leaves salad was a refreshing combination of crisp greens and briny, rice-stuffed grape leaves, with a zippy tzatziki sauce and fresh pita.
3. Red velvet cupcake, The Cupcake Collection
We visited The Cupcake Collection's Germantown location, a historic residence-turned-bakery. Although it's takeout only, there's a cute seating area on the porch. The bakery is best known for their sweet potato cupcake, but since they were already sold out of those for the day, I opted for red velvet. I'm not usually a cupcake person, but I loved this one, thanks to the tenderness of the cake and a cream cheese frosting that was more tangy than sweet.
4. Freeform crab cake, Deacon’s New South
Deacon’s New South is a trendy, modern downtown steakhouse that specializes in dry-aged steaks and Southern sides. However, my favorite dish of the evening was the freeform crab cake, which was basically all crab, no filler. The accompanying mustard aioli and remoulade had a great tanginess that complemented the crab's sweetness.
5. Parfait, Junie’s
For the second half of the trip, we stayed at the Motto by Hilton Nashville Downtown. Breakfast at Junie's, the hotel restaurant, was the highlight of the stay—it's a bright, airy space, with a menu that puts a creative twist on breakfast standards. My parfait was picture-perfect, with layers of dragon fruit chia pudding, mango puree, and vanilla coconut yogurt plus a topping of toasted coconut and kiwi. The bright tropical flavors were a lovely start to the day, and the chia pudding made the parfait satisfyingly filling.
6. Chicken taco salad, Prince’s Hot Chicken
Nashville's famous hot chicken originated at Prince’s Hot Chicken, founded by James Thornton Prince in 1945. According to legend, the dish was invented in the 1930s when Prince's scorned lover spiked his fried chicken with hot peppers as a form of revenge. Unfortunately, he loved it and went on to perfect the recipe. We visited Prince's Assembly Food Hall location in downtown Nashville, and although it might not be traditional, I loved the chicken taco salad. The chipotle-seasoned tortilla bowl was freshly fried, the chicken lives up to the hype (I got a medium heat level, which was hot but not unpleasantly so), and the vegetables were a nice counterweight to the fried food.
7. Goo Goo & Jack ice cream, Hattie Jane’s Creamery
Another Assembly Food Hall go-to is Hattie Jane’s Creamery, which specializes in Southern-inspired ice cream. Their Goo Goo & Jack flavor combines two local products: Nashville's beloved Goo Goo Cluster chocolate candy and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. The flavor was quite alcohol-forward, with swirls of fudge and caramel and chopped up Goo Goo bits that complemented the whiskey's flavor profile. And yes, you do need to be 21 to order a scoop.
8. Brisket platter with coleslaw and banana pudding, Edley’s Bar-B-Que
We visited the Donelson location of Edley’s Bar-B-Que en route to the Grand Ole Opry, and although it's in a suburban neighborhood the restaurant has a rustic, roadhouse feel. Meats are smoked over Southern white oak, and all sides are made in-house from scratch. The brisket was so tender it fell apart with the slightest touch of my fork, and the red barbecue sauce added some zing without detracting from the meat's rich, smoked flavor. My platter included a generous hunk of cornbread and a choice of two sides. I went with the coleslaw and the banana pudding—its mousse-like texture and vanilla notes made it the perfect finish to the meal.
9. Vanilla oat cold brew, Frothy Monkey
We started our last full day in Nashville at the East Nashville location of Frothy Monkey, a local cafe chain and coffee roaster. Breakfast was great (they make a mean biscuit), but the coffee stole the show. My vanilla oat cold brew had a lovely mellow, coffee-forward flavor, with just enough oat milk and vanilla syrup to make it go down easy.
10. Bianca pizza, Sho Pizza Bar
East Nashville's Sho Pizza Bar specializes in Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza, which is known for its distinctive crimped, charred, airy crust. The Bianca is a cheese pizza that's anything but basic, with a delicate garlic cream sauce, buffalo mozzarella, Asiago, and a finishing drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon. There's nowhere to hide, so it's all about the high-quality ingredients and the skillful preparation—and I went back for piece after piece.
11. Peach cobbler, The Tennessee Cobbler Company
The Tennessee Cobbler Company's mobile trailer was parked across the street from Sho Pizza, so we had to stop for dessert. Typically, their cobbler is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I skipped that so I could enjoy it later. The classic peach cobbler featured warmly spiced peaches and a tender, cake-like topping, melding together into something that tasted like a better version of a bread pudding.
Many thanks to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp for hosting my trip to Nashville, including flights, accommodations, dining, transportation, and attractions.