Eating (and Drinking) Nashville

Hot chicken. Loveless cafe biscuits. Mas tacos. Any tacos, really. Meat and three. Goo Goo Clusters. Anything farm to table. Bourbon. These are a list of some of Nashville's most iconic foods - and well, one drink. And it would be an impressive feat to eat -and drink- your way through the city of Nashville. There's just too much food. Good food. Great food. But one could be happy trying. 

During my last trip to Nashville I took a food tour with Walk Eat Nashville which was a great place to start. During the rest of my week there I ate at some of the other places I have been wanting to get to. And it was only the tip of the iceberg. Have you been to any of these?

Wildhorse Saloon
Way back in the day, the Wildhorse Saloon was the setting for a country music dance show. Three stories tall and located in downtown Nashville, the Wildhorse is about as touristy as you can get. The first floor has the stage, dance floor and a coupla bars. The second and third overlook the dance floor and each have bars. It's been recently and though you can still take country line dancing lessons there, they are more known now for showcasing up and coming musical acts. We went there three times and each time we saw a different performer - and all were fantastic. And since we were staying downtown and I didn't think I'd make it to Hattie B.'s for the famous hot chicken, I decided to try the Wildhorse's hot chicken. Historically served with white bread, hot chicken is dipped in Louisiana hot sauce and coated with cayenne pepper amongst other ingredients. I'm about a 4 or 5 on the hot scale of 1 to 10 for heat in my food - and this chicken was way too hot for me. Mr. UR, however, liked it. I could only take a bite at a time and then have to drink alot of water. It was served with that famous southern vegetable, mac n cheese. The fried pickles we got as an appetizer were more my speed. I still would like to try the original Hattie B.'s someday but I may have to go to a lower level of heat!

Wildhorse Saloon's famous fried pickles

horses hanging from the ceiling

Jackalope Brewing Company
Like most cities in the US, Nashville has been coming on strong in the brewery scene. We made time to stop at one on our way back into downtown one day - the only day we went outside the city - which was Jackalope Brewing Company. Housed in what looks like a former office building in another life, Jackalope has tables and chairs, board games and is connected to a coffee shop for those that prefer to drink some java instead of hops. (There are pitchers of water around the brewery also for those that prefer that) Mr. UR had the red ale and I chose to abstain this time and go with some of that water. It was a Saturday afternoon so the place was buzzing and there was a food truck available outside if you were hungry. All in all, a pleasant experience.

Burger Republic
The neighborhood now known as The Gulch is a redeveloped area - it used to be parking lots and before that, the railroad terminal - that sits between Music Row and downtown. It's had fast and fierce development and now houses condos, restaurants, hotels and one of the cities most famous walls of street art. We headed there for lunch on Saturday to Burger Republic - known for their burgers, spiked shakes and tater tot fondue.  I was a bit anxious as I had heard that lines can reach out the door but we got there early enough and were pleasantly surprised at the lack of people there. It was a beautiful afternoon so we sat outside and enjoyed people watching with our food.  We had to order burgers, of course. Mr. UR went with the Tennessee burger - glazed with JD Honey Bourbon, JD smoked ketchup and Memphis BBQ sauce - and I went with the classic and fries. Both were good - fat and juicy. I'm not sure it would classify as the best burger I ever had but it was tasty. Note: Around the corner from Burger Republic is Biscuit Love, another restaurant with a cult following. I'm saving that one for next time.

heart attack on a plate

302 11th Ave S in the Gulch

Jeni's Ice Cream
Jeni Britton Bauer founded Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in 2002 using whole ingredients and dairy from grass-fed cows. To say I was most excited for this stop on our visit to Nashville would be an understatement. Known for their unique flavors such as Juniper & Lemon Curd, Bangkok Peanut, Brambleberry Crisp and Churro, I couldn't wait to try some of them out. We visited the Hillsboro Village scoop shop (they are now located in Columbus, Charleston, Atlanta, Nashville, Cleveland, Chicago, LA and St. Louis)and after trying a few flavors - Wildberry Lavender and the seasonal Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam - I decided on two scoops of Darkest Chocolate and Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk on the advice of my scoop shop specialist. And it was the best. ice. cream. ever. I wouldn't hesitate to visit one again (they also sell sundaes, floats and Jeni's cookbooks. Ice cream is sold in flights of two to four scoops in cups and cones.)

Darkest Chocolate and Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk

Be prepared for a line at Jeni's

So there you have it. A small sampling of places to go and things you can eat in Nashville. Next time I'm gonna hit up Mas Tacos. Monell's. Pinewood Social. And The Farmhouse again. And well, Jeni's cause you know.....ice cream.

Have you been to Nashville? If so, where did you eat?


This post is part of a link-up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Photo Friday at Pierced Wonderings, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Albom Adventures, The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond and Weekend Wanderlust Travel Blog Party!