19 Best Restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee

The original location of this growing local coffee roaster serves ethically sourced coffee roasted in-house, plus seasonal treats, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items. Lined with exposed brick, the bright space is industrial yet cozy, featuring seating for both individuals and larger groups.

Serious coffee connoisseurs shouldn't leave the city without a visit to one of Barista Parlor's outposts. The Gulch location is housed inside a former transmission shop, and everything inside, from the wood tables and platters to the art and barista aprons, are sourced from local makers and craftspeople, so you better believe they're serious about keeping it bespoke. The coffee and food options take time, so don't stop by in a hurry, but the attention to detail is worth it.

Giant warehouse windows hearken back to The Nations’ industrial roots and shed bright light on the stylish wood-laden interior of this coffee shop and all-day café. The variety of seating options make Frothy Monkey a favorite for remote workers with laptops, and their health-focused menu features locally roasted coffee, fresh pastries, and farm-sourced ingredients for all meals.

The bright, pleasant shop opened in 2018; the nonprofit enterprise behind it was established in 2008 to train and mentor students. In addition to prepared coffees, the shop sells the beans, soaps, and scrubs made by the students, as well as mugs and T-shirts bearing the coffeehouse logo. All profits support programs and scholarships for the students.

Tempered Café is unlike any other café in Nashville, serving an extensive selection of handcrafted chocolates alongside a full menu of espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch plates, and, yes, homemade hot chocolate and drinking chocolate. Tempered also has a full bar, and offers chocolate and beverage pairings that are unlike anything you've ever tried before.

The original East Nashville Barista Parlor was such a hit that the hip shop has since expanded to several locations around town. One of those is in Germantown, conveniently located right next to popular dinner joint City House. Barista Parlor puts an extraordinary amount of care into each cup of coffee it brews, and you can taste that attention to detail each time you visit.

Opened in the summer of 2018, Crest is billed as Nashville's first donation-based coffeehouse—in other words, it's pay what you wish for the coffee and teas. It hosts trivia nights, open-mics (welcome to Nashville!), and also takes part in the Wedgewood-Houston art crawls. Baked goods from Sweet 16th Bakery in east Nashville.

Falcon opened in spring 2018 in a small former church. A light menu includes sandwiches after 11 am. Uses local beans from local roasters.

This coffeehouse opens first thing in the morning and stays open through breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there’s plenty of porch space to enjoy your rosemary honey latte outside; in the evening, they expand their drink menu to include craft beer and wine. The menu is Southern comfort food with a New South twist (like johnnycakes with house-pickled okra and bacon-onion marmalade), but coffee is still the main event at Frothy Monkey. All their coffee is locally roasted by their own roasting company, and you can buy it by the bag from the café.

Franklin’s first coffee roasting company is an honest-to-goodness great place to get a cup of coffee. Located inside the Factory, Franklin’s converted industrial shopping complex, it’s also a great place to get an honest day’s work done on your laptop, and in addition to their ethically sourced and roasted coffees and selection of teas, there’s usually an assortment of croissants, scones, and donuts available.

What started as a tiny coffee-and-gelato shop in nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee, is now a full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this Gulch outpost. Serving up their dreamy gelato—including their signature Milk & Honey flavor—along with wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and seriously good espresso drinks, this is a great choice when the lines at neighboring joints are too long.

More than just a coffee shop, Red Bicycle offers a wide selection of sweet and savory crepes, beer, wine, sandwiches, and tacos. A variety of seating options in the large space, including outdoor tables in the Astroturf yard, make this a popular meeting place and work space.

There are a lot of coffee shops in Germantown, but only Red Bicycle has an extensive menu of sweet and savory crepes. The neighborhood café also serves a variety of sandwiches, tacos, pastries, and small snacks, all complemented by a menu of seasonally rotating coffee and espresso drinks and served by one of the friendliest staffs in town.

This pleasantly low-key coffee shop is decorated with quirky local art and is typically quiet, making it a relaxing place to work or chat. In addition to coffee, Sam & Zoe’s offers tea, breakfast food, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and desserts.

Founded by veterans of the Nashville coffee scene, Stay Golden is a stylish and sophisticated spot to sip on single-origin coffee and teas, try a craft cocktail, or check out local brews on draft. In addition to their beverages, seasonally inspired breakfast and lunch options are available.

Germantown's Steadfast Coffee offers up the usual assortment of espresso drinks and café-style food options, but they also have some tasty menu items you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Their coffee soda, for example, is an unusual blend of espresso, soda water, and orange peel, and has to be tried to be understood, while their "rested" coffee drinks bring out new flavors in old classics.

This coffeehouse is in a literal house, built in 1904 in downtown Franklin, and during a good mid-morning lull, you can curl up with a cinnamon toast crepe in one of the sitting rooms and listen to a record or read a book. The library room is an especially good spot to pass a rainy afternoon with hot soup and a grown-up grilled cheese sandwich.

Located within the Fort Houston arts complex, this small café resembles the open-plan dwelling of your trendy friend's apartment. Breakfast—bagels, scrambles, sandwiches—is available all day; sandwiches are served at lunch (gluten-free bread is available).

Fresh, locally sourced ingredients are front and center at The Urban Juicer, which focuses on fresh juices, smoothies, and superfood-laden bowls. Whether grabbing a breakfast sandwich or made-to-order juice, or signing on for a cleanse, the helpful staff will guide you through their health food options.