Southern city is transforming into a foodie heaven with influx of new restaurants
Nashville, known for its legendary music scene, is trading guitars for grills as a wave of new restaurants has transformed the Music City into a booming culinary hotspot.
Approximately 90 new bars and restaurants opened their doors in the country music capital in 2024, according to data from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp, and plenty more are slated to open in 2025.
From Alba's Empanadas Latin-American style cuisine, to 888 Vinyl's Japanese-inspired menu, to Blackwood's comfort-food favorites, Nashville's culinary scene only continues to flourish.
'Nashville has an amazingly diverse restaurant scene, from local Southern favorites to sushi. Creative cuisine and comfort food can all be had in Music City,' Vice Mayor and President of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville, Angie Henderson told DailyMail.com.
'Good food is a draw for visitors to Nashville, and we locals have never had so many options,' Henderson added.
The influx of new eateries has been a consistent driver of tourism in the area and has invited several new residents to the ever-evolving Music City.
The Nashville metro area saw a population increase of more than 136,000 residents from 2020 to 2024, according to The Tennessean. In 2024 alone, 24,246 people moved to the country-music capital, as per the US Census Bureau.
'Folks from major cities may be interested in sampling our local and regional traditions, while folks visiting from smaller towns in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama will be excited to find restaurants popular in New York, Chicago and other 'big cities,'' the Vice Mayor added.
Nashville, known for its legendary music scene, is trading guitars for grills as a wave of new restaurants has transformed the Music City into a booming culinary hotspot
Approximately 90 new bars and restaurants opened their doors in the country music capital in 2024, according to data from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. Pictured: Hustle bustle moment on the iconic Broadway Street which offers many bars and night life activities
'Nashville has an amazingly diverse restaurant scene, from local Southern favorites to sushi. Creative cuisine and comfort food can all be had in Music City,' Vice Mayor and President of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville, Angie Henderson (pictured) told the DailyMail.com
As new restaurant announcements keep rolling in, it seems as though larger out-of-town restaurant groups comprise a measurable part of the influx, forcing local restaurants and bars to stake claims in the growing market.
Arcade Nashville, Nashville's first shopping mall, is one spot seeing growth from local players following two years of renovation.
Once fully populated, the venue will feature more than 30 restaurants, bars and retail stores.
The refreshed Arcade's roster will include a new bar from the owners of Tiger Bar and Pearl Diver, and a Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge-created music venue called Nashville Showstop.
Cafe Roze co-owner Julia Jaksic, with her business partner Owen Gibler, also plans to open a new bar, tentatively called Roza, in a 1,400-square-foot space in the Arcade later this year.
Jaksic, executive chef of Employees Only Singapore and formerly of the Soho-based Jack's Wife Freda, said she's always gravitated toward buildings with character.
'I love history and unique spaces - spaces that have stories,' she told The Tennessean.
Roza is slated to open later this year, however Jaksic told the outlet that the timeline isn't firm, but she hopes even more local businesses will set up shop in the Arcade and other downtown spaces.
As new restaurant announcements keep rolling in, it seems to be larger out-of-town restaurant groups that make up a measurable part of the influx, forcing local restaurants and bars to stake claims in a growing market. Pictured: Crowds of people walking along Broadway Street
Many new eateries are expected to open in Nashville in 2025, some of the most anticipated include: M.L. Rose, Crieve Hall Bagel, Experience Zuzu, Little Rey (pictured), Urban Cowboy Public House and many more
M.L. Rose (pictured), which first opened its doors in 2008 in Tennessee's Melrose neighborhood, is set to open its Inglewood location sometime in early summer
'At the end of the day, we're just excited to be a part of it and I hope it offers something new down there,' she said.
Many new eateries are expected to open in Nashville in 2025, some of the most anticipated include: M.L. Rose, Crieve Hall Bagel, Experience Zuzu, Little Rey, Urban Cowboy Public House and many more.
M.L. Rose, which first opened its doors in 2008 in Tennessee's Melrose neighborhood, is set to open its Inglewood location sometime in early summer, The Tennessean reported.
Set to bring its expansive craft beer menu, burgers, wings and other pub fare to East Nashville, M.L. Rose will open at 3701 C Gallatin Pike.
For those looking for more of a morning-meal, Crieve Hall Bagel, a popular sourdough bagel spot just south of Nashville, plans to open another location, in the same Arena complex as M.L. Rose.
Crieve Hall's menu is sprawling with plenty of interesting flavors, including Nashville Hot and onion Swiss bagels, but it's hard to beat its best-seller - an everything bagel with lox, red onion, tomato and chive cream cheese.
Slated for a May opening, Experience Zuzu, is a high-end, Asian-influenced restaurant and bar, which plans to move into a nearly 8,000-square-foot space on First Avenue South in downtown Nashville.
To execute the 'experience', the group is working with iCrave - the design firm that created the futuristic interior of the infamous Sphere venue in Las Vegas.
Slated for a May opening, Experience Zuzu (pictured), is a high-end, Asian-influenced restaurant and bar, which plans to move into a nearly 8,000-square-foot space on First Avenue South in downtown Nashville
For those looking for more of a morning-meal, Crieve Hall Bagel (pictured), a popular sourdough bagel spot just south of Nashville, plans to open another location, in the same Arena complex as M.L. Rose
As new restaurants continue to move into the Music City, beloved neighborhood spots are becoming scarce, according to Nashville food content creator Annalee Rivers (pictured)
The highly-anticipated opening of Little Rey, a fast-casual, Northern Mexican-inspired restaurant, will mark the fifth location of Little Rey for chef-owner Ford Fry.
Little Rey serves whole or half coal-roasted chicken, breakfast tacos on weekends, tacos al carbon, mini hotcakes, margaritas, beer and agua frescas and more. The restaurant is slated to open at 2019 West End Ave this spring.
A new location of this East Nashville bar, Urban Cowboy and Public House, which is attached to an upscale boutique hotel, will open in an expansive space in the refurbished Arcade - alongside M.L. Rose and Crieve Hall - later this year.
However, as new restaurants continue to move into the flourishing city, beloved neighborhood spots are becoming scarce, according to Nashville food content creator Annalee Rivers.
'Independent, singular location restaurants are becoming increasingly rare in Nashville, and their presence has become even more meaningful to locals,' Rivers told The Tennessean.
'On one hand, it's exciting to see neighborhood spots grow to reach more Nashvillians and thriving franchises from other parts of the country offer cuisines that are new to the city,' she added.
'I just hope unique stories, personalized service and ties to the community remain a cornerstone of Nashville's dining scene and don't get lost with this trend.'
