Discover the Best New Restaurants in Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee, home to legendary country music venues, also attracts visitors to its honky-tonks, museums, and even its full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon. With ample guests arriving in town, the city has new restaurants popping up all the time. The best new restaurants in Nashville understand what the city's most discerning foodies really want – an original take on the foods they already know and love in a space that catches the eye and pleases the senses. These demands leave ample room for creativity, a factor that the world-class chefs behind the best newcomers to Nashville's dining scene have in abundance. Whether they're perfecting iconic local fare like Nashville hot chicken or infusing complex flavors into southern classics, from deviled eggs to shrimp and grits, the city's most remarkable new eateries truly stand out from the crowd. But where do the smartest, savviest diners eat in The Music City when they want something new? This is the Tastemaker 20. We compiled data covering thousands of restaurants to find the best of them all according to OpenTable's most experienced eaters.

The OpenTable Team

12 Restaurants

Updated 23 October 2019

Restaurants:	True Food Kitchen - Nashville, Emmy Squared Pizza - Green Hills, Char - Nashville…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$
Cuisines:	American, Pizzeria, Steakhouse…
Neighborhoods:	Nashville…

True Food Kitchen - Nashville

$$$$

American

Nashville

4.7

1742 reviews

Nashville is one of the latest U.S. cities to welcome True Food Kitchen, a rapidly expanding chain of restaurants founded upon the holistic wellness philosophies of Dr. Andrew Weil. The brand is characterized by its use of wholesome, seasonal, often organic ingredients with ample vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Nashville diners now enjoy such signatures as spaghetti squash casserole, the quinoa burger and grass-fed steak tacos, along with super-nutritious juices and bio-dynamic wines. Since its fall 2018 opening, the expansive indoor/outdoor venue in Green Hills has proved one of the best new restaurants in Nashville for wellness-minded diners as well as anyone who appreciates simply good food prepared from scratch.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Emmy Squared Pizza - Green Hills

$$$$

Pizzeria

Nashville

4.2

290 reviews

To meet demands for more of its signature Detroit-style pizzas and fully loaded burgers, NYC-based Emmy Squared opened its second Nashville location in Green Hills mid-2019. The new venue is bigger and shinier than the popular Gulch location, with copious outdoor seating on two patios. It also claims a couple of original creations on its menu – a hot chicken wedge salad and a hot chicken pie with ‘Bama white sauce, mozzarella and chopped pickle. Other intriguing pizza options include the Greenstoner with green tomatoes, hatch chili pimento cheese and Benton’s bacon, and the Colony² with pepperoni, pickled jalapenos and local honey. The new restaurant also has expanded salad offerings at lunchtime.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Char - Nashville

$$$$

Steakhouse

Nashville

4.7

1993 reviews

Char, one of the best new restaurants in Nashville for steaks and seafood, augments its dining experience with live piano music nightly and a New Orleans-style jazz trio to accompany Sunday brunch. The new Green Hills venue puts a modern update on an old-school steakhouse, keeping the brass and dark wood but adding lots of light and a striking custom gold-on-glass map of Nashville on its walls. The menu likewise features contemporary versions of southern classics. Consider the NOLA barbecue shrimp with cheddar grits as a starter or entree, prime steaks and chops with a loaded baked potato, cornbread-dusted redfish, and scallops with a roasted red pepper risotto and caramelized leek cream.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

North Italia - Nashville

$$$$

Italian

Nashville

4.4

1009 reviews

Summer 2019 saw the arrival in Nashville of North Italia, a popular national chain of restaurants known for its pizzas, hand-made pastas and gelato. Like its sister restaurants, Nashville’s North Italia venue is bright and modern with a red, black and white color scheme, open kitchen and pops of greenery. Yet it also includes nods to the city’s unique heritage such as a hand-painted mural of the Cumberland Swing Bridge. Along with classic pastas and pizzas, both lunch and dinner menus feature a range of creative small plates ideal for sharing. Highlights among them are arancini made from mushroom risotto and stuffed with scamorza cheese, grilled cauliflower with a fried egg and baby asparagus, and burrata with date conserva, roasted pistachio and crispy pancetta.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Stateside Kitchen

$$$$

American

Downtown

4.5

908 reviews

The early 2019 opening of the Dream Hotel downtown came with a bonus – the launch of one of the best new restaurants in Nashville, Stateside Kitchen. The brasserie-inspired eatery under a spectacular glass atrium is open for dinner nightly, lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends. For his seasonal menus, chef Michael Kopfman takes inspiration from local ingredients and global cuisines. Options range from pressed sushi to weighty steaks and a signature 22-ounce bone-in Kurobuta pork chop. Other stand-out items include the warm beet salad with whipped goat cheese and rye croutons, a chimichurri tri-tip sandwich, and a classic deviled eggs appetizer.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

O-Ku - Nashville

$$$$

Japanese

Nashville

4.9

1451 reviews

Nashville’s sushi aficionados gained a new obsession with the opening of O-Ku in Germantown in 2019. The Charleston-based brand has already proved a hit in cities across the south. It presents a comprehensive list of sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri, plus starters and cooked entrees including robata-grilled meats and seafood. The restaurant flies in the freshest, top-quality fish from Tokyo, Hawaii, Norway and other choice markets while also embracing seasonal produce from local farms. Note a few specialties unique to the Nashville restaurant, including a Nashville hot style version of the O-Ku rock shrimp.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

RH Courtyard Restaurant at RH Nashville

$$$$

American

Nashville

4.8

2025 reviews

RH Nashville Café stands out among the best new restaurants in Nashville for its unique setting and concept. The eatery sits in the central garden courtyard of the enormous Restoration Hardware store at Green Hills, where it offers brunch, dinner, a barista bar and wine list. With a glass atrium overhead and mature olive trees set around the light-filled space, it’s a charming space to dine. The cuisine is just as appealing, embracing seasonal produce and luxury touches. Exemplary items include truffled scrambled eggs, artisanal cheese and charcuterie plates for the table, and a roasted half-chicken with roasted garlic and olive oil potato puree.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

STK - Nashville

$$$$

Steakhouse

The Gulch

4.0

2890 reviews

STK, an international chain of upscale steakhouses known for their clubby vibe, has a sleek and spacious new venue in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood. The restaurant is open for happy hour and dinner seven days a week. Chef Eli Jackson mans a meat program focused around sustainably sourced American beef. His dedicated steak menu divides a dozen cuts into small, medium and large, with ample customizations by way of sauces and add-ons like Alaskan king crab, truffle butter and foie gras. Seafood platters, ample appetizers, classic meat and seafood entrees and family-style sides round out the dinner menu.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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Ainsworth Nashville

$$$$

American

Nashville

2.9

870 reviews

The Ainsworth, an elevated sports bar with locations in New York, New Jersey and Kansas, opened its first Nashville restaurant in late 2018. With a full wall of television screens and dozens more throughout the expansive space, it’s a choice venue for sports fans. The Ainsworth is also an enticing eatery for fans of top-quality comfort food and draft beers, with local brews among 16 on tap. Consider the brand’s signature item, the mac and cheese burger. It crams in both a beef patty and panko-crusted mac-and-cheese patty, and a generous scoop of more mac and cheese on top. Salads, tacos and a range of small plates such as Buffalo shrimp, blistered shishitos and crispy eggplant fries feature as well.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

The Rutledge Franklin

$$$$

American

Franklin / Brentwood

4.3

1142 reviews

The Rutledge, a family-owned “modern American grill,” is in Franklin, just south of Nashville. With its top-quality, creative cuisine it’s a compelling reason to take a trip outside the city as well as a boon to Franklin locals. Fresh ingredients and creative accents elevate such classics as jumbo shrimp cocktail, which comes with a blood orange cocktail sauce, and deviled eggs enhanced by avocado and candied bacon. A growing crowd of regulars raves about the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Bigger entrees include steaks, a roasted prime rib and half rotisserie chicken with a lemongrass peppercorn glaze. The Rutledge also has an acclaimed wine list with thoughtful by-the-glass options.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Nashville Underground

$$$$

Southern

Downtown

4.1

543 reviews

Great food, live music, icy-cold beer and a vibrant atmosphere combine to make Nashville Underground one of the best new restaurants in Nashville. Its major claim to fame is the highest and largest rooftop deck on Broadway. Other features include four bars, three performance stages and an LED video dance floor. The southern-inspired menus manage to grab visitors’ attention away from such distractions. The rooftop has its own tapas menu, while the main menu has a whole section of Nashville hot items, among them a choice of chicken (and heat level) with white bread, house pickles, fries and coleslaw, a hot chicken salad, hot chicken ramen and hot shrimp and grits. Other options include custom meat-and-three plates and build-your-own burgers.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Geist

$$$$

American

Germantown

4.7

1690 reviews

Geist is a new restaurant in a very old and storied space – the National Register of Historic Places-listed brick building that from 1886 to 2006 housed John Geist Horseshoeing. The restaurant’s owners have retained the original signage in homage to their predecessor, while accenting the raw brick space with elegant chandeliers, plush seating and candlelight. The central courtyard became its Champagne Garden. The brunch and dinner menus complement the space by leaning toward refined southern classics like shrimp and grits, creamed corn with black eyed peas and roasted half chicken with crispy fingerlings and greens.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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