Yes Virginia, there are some great cocktail bars to be found
in the land of Honky Tonks and the “Woo Hoo” crowd (that’s the name given to
the endless stream of bachelorette parties on Lower Broadway) - and in case you haven’t figured out, we’re
talking about Nashville, aka
“NashVegas!”
We’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the Music City over the last decade and
there’s nothing wrong with a night on Lower Broadway. Lots of live music and
beer flowing for everyone. But if you’re looking for some great cocktails and a
different vibe, here are a few thoughts for you!
First, it is possible to find some great cocktails just a
block or two away from the Honky Tonks on lower Broadway! There are so many new
cocktail bars popping up in Nashville
that we can’t cover them all in one post.
But we’ll start with our consistently favorite spot – the Patterson House. Located
in a house on the West End, it’s not exactly hidden, but we did stand outside
with a map on our first visit and missed the door entirely! Luckily, we found our way in and have been
coming back ever since. The drinks are some of the best in the city – Scott had
his first Black Manhattan and Black Walnut Old Fashioned here. They have small
bites for food as well. It is always a stop when we’re in Nashville!
Just a few blocks off Broadway is a red phone booth. It
seems out of place, until you realize it’s the entrance to a clever speakeasy
and cigar bar called … Red
Phone Booth. They even have a special secret number you call from the booth
to get in (Pro-Hint: Most of the local hotels will have it.) Once inside,
you’ll find leather chairs and a bit of cigar smoke. But there are also some
great cocktails!
A few blocks from Broadway close to the river is Printers
Alley, historically home to some “seedy” establishments. But this festive alley
has a number of cool spots that you might not see just walking by. Both Snitch and Dirty
Little Secret are accessible from the Alley and have a variety of live
entertainment in a “speakeasy” setting. Alley Taps is also located in a
former speakeasy basement space.
One place that is well marked and worth the effort to get a table
is Skull’s Rainbow Room. A
Printers Alley original, this is a restaurant with some amazing prime rib and
great drinks. Most evenings they have a cabaret show after 9:30 p.m. if you
want some live entertainment! We try to visit when we are in town.
And one block from the Alley is the Black Rabbit, home to some fantastic
cocktails and a solid bourbon selection along with an inventive kitchen.
Nashville is a lot like New York City in that there are lots
of neighborhoods outside of the city center and each has their own hotspots for
great drinks, food and music. For example, SoBro has Bar Sovereign, Edgehill has Old Glory – both are worth checking
out for their history and great use of space as well as the cocktails!
One of our favorite areas is East
Nashville. Just a decade ago this was a neighborhood “in transition” but
we’d say now that it’s well on its way! It’s always been home to some funky
spots that are #offthetipsypath. If you look up “best cocktails in Nashville,”
there are always at least a few here on the list. Unfortunately, it’s not the
most walkable neighborhood between our favorite watering holes. Maybe someone
should start a cocktail bus tour 🤔
Anyway, one of our favorite spots in East
Nash is a bit #offthetipsypath in that it’s a basement bar behind a
building on Gallatin Pike. The Fox
Club has some of the best cocktails in the city, including some excellent
variations on a Manhattan. Unlike some bars, you can make a reservation here
too.
Down the street a bit is Attaboy. This is described as an
“outpost” for the famous speakeasy of the same name in NYC. The space is very
cool and the drinks are solid, but we think they’re still working on the “tell
us what you like and we’ll make something unique” concept that makes the NYC mothership work so well. Would
definitely recommend giving it a try!
Also along Gallatin Pike is a cool new wine bar called The Authentique. While it’s located
in a strip mall, don’t let the outside fool you. The interior space reminded us
of something in Europe. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about the wine
and the charcuterie is excellent. We’ll be back here!
There are other places nearby as well that are on our list
to check out, but we couldn’t pack in too many and still be able to drive lol.
Like we said, too many Nashville spots to cover in just one
entry … we haven’t even started on the breweries! More on all that next time.
As always, if you have thoughts or suggestions … we’d love
to hear from you!
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