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Where to Eat and Drink in Germantown

Just north of downtown, this neighborhood is one of Nashville’s top dining destinations and ideal for fans headed to a Nashville Sounds baseball game

by Kellie Walton and Jackie Gutierrez-Jones Updated
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by Kellie Walton and Jackie Gutierrez-Jones Updated
City House/Facebook

Known for its architectural charm and several restaurants that helped put Nashville’s dining scene on the map, Germantown consistently draws local diners, hungry travelers, and Nashville Sounds fans catching a Minor League Baseball game at the nearby First Horizon Park. Significant damage from the 2020 tornado couldn’t sink the historic neighborhood just north of downtown, so plenty of newcomers have further enhanced Germantown’s appeal. Get a taste of the best at these essential bars and restaurants.

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O-Ku Nashville

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Germantown has welcomed this Charleston-born chain to the neighborhood with open arms and for good reason: O-Ku is one of Nashville’s top sushi destinations. Usuzukuri, hamachi nigiri, kung pao cauliflower, tableside Wagyu tobanyaki, and all manner of signature makimono rolls all make a stellar first impression, but you can also relinquish control with a chef’s-choice omakase tasting experience and a sake pairing.

81 Van Buren St, Nashville, TN 37208
(629) 900-0021
(629) 900-0021
O-Ku Nashville.
O-Ku Nashville

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The Optimist

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The Nashville iteration of the Optimist, a seafood-focused restaurant from Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry, serves lobster rolls, oysters, ceviche, and an extensive selection of wine in a stylish reclaimed warehouse anchored by an open kitchen and expansive patio bar. Try the scallop in sunchoke puree or the whole roasted flounder with pecans and brown butter, but don’t pass up the restaurant’s infamous bread service — it’s been known to steal the show.

1400 Adams St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 709-3156
(615) 709-3156

Also featured in:

Roasted at The Local Distro

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While it’s technically in Salemtown, this lively cafe on the border of Germantown has quickly gained a reputation for its DJ-fueled brunch and $30 special that includes an entree and three sides. Main courses include honey butter chicken, bananas Foster French toast, and catfish bites. On the side: sticky bacon, creamy scrambled eggs, and fluffy Belgian waffles. For $30 extra, throw in a mimosa tower which features five varieties of the ubiquitous brunch cocktail.

614 Garfield St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 942-8276
(615) 942-8276

Also featured in:

Butchertown Hall

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Butchertown Hall — which won an Eater Award in 2015 for its gorgeous digs — brings its take on Texas barbecue and a modern approach to butchery to Germantown. Order anything with brisket: oak-smoked brisket tacos, brisket by the pound, brisket-grind double burger. Also, don’t miss the chorizo-crowned queso or top-notch margaritas.

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 454-3634
(615) 454-3634

Also featured in:

5th & Taylor

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Chattanooga restaurateur Daniel Lindley made a name for himself in Nashville with this warehouse-turned-restaurant. The menu is upscale, but not out of reach, with comforting dishes and familiar flavors ranging from bacon-wrapped quail to beer-can chicken and beef-cheek pot roast. When the weather is warm, snag a seat at the outdoor bar to sip on a cucumber gimlet or one of its seasonal Old Fashioneds.

1411 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-4747
(615) 242-4747

Also featured in:

Pelato

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Fashioned after an “old-school Italian trattoria,” Anthony Scotto’s second Nashville restaurant features a polished warehouse space with both patio and bar seating and a focus on casual Italian comfort food. Shareable plates include arancini, eggplant parm-stuffed bread, and creamy polenta with bolognese sauce, while the drink menu focuses on classic aperitif-style cocktails such as the Pelato Palmer made with sweet tea and limoncello, and the Brooklyn Root Beer with spiced rum, black sambuca, Frangelico, Illy cold brew and cream, and root beer.

1300 3rd Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37208
(615) 953-0012
(615) 953-0012

Also featured in:

Tailor Nashville

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From Thursday to Sunday, Chef Vivek Surti’s cozy South Asian American restaurant offers two seatings — one at 6 p.m. and the other at 8:30 p.m. — which includes a pre-set seasonal menu (and tax and tip) for your group with the option to add beverage pairings like the fruit tea punch that marries traditions from Nashville and India. Tailor’s fall menu includes dhansakh using lamb from Ian Palmer, butternut squash muthiya (dumplings), and a fall cobbler with local apples and fennel ice cream for dessert paired with the restaurant’s infamous chai developed by Surti’s father.

620 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208

Also featured in:

Rolf and Daughters

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A pillar of Germantown, Rolf and Daughters is a neighborhood establishment with national recognition that aptly labels itself as small, fun, focused, and seasonal. The ever-changing menu is anchored by the must-order house-made pasta, a smart approach to seasonal vegetables, sharable proteins, and sourdough with seaweed butter.

700 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 866-9897
(615) 866-9897
Rolf and Daughters
Rolf and Daughters.
Bill Addison/Eater

Also featured in:

Steam Boys

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Germantown houses the original location of Steam Boys, a small chain that spotlights Chinese comfort food rooted in traditional flavors and techniques with a vast selection of bao, dumplings, and noodles. For spice lovers, one hot dumpling bowl comes drenched in tingly Sichuan pepper sauce. Don’t forget to cool off your palate with an order of one of its many flavors of boba tea, made fresh daily.

1200 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 678-6336
(615) 678-6336
Bao at Steam Boys.
Delia Jo Ramsey/Eater Nashville

City House

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In 2016, nearly a decade after City House opened, owner Tandy Wilson became the first Nashville chef to win a coveted James Beard Award for best chef, Southeast, making this one of Music City’s best-known restaurants. The homey but lively stunner serves contemporary Italian dishes with local flair, most notably a belly ham pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and then topped with a runny egg. City House’s longtime pastry chef, Rebekah Turshen, churns out icebox cakes and delicate pies that earned a reputation for being some of the finest in town.

1222 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 736-5838
(615) 736-5838

Also featured in:

Mother's Ruin

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The name Mother’s Ruin is a nod to a mid-18th-century nickname for gin, but the Nashville location of this New York-based bar pours much more than gin and serves killer snacks until late-night, too. Standouts on the cheeky cocktail menu include pickleback shots for $8 and a frozen slushy made with rum, lychee, orange, lime, and ginger. But the food menu is a sleeper hit — be sure to order the Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries, the Cholulo honey wings, and the Mother’s double cheeseburger. Brunch is also available seven days a week until 4 p.m.

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 953-7317
(615) 953-7317
Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries.
Mother’s Ruin

Also featured in:

Henrietta Red

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With breezy interiors and an emphasis on seasonal cooking, Henrietta Red has become a must-visit destination for out-of-towners as well as a neighborhood hangout. Before sitting down to dinner, snag a seat at the bar for fresh or wood-roasted oysters. And don’t overlook the creative wine list or the brunch menu.

1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 490-8042
(615) 490-8042
Inside Henrietta Red.
Sam Angel/Eater Nashville

Also featured in:

Monell's Dining and Catering

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Get your Southern food fix at this all-you-can-eat, family-style institution where fried chicken comes with every meal (as it should). Monell’s is set in a Victorian-style home first built in 1905, so plan to arrive early for photos out front or in the adjacent garden. Locals know to go after hours for the unadvertised midnight country breakfast, available on Saturdays from midnight to 3 a.m.

2601, 1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 248-4747
(615) 248-4747

Also featured in:

Germantown Café

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Germantown Café has been a neighborhood anchor since opening its doors in 2003, even recovering from a two-year closure when its roof was blown off in the devastating 2020 tornado. The cafe provides reliably high-quality service and a mix of old-school menu favorites, like plum pork and French onion soup, as well as a few newer additions to mark its rebirth. The apple pie a la mode with brown sugar and walnut butter consistently satisfies the most hardcore sweet tooth.

1200 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-3226
(615) 242-3226

Also featured in:

Geist Bar + Restaurant

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Germantown watering hole Geist boasts a chic interior, outdoor Champagne garden, and thoughtful drinks like green chile margaritas and the Black Manhattan. Following a post-tornado rebuild and reopening, the bar and restaurant added a movable roof and heaters for year-round outdoor dining. The rustic menu got an upgrade as well and features dishes like short rib with parmesan polenta for dinner and bananas Foster French toast with corn flake brittle for brunch.

311 Jefferson Street, TN 37208
(615) 920-5440
(615) 920-5440

Also featured in:

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Von Elrod's Beer Hall & Kitchen

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Specialty sausages and Southern barbecue platters follow fried cheese curds and house-made pretzels at Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen. Slide into a communal table on the excellent patio for a stein of German or German-inspired pils and a snack before a Nashville Sounds baseball game at First Horizon Park.

1004 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 866-1620
(615) 866-1620
Sausage and barbecue from Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen.
Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen

Also featured in:

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O-Ku Nashville

81 Van Buren St, Nashville, TN 37208

Germantown has welcomed this Charleston-born chain to the neighborhood with open arms and for good reason: O-Ku is one of Nashville’s top sushi destinations. Usuzukuri, hamachi nigiri, kung pao cauliflower, tableside Wagyu tobanyaki, and all manner of signature makimono rolls all make a stellar first impression, but you can also relinquish control with a chef’s-choice omakase tasting experience and a sake pairing.

81 Van Buren St, Nashville, TN 37208
(629) 900-0021
(629) 900-0021
O-Ku Nashville.
O-Ku Nashville

The Optimist

1400 Adams St, Nashville, TN 37208

The Nashville iteration of the Optimist, a seafood-focused restaurant from Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry, serves lobster rolls, oysters, ceviche, and an extensive selection of wine in a stylish reclaimed warehouse anchored by an open kitchen and expansive patio bar. Try the scallop in sunchoke puree or the whole roasted flounder with pecans and brown butter, but don’t pass up the restaurant’s infamous bread service — it’s been known to steal the show.

1400 Adams St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 709-3156
(615) 709-3156

Roasted at The Local Distro

614 Garfield St, Nashville, TN 37208

While it’s technically in Salemtown, this lively cafe on the border of Germantown has quickly gained a reputation for its DJ-fueled brunch and $30 special that includes an entree and three sides. Main courses include honey butter chicken, bananas Foster French toast, and catfish bites. On the side: sticky bacon, creamy scrambled eggs, and fluffy Belgian waffles. For $30 extra, throw in a mimosa tower which features five varieties of the ubiquitous brunch cocktail.

614 Garfield St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 942-8276
(615) 942-8276

Butchertown Hall

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Butchertown Hall — which won an Eater Award in 2015 for its gorgeous digs — brings its take on Texas barbecue and a modern approach to butchery to Germantown. Order anything with brisket: oak-smoked brisket tacos, brisket by the pound, brisket-grind double burger. Also, don’t miss the chorizo-crowned queso or top-notch margaritas.

1416 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 454-3634
(615) 454-3634

5th & Taylor

1411 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Chattanooga restaurateur Daniel Lindley made a name for himself in Nashville with this warehouse-turned-restaurant. The menu is upscale, but not out of reach, with comforting dishes and familiar flavors ranging from bacon-wrapped quail to beer-can chicken and beef-cheek pot roast. When the weather is warm, snag a seat at the outdoor bar to sip on a cucumber gimlet or one of its seasonal Old Fashioneds.

1411 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-4747
(615) 242-4747

Pelato

1300 3rd Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37208

Fashioned after an “old-school Italian trattoria,” Anthony Scotto’s second Nashville restaurant features a polished warehouse space with both patio and bar seating and a focus on casual Italian comfort food. Shareable plates include arancini, eggplant parm-stuffed bread, and creamy polenta with bolognese sauce, while the drink menu focuses on classic aperitif-style cocktails such as the Pelato Palmer made with sweet tea and limoncello, and the Brooklyn Root Beer with spiced rum, black sambuca, Frangelico, Illy cold brew and cream, and root beer.

1300 3rd Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37208
(615) 953-0012
(615) 953-0012

Tailor Nashville

620 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208

From Thursday to Sunday, Chef Vivek Surti’s cozy South Asian American restaurant offers two seatings — one at 6 p.m. and the other at 8:30 p.m. — which includes a pre-set seasonal menu (and tax and tip) for your group with the option to add beverage pairings like the fruit tea punch that marries traditions from Nashville and India. Tailor’s fall menu includes dhansakh using lamb from Ian Palmer, butternut squash muthiya (dumplings), and a fall cobbler with local apples and fennel ice cream for dessert paired with the restaurant’s infamous chai developed by Surti’s father.

620 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208

Rolf and Daughters

700 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208

A pillar of Germantown, Rolf and Daughters is a neighborhood establishment with national recognition that aptly labels itself as small, fun, focused, and seasonal. The ever-changing menu is anchored by the must-order house-made pasta, a smart approach to seasonal vegetables, sharable proteins, and sourdough with seaweed butter.

700 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 866-9897
(615) 866-9897
Rolf and Daughters
Rolf and Daughters.
Bill Addison/Eater

Steam Boys

1200 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Germantown houses the original location of Steam Boys, a small chain that spotlights Chinese comfort food rooted in traditional flavors and techniques with a vast selection of bao, dumplings, and noodles. For spice lovers, one hot dumpling bowl comes drenched in tingly Sichuan pepper sauce. Don’t forget to cool off your palate with an order of one of its many flavors of boba tea, made fresh daily.

1200 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 678-6336
(615) 678-6336
Bao at Steam Boys.
Delia Jo Ramsey/Eater Nashville

City House

1222 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

In 2016, nearly a decade after City House opened, owner Tandy Wilson became the first Nashville chef to win a coveted James Beard Award for best chef, Southeast, making this one of Music City’s best-known restaurants. The homey but lively stunner serves contemporary Italian dishes with local flair, most notably a belly ham pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and then topped with a runny egg. City House’s longtime pastry chef, Rebekah Turshen, churns out icebox cakes and delicate pies that earned a reputation for being some of the finest in town.

1222 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 736-5838
(615) 736-5838

Mother's Ruin

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

The name Mother’s Ruin is a nod to a mid-18th-century nickname for gin, but the Nashville location of this New York-based bar pours much more than gin and serves killer snacks until late-night, too. Standouts on the cheeky cocktail menu include pickleback shots for $8 and a frozen slushy made with rum, lychee, orange, lime, and ginger. But the food menu is a sleeper hit — be sure to order the Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries, the Cholulo honey wings, and the Mother’s double cheeseburger. Brunch is also available seven days a week until 4 p.m.

1239 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 953-7317
(615) 953-7317
Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries.
Mother’s Ruin

Henrietta Red

1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

With breezy interiors and an emphasis on seasonal cooking, Henrietta Red has become a must-visit destination for out-of-towners as well as a neighborhood hangout. Before sitting down to dinner, snag a seat at the bar for fresh or wood-roasted oysters. And don’t overlook the creative wine list or the brunch menu.

1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 490-8042
(615) 490-8042
Inside Henrietta Red.
Sam Angel/Eater Nashville

Monell's Dining and Catering

2601, 1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Get your Southern food fix at this all-you-can-eat, family-style institution where fried chicken comes with every meal (as it should). Monell’s is set in a Victorian-style home first built in 1905, so plan to arrive early for photos out front or in the adjacent garden. Locals know to go after hours for the unadvertised midnight country breakfast, available on Saturdays from midnight to 3 a.m.

2601, 1235 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 248-4747
(615) 248-4747

Germantown Café

1200 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Germantown Café has been a neighborhood anchor since opening its doors in 2003, even recovering from a two-year closure when its roof was blown off in the devastating 2020 tornado. The cafe provides reliably high-quality service and a mix of old-school menu favorites, like plum pork and French onion soup, as well as a few newer additions to mark its rebirth. The apple pie a la mode with brown sugar and walnut butter consistently satisfies the most hardcore sweet tooth.

1200 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-3226
(615) 242-3226

Geist Bar + Restaurant

311 Jefferson Street, TN 37208

Germantown watering hole Geist boasts a chic interior, outdoor Champagne garden, and thoughtful drinks like green chile margaritas and the Black Manhattan. Following a post-tornado rebuild and reopening, the bar and restaurant added a movable roof and heaters for year-round outdoor dining. The rustic menu got an upgrade as well and features dishes like short rib with parmesan polenta for dinner and bananas Foster French toast with corn flake brittle for brunch.

311 Jefferson Street, TN 37208
(615) 920-5440
(615) 920-5440

Related Maps

Von Elrod's Beer Hall & Kitchen

1004 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219

Specialty sausages and Southern barbecue platters follow fried cheese curds and house-made pretzels at Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen. Slide into a communal table on the excellent patio for a stein of German or German-inspired pils and a snack before a Nashville Sounds baseball game at First Horizon Park.

1004 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 866-1620
(615) 866-1620
Sausage and barbecue from Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen.
Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen

Related Maps