Bootleggers Inn holds the quieter end of the strip at 207 Broadway, where Lower Broadway runs down toward the river and the crowds thin out. It markets itself as Nashville's only moonshine bar, a Prohibition era theme it backs up with a wall of mason jars and a collection the venue puts at 75 unique moonshine flavors.
The building runs two floors, each with its own stage and its own band, so live music plays from late morning until close without a gap. That layout gives Bootleggers a different rhythm from the single room honky tonks up the hill, because a crowded ground floor never blocks the climb to a second set upstairs.
The theme is the hook and the moonshine is the proof. The bar pours classic Tennessee flavors like Apple Pie and Peach alongside infused fruit versions, and it builds curated flights so a table can taste across the range rather than commit to one jar. Bourbons and whiskeys fill out a back bar that leans harder into Tennessee distilling than the beer first bars nearby.
The order to make is a moonshine flight split across the table, which is the cleanest way to understand why the place exists. A flight reads as a short tour of Tennessee distilling history, from the sweeter pie style jars to the sharper infused fruit pours, and it costs less drama than a round of cocktails on a strip built for volume.
The crowd skews toward visitors who walked past the celebrity halls looking for something smaller, plus locals who rate the prices. Reviewers on Yelp, where the bar carries more than 160 reviews updated through June 2026, return often to one phrase, that the staff make a stranger feel like a regular within a round.
Reading the pattern across Google and Yelp ratings, the warmth of the bartenders draws the most comments, the moonshine selection earns the most photos, and the lower drink prices get the most relief from people who paid more elsewhere on Broadway. The recurring caution is space, because the intimate two floor footprint fills fast on weekend nights.
Beyond the jars, the bar keeps the standard Broadway kit of cold domestic beer and a short cocktail reach, which most visitors treat as a chaser to the flight rather than the headline. The kitchen stays light, so this is a music and moonshine stop rather than a dinner plan.
The best window is a weekday afternoon or an early evening, before the strip peaks, when both stages run and the bar is easy to reach for a flight and a conversation with whoever is pouring. Start downstairs, follow the louder band upstairs, and let the mason jars set the pace.
The two stage layout also shapes how a visit unfolds, because a band on the ground floor sets a different tone from the one playing above. Working the building top to bottom turns a single stop into two short sets, which is the closest thing Bootleggers has to a planned night.
It suits a traveler hunting the older, smaller end of Broadway, a group that wants to taste Tennessee moonshine without a distillery trip, and anyone who prefers a personal bar to a branded one. Pair it with the three story Nudie's Honky Tonk in Nashville or the classic Legends Corner in Nashville, browse more whiskey bars in Nashville, and see where it lands among the best live music bars in Nashville.
Sources: Bootleggers Inn official site (2026); Yelp reviews (n=163+, updated June 2026); Visit Music City business listing; Nashville Downtown directory; Tripadvisor traveler reviews.