Chief's on Broadway is Eric Church's six story bar on the corner of Second and Broadway at 200 Broadway, which opened on April 5, 2024 as one of the most watched additions to the strip in years. The headline feature is the Neon Steeple, a two story ticketed music room with a 400 person capacity that separates it from the open door honky tonks nearby.
It is built for a fan who wants a real concert room, a sit down meal and a rooftop without changing addresses. It is a heavier spend than the free entry honky tonks, so it is less suited to a quick beer and a wander. The draw is the production and the food rather than the come as you are sprawl of the strip.
The building stacks six floors of bars, the Neon Steeple performance space across the third and fourth floors, and a rooftop on top with a long downtown view. Holler, which published an early look inside, framed the design around Church's own catalog and visual identity rather than generic Broadway decor. Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ runs the kitchen, which gives the venue a genuine food reason to visit on top of the music.
Order the Whole Hog barbecue with a Tennessee whiskey or a cold beer, since the kitchen is a destination in its own right rather than an afterthought. For a show, buy ahead for the Neon Steeple rather than counting on a walk in, because the ticketed room books out for name acts. Yelp visitors, who began logging reviews within weeks of the 2024 opening, rate the rooftop view and the barbecue as the standouts.
Daytime is the calmer window for the lower bars and the rooftop, while Neon Steeple show nights pull the largest and most committed crowds. Buying a show ticket is also the surest way to guarantee a spot inside on a busy weekend.
The scale is the point of difference on a strip of older, smaller rooms. Six floors give the venue space for several bars, a sit down restaurant and the ticketed Neon Steeple, which Nashville Lifestyles and Holler both treat as the most ambitious music room to open on Broadway in years. The top floor rooftop adds the high view the older honky tonks down the block cannot match.
Google Maps reviewers, logging the venue since its 2024 opening, give the strongest marks to the barbecue, the rooftop and the production of the Neon Steeple shows. The recurring caution is price, which runs above the free entry honky tonks nearby, a fair trade for a ticketed concert and a full kitchen. Reviewers recommend booking show nights ahead rather than relying on a walk in.
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ is the food anchor, a James Beard winning pitmaster whose presence gives the bar a real culinary reason to visit beyond the music. Pair the smoked plates with a Tennessee whiskey or a cold beer for the intended experience. The drinks list is broader than a honky tonk's, in keeping with the higher end positioning.
The plan that works best is to treat it as a destination rather than a quick stop. Arrive for an early dinner, take the rooftop at sunset, and time the evening around a Neon Steeple set if a name act is booked. Weekend show nights pull the largest crowds, so a ticket is the surest entry.
It fits an Eric Church fan, a group that wants a concert plus a proper dinner, and anyone after a newer, higher end Broadway option. Compare the older institutions a block away at Robert's Western World in Nashville and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville, or scan the full guide to the best live music bars in Nashville.
Sources: Chief's on Broadway official site (2026); Nashville Lifestyles opening report; Holler first look feature; Yelp reviews (2024 to 2026).