The Best Honky Tonk Bars on Broadway, Nashville

The best honky tonk on Broadway, and it is not particularly close. Robert's started as a boot shop and became one of the most important rooms in country music by accident — the music was always real here, and it still is. The fried bologna sandwich is a Nashville institution. No cover charge, ever. Go on a Tuesday when the Friday crowd has cleared and you can actually hear the band properly from anywhere in the room.

Order: Lone Star beer and the fried bologna sandwich — the only correct order at Robert's

Every aspiring country artist came through the back door of Tootsie's at some point in the genre's history — the alley connects directly to the old Ryman Auditorium. The walls are covered in decades of photographs and signed memorabilia, none of it staged for atmosphere. The purple exterior is unmistakable from half a block away. The ground floor is the original room; that is where you want to be.

Order: Cheap domestic beer — this is a Nashville institution, not a cocktail bar

Smaller and louder than its neighbours, with a booking policy that skews toward rockabilly and alternative country more than straight Nashville Sound. The crowd here is younger on average and knows the songs better than the average Broadway tourist. The bar is narrow and the sightlines are honest — there is no bad spot in this room. One of the few Broadway bars with genuine personality in its booking choices.

Order: Whatever they have on draft — keep it simple and keep the focus on the music

Blake Shelton's Broadway flagship does more right than wrong, which is not a given for celebrity-backed bars on this strip. The live music runs continuously across multiple floors with actual production values — sound systems that are properly tuned and stages with real lighting rigs. The rooftop view of Broadway is one of the better perspectives on the strip. Go before 8pm to avoid the worst of the crowd concentration.

Order: House margarita on the rooftop — the view justifies the drink price up there

Luke Bryan's five-story Broadway bar has the best rooftop on the strip by a margin — the 32nd-floor views of the Cumberland River are genuinely worth the elevator ride. The music policy here is more varied than the country-only competition, which creates a different energy by night. The lower floors are better for the music; the upper ones are better for the view. Both are worth your time.

Order: Tennessee whiskey neat on the rooftop while you take in the river view

The name is honest marketing. This is not a subtle venue and it does not pretend to be. What it delivers — loud rock music, a proper bar on every floor, and a booking policy that brings in live acts seven nights a week — it does consistently. The third floor has the best bar layout for group drinking. The food, despite the steakhouse branding, is better than the setting suggests.

Order: A round of bourbon shots — the occasion demands it

A former agricultural supply store that made the transition to bar and restaurant with more architectural sensitivity than most Broadway conversions. The original timber and industrial fixtures are intact, which gives it a character that the purpose-built honky tonks lack. The cocktail program here is better than Broadway average — someone with training runs the bar, and it shows in the Manhattan and the whisky sour.

Order: Whiskey sour made with egg white — better than it has any right to be on this strip

A corner bar that has stayed close to its original form while most of its neighbours expanded vertically. The live music here runs from lunchtime and does not stop. The musicians who play Legend's are working professionals with touring credits behind them — this is not an open mic situation. The bar itself is basic and functional, which is exactly the right approach for a room where the music is the point.

Order: Budweiser in the bottle — the correct beer for this room at this price point

Named for Nudie Cohn, the rhinestone tailor who dressed Elvis and every major country act of the 1950s and 60s. The décor here is wall-to-wall Nudie suits, rhinestones, and vintage country photography — it is excessive in the best way. The music is genuine, the bar is well-stocked for a Broadway venue, and the suits on display are worth examining properly rather than walking past. Stay for at least one full set.

Order: Tennessee whiskey and soda — enough to last through a full honky tonk set

A Broadway institution that earns its place through consistency rather than spectacle. The outdoor stage here is one of the few on the strip with enough separation from the street to give the music room to breathe. The bar menu covers the full spread of Tennessee whiskeys without the cocktail program getting in the way. A reliable stop at any point in a Broadway evening.

Order: Gentleman Jack on the rocks — the outdoor stage is best enjoyed with a proper pour