The Complete Bar Guide to Nashville

Nashville's original craft cocktail bar still sets the standard. No standing, no shouting across a table, no shortcuts behind the stick. The menu rotates with the seasons and the bartenders actually know what they're doing with a mixing glass. Go mid-week when the pace allows for conversation. Order whatever they're riffing on that night and trust the call.

Order: Ask the bartender for their current riff on a sour

Technically a restaurant with one of the most dramatic bar experiences in the South. The 22-seat counter wraps around the open kitchen, and the drinks program is every bit as considered as the food. Reserve in advance. This is where Nashville's culinary ambition and its cocktail culture meet in the same room at the same time.

Order: Whatever the current tasting menu pairing recommends

Printer's Alley was Nashville's original entertainment district before Broadway took over. Skull's carries that history with appropriate reverence. Live jazz six nights a week, a serious whiskey list, and enough dim lighting to make every conversation feel significant. One of the few places downtown where you can still hear yourself think after 10pm.

Order: Old Fashioned, Tennessee rye

The Nashville outpost of the beloved New York no-menu bar runs the same model: tell the bartender three things you like, and they build something for you. The team here is as good as any in the city. Arrive before 9pm to avoid the queue. Give specific answers and you'll get a specific drink.

Order: Answer the three questions honestly

East Nashville's favourite music venue keeps its prices at neighbourhood-bar level even as the area has gentrified around it. Local acts seven nights a week, a respectable beer and shot menu, and a room that never takes itself seriously. Monday night is Motown, which draws the best crowd of the week by some margin.

Order: Pabst Blue Ribbon, keep it simple

One of the better multi-concept spaces executed in any American city: a coffee bar by day, a cocktail bar and diner by night, with bowling lanes and an outdoor pool that makes the whole thing feel like a private club nobody bothered to exclude you from. The cocktail list skews accessible without being boring. Best on a Sunday afternoon.

Order: Aperol spritz, then move to the bowling lanes

Nashville's homegrown craft distillery opened its taproom in a converted industrial space before the Gulch became fashionable. The whiskey selection covers everything from their flagship quinoa bourbon to experimental single-batch releases. Tours run throughout the day. Come for the tasting flight, stay for the cocktails built around whatever's newest off the still.

Order: Triple Smoke tasting flight

The Nations flagship taproom is the best introduction to Nashville's craft beer scene. 20 taps of locally brewed beer, a menu designed around watching sport, and a back patio that handles large groups comfortably. Their wheat beer is one of the best in the state. Get there before the game kicks off or accept that standing room is your only option.

Order: Beerded Lady Wheat Beer

Germantown is the city's most underrated neighbourhood for a low-key evening, and this is the right place to anchor it. A carefully chosen draught list, a back bar stocked with Tennessee whiskeys, and a room that feels genuinely local rather than curated for visitors. The kitchen closes early but the bar runs late.

Order: George Dickel No. 12 on the rocks

Nashville's songwriter culture has a proper home here. Three shows a night, all original music, no covers. The drinks are serviceable rather than special, but the programming is genuinely excellent. Reservation recommended for weekend shows. The best seat in the house is along the side wall, where you can see the performer and the room simultaneously.

Order: House wine, focus on the music