Taking a trip to Nashville and looking for the best brunch spots? Here's what I would recommend coming from a short term Nashville resident-
I lived in Nashville while doing an internship from August 2021-Decmeber 2021. One of my favorite things about Nashville is all of the neat food spots around town. I will be giving my rating on their 1. Overall taste 2.Atmosphere 3.Cost and 4. Service.
This post features the following brunch spots:
Hampton Social- Downtown
Josephine- 12 South
The Pool Club- Midtown/ Music Row
Ruby Sunshine- Hillsboro Village
Liberty Common- Downtown
Milk & Honey- The Gulch
Biscuit Love- The Gulch, Franklin
Frothy Monkey- Multiple Nashville locations
"Most places you should make a reservation if you can. I typically make reservations 2 weeks in advance to get in. Even then the times can be limited".
Hampton Social- Downtown
This is arguably one of the top brunch spots for those "instagrammable photos". If you have instagram, there's a pretty high chance that you've seen someone pose in front of one these backgrounds. This spot is more of a special occasion kind of place, and is a great destination for bachelorette parties. So grab your girlfriends and check it out! While it is not necessarily expensive, most people just check it out for the experience. The decor is top notch, service was great, and food was pretty good. The menu had all of your typical breakfast foods from pancakes to breakfast burritos to a bowl of oatmeal. AND of course your southern meals like chicken & waffles and grits. I would definitely go again. TIP: MAKE A RESERVATION. Or you will be waiting for hours outside on the day of. Both times that I went I made my reservation 2 weeks in advance.
Food Recommendation: Breakfast Burrito. The sauce is amazing!
Taste: 4/5
Atmosphere/Interior Design: 5/5
Cost: $$ (average)
Service: 5/5 (both times)
#instagramable #funbrunch #girlfriends #bacheloretteparty #southernmeal #roseallday #ilovenashville #hamptonsocialnashville
Josephine- 12 South
I LOVED Josephine for a more laid back brunch place. I took my mom here and we both loved the interior design and the food was great. Since it seemed mostly locals dined here, I would recommend this as a family or couples brunch spot since it is more chill. The menu selection was pretty limited for people with food allergies (not me, but just a thought), and slightly on the more expensive side. BUT it is well worth the price. Josephine also serves dinner which is supposedly even better. Reservations are highly recommended for Saturdays & Sundays. I tried to make a reservation a week out and was put on the wait list for a spot.
Food Recommendation: the cinnamon sugar doughnuts as a starter. SO GOOD.
Taste: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Cost:$$$
Service: 5/5
The Pool Club- Midtown/ Music Row
Want breakfast with a view? This is your spot. The Pool Club is not as well known as it is on top of the Virgin Hotel in Music Row. The restaurant itself is pretty small because the pool is also on this level (hence the name #thepoolclub). This makes it a great warm weather place to eat with its indoor-outdoor feel. I did make a reservation, however I'm not sure it was necessary. There were quite a few open tables when we were there at 11am on a Saturday. I liked this place too because it had a very relaxing atmosphere. They had great drinks, however the food selection was pretty limited. We both liked what we got though! If you want to do the whole deal you can also make a reservation for the pool and enjoy the whole morning there. (pool reservations are separate from brunch reservations). My only downside is that it was on the more expensive side with drinks... which was the best part.
Taste: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Cost: $$$
Service: 4.5/5
Ruby Sunshine- Hillsboro Village
While I was not super impressed with this place overall, I liked #rubysunshine because it offered outdoor seating. This spot is very popular on Saturdays and Sundays and has a lot of people standing around waiting for tables. We did not have a reservation and had to wait about an hour. The good thing was that there are great shops to check out while waiting. There was large food selection which was a plus. They also have fun flavored coffees to choose from which you could get hot or cold. In my opinion kind of just felt like eating at a first watch and wasn't super special to Nashville. A lot of people seem to like eating here so I would definitely still check it out if you are in Nashville for longer than a weekend like I was.
Taste: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Cost:$$
Service: 2.5/5
Liberty Common- Downtown
Liberty Common is southern comfort meets European style. I made a reservation here last minute but I am SO glad I did. I actually tried to make a reservation 2 weeks in advance, but it was full (crazy!). Luckily a spot opened up. Therefore, RESERVATIONS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This is a great spot if you are staying downtown as it is walkable from Broadway to get there. The atmosphere itself was a good mix of touristy and laid back; A very enjoyable mix. This makes for a good spot to go with friends, family or your date. The food selection was great and they had even better lattes. The interior design was an A+ and the service was awesome (shoutout Jacob). This place might be my overall favorite brunch spot.
Taste: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Cost: $$$
Service: 5/5
Milk & Honey- The Gulch
I've been going to Milk & Honey every time I've visited Nashville in recent years. Milk & Honey does not take reservations and the line to put your name in is always super long. I'd recommend going early to get in line where they'll probably tell you you have a 1-2 hour wait time. With that being said DO NOT SHOW UP SUPER HUNGRY. I think the wait is worth it as they have great food and a wide variety. Their coffee is to die for as well and if you're considering getting a latte, DO IT. They have pretty typical food prices for Nashville. Milk & Honey is somewhat walkable from downtown which brings in a lot of tourists. Visitors typically stop here before heading out of town so they have a spot for suitcases lol. Going here before catching a flight like many people do is not a bad idea!
Food Recommendation: Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich with a Cinnamon Roll for a starter. The honey hot sauce they have is also so good.
Taste: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Cost: $$
Service: 4/5
**Seriously follow my advice on showing up early!!! There are lines out the door even on Mondays and Thursdays and especially long lines on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Biscuit Love- The Gulch (& Franklin)
While there is a location in the Gulch that is extremely popular, I ventured out to the the one in Franklin, TN and will be referring to this location below. I absolutely loved the setting of this brunch spot! Located inside an 1800s house, Biscuit Love has a great quaint, laid back atmosphere. How the restaurant runs is you wait in line out front to order at the window and you are assigned a table after your order is placed. This makes Biscuit Love a hard place to dine if you are not up for waiting in line. There is always a line at the Gulch location with no reservations. We only waited for 15 minutes in Franklin. I took my lunch break to watch a couple wait in line for an hour to order/get a table. This is very common for the Gulch which is why we went to the Franklin area. A lot of people love the food here and might argue my opinion that this is not a Nashville "must visit" if you are only in town for the weekend. Another thing to note is that I do not prefer biscuits so I thought my meal with mostly biscuit was just okay.
Food Recommendation: Anything with the hot chicken! Great flavor.
Taste: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Cost: $$
Service: 4/5 (more of a self service restaurant)
Frothy Monkey- 12 South
With locations all around Nashville, Frothy Monkey is somewhat popular for visitors. The menu has your typical breakfast sandwiches and breakfast plates which was slightly more expensive for such a basic meal. But don't get me wrong, I love a good classic breakfast meal. The good thing about Frothy Monkey is that it was easier to get a table than some of the other places. We waited for less than 40 at the prime 11am brunch time.
Food Recommendation: Bacon, egg and cheddar on an everything bagel.
Taste: 3.5/5 (good food, nothing special)
Atmosphere: 3/5 (interior design was nothing special but still super cute!)
Cost: $$
Service: 5/5
"If you aren't sure on whether or not to make a reservation... DO IT. Brunch is a big thing in Nashville. Everywhere will be packed!"
Honorable mention brunch spots:
Pancake Pantry- Hillsboro Village
Sixty Vines- Downtown
*I did not get the chance to try these, but they are the first places I will try when I return.
Coffee/Tea Places
Killebrew- The Gulch
Milk & Honey- The Gulch
Fido- Hillsboro Village
Portland Brew- 12 South
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