Nashville Guide: Where to Eat, Stay, and Drink Coffee
Yay, a travel guide! I am getting into reviewing places from my perspective, and so excited about it. I believe I can offer a unique perspective to you guys for a few reasons. The first is because I am a parent. So I either appreciate relaxation or getting out and about (and of course photographable spots) without kids, or need where we go to be kid-friendly. And second, I consider myself a foodie, in that I’m picky about food and seek out anything that is authentic, homemade, and delicious!
The weekend before last, I got to go on a blogger friends girls trip! I teamed up with my old friend Anna, from The Styled Fox, and Megan from Pretty in Pink Megan to explore Nashville. This city is so cute and I think gets so much credit for it’s night life and music scene, but it’s so homey too! We stayed in East Nashville, an up and coming area, that honestly reminded me of East Atlanta, a very Fourth Ward/Edgewood feel. We stayed at Hotelette, a boutique hotel experience, only it’s more like a vacation home. There are 3 locations, founded and designed by Allison Crawford. Read a little of the backstory HERE. Each location is designed from local inspiration and vintage finds, and every inch is instagrammable. I’ve seen photos from the Dallas home, and it’s just as dreamy… it’s next on my list! In our Nashville home, the walls are decked in really cool art and tons of pop culture references. The older house has amazing bones and is completely renovated, complete with a chef’s kitchen. It’s perfect for any kind of weekend getaway, Bachelorette party (a ton had signed the guest book), any kind of girl’s trip, or even parent’s weekend away.
Here is a little breakdown of all the places we ate and my coffee picks, because you know that is important!
Where to stay:
HOTELette | 502 N 17th Street Nashville TN 37206
Where to eat:
Holler & Dash: great for breakfast, I had great avocado toast and a fresh strawberry juice drink! Their fried chicken on a biscuit was amazing, I stole a bite from our photographer Tracie, and regretted not getting it to eat too!
Five Daughters Bakery: started by a family with 5 daughters, they now have locations on 30A! The donuts are incredible, homemade… yes! Each donut takes 3 days to make and the dough is layered like a cronut/croissant. It’s not heavy and doesn’t leave you feeling guilty about it. So. Good.
Taqueria Del Sol: such a fun and upbeat place to go, right on 12th Ave which is a happening strip! We had a spread of everything, I loved the cheese dip. Their turnip greens won a food contest and the restaurant was named a top restaurant by Bon Appetite! Robert subscribes to this food magazine, so #respect from me!
Cafe Roze: cute, instagrammable, pink. Can’t go wrong.
Bartaco: I’m not a tacos gal personally, but I respect the food and this restaurant is good. We have one in Atlanta and there are things on the menu that I like!
L27 Rooftop Lounge: We had drinks and tapas here and this is pretty much my favorite way to eat. I had a cucumber mocktail that was really good and fizzy, and the tapas were incredible. The cheese plate was probably my favorite thing. Get the Pana Cotta for dessert.
Where to get the best coffee:
Ok, so I tried as much as I could while I was there, because you know Starbucks just doesn’t cut it and good coffee matters!
Frothy Monkey: good, one of the lattes on the menu had a homemade syrup and it was pretty good. I wish they had more!
Barista Parlor: they have amazing homemade biscuits, which is their specialty. You can get them with jelly, or eggs/bacon. My only wish was that they had something with veggies like avocado or spinach, only because I am particular and like having a balance for breakfast, esp if I’m eating something heavy like a biscuit. The latte that I got was amazing… homemade syrup, so worth it!
Milk and Honey: my personal favorite. They make a lavender honey latte which was heaven, as basically anything that has a simple homemade syrup is. Next to try is the burnt sugar latte. They have homemade poptarts, I got one on my way home and it was insanely good. I wish I stocked up on more! They have full breakfast/lunch/dinner menus too, so this is a must visit at any time! If just for the coffee, it’s worth it!
Nashville in general is a really fun city, regardless of your plans while there. You can definitely get the full country experience if you venture into downtown, down on Broadway. I must have seen 100 Bachelorette parties complete with matching t-shirts… everywhere. There is something so fun about that though, the energy is so high, and everyone was literally singing in the streets. Someone told me that it’s like that at all times. Then you can venture out a little bit (before you hit the main suburbs) and get to the quaint sights to see… small things with really big character. Boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, murals. Nashville has it all. We stayed on the East side like I said previously, and it was a nice hipster (kind of) feel. The houses are all different with so much character, and there are shops and nooks of restaurants in hidden pockets. If you venture down to the Southwest part of the city, you will find 12th street. It’s like a main strip that a ton of people walk, and where a plethora of restaurants live. It’s the perfect place to spend an entire afternoon, and especially a Bach party where you want to restaurant (or bar) hop. I recommend doing it all, because you definitely need a trip to downtown, and then let the outskirts keep you there for a few days. You can’t go home without saying you bought a pair of cowboy boots from Nashville, snap a pic in front of some murals, and possibly go stalk the Blue Bird Cafe.
I hope you enjoyed following along, and getting a peek into our weekend. There will be plenty more Nashville outfit posts, so you will also get a little more of the city through a fashion lens. Thank you for stopping by!
