This is the second in a two-part series covering my absolute favorite Nashville cocktail hot spots right now. Haven’t read the first? You can find it here!
I’ll preface this post by mentioning that there are just so many more amazing cocktail options offered in Nashville than I list in these two blogs. My goal is to help you navigate all your options so you can experience all that this city has to offer. I’ve tried to keep these guides concise while still adding plenty of variety. So, let’s jump in to round two!
My Favorite Nashville Cocktail Hot Spots, Part 2
Kuchnia & Keller
You’ve maybe heard the buzz around this new Germantown restaurant for its Eastern European food, but I think one of its coolest features is its spacious bar. This bar is about as long as the whole dang restaurant!
Kuchnia & Keller – Facebook
They make all their own syrups and cocktail mixtures, and the bartenders that serve up the cocktails are first class. They have a short bar menu during happy hour that has some really fun bites, and also a late night menu (until midnight) if you need some excellent food with your nightcap.
Sinema
This restaurant and bar was originally a movie theater in the 1940’s, and they’ve done a great job keeping some of the original aesthetic. When you go up the art deco staircase, you’ll find the bar and lounge area with an old school Hollywood vibe.
Sinema – Facebook
Tip: our waitress informed us that Sinema prides itself on having “the best selfie lighting in Nashville” in their bathrooms, and encouraged us to check it out. Enough said.
The Cellar Bar at the Sutler Saloon
A couple doors over in the same complex as Sinema is The Sutler Saloon. You’ll walk into a lively, vintage cowboy vibe, and there’s a good chance there will be live music playing. If you’re feeling that vibe and want to stay upstairs, that’s great – but I want to tell you about the lower level, The Cellar Bar.
The Cellar Bar at The Sutler Saloon – Facebook
There’s an inconspicuous door on the wall that’s left of the stage, and when you go down it you’ll find a completely different space and bar. It’s a much more modern, dimly lit, loungey feel – it was my preferred scene. Gotta love when you can go to two completely different cocktail places without even calling an uber!
The Green Hour at Tempered
I’ve written about Tempered and their incredible truffles in a previous post. During the day, Tempered is a cute café and truffle shop. Starting at 8 pm Thursday-Saturday, they turn on a green light outside their door as an homage to a time in Paris when “La Fee Verte” (the green fairy) was all the rage, and serves up absinthe the way it was 100 years ago.
I think this is a really cool concept and is fun to see, but to be honest, I don’t really like absinthe. But what I do like is that they’ll fix me just about any kind of cocktail and that they’re still serving up they’re amazing truffles until 3 am. Also, their spiked hot chocolate is unreal.
Henley
This stylish restaurant in the Kimpton Aerston is another example of a place with a great physical bar space. Enjoy one of their rotating cocktails either at the big square bar or in their cocktail seating area. The bright and trendy aesthetic is the perfect break in the middle of Midtown’s normal bar scene. If you go there for girls’ night, ask your server to tell Chef Daniel I sent you (I’m trying to find him a girlfriend).
www.henleynashville.com
Makeready
Makeready is the really hip (I’ve used that word too much, but can’t think of a good alternative) restaurant in the new Noelle boutique hotel. The cocktails and vibe in the main restaurant space are awesome (and so is the food), but I want to let you in on a secret. When we were finishing up our meal, we asked our server where we should go next for a drink. She sneakily said, “Oh, before you go, just walk around back and check out the storage closet.” After some weird looks and laughs, she said, “trust me, just look for the storage closet”.
As sketchy as that sounded, we walk to the side of the bar and found a black door with no signage. My nosey self-opened the door to find a hidden bar! It was such a fun space and surprise! I’m not sure if this hidden bar has a name, but now you know to ask about “the storage closet”.
(Some honorable mentions go to Henrietta Red, City House, Butchertown Hall, Silo, and Josephine)
What cocktail spots would you add to these lists? What are some of your Nashville favorites?
