O-Ku

Landlocked Nashville isn’t exactly a sushi town, but when nothing less than a slab of toro will do, we go to O-Ku. This place makes great nigiri and makimono, plus excellent robata-grilled meat, but the specials like the thinly-sliced scottish king salmon with black lava salt and truffle ponzu, wagyu tartare, and bourbon togarashi-crusted tuna really level up the experience. O-Ku has all the essentials for date night: dim lighting, plenty of cozy booths and two-tops, and a ton of sake to choose from. It’s a refreshing option outside of the Broadway madness, where things are rarely cozy, and eating anything raw is just a really bad idea.