NSHGuide

How To Have A Big Night Out In Nashville

If you’ve never been to Nashville (or just need ideas so you don’t spend 24 straight hours on Broadway) here’s everything you should eat and drink.
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photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee

If you were tasked with planning a legendary night out in Nashville and just now found yourself on the tarmac with very little time left for research, don’t worry—you’ve come to the right place. Sure, you could start frantically scrolling through guides to the best restaurants and bars in town, but you need a real, solid game plan. And we’ve got one.

And while we’re not telling you to go full bachelorette party, we do recommend a cowboy hat for all of the below activities and we think a platter of nachos at the end of your night is mandatory. This is your guide to a night of eating and drinking your way through Nashville. We trust that you’re going to make every tip of your hat count.


START YOUR NIGHT ON A ROOFTOP

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The Gulch

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There’s a high probability you’ll run into a bachelorette party drinking well-made cocktails and taking sunset pictures at L.A. Jackson, a rooftop bar at the Thompson Nashville in The Gulch. But who can really blame them? It’s a fun spot for a group where you can get very large cocktails like an oversized espresso martini that you can share with three to six people. Nothing says “big night out” quite like a sharing a large alcoholic and caffeinated beverage, especially with the Nashville skyline in the background.

Bluegrass band playing live set on dimly-lit stage at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge

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YOUR REQUISITE HOT CHICKEN DINNER

If this is your first time eating hot chicken in Nashville, check out where the city’s most famous dish was rumored to be invented: Prince’s. They have an outpost at Assembly Food Hall that’s within walking distance from L.A. Jackson, where the lines will likely be shorter than at their other location on Nolensville Pike. Plus, your eventual descent into the chaos that is Broadway will be close by. Line up for your chicken, order it extra hot if you want it spicy but not spicy enough to derail the rest of your evening, and make sure to get a sweet tea and a side of mac and cheese—both of which will provide small amounts of relief.


FOR YOUR BIG BROADWAY MOMENT

You may be a bit overwhelmed as you pass through Broadway on your way to Robert's Western World, the memory of hot chicken lingering in your head, and perhaps also the back of your throat. There will be a lot of neon lights, a different country music soundtrack blaring from every single bar, and a lot of people who have been on Broadway since the wee hours of the morning—maybe even since yesterday. But unlike other newer, country singer-owned spots, Robert’s will give you a feel for a Nashville of the past. If you get hungry, order the recession special: a fried bologna sandwich, a Moon Pie, Lays potato chips, and a PBR for $6. There is no better bar snack in the city of Nashville, especially for the value.


FOR A COCKTAIL & A SNACK THAT'S NOT A BOLOGNA SANDWICH

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We hope you ordered the recession special at Robert’s Western World, but either way, no evening is complete without some sort of late-night snack. Enter Bastion, a restaurant and bar in Wedgewood-Houston where your big night will come into contact with a large tray of nachos. Open until 12am Sunday through Thursday and 1am Friday and Saturday, you can order a large plate of nachos in an attempt to soak up the hot chicken, sweet tea, blue drinks, and bologna sandwiches of your past. And consider ordering one of their great cocktails too, like the Mister Throw Me Something with pineapple and absinthe.


THE LAST DANCE

It’s getting late, and you could go back to your hotel or Airbnb. If you did, we’d respect that. But you’re in Nashville, and Bastion is about 500 feet away from Flamingo Cocktail Club. This former church plays everything from funk to jazz to EDM, and may very well be the most fun place in town to dance the night away under a disco ball. There’s also a strict dress code here on the weekends, so if you’re feeling particularly done with the bachelor party you saw earlier in matching onesies, you’ll be safe here. That being said, we’re nearly positive your aforementioned cowboy hat will be very well received.


YOUR MORNING-AFTER BRUNCH

Whether you’re feeling the effects of the Bastion cocktails, the hot chicken, or both, Adele’s in The Gulch does an all-you-can-eat weekend brunch that will be a necessary buffet-style recovery plan. We love Adele’s all the time, but on Saturdays and Sundays it truly shines, with different stations throughout the restaurant offering every possible hangover cure you could imagine. Think eggs and bacon, pulled pork, excellent cured meats, and a crunchy shaved vegetable salad that’s there to provide your diet with some necessary fiber. However good this sounds to you right now, it’s going to sound even better when you wake up in the morning. 


Congrats on your legendary night! We hope you had fun, but we also hope you come back to check out all the great restaurants and bars in Nashville.


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