If you were a frequent pool partier at The Dive Motel in 2022, you know about Xiao Bao. Now, the motel’s pop-up has a permanent home in East Nashville that looks like a classic neighborhood Chinese to-go spot, but with retro polish. Despite the changing scenery, you can still count on their pork belly bao buns and fried dumplings with lemongrass pork. While Xiao Bao works great for lunch when you want to forget that Google Sheet exists and just focus on a bowl of hand-pulled noodles with chili cumin brisket, it’s also worth stopping by for dinner and weekend brunch.

photo credit: Ryan Belk