Music City Diary: Part 2 {Eat, Drink, Sleep Nashville}

Yesterday I showed you some of the touristy things I did in Nashville. Today let’s talk about the essentials – where I ate, drank, and slept. OK, maybe drinking isn’t essential, but when you’re on vacation it’s pretty highly recommended. 😉

I got pretty discouraged looking for a decent hotel at a reasonable price in Nashville. (I now know it’s because the city is full of bachelorette parties every weekend.) So I ended up trying Airbnb for the first time! It turns out Airbnb is pretty huge in Nashville, so it wasn’t hard to find a really great place with good reviews for much cheaper than the average hotel. We stayed at a home in East Nashville that let us have a totally private room and bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. This place was nicer than most 3- or even 4-star hotels. Nicer than my own house for that matter. For just $150/night, I have zero complaints. The house also had a cute little balcony, where these photos were taken. So that’s my pitch for Airbnb! If anyone’s traveling soon and wants to try it, let me know and I’ll send you a referral that’ll get you $35 off your reservation.

OK, now on to the really good stuff: FOOD. Many thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions on places to eat. There are some I didn’t get to hit, but now I have a reason to go back, right?

Friday afternoon when we got into town, we headed straight for the 12 South neighborhood to eat at Bartaco (thanks to Jess for the recommendation), which did not disappoint! The cocktails were fantastic, as was the guacamole. I opted for 2 different vegetarian tacos, and my favorite was the cauliflower. Yes, cauliflower on a taco. Unexpected but delicious!

Friday night, I got gussied up in the outfit above, and we hit downtown with all the obnoxiously young people. We just went to one bar – Acme Feed & Seed – because that’s about all this old lady can handle. I’m glad we had the full Nashville experience, but I’m not in a rush to brave those crowds again! The menu at Acme looked pretty interesting but we didn’t feel like waiting in line.

Instead, we had a couple drinks and watched a really cool not-too-country band, and then went on a mission for food somewhere that wasn’t full of 21st birthday celebrations. Luckily, we turned a random corner and found a quiet place called Pub 5 that fed me a really tasty hummus wrap. And I think we were below the average age, which was a nice change of pace.

Saturday morning started strong with brunch at Marché. I think at least 4 people suggested this place, and it happened to be just under a mile from our Airbnb. That brisk walk totally made up for the cheesecake and Oreo crumb-filled crepes I had. Yes. Oooohhhh yes.

Saturday’s late lunch was at Whiskey Kitchen, which we found on our own sort of by accident. Kristin had a really good cocktail called the Existentialist. I had a sip and immediately recited Camus, so I think it was pretty legit. I had fried green tomatoes for the first time ever, on a sandwich with brie, spinach, and some kind of tasty mustard. I ate almost the entire sandwich, and I rarely eat almost all of anything that isn’t dessert.

Another accidental find was Steadfast Commons. We wandered in there on Saturday evening when we were killing time before meeting a friend nearby. I dig any place that treats its booze and coffee as the main event! I had a brûléed latte so I would’t end up fast asleep by 8:30.

OK, I swear I’m almost done with Saturday, but it was a busy day that required lots of refueling! That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway. We met up with a college pal at Pinewood Social (another name I saw pop up over and over as a cool place to check out) Saturday night. This place has such a cool atmosphere and an even cooler menu. I had broccoli that tasted like junk food. I think it was at least 30% garlic, and garlic makes everything better. Once again, the drink list did not disappoint. Nashville clearly takes cocktails seriously, and I for one respect that!

Our last meal in Nashville was Sunday morning at Puckett’s. Compared to all the amazing food we had on Friday and Saturday, I’d say Puckett’s was just average. But it wasn’t bad, and our server was a damn delight. We were looking for somewhere within a short walk of Ryman Auditorium (where we planned on going afterward), and there didn’t seem to be much else open before 10. One less than spectacular meal was definitely not enough to ruin our Nashville culinary adventures.

There’s more to come from my Nashville trip, so y’all come back now, ya hear?

Top // similar Jeans // Shoes // similar Bag* // Ring* // similar Necklace

*Bag and ring purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop. Speaking of…the Shopbop Friends & Family sale is going on now! Get 25% off everything with the code INTHEFAM. Ends April 7.