Nashville’s food landscape is ever-changing, with a hip new restaurants like The Mockingbird opening every day, or so it seems. Some of those are flashes in the frying pan, and others sustain a loyal following. This year, though, our readers branched out and selected some exciting options that aren’t on our radar every year!
Burger — The Pharmacy
The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden offers one of Nashville’s best options not only for burgers, but also for sausages, for you meat lovers. And did we mention beer garden?
Vegetarian — The Wild Cow
As Nashville’s food scene has expanded, so has its options for vegetarian cuisine. This year, our favorite place to spare the animals is The Wild Cow. This restaurant serves “vegan, vegetarian and gluten free goodness in a casual environment in the heart of East Nashville!” They also offer vegan and/or gluten free desserts, raw desserts, organic hard cider, high alcohol beers and wine.
Overall Restaurant — The Mockingbird
The Mockingbird only opened a couple of months ago, but this hopping new restaurant, owned by a gay couple and backed by celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, has really captured our attention. Co-creators and husbands Mikey Corona and Brian Riggenbach are serving up exciting, experimental fare and making us salivate for more. Check out O&AN’s feature on this new venture if you haven’t already, and let us know what you think!
Local Chef — Arnold Myint
Local gay chef Arnold Myint again takes top honors as our readers’ favorite local chef. Locally, Myint is best known as the force behind PM, a bar and bistro serving sushi, and blvd Nashville, which features a changing menu of French-influenced fare. As a drag queen, Myint’s alter ego Suzy Wong is the inspiration behind Suzy Wong’s House of Yum. Myint has also been featured on two cooking competitions on national television.
Pizza — Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria
After an amazing fifth year in a row, Slim & Husky unseated Five Points Pizza to top LGBT Nashville’s list of best pizzerias. Slim & Husky's is a fast casual neighborhood Pizza Beeria providing a gourmet build-your-own pizza experience, featuring locally sourced cheeses, meats and vegetables. And you can wash it all down with Nashville's best local brews.
Sushi — Eastern Peak
Located on Thompson Lane, Eastern Peak may not be Nashville’s best-known spot for sushi, but it is our readers’ favorite! This Thai restaurant serves up fresh, beautiful plates of sushi. Those whose friends and family may not be huge fans of sushi can also come here to get their fix, knowing that there’s something on the menu for almost everyone.
Breakfast — Loveless Café
The Loveless is a Nashville institution, and this year our readers chose this iconic restaurant as our favorite place to get breakfast. With waits often in excess of thirty minutes, it may not be our everyday choice, but when we have time to sit and enjoy, there is no place better. Those biscuits! And if you just can’t stand the wait, you can always order food on their website and have a Loveless breakfast in your own kitchen!
Brunch — Ellendales
The most magical meal of the week—brunch. It’s legendary how much LGBT people love their brunch. So where do our readers most enjoy that meal between mealtimes? Ellendales, which boasts “fresh healthy food straight from our organic garden served in a beautiful old farm house brimming with history and atmosphere.”
Coffee — Frothy Monkey
Frothy Monkey—a hot local beverage chain—has a drink menu that will make any enthusiast happy, with coffees on tap and rotating seasonal beverages. Frothy Monkey patrons appreciate the cafés for more than coffee though. Frothy Monkey locations have hip, friendly staffs and cozy atmospheres, as well as great food and snacks. Frothy Monkey is a great alternative to the big national chains and our readers love it.
Patio — 3 Crow
3 Crow’s patio remains one of LGBT Nashville’s favorite gather places, especially on temperate afternoons and evenings. This bar’s porch an almost irresistible draw, and it’s a prime Sunday stop for Nashville’s LGBT sporting leagues. With its laid-back vibe, it’s a great place to unwind with friends.
Fine Dining — Kayne Prime
Kayne Prime bills itself as “the artful fusion of a chef-chic boutique restaurant with a great American steakhouse.” The location is gorgeous and the food is delicious, and the drinks are ... amazing! And don’t imagine you’ll find a menu lacking for creativity at a restaurant that has featured menu items like creme brûlée corn, cotton candy bacon and risotto tater tots. So if your taste for fine dining includes a hankering for steak, this is the place to go, according to our readers.
See also:
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Nightlife
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Dining
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Look Good, Feel Good
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Places
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Community
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Professional & Business Services
FAVES & RAVES 2017: Weddings
FAVES & RAVES 2017: From bartender to the bar association, Loy Carney is our readers' pick for top lawyer