Best Bars in Nashville (2025)

East Nashville’s dim, detail-obsessed cocktail room blends technique with a thoughtful low-waste program and bartender-led classes. Frequently cited by Food & Wine and named Bar of the Year by Eater Nashville, it remains a benchmark for the city’s modern craft scene.

Menu-free and bartender’s-choice, Attaboy keeps the focus on impeccable classics and seasonal riffs. Recognized by North America’s 50 Best Bars and praised by national critics, the East Side outpost still feels intimate and resolutely local. First come, first served.

The bar that ignited Nashville’s cocktail renaissance begins a new chapter atop the Bill Voorhees Building. A James Beard–recognized program with an expanded food menu, it retains its speakeasy finesse while adding space and ambition. Long lauded by Bon Appétit and Architectural Digest.

A neon-drenched, robot-guarded tiki bar from a team of Nashville creatives. Expect smart, balanced tropical cocktails, seasonal menus, and birria from Maíz de la Vida out back. Covered by Nashville Scene and Eater for its playful design and craft-first approach.

Transportive tropical lounge with a deep cocktail book and a leafy patio that locals love. Frequently recommended by Condé Nast Traveler and Food Network, it balances classics and creative signatures with a fun, come-as-you-are vibe.

Tiny, art-filled SoBro bar known for modern cocktails, rotating menus, and a fiercely local crowd. Tipped by Thrillist and local guides, it’s a welcome downtown antidote to Broadway’s bombast.

Housed in a former welding shop, this Wedgewood-Houston staple pours unfussy, well-made drinks, plus nachos and a big patio scene. Highlighted by Eater Nashville for capturing the neighborhood’s creative, low-key rhythm.

A 1948 classic reborn: live jazz nightly, cocktails with polish, and a bit of Printer’s Alley theater. Regularly praised by national outlets, including Vogue, and beloved by locals for keeping downtown’s vintage swagger alive.

Family-owned honky-tonk protecting true country on Lower Broadway—pedal steel, house band Brazilbilly, and the famed Recession Special. Celebrated by major media, often cited as the last real honky-tonk by local press.

From chef Josh Habiger’s team, the Big Bar pairs playful cocktails with legendary late-night nachos in a lively Wedgewood-Houston room. A frequent editor pick and part of the city’s creative dining-cocktail crossover.

A retro motel with a public 21+ bar and seasonal pool scene that locals actually use. Celebrated by Nashville publications and design media, it’s a playful North Side hang for day-to-night drinks and DJ sets.

East Nashville’s carriage-house bar for wood-fired pizzas from Roberta’s, live music in the Parlor, and balanced, seasonal cocktails. A favorite of travel editors for its design-meets-community feel and neighborhood crowd.

A cash-and-beer-only, year-round Christmas karaoke bar in a double-wide trailer. Beloved by locals and profiled by national drinks media, it’s as Nashville as it gets—cheap beers, strict be-kind rules, and unforgettable singalongs.