Step into Bad Idea, a vibrant East Nashville gem serving innovative dishes with bold flavors and an impressively curated wine list in a chic yet casual setting.
"A wine bar that serves Lao food in an old converted church every day until 1am? That’s Bad Idea, which is actually a great idea for a restaurant. The space is gigantic and decked out in colorful couches, the dishes like jiggly scallop-mousse-stuffed crepe are interesting and delicious, and the bottles on the natural wine list pair well with everything. This is also one of the better late-night options in town, especially if you’re looking for something like a $16 plate of katsu over rice and a salad on a weekday." - jackie gutierrez jones 2, ann walczak, adam sloan
"A buzzy wine bar in Nashville recognized as a semifinalist for the Best New Restaurant category in the James Beard Awards." - Missy Frederick
"An adventurous beginning to 2025 is on deck at this East Nashville wine bar and restaurant, where chef Colby Rasavong’s $125 prix-fixe menu of lobster thermidor, prime rib, and other auspicious dishes will be on deck. Add on a one-pound King crab supplement for $75 to really start the new year right. Reservations are available on OpenTable." - Ellen Fort
"Though the name implies otherwise, it was a very good idea for sommelier and owner Alex Burch to open his wine-focused restaurant with chef Colby Rasavong at the helm. Burch is a wine professional with time logged at restaurants around town like Bastion, while Rasavong was most recently chef de cuisine at Audrey. Located in the sanctuary of a former church, the menu is delightfully irreverent and pulls in flavors representative of Rasavong’s Laotian heritage using classic French techniques: a delicate crepe is stuffed with scallops blanketed in a nam prik blanquette and topped with a lacey tuile, while a cheeseburger pithivier is on offer on the late night menu (which is available til 1 a.m.). All are paired expertly with wines chosen by Burch; a particularly lengthy list of wines by the glass is ideal for those who like to taste the rainbow. —Ellen Fort" - Jackie Gutierrez-Jones, Ellen Fort
"The durian-laced mille-feuille is the proper way to round out a meal at Bad Idea, a wine bar with Laotian plates in a reconstructed Presbyterian church. Like the restaurant’s stained glass windows and Dali-esque wood mural behind the bar, chef Colby Rasavong’s mille-feuille is intricate and thought out. You’ll need a fork and knife to cut through the towering layers of durian, caramelized milk, and Earl Grey custard intricately sandwiched between crisp sheets of puff pastry and dusted with powdered sugar. The pungent scent of the spiky fruit is mellowed by the cream, a worthy endnote that mimics the grandeur of its surroundings." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors
