The Best Bars in Nashville Right Now

The bar that established Nashville's cocktail credentials when it opened in 2009 still holds its position as the city's most serious room. Low-ceilinged, dark, and genuinely focused on what goes in the glass. The menu reads like a masterclass in cocktail history — split between classic templates and house originals, all executed with the kind of consistency that only comes from long-tenured staff. No standing room policy; no shots. Both rules are exactly right.

Order: The Benton's Old Fashioned — Allan Benton's bacon-fat washed bourbon, maple syrup, Angostura

The Nashville outpost of New York's beloved menu-less bar operates identically to its Manhattan sibling — you tell the bartender what you're in the mood for, and they build something around it. The Gulch location has the same small-room intimacy as the original, and the bartenders here have the skill and confidence to make the format work. First-timers should say "whisky-forward and stirred" and trust what arrives.

Order: Tell them your last three favourite cocktails and let them work

Primarily a restaurant, but the bar at Bastion is a destination in its own right. The cocktail programme is built around seasonal Tennessee produce — think sorghum, locally foraged herbs, and house-made ferments — and the drinks change with what the kitchen is working with. The bar seats are the best in the house. Book them specifically and eat and drink your way through the small-plates menu. One of Nashville's best overall experiences, not just bar experiences.

Order: The Bastion Cup — locally distilled whiskey, honey-sorghum syrup, lemon, fresh thyme

A corrugated-metal building in The Gulch that has been the home of Nashville bluegrass since 1974. The Station Inn is not a cocktail bar — it serves beer, wine, and straightforward mixed drinks. What it does offer is some of the best acoustic music in the country, most nights of the week, in a room with zero pretension. Arrive early enough to get a table with sightlines to the stage. The music starts at 9pm and runs until the performers decide to stop.

Order: A cold Yazoo Gerst Amber Ale — this is a beer-and-bluegrass situation

East Nashville's most reliable late-night option — a bar that books interesting local and touring acts, keeps its prices reasonable, and runs a cocktail programme that outperforms its surroundings. The room gets busy after 10pm and stays busy until 3am. The crowd is the right one: local creatives, musicians who just finished their own shows elsewhere, and a handful of visitors who found it through word of mouth rather than a guidebook.

Order: The Wolf's Hour — Tennessee whiskey, honey, lemon, ginger beer

The most important dive bar in Nashville, full stop. Dino's has been on Gallatin Road since 1951, and it operates on the premise that a bar should serve cold beer, basic food, and no nonsense. The jukebox is exceptional. The cheeseburger is legendary. The crowd ranges from East Nashville artists who have been coming here for thirty years to newcomers who stumbled in from the neighbourhood and immediately understood why this place matters. Irreplaceable.

Order: A cold Pabst and the cheeseburger. That is the correct order here.

One of the pioneers of the American craft spirits movement, Corsair runs a tasting room in their Gulch distillery that is worth visiting specifically to understand what small-batch production actually means. The experimental range includes grain-to-glass whiskies, gins made with unusual botanicals, and absinthe that takes no shortcuts. The flights are the most educational way to spend an afternoon in Nashville. Book ahead for weekend visits.

Order: The Triple Smoke flight — three expressions of the same base whisky, different smoke profiles

The downtown taproom for one of Nashville's most consistent craft breweries. The core range includes a well-made lager that works for anyone, and a rotating seasonal programme that shows the brewers are genuinely engaged with their craft. The taproom has a large covered patio that fills on evenings when the weather cooperates. The food programme (burgers, snacks) is better than it needs to be, which is a good sign about everything else.

Order: The Extra Easy ESB — balanced, sessionable, and properly hopped

A smaller operation than Tennessee Brew Works, and the better for it — Little Harpeth makes beer for a neighbourhood that appreciates complexity and doesn't need everything to taste like a dessert. The taproom is informal and feels genuinely local. The lager programme is the strongest in the city. Come on a weeknight when the East Nashville crowd fills the room and the bartenders have time to walk you through what's on draft.

Order: The Chicken Dancing Kolsch — clean, dry, and exactly right

Nashville's best all-day bar — coffee in the morning, craft beer in the afternoon, cocktails in the evening. The Brew & Brew operates on the premise that a great neighbourhood bar should serve you at any hour, and the selection at each phase of the day is considered rather than tokenistic. The East Nashville regulars treat it as a second home. The rotating guest taps and seasonal cocktail menu give it consistent reason to revisit.

Order: Before 2pm: the pour-over. After 2pm: whatever's on the seasonal draft list.