History and Modernity Will Collide at These Restaurants in Nashville’s Historic Germantown

While Music Row is probably the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of Nashville, that isn’t actually all they have to offer. Nashville is actually much bigger than the music they’re known for, though, and we think it’s best that we highlight some of the less trafficked areas where you’ll find great restaurants in the city. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the best restaurants you’ll find in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood.

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There’s no avoiding it: when you aren’t quite used to the cost of living in a new city, the prices of restaurants - no matter where they’re located - will probably shock you at first. That doesn’t mean you should have to hole up inside your home and cook everything for yourself until you become accustomed to it, though. GiftYa is making it their mission to make sure every new resident in a new city doesn’t have to miss out on exploring their new terrain by providing e-gift cards to restaurants near them. Order one for someone who should really go out and explore Nashville today!

Rolf & Daughters

Pasta, wine, and salad may have you wondering if this is Italian food or southern comfort food. We’ll let you decide. Image courtesy of Rolf & Daughters Instagram. 

700 Taylor St | Germantown | rolfanddaughters.com

No matter how much you love Nashville, at one point or another, you’ll probably find yourself wishing that you could step into a completely different world - even if it’s only for an hour or two. Well, if this wish for a change of scenery happens to strike you while you’re in Germantown next time, Rolf & Daughters really will feel like you’ve been transported in space.

With an interior dining space that combines rustic and industrial decors and an outdoor patio that feels a bit like stepping onto a rooftop bar in New York City, we’re not sure how anyone couldn’t love an evening spent here. 

They specialize in comfort food here at Rolf & Daughters, and you’ll discover that every dish is perfectly portioned to be passed around and shared with a whole group, so be sure to bring your friends. Each of you can order one item that you’re all interested in trying and pass it around the table family-style to see that everyone gets a taste.

“What a gem in Nashville!! Once you step foot into this place, you feel transported to New York or Chicago! The food is amazing and this is definitely a must go if you are visiting!” - Yelp Review

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Monell’s Dining & Catering

1235 6th Ave N | Germantown | monellstn.com

Germantown is already a historic neighborhood in Nashville, but if you’re specifically looking for a restaurant in the area that combines the old with the new, we know the perfect place. Located inside a house that was built in 1905, Monell’s Dining & Catering takes a bit of the Germantown history you’re already aware of and combines it with a modern menu that changes every day.

Now, if there’s anything that a lot of restaurants around Nashville have in common, it’s a mutual love for southern comfort food. The great thing about Monell’s, though, is that they don’t just stuff you full of chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and every other hearty dish you could possibly think of.

Instead, they like to use the freshest possible ingredients they can get their hands on to cook up a different menu every single day. That’s right: any time you come by Monell’s, you will never be looking at the same menu you saw the last time, but rather one that has adapted to take on the freshest ingredients they can get from local farmers.

“Came here after seeing...folks raving that this is "the best breakfast in Nashville." Well, I'll go one higher and say that this might be the best breakfast I have had in the entire state and MAYBE even the entire country to boot!” - Yelp Review

Buy a GiftYa to Monell’s Dining & Catering >

Henrietta Red

Anyone who’s ever told you you can’t find good oysters in Nashville hasn’t been to Henrietta Red. Image courtesy of Henrietta Red Instagram. 

1200 4th Ave N | Germantown | henriettared.com

We’ve already mentioned that many of the restaurants you’ll find scattered throughout Nashville feel comfortable cooking up traditional southern fare, but the truth of the matter is that not everybody wants that each and every time they go out to eat. If you’re someone who likes to have a bit more variety with a bit less gravy, try Germantown’s Henrietta Red!

Similarly to Monell’s, their menu is constantly rotating to bring about new dishes with the changing seasons - but the difference is in the types of food they prepare. Rather than sticking to hearty classics, the folks here at Henrietta Red prefer to be innovative with their cooking to bring you dishes made up of ingredients you’d never think of pairing together.

And on top of that, their presentation is some of the best in all of Nashville! If you’re in the area, you’ll definitely want to stop on in to Henrietta Red, where you won’t just be treated like a member of their ever-growing family but you’ll also get your hands on some of the freshest and healthiest dishes around.

“Chef Sullivan believes in and practices farm to table using locally-sourced ingredients. The ceviche featured peaches in it along with sungold tomatoes and the tacos used a peach hot sauce.  Two staple dishes with a twist.” - Yelp Review

Buy a GiftYa to Henrietta Red >

City House

The berries and fresh cream on these babies almost look too good to eat. Image courtesy of City House Instagram. 

1222 4th Ave N | Germantown | cityhousenashville.com

One of these days, we might just bring you a listicle recommending more than one or two restaurants with static menus, but it would appear that today is not that day. Bringing you yet another rotating menu of delicious eats packed with fresh ingredients in Germantown is City House.

While the menu does change seasonally, we think we can pretty definitively say that this is one of the best places in Germantown (and maybe all of Nashville) to bring that person you can never quite agree with about what restaurant to go to. Rather than sticking to one fare or another, they like to meld together classic Italian and southern food for a mouthwatering combo.

Most folks recommend stopping in here every three months or so (about once per season) to experience everything there is to taste on this menu. Whether you’re stopping in for whole wheat pancakes with berries for brunch or for a vegetable-based gnocchi for dinner, you’re definitely going to love what you encounter here.

“Highly recommend! I heard about the heated outdoor cabanas and wanted to check them out since we aren't eating Inside restaurants right now. This was the perfect environment to enjoy this delicious pizza we ordered!” - Yelp Review

Buy a GiftYa to City House >

O-Ku Sushi

If you’ve been on a search for good sushi in the area, don’t give up until you try O-Ku Sushi. Image courtesy of O-Ku Sushi Instagram. 

81 Van Buren St | East Germantown | okunashville.com

If you’ve already been there and done that with restaurants that have stepped outside of the traditional realm of southern fare but still stuck comfortably to things like contemporary American food, you might find yourself itching to branch out further to try something new. And in Germantown, anyone who’s looking for something a bit more diverse should try O-Ku Sushi. 

With a few different locations open throughout all of the United States, O-Ku Nashville certainly isn’t the first of its kind - but we happen to think it’s doing some pretty great things here in Germantown knowing how few sushi restaurants there are in the area. One of our favorite things about O-Ku is that no location will look exactly the same at any given time.

Even when it comes to their menus, if you were to travel to their different locations around the country, you’d likely find that not even the menu items would be consistent across space and time. 

This is because even though they consistently use the best fish from off the coasts of Tokyo and Hawaii, each restaurant also incorporates fresh local ingredients that grow seasonally near them - which means we’ve once again brought you a restaurant with a constantly changing menu!

“I would recommend O-Ku Nashville to anyone looking for authentic and fresh sushi or Asian cuisine. Their sashimi and nigiri options are mouthwatering. I believe they have HH specials, including Sushi Mondays and Nomu Wednesdays.” - Yelp Review

Buy a GiftYa to O-Ku Sushi >

Butchertown Hall

Sometimes a burger and a glass of wine are exactly what you need to make it through the rest of the week. Image courtesy of Butchertown Hall Instagram. 

1416 4th Ave N | Germantown | butchertownhall.com

We’ve talked about a few of the restaurants you might be able to try if you get bored of all the traditional southern fare there is to find around Nashville, but where should you go if you happen to like comfort southern food but would still like to try something a bit different? Well, Germantown is also home to one of Nashville’s best Tex-Mex eateries - Butchertown Hall.

That’s right: not only can you still get your hands on some of your favorite southern comfort foods while you’re here, but you can also find southern food from outside the region, such as classic Texas bar-b-que and plenty of tacos to satisfy all of your Mexican cravings for the next month or so.

When the months get cold, you’re welcome to join them by their indoor fireplace where you’ll be kept warm throughout your entire meal. And the best part - they also even have a live fire (contained) out back that they use to smoke all of their bar-b-cue so it has the most authentic Texas BBQ flavor possible.

“"Oof." That was the word my husband and I kept saying when we took our first bites of the delicious falling.off.the.bone- pork ribs & tender, juicy brisket. Oh.my.yum.” - Yelp Review

Buy a GiftYa to Butchertown Hall >

Who said that a historic neighborhood can’t also have restaurants with fresh takes on traditional cuisine? Let us know which of these restaurants impressed you the most with their innovation in the comments down below!