What Are the Best Restaurants in The Gulch?
- 2 sections
- 1 table
- 2 sources cited
For a special-occasion dinner, The Catbird Seat at 700 8th Ave S is first in The Infatuation’s Gulch guide: the guide calls it the best special occasion meal in Nashville and says it recently moved to the Gulch. For a cheap, classic lunch, Arnold’s Country Kitchen at 605 8th Ave S is the guide’s pick for meat and three. For omakase, the guide recommends Sushi Bar at 610 Magazine St. The guide, updated September 22, 2026, lists 19 Gulch restaurants in all (The Infatuation). Which one is best for you depends on the occasion and budget, so the table below sorts a selection by what you are after.
Picks by Occasion
| You want | Restaurant | Address | What The Infatuation says |
|---|---|---|---|
| a special occasion | The Catbird Seat | 700 8th Ave S | experimental fine dining; reservations open on the first of the month at noon on OpenTable for the following month |
| a quick, cheap lunch | Arnold's Country Kitchen | 605 8th Ave S | calls it "the best meat and three in Nashville" and notes the cafeteria-line ordering; it reopened after a brief hiatus in 2023 |
| pizza with a group or kids | St. Vito Focacceria | 605 Mansion St | sourdough Sicilian-style sfincione; listed as good for big groups and kids |
| omakase | Sushi Bar | 610 Magazine St | omakase that "isn't cheap" |
| Mexican | Maiz De La Vida | 606 8th Ave S, Suite 100 | tagged for casual dinners and lunch |
| barbecue | Peg Leg Porker | 903 Gleaves St | tagged for walk-ins and sitting outside |
| seafood | Marsh House | 401 11th Ave S | tagged for special occasions and date nights |
| Cajun | The Gumbo Bros | 505 12th Ave S | tagged for casual dinners, eating at the bar, and walk-ins |
| Mexican with brunch | Federales Tacos & Tequila | 636 Division St | tagged for brunch, day drinking, and sitting outside |
Addresses and descriptions are from the guide dated September 22, 2026; check each restaurant’s own site for hours before you go.
Before You Book
- Reserve ahead for the tasting-menu and omakase spots. The Catbird Seat’s reservations open a month ahead, at noon on the first.
- Check that the address is in the Gulch. Kisser, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, is at 747 Douglas Ave., ZIP code 37207, outside the neighborhood (Michelin Guide).
- Plan the walk. Several picks sit on 8th Avenue South, and others on Division Street and 12th Avenue South.
What the neighborhood is and where it ends is in what the Gulch is, and how a Gulch evening compares with one on Broadway is in how the Gulch is different from Broadway.