The Gulch bars break into three categories: rooftop, live music, and everything else. The split matters because the experience is completely different depending on which type you choose.
L.A. Jackson is the rooftop bar on the 12th floor of the Thompson Hotel. It has been voted Nashville Scene’s Best Rooftop Bar six years running. The outdoor patio has a live tree in the center and panoramic views over the Gulch and toward downtown Nashville. The indoor space has floor-to-ceiling windows for the same view in colder weather. The drink menu runs toward craft cocktails with botanicals, shrubs, and seasonal ingredients. This is a dressy-ish crowd on weekend nights when DJs play, and a more relaxed mix during weekday happy hours. It operates on a walk-in basis with no reservations; on busy weekends expect a wait. The bar is 21+ and typically opens in the early afternoon.
Station Inn at 402 12th Avenue South is technically not a bar in the conventional Nashville sense. It is one of the world’s most respected bluegrass listening rooms, operating in this neighborhood since 1978. The building looks unremarkable from the outside. Inside, show posters cover every available surface. Seats from a tour bus once used by Flatt & Scruggs serve as audience seating. Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, and Gillian Welch have all played here. The Sunday night jam session is a Nashville institution. Cover charges apply; the food is straightforward bar food. If you are in Nashville and have any interest in roots music, this is not optional.
Rudy’s Jazz Room on McGavock Street is a New Orleans-style jazz club serving Cajun and Creole food alongside live music. It is a legitimate listening room, not background music for cocktails. The programming leans toward jazz standards and swing.
Pins Mechanical is a casual gaming bar with duckpin bowling, pinball machines, foosball, and bocce. It is reliably fun without requiring a commitment to drinking heavily or listening to music. The Infatuation rates it as a good low-key option.
For straightforward drinking without a specific agenda, the M Street cluster of restaurants along McGavock Street all have bars worth sitting at, particularly Kayne Prime’s bar program and the cocktail list at Adele’s.
Sources
- L.A. Jackson, lajacksonbar.com
- Station Inn, stationinn.com; Wikipedia; American Songwriter
- The Infatuation, Pins Mechanical review, theinfatuation.com
- StyleBlueprint, “Your Guide to The Gulch Nashville,” styleblueprint.com
- Nashville Go, “Thompson Hotel,” nashvillego.com