Nashville’s fine dining tier went from thin to impressive in roughly a decade. The city now has a handful of restaurants that would hold their own in any American city: small rooms, tasting menus, reservation windows that open on the first of the prior month, and chefs who have earned national attention. The concentration in Wedgewood-Houston and the inner neighborhoods rather than downtown reflects where serious Nashville cooking has been happening since around 2015.
The Catbird Seat
The Catbird Seat is the highest-rated restaurant in Nashville by The Infatuation’s metric and the hardest table to get in the city. Twenty-two seats arranged in a U-shape around an open kitchen means every guest has a direct view of the kitchen and the chefs can see every guest. The multi-course tasting menu changes with the season and the chef’s current thinking. Reservations open on the first of the prior month and fill within hours. There is a $50 deposit per person. If you can get in, it’s the restaurant that explains why Nashville’s food scene gets taken seriously beyond its borders.
Bastion
Bastion in Wedgewood-Houston holds 24 seats and runs a six-course rotating menu with a private bar attached that takes cocktail programming as seriously as the kitchen takes food. Josh Habiger has earned James Beard Award semifinalist nominations in 2023 and 2025. The bar opens early and takes walk-ins; the dining room requires reservations. The experience is intimate without being precious about it.
Locust
Trevor Moran’s Locust in 12 South is a James Beard 2024 semifinalist drawing on Japanese, Irish, and British influences in a combination that shouldn’t work but does. Lunch takes reservations; dinner operates walk-in. Reservations open on the first of the prior month for lunch. The kitchen’s willingness to blend European and Japanese technique without announcing it constantly makes Locust the most intellectually interesting restaurant in the city right now.
Yolan
Tony Mantuano brings a Michelin-starred Italian background to Yolan inside The Joseph hotel. The pasta and the sourcing reflect the kind of serious Italian kitchen work that Nashville didn’t have access to before the hotel boom brought out-of-market operators. For Italian fine dining specifically, Yolan is the answer.
Husk
Sean Brock’s Husk at 37 Rutledge St changed the conversation about Southern fine dining when it opened and has maintained its relevance by committing to sourcing that forces the menu to reflect what’s actually growing in the region. The menu changes daily. Brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm is a more accessible entry point for first visits.
Audrey
Audrey at 809 Meridian St takes Appalachian cuisine as its organizing principle. The emerald green booths and the commitment to mountain food traditions make it distinctly Nashville without being generically Southern. The family feast at brunch runs $65 per person and is the best way to experience a range of what the kitchen does in one sitting.
The Pricing Reality
Fine dining in Nashville runs roughly $45 to $119 per person before drinks and dessert. The Catbird Seat and Bastion are at the top of that range. Husk and Audrey offer more flexibility. The reservation difficulty at The Catbird Seat and Locust is genuine; plan at least a month out for those two specifically.
Sources
- The Catbird Seat via thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com; The Infatuation Nashville rankings
- Bastion Nashville via Eater Nashville; James Beard Award semifinalist lists 2023, 2025
- Locust Nashville via Nashville Scene; James Beard 2024 semifinalist list
- Yolan at The Joseph, yolannashville.com; Tony Mantuano biographical information
- Husk Nashville, husknashville.com
- Audrey Nashville via Nashville Lifestyles