Yes, and the fact that this is still a question people ask suggests Nashville’s coffee reputation has lagged behind its actual quality. The specialty coffee scene here is real, independently developed, nationally recognized in the industry, and not simply a product of the city’s recent growth boom. It predates the bachelorette economy.
How It Started
The timeline matters. Crema Coffee Roasters opened in 2008, founded by Rachel and Ben Lehman, as the first Nashville shop to take specialty coffee seriously at both the roasting and service level. Prior to Crema, what existed was Bongo Java (organic and Fair Trade since the 1990s but not specialty-focused in the third-wave sense), a handful of independent cafes, and chains. Crema brought intentional sourcing, a visible roasting program, and the kind of precision extraction approach that defined what was happening simultaneously on the coasts. It was the first shop in Nashville credited with elevating the craft.
Barista Parlor opened in 2012 in a former East Nashville transmission shop and pushed the scene in a different direction, making coffee into an experience rather than just a product. The shop featured multiple roasters, siphon bars, Slayer espresso machines, and Yama cold brew towers. It attracted national press. Food Network covered it. The New York Times described the space. Barista Parlor demonstrated that a mid-size Southern city could sustain a full third-wave operation and build a neighborhood identity around it.
8th and Roast had been roasting since 2009, quietly building relationships with Fair Trade farmers globally and developing a wholesale program that now extends nationwide. Steadfast Coffee opened in 2015 in Germantown, founded by Nathanael Mehrens (who invented the coffee soda that became a Crema signature while working there), Sean Stewart, and Jamie Cunningham. Stewart later founded Good Citizen Coffee, which 8th and Roast acquired in 2024.
What Makes It Genuinely Competitive
By the mid-2010s, Nashville had multiple independent roasters operating at a quality level that earned recognition outside the South. Crema was named “Best Coffee Roaster in Tennessee” by Food & Wine Magazine and made their “100 Best Coffee Shops in America” list. Barista Parlor won national design awards and drew visitors specifically for coffee. The city had developed an identifiable approach: specialty coffee that served as part of a broader creative neighborhood ecosystem rather than a destination unto itself. As one analysis from the specialty coffee publication Sprudge noted, Nashville coffee shops weren’t just places to get good coffee, they were part of the city’s creative life alongside music venues, galleries, and restaurants.
This integration is actually what sets Nashville apart from cities with stronger individual roasters. The shops here are embedded in neighborhood culture in a way that made specialty coffee accessible to people who were not seeking it out deliberately.
The Current Landscape
As of 2025, Nashville’s independent roasters and cafes include Crema, Barista Parlor (eight Nashville locations), 8th and Roast (three Nashville locations plus BNA airport), Steadfast, Frothy Monkey Roasting Co. (which roasts for its own locations), Retrograde Coffee, Ugly Mugs/Retrograde, Elegy Coffee (Germantown, East Nashville, and Downtown), Dose, Honest Coffee Roasters, and a growing number of newer spots like All People Coffee and Deir Cafe. The scene now has enough density that the quality floor has risen across the city, and the competitive pressure has kept the established shops from coasting.
The Fair Complaint
The honest critique is that Nashville’s specialty scene remains less developed than Portland, Seattle, Denver, or even cities like Austin or Atlanta in terms of the most technically advanced work. There are not many Nashville shops doing experimental processing, hyper-precise single-origin programming, or the kind of roaster-nerd-facing stuff that defines the cutting edge. What Nashville does well is specialty coffee with genuine hospitality and neighborhood-level integration. That may be a feature rather than a bug.
Sources
- Crema history and La Marzocco interview: https://www.lamarzoccousa.com/news/blog/cafe-story-crema-coffee-roasters/
- Crema Food & Wine recognition via Visit Franklin: https://visitfranklin.com/food-and-drink/crema-coffee-roasters/
- Barista Parlor history, Imbibe Magazine: https://imbibemagazine.com/inside-look-barista-parlor/
- Sprudge Nashville coffee guide: https://sprudge.com/the-coffee-lovers-guide-to-nashville-137216.html
- 8th and Roast official history: https://www.8thandroast.com/
- 8th and Roast acquires Good Citizen, Visit Nashville: https://www.visitmusiccity.com/media/press-release/2024/nashville-based-8th-and-roast-acquires-good-citizen-coffee-co
- Steadfast Coffee NFocus profile: https://www.nfocusmagazine.com/dining/steadfast-coffee-opens-in-germantown/
- Third wave cities analysis, My Coffee Explorer: https://mycoffeeexplorer.com/blog/rise-third-wave-coffee-cities-leading-movement