For a neighborhood with Germantown’s reputation for food and drink, its coffee scene is surprisingly compact. The neighborhood does not have ten coffee shops fighting for the same customer. It has a few good ones, each with a distinct identity, and together they cover most of what you’d want from a coffee stop.
Steadfast Coffee
603 Taylor St. The address matters because the entrance is around back, up a few stairs, which means first-time visitors occasionally walk past it. Steadfast is the neighborhood’s most serious coffee shop in the specialty sense: they experiment with brewing methods, the menu changes seasonally, and the “Flash Chilled” coffee (an espresso-driven cold drink, bright and refreshing rather than heavy) is something you will not find prepared this way at most places. The interior has a clean, almost Scandinavian aesthetic that keeps things calm. Seating is comfortable enough for extended work sessions. Steadfast also offers beer and wine, with happy hour weekdays from 4pm to 6pm, which blurs the boundary between coffee shop and neighborhood hangout in a way that feels organic rather than gimmicky. Hours: Monday through Friday 7am to 7pm, Saturday 8am to 7pm, Sunday 8am to 5pm.
Barista Parlor (Germantown location)
1230 4th Ave N. Barista Parlor’s Germantown location is a garage-style space with glass doors that open onto the street in good weather more open and airy than the original East Nashville location, which is denser and more atmospheric. The coffee is excellent, single-origin and hand-brewed with real attention paid to sourcing. The whiskey caramel and bourbon vanilla lattes have followings. It is the most famous coffee brand in Nashville and the Germantown location benefits from that reputation without the same crowds that hit the East Nashville original on weekends. Expect to pay more here than almost anywhere else for coffee; the quality justifies it if that’s the standard you’re holding.
Red Bicycle
1200 5th Ave N. Where Steadfast skews toward the craft coffee purist and Barista Parlor toward the aesthete, Red Bicycle brings a more family-friendly, neighborhood-diner energy. The coffee is good, but the food menu is the main draw: crepes, sandwiches, pastries, brunch items, and the space fills with families on weekend mornings. If you want coffee plus a solid meal in Germantown without committing to a full restaurant experience, Red Bicycle handles it well. Expect crowds from 10am to 3pm on weekends.
Neighborlily
A newer arrival that has quickly become a neighborhood favorite. The space doubles as a floral shop, which gives it a distinctive atmosphere: plants everywhere, natural light, cut flowers at the counter. The lattes and teas are well-executed and the decor creates a feeling that is actually unusual for Nashville’s coffee scene. Good for a first date or a slow morning when you want somewhere that feels carefully considered.
Elegy Coffee (Germantown location)
A small, stylish space that opened more recently and has developed a loyal following. Plants hanging from the ceiling, good light, a tight menu executed cleanly. Elegy feels like a secret for now, which means it won’t stay that way.
Sources
- Steadfast Coffee website: https://steadfast.coffee/pages/germantown
- Barista Parlor website: https://baristaparlor.com/
- Yelp, “Best Coffee & Tea in Germantown, Nashville”: https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=coffee&find_loc=Germantown,+Nashville,+TN+37208
- The Road Tripping Family, “Our Favorite Coffee Shops in Nashville” (November 2025): https://www.theroadtrippingfamily.com/our-favorite-coffee-shops-in-nashville/
- Peter’s Big Adventure, “21 Best Nashville Coffee Shops”: https://www.petersbigadventure.com/nashville-coffee-guide
- The Infatuation, “Germantown”: https://www.theinfatuation.com/nashville/neighborhoods/germantown