What Is the Best Coffee Shop in 12 South?

February 19, 2026

Frothy Monkey is the best coffee shop in 12 South. It opened in 2004 at 2509 12th Ave S — before the neighborhood became what it is today — and has remained the anchor of the strip ever since.

The 12 South location is the original. Frothy Monkey has since expanded across Nashville (Downtown, The Nations, East Nashville), to Franklin, Chattanooga, and into Alabama, but this was where it started: a cozy bungalow in a neighborhood that was still figuring out what it wanted to be. The shop’s staying power while everything around it changed and multiplied is its own kind of credential.

The coffee is serious. Frothy Monkey runs its own roasting operation (Frothy Monkey Roasting Company) and bakes everything in-house through a connected bakery operation. The 12South blend — named for the neighborhood — is their most popular roast: Central and South American beans, medium roast, notes of red apple, chocolate, and hazelnut. The specialty coffee bar handles espresso drinks, pour-overs, and cold brew well.

The all-day menu is the other reason it works. Breakfast through dinner, every day. Not just coffee and pastries — real meals, made from scratch using local sourcing. The bread comes from the Frothy Monkey bakery. The eggs are from Kentucky farms. The bacon is from Broadbent. This level of ingredient attention is unusual for a coffee shop and it shows in the food.

The space itself is consistently busy but not frantic. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. Laptop workers are common during the week. On weekend mornings it fills with the brunch crowd, but a seat at the coffee bar usually opens up faster than a full table.

Hours at the 12 South location run 7am to 8pm daily.

The second coffee option worth mentioning is Portland Brew, which has a location nearby for those who want a quieter workspace and lean toward Pacific Northwest-style coffee culture. But Frothy Monkey is the neighborhood institution and the default answer.

Sources

  • Frothy Monkey official site, About Us: frothymonkey.com/about/
  • Frothy Monkey 12South blend: frothymonkey.com/product/12south/
  • Nashville Go, Frothy Monkey 12 South: nashvillego.com
  • Yelp, Frothy Monkey Nashville: yelp.com/biz/frothy-monkey-nashville
  • OpenTable, Frothy Monkey 12South: opentable.com/r/frothy-monkey-12south-nashville
  • Visit Nashville TN, Frothy Monkey 12South: visitmusiccity.com

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