What Is the Most Underrated Bar on Broadway?
- 2 sections
- 1 table
- 4 sources cited
No ranking measures which bar is underrated, so take this as a judgment with its reason stated: Layla’s Honky Tonk at 418 Broadway. It sits on the same block as Tootsie’s and Robert’s, but it does not carry a celebrity’s name, and the music is the main event. Notes on Nashville describes it as having one stage with continuous music, mixing bluegrass with country, Americana, newgrass, Western, hillbilly, and rockabilly, and says Layla really owns the place and is known to join the band on stage. If you want a bar chosen for its music rather than its name, start there. Two other bars fit the same test.
Three Bars Worth Trying
| Bar | Address | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Layla's Honky Tonk | 418 Broadway | one stage with continuous music; bluegrass mixed with other roots styles; owner-run, according to Notes on Nashville |
| The Stage | 412 Broadway | Notes on Nashville points to the size of the stage and the dance floor on the first floor, with live music on the second floor and on a heated rooftop patio |
| Acme Feed & Seed | 101 Broadway | at the river end of the strip, away from the middle blocks; housed in a building built in 1890; each floor has its own feel, with Acme Radio Live on the first floor |
The bars’ own sites: Layla’s, The Stage, and Acme Feed & Seed.
How to Use the Pick
- Getting in when the front is crowded. Notes on Nashville points out rear entrances to The Stage, Tootsie’s, Layla’s, and Legends on the alley behind the Ryman Auditorium.
- Pairing bars. Layla’s, The Stage, Robert’s, and Tootsie’s are within the 400 block, so you can try a set at each.
- Checking who is playing. The Stage lists who is on next for each floor on its site.
How to choose among the rest of the strip’s honky-tonks is in the best honky-tonks on Broadway. For the opposite question, see the most overrated bar on Broadway.