12 South and East Nashville split the brunch argument, and which answer you give says something about what you think brunch is supposed to be.
12 South: The Biggest Names and the Longest Lines
12 South has Biscuit Love, which turned what could have been a food truck concept into a Nashville institution and anchored the neighborhood’s brunch identity. The biscuit menu, from the Bonuts (biscuit doughnuts with lemon mascarpone) to the classic and excellent biscuit plates, draws lines before 9 am on weekends. Biscuit Love’s success prompted the neighborhood’s reputation as Nashville’s brunch destination, and other spots followed: Edley’s Bar-B-Que for a savory approach, Frothy Monkey for the coffee-and-eggs set, Urban Grub for a more upscale version.
The trade-off is those lines. Weekend brunch in 12 South requires strategy: arrive before the crowds (9 am is often already too late), put your name in at multiple places simultaneously, or accept that you’ll wait 45 to 75 minutes. The neighborhood’s small physical footprint means there’s nowhere to escape while you wait except to walk the strip, which you’ll do multiple times.
East Nashville: More Variety, Less Performance
East Nashville’s brunch scene is larger, more varied, and less organized around a single institution. The spread across Five Points, Lockeland Springs, and adjacent streets gives it a different character: you can usually find a table somewhere, and the options range from full Southern breakfast plates to vegan-friendly spreads to Korean-influenced brunch menus. Local spots like Lockeland Table, Sky Blue Cafe, and Margot Cafe have built loyal followings. The wait situation is real here too, particularly on Sundays, but the distributed geography gives you more options when one place has a 45-minute wait.
East Nashville brunch also has a more neighborhood-oriented feel: you’re more likely to be sitting next to regulars than tourists, which changes the atmosphere in ways that are hard to quantify but easy to perceive.
Germantown: The Underrated Option
Germantown’s brunch scene is often overlooked because the neighborhood’s dinner reputation is stronger. Monell’s Dining & Catering on Rosa Parks Boulevard serves a family-style Southern meal in a communal dining format unlike anything else in Nashville, you sit with strangers and food keeps coming. It’s more an experience than a restaurant in the conventional sense. Germantown Cafe and other neighborhood spots deliver good quality with shorter waits than 12 South.
Downtown / SoBro: Functional, Not Destination
Downtown and SoBro have brunch options oriented toward hotel guests and convention traffic. Pinewood Social handles the upscale brunch market well. The options aren’t bad, but they’re not where Nashville people go for weekend brunch; they’re where people who are already staying downtown eat without committing to a rideshare.
The Honest Answer
If you want the most celebrated brunch in Nashville and you’re willing to wait: Biscuit Love in 12 South. If you want a better overall morning with less planning: East Nashville, pick a neighborhood block with multiple options, and work the wait list situation.
Sources
- Frommers, “Neighborhoods in Brief in Nashville”: frommers.com
- Redfin, “14 Popular Nashville Neighborhoods” (February 2025): redfin.com/blog/nashville-tn-neighborhoods/
- Expedia, “Visit 12 South: Nashville Travel Guide”: expedia.com
- NashvilleGuru, Neighborhoods guide: nashvilleguru.com