The Tastiest Lounges in Nashville

The Patterson House

★★★★☆ 4.4 (1430) • $$

"Stellar. We met local friends here while in town and loved it. We arrived at 4pm and were the first at the bar where we met the fabulous mixologist who would impress all of us with her skills. We enjoyed about 2 drinks each for a total of 8 and all were spectacular and inventive and flavorful. I don't drink alcohol so I had two mocktails for about $10. The first was a creamy, ginger, grapefruit mixture. So delish. After that, I chose a maple cream with a pineapple twist and some other things I can't remember. It was better than the first! My husband had a whiskey and followed with a black manhattan. He said it was the best Manhattan he's ever had and he's had plenty.Our two friends have been here many times and ordered from the whiskey specials menu but then had their second drinks as surprises. Also wonderful. Sitting at the bar is fun to watch the magic happen! They have a small bites menu with some good items but we enjoyed this as a stop off prior to the rest of our evening elsewhere. A gem!"

Darfons Restaurant & Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.4 (1189) • $$

"Nashville, TN. I gave Darfons a five star just because I finally dined at a Nashville restaurant that was relaxed, welcoming, and serves delicious food. It was so good I came back on another night. The ambiance is casual and has the feel of a higher end chain restaurant, nothing fancy, intimate, or romantic. The lighting is soft and pleasant and the noise level was typical of patrons chatting. I enjoyed the inside section more than the so called "Garage". It was just too much like an overflow area. It could be fun for lunch when the windows are open and you want to have a few beers. The non alcoholic drinks are superb. Very nicely crafted. The salad was large, fresh, and so good. The mandarin slices with the walnuts were a nice touch. The salmon is a decent sized portion and well crusted. It was delicious. The salad with add on steak is an economical way to get a delicious filet, even if it comes sliced. The steak portion is excellent and cooked a perfect medium. Their version of pecan pie is one of the best I've had and I'm kind of picky about that. The ice cream tasted house made, very nice.I thought the lamb chops were superb, you get four in a delicious sauce. The chocolate torte is rich and is perfect with their ice cream. I will be back for sure."

Deacon's New South

★★★★☆ 4.1 (363) • $$$

"Excellent food, atmosphere and service! We're greeted quickly and, even though we were still waiting for a few of our group to wander in, the server was taking drink orders almost immediately.We had some shareable appetizers among the group (cornbread and succotash are the ones I can remember). Most of the group got steaks (it is a steakhouse after all); I ended up get the corn cacio e pepe, which was so good. I added chicken and it didn't need it, was just fine without.Shorter cocktail and beer list, but what they had was good. Was told the dried meat cooler was viewable on a walk back to the restrooms, so checked that out too.Would definitely recommend Deacon's if you're looking for something a little more upscale and want a break from hot chicken and bars!"

Attaboy

★★★★☆ 4.1 (322)

"Attaboy is a classy as all get out "speakeasy" cocktail back in Nashville and nyc. The Nashville location isn't large but is definitely bigger than their nyc location. The cocktails are bartenders whim based on a vibe or prompt you give. Tell them a spirit and a flavor profile or vibe. Or just ask for a classic cocktail. Everything we had was absolutely delicious. Camera will see you outside, or just give a gentle knock. They'll come grab your name and seat you when they can. An absolute must in Nashville."

Valentino's Ristorante

★★★★☆ 4.2 (232) • $$$

"We came here for New Year's Eve dinner on a whim and had a nice cozy time. Right off the bat, the ambiance is fantastic -- it seems to be an old house with an intimate feel because there are just a handful of tables in each room. It also has a nice upscale feel without being way overpriced or stuffy, which I like. We had great attentive service from Graham, who happily provided suggestions, didn't pressure us on time or upsells, and just overall took great care of us. We started with the burrata caprese (and the house bread, because we were starving). Even for winter tomatoes, this dish was excellent and the bread was warm and soft and went nicely with the olive oil. I had the chicken parm and husb had the lasagna, both of which were tasty. And we finished with cheesecake and tiramisu. Big portions, so we wound up taking some of everything but the appetizer home, but we'll be enjoying it again soon.Overall, it's a great date night location because of the intimate vibe and doesn't have overwhelming music like some restaurants (so would also be great to bring parents). They have complimentary valet parking as well, which is another nice touch. Also nice wine list."

Rudy's Jazz Room

★★★★☆ 4.3 (199) • $$

"Rudy's is the kind of place that makes me feel like an adult. It's all dim lighting and shadows, cocktails and jazz, spicy food and leather seats. It's classy but unpretentious. Also, my server looked exactly like Matty Matheson, so that was obviously a bonus (see my photo for evidence).Speaking of photos: My photos of this joint suck because the lighting is red. Red lights are amazing in person and set the mood perfectly, but they make everything in a photo look like a bloody vampire movie. I couldn't exactly parse out the exact colors in my food (it all looked red), but all of my food tasted delicious. Rudy's specializes in New Orleans Creole food. I visited with a group, so I got to taste a few things, and I started with the Creole Red Beans & Rice, which comes with andouille sausage. It's spicy! I was warned, but I thought, I'm Mexican, I can take it. I could barely take it. Luckily, it's served with perfectly cooked white rice to temper the heat. I also tried a bit of the Chicken, Andouille Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo, which was just a touch spicy but so satisfying and warm. Our table also got an order of the Rudy's Popcorn Shrimp (served with cocktail sauce) and the fried pickles (served with spicy ranch). Both of these were delicious and definitely enough to share.The menu at Rudy's is concise -- which I love -- and includes many spicy options, so if you love heat, you will love this place. They also have a dessert menu that includes beignets, which I didn't get to try but I heard are great.My server, Matty Matheson's doppelganger, created one of the special cocktails on the menu: a cocktail made with fernet, Italicus liqueur, lemon and simple syrup. So, I had to get it. It was amazing -- refreshing with just a hint of licorice, poured over one of those big, square ice cubes. If it's on the menu when you visit, get this cocktail.Food and drink is just half of the experience of Rudy's. This is a jazz club, so expect to hear local jazz, especially jazz that honors New Orleans swing and French roots. When I visited, the band that was on stage was channeling Django Reinhardt hard. It was a nice because I love that old timey, jangly type of jazz. It was a lovely evening of music and food and drink."

Drusie and Darr

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (227)

"Had dinner here tonight before a show at TPAC across the street. Service was a little slooooooow at first, took a while to actually order. Once we ordered though everything went smoothly. Started w some deviled eggs which were delicious - basic deviled eggs, but tasty for sure. For dinnner I actually ate meat! They didn't have a fish dish I wanted so I had my first steak in a year. It was pretty good! Cooked perfectly and definitely a quality piece of meat. Sides were smashed potatoes (YUM) and broccolini (ALSO YUM), both bathed in butter and we appreciated it. Crowd in here was older (white haired honestly) and mostly wearing suits... kind of a little stuffy. It wasn't busy either for a Saturday night. The food was great but the atmosphere could be a little more modern to me personally."

Up Rooftop Table and Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.6 (174) • $$

"Really pretty trendy spot for great aerial views of downtown Nashville and surrounding areas. Coming from NYC, these prices for their drinks seemed reasonable to me lol Loved their hot chicken too! Service was really friendly and the views could not be beat! A little out of the ways from the tourist hub of Nashville but still worth the uber trip over! Looking guard to our next visit!"

Inglewood Lounge

★★★★★ 4.7 (81) • $$

Rare Bird

★★★★☆ 3.7 (88) • $$

"We came for "Elevated Hours" which is Tuesday from 5pm to 7pm. Instead of their usual menu, they have "bartender is the expert" menu. You choose the spirit type, the flavor profile, and what glass you want it in. And then the bartender makes something to your preferences. The bartenders REALLY make the experience here, and if you're someone who likes new flavors, you'll love this weekly event.They can't do this system for mocktails. They'll ask you to choose a regular-menu mocktail if you're not boozing. Lots and lots of seating up here, but most of it is group-style couch seating. Nothing really made for just two people, but you'll have space for groups of 4 to 8. The bar itself (and its seating) is covered from the sun, but all group and non-bar seating is out under the sun. During this 5pm to 7pm period in June, however, the gigantic skyscraper a few blocks away blocked the sun itself, so so it was less hot than it could have been. There's a tall glass barrier/fence along the perimeter of the bar, so you don't get a ton of breeze up here. This probably makes the bar more tolerable in chillier months, but it actually pretty hot in the middle of summer. They have full, clean restrooms right next to the bartop. You don't have to go to another floor or head back into the hotel itself. Bartenders were VERY knowledgeable and speedy. When I saw they had Pimms No. 1, I asked our server, Brian, if he could make a drink focused on Pimms, and he did fantastically. I think the Elevated Hours are probably a time when the bartenders get to use some of their creativity. All of the drinks I ordered were on-the-mark with the requests I made. They also provide finger snack foods during their Elevated Hours. They were absolutely delicious, and it makes me want to try the other restaurants located in the Noelle."

BetMGM Sports Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.3 (12)

"We loved this bar, it's super tucked away but it's open to the public! You don't have to be going to the arena to eat or drink here. Zoe was our bartender and she was absolutely amazing. All of the food and drinks she recommended were spot on. We will definitely be coming back. OH and there's so many TV's!"

Eddie Ate Dynamite

★★★★☆ 3.6 (5)