The Best. Around.
New in town?
Old in town?
Looking for a new joint and you're not feeling adventurous...you just want the best?
These are the best.
These are the best places in town that we've been to a dozen or more times because every time will be awesome. Guaranteed.
Skull's Rainbow Room
When folks visit from out of town, we take them to Skull's. Not only does it have the swankiest atmosphere of any restaurant in Nashville (without the price tag), the food is freaking outstanding. It's very unusual to find a place with an incredible feel AND excellent food AND impeccable service. With a speak-easy vibe, a tiny checkerboard stage for jazz and burlesque, and 21 and up clientele after 9 p.m. (nothing ruins a $40 steak like a vocal toddler), Skull's is perfection every single time. The shotgun-style venue is like a long and dark music hall with a bar on one side and a stage on the other. The whole room feels like a pinball machine that pops you out onto Printer's Alley when you've had enough.
Pros: You'll feel like a prohibition-era movie star, and the cops just might shut the place down because of all this jazz and booze nonsense.
Cons: You have to PLAN to go there because you're not popping in for a table no matter what time of day.
What to order: a bottle of prosecco, a seasonal cocktail from their everchanging menu, the charcuterie, the filet
Tokyo japanese smyrna
Tokyo never disappoints. The servers are friendly, the sushi is fresh, the entrees are hot, and their full bar and cocktails are impressive. Just off the interstate in unassuming Smyrna, the restaurant has about a dozen hibachi stoves and a sushi bar. There are even outdoor tables with umbrellas for those longing to go out to eat but wanting to be safe during the pandemic. The best thing about the restaurant is the awesome owners. Few restaurants put the safety of the community before profit, but during the pandemic, Tokyo closed down completely to keep its employees and the community safe. When they reopened, they had mandatory temperature checks at the door, and if an employee or customer was infected (no matter where they got the virus), the restaurant shut down for ten days for deep cleaning. Though business is slow right now, their loyal customers continue getting take-out from the restaurant because it's just so dang good.
Pros: Delicious sushi, awesome selection of sakes, and delightful hibachi chefs who love fire
Cons: Eating there twice a week will cause you to gain a few pounds
What to order: Dancing Tuna Roll, Hot Pineapple Sake
Jeff Ruby's
Nashville
Jeff Ruby's is consistently good. It is slightly pricey, but the level of swank and pomp and circumstance is part of the awesome dining experience if you like that sort of thing, which we do. The folks at Jeff's are self-proclaimed culinary entertainers, and they live up to that title. You can leave here with an enormous check if you're celebrating something, but if you pop in for a sushi roll or a cocktail and a dessert, you can afford to pop in frequently. We almost always stop at Jeff's on our way to TPAC. Rather than paying $20 or more for parking, we'll valet at Jeff's, go in and buy a few cocktails and an appetizer, and pick up our car after the show. It's convenient and it's almost a wash if you don't overdo it.
Pros: Hoity toity atmosphere, consistently good food, and awesome music played on a grand piano eight feet off the ground in the bar
Cons: A bit on the pretentious side, but good fun
What to order: The Godfather roll, the Old Fashioned with extra luxardo cherries, the doughnuts (yep)
