8 Best Restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee

You know the offerings are good when the hours include a "or till sold out" proviso, and that's the case with this bakery located just off 12th Avenue South. They serve pastries and cookies, but the large, beautifully decorated gourmet doughnuts are what people talk about most. It is locally owned and named for the family's five daughters.

Opened in fall 2018, this Houston Station coffee shop, or rather, lounge, has baked goods made fresh in its tiny kitchen, a large selection of syrups that are used in its house-made Italian sodas, and, of course, hot and iced coffee. The atmosphere is old-school cozy, even more so on Saturday afternoons when there is live jazz.

You can’t miss the bright red facade or the window where you can order the signature chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies; sometimes there's a tray of samples at the window. This location opened in the summer of 2018, but the bakery has been around since 1985 and tins of the cookies are familiar and beloved holiday and celebratory gifts.

This small space is airy and bright, and maintains a bit of its pop-up-shop origins. Serving breakfast and lunch items—including soups and sandwiches—the best options are the cookies and pastries made on-site and also sold at a number of Nashville eateries. Marble-topped tables and black café chairs inside; outdoor seating in warmer months. The baking room is cloaked in a wooden shell that also wraps the counter. Only basic coffee, but it’s from local coffee shop Crema.

Located inside the Factory, this dreamy bakery seems to glow with soft pink light. They specialize in donuts, but not just any old donuts—these are 100-layer croissant-donut hybrids, cream-filled and glazed in flavors like spiced honey cheesecake and maple bacon (they also have a wide selection of paleo and vegan donuts).

As soon as you squeeze through the front door of Meridee’s Breadbasket, you’ll feel at home. The shelves are stocked with fresh baked bread, and the cabinets are full of peanut butter pie and butterscotch bars. There are quilts on the walls and baskets hanging from the ceiling, helping the jumble of tables to feel more neighborly than crowded, and the service is as charming as the setting: ask any employee which bread you should order with your chicken salad sandwich, and they'll discuss it with you for as long as you like.

A trip to Nashville isn't complete without a Christie Cookie (or six). The Nashville-based bakery makes gourmet cookies with real ingredients, with recipes that have earned the brand national recognition. Their Germantown bakery now boasts a storefront where you can pick up a variety of cookies, milk, coffee and Christie-branded goodies.

Who doesn't love a good cupcake? Germantown bakery The Cupcake Collection is a locally beloved cupcake shop, serving a variety of tasty, creative cupcakes both for advance order and for walk-in pickup at their storefront. Classic flavors like red velvet and chocolate are always on hand, while seasonal cupcakes pop up throughout the year.