These days, Nashville takes its coffee seriously and so should you. Helmed by in-the-know baristas, these hip coffee shops serve java enthusiasts bottomless cups, cold brews, lattes and espressos alongside snacks and complimentary laid-back Southern vibes.
Located in an old filling station in SoBro, owners Ben and Rachel Lehman kitted out their space with white walls, natural light and an old lumber bar. Idle over a popular Cuban—essentially a riff on a Vietnamese coffee preparation with espresso and both sweetened condensed and steamed milk. To snack, head out to the patio for assorted baked treats and addictive housemade granola.
Since 2011 and with a few locations, these airy, art-filled shops make buzzy drinks from a variety of methods, including a slow Chemex drip and a high-tech, handmade Slayer machine. The original, industrial-flared East Nashville spot, a quick hop across the bridge serves founder Andy Mumma’s buzzy concoctions like whiskey caramel lattes, a perfect match for bacon, egg and cheese biscuits.
This aptly-titled coffee shop inside the warmly-hip confines of the West End’s Hutton Hotel, pours handcrafted grab-and-go coffee drinks by Brooklyn-based Parlor— founded by Nashville native Dillon Edwards. Don’t miss the delicious, freshly baked wild blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls and sweet and savory scones, compliments of Triple Crown Bakery.
On Belmont Avenue, this long-standing café (twenty-five years and counting) is situated in a cozy house with outdoor seating. Opt for creative drinks like Yaya’s espresso tonic with honey, mahlepi, almond, tonic water and lemon zest; or the Thunderbolt using cold-brewed Sumatra, lavender simple and lemonade. You can also nosh on breakfast specials include eggs, French toast and bagels.
With three locations sprinkled in town, the cheekily-titled, locally roasted outfit serves wildly popular cups of Joe coupled with cold brews, white monkey mochas, flat whites and lattes topped with elevated foamy art. And, like all good Southern delights, the food menu features a sprawl of loaded biscuits and sausage gravy, farm egg omelets and seasonal salads.
In Sylvan Park, enjoy pour overs from a rotating coffee roster alongside their draft iced Barcelona drink— topped with soft, salted whipped cream. To eat, an extensive menu has a range of breakfast items like avocado toast with feta cheese crumbles on rustic sourdough to healthy lunch items starring quinoa and a classic cheeseburger on a house butter bun.