Delicious as F*ck - Nashville 2025

Don't have regrets. Eat at one of these restaurants, before you die.

This is the list people ask about. Five restaurants that have held their standard long enough and consistently enough that there's no asterisk next to any of them. Bastion doesn't have a fixed menu and doesn't need one — the kitchen operates at a level where the constraints other restaurants rely on just don't apply. The Catbird Seat is one of the best dining experiences in the country, full stop. Locust punches at a weight class most of Nashville doesn't know exists. Peninsula is the most ambitious restaurant in East Nashville and one of the five best restaurants in the city — Chef Jake Howell is building something that belongs in any national conversation about serious American cooking. Kisser is the newest addition and already belongs. Getting on this list requires more than a few good months. Staying on it requires everything.

The Spots

Bastion

Wedgewood-Houston
$$
Cocktail Bar, Modern American
Delicious as F*ck

Bastion is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant and bar in Wedgewood-Houston helmed by chef Josh Habiger — one of Nashville's first fine dining destinations and still one of its best, with a come-as-you-are bar and nachos on one side and a 24-seat hidden dining room on the other.

bastion

Kisser

East Nashville
Japanese
Delicious as F*ck

Kisser is a Japanese comfort food restaurant in East Nashville from chefs Leina Horii and Brian Lea — lunch only, no reservations, Michelin Bib Gourmand, and some of the most talked-about Japanese cooking in Nashville.

kisser

Locust

12 South
$$$
Modern American
Delicious as F*ck

Locust is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in 12 South helmed by chef Trevor Moran — Japanese, Irish, and British influences, wood-fired technique, a menu that changes constantly, and some of the most emotionally resonant cooking in Nashville.

locust

The Catbird Seat

The Gulch
$$$$
Modern American
Delicious as F*ck

The Catbird Seat is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in The Gulch helmed by chefs Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz — Nashville's most acclaimed restaurant, now in a spectacular new multi-floor space, with 13-16 courses and the most coveted reservation in the city.

the-catbird-seat

Peninsula

East Nashville
$$
Spanish, Modern American
Delicious as F*ck

Peninsula is a tasting menu restaurant in East Nashville helmed by chef Jake Howell — Southern ingredients, global technique, Michelin Recommended, and a structured dining experience that earns every minute of its length.

peninsula

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