We Hit The Road To Find Our Top 5 Favorite Hot Spots In Nashville For Yummy Plant-Based Meals
For Mother’s Day this year, mom and I decided to take a fun road trip to Music City USA… AKA Nashville.
It’s safe to say that Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in the US and folks from all over the country are quickly picking up and settling down in this southern hot spot.
I had been to Nashville over 10 years ago and when we went back this past May there was a lot of new development and growth that was certainly unrecognizable from our previous trip. We left our hearts in Nashville and can’t wait to get back. It is easy to see why people are so attracted to this energetic city.
Two of my favorite parts of Nashville were: just how much of a vegan and dog friendly city it was. Clarabelle (my 4lb rescue pup) was lavished on everywhere we went. The JW Marriott was extremely dog friendly, along with just about every restaurant we went to. From shaded outdoor patios, doggy treats while shopping, to the friendly servers who brought Clarabelle water before us hehe, Nashville is a modern, booming destination, that is being built for the future.
Below are some of our favorite spots we stopped at for yummy plant-based meals during our stay! Not all of them are vegan specific but we wanted to include businesses that were making a great effort to offer delicious vegan friendly options.
1. E + Rose Wellness Cafe
E + Rose Wellness Cafe is definitely at the top of our list for vegan breakfasts and lunches in Nashville. We ate here just about every morning. I am a major Acai Bowl fan and had to get one each day.
Just down the street from the Johnny Cash Museum and a couple blocks from the Country Music Hall of Fame, we escaped the heat for a refreshing juice and vegan snack break here. They have a small but cozy patio bar space where we sat to dine. Although dogs are not allowed inside, the bar seating outside is dog friendly and has a bit of shade from the morning sun. Highly recommend stopping here for a healthy refreshing bite to eat. I also tried the jicama tacos and they were so yummy. Guilt free meals all around.
2. Mellow Mushroom
Sometimes, a girl just needs pizza! We hit Broadway at night and wanted to find a fun place with live music a roof top and vegan pizza. Mellow Mushroom has it all.
We sat upstairs on a cozy couch and ordered a custom vegan pizza (a la Follow Your Heart Cheese) with black olives, pineapple, and green peppers. Mellow Mushroom is not vegan specific, but they are vegan friendly and right in the heart of the country music scene in Nashville. They offer two different areas of live music (first floor and rooftop).
3. Grilled Cheeserie
I make a mean grilled cheese here at home, but I have long desired to find a good vegan grilled cheese on the road.
When we heard about The Grilled Cheeserie, my immediate reaction was… I am so excited to be able to get a yummy build your own gourmet vegan grilled cheese sandwich. All of their breads are vegan and you can build your own version. I am a tomato and avocado kind of girl, but smoked jalapeño relish and a side of dill pickles sounds delicious too. The Grilled Cheeserie is not vegan specific, but offer vegan options. A great place to grab lunch or dinner with friends who want to give vegan a try but may be afraid to commit.
4. The Southern V
I don’t think you can go wrong at The Southern V. Every thing on the menu sounds delicious.
Biscuits and gravy, fried chick’n, chickpea tuna melts… The list is endless and I want to work my way through the entire menu! All of it’s fried, vegan, southern style glory has my stomach growling and mouth salivating. The Southern V is 100% plant-based.
5. Bajo Sexto Taco
A big part of our decision making process for where we ate in Nashville had to do with where we could eat with Clarabelle and obviously (of course) places with vegan options.
I found Bajo Sexto Taco while walking back to the hotel from one of the museums we visited. They have a huge outdoor patio and were extremely dog-friendly. One of the servers immediately brought out a little water dish for Clarabelle. It was also shaded, so in the 90+ degree weather it was a nice cool break for us. They have a vegan Korean Crispy Tofu taco and it is so yummy! Highly recommend it.
Bonus: Longbranch Cafe (Carbondale, IL)
While not in Nashville, we found the cutest and most delicious cafe in Carbondale, IL on our drive down… One might ask why we were in Carbondale while driving from Chicago to Nashville, long story but so glad we found Longbranch Cafe.
They have a ton of vegan options along with vegan dessert options. The staff members are so nice and there is… yep you guessed it an outdoor patio space to eat, so super dog friendly. Although, it is right next to a train that is pretty loud but it only came twice while we were there.
