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Definitely check out Cafe Coco (close to Vanderbilt - 10 minute drive from downtown). It's a great coffee shop with good (reasonably-priced) food, live music, and cool atmosphere. Plus it's open all night long, and the crowd is primarily your younger, local crowd - college students, young professionals, not touristy at all. Website is www.cafecoco.com

Noshville is a good idea, but I'd definitely eat there for breakfast/brunch. It's a NY style deli/diner - very casual, reasonable prices, and again, definitely a place for locals.

15 minutes from downtown is an area called Hillsboro Village (on 21st Ave.). There's a great European-style cafe/bakery called Provence with amazing pastries, baked goods, coffee, sandwiches, salads, etc. In this same area is a good restaurant called Jackson's. Go for the outside seating (perfect for this time of year), the drinks and the dessert.

For Greek food, go to Kalamata's (in Green Hills, on Hillsboro Rd.).
For Mexican, go to Baja Burrito (in Berry Hill, off Thompson Lane).

Another great brunch/lunch spot is Marche in East Nashville.

If you want a more upscale drink bar, go to The Bound'ry or Virago. For a more casual bar, try the Tin Roof or Dan McGuinness. And if you want to go to a tourist bar, you can't beat Legends and The Stage. Both of those are right on Broadway (as downtown as it gets).

Oh and one more - this may sound crazy, but if you can find it, on 12th Ave South is the most amazing popsicle place ever called Las Paletas. It's a tiny store in the bottom corner of a building, and no sign out front, BUT try to find it if you can. They make the BEST popsicles you will ever taste. Bobby Flay took them on in his Throwdown show on the Food Network, and they creamed him. It was awesome.

Anyway, most of the above listed places have websites that you can get menus and directions on. Enjoy your visit!

Oh, Nashville--I love it so much! I'm from a tiny town an hour away, so I have been there many a weekend in relatively your same predicament.

Sushi is pretty big in Nashville--Ichiban is amazing, though not very cheap, and Ru San's, a branch off of the Atlanta RuSan's tree, is cheap and open late, with a huge menu of lots of interesting stuff (though it's not the best sushi).

Cafe Coco is good for late night needs, though I don't really like the food. The drinks are imaginative though, and there's quite a few interesting people to look at. I like Fido's a little better food and drink wise, but if you want to sit and drink coffee, Coco's is in a funky old house with a lot of attitude, so it's neat to be around.

For pub food and beer, my best friend loves Bosco's, and it's quite popular among Nashvillites.

For cheap, late tex-mex, San Antonio Taco Company over on 21st is also good. Their queso is gloopy and orange, the best of the queso world (in Nashville).

For really late cheap Mediterranean food and a hookah, fight the 16-year-old hipster crowd over at Tarboosh. Get a pot of the cinnamon tea!

Emsev has the best rec's so far. I would like to add:

The farmer's market on 8th Ave has a variety of food vendors including Caribbean and Cajun food. The Swett's booth there can't be beat if you are hungry for some Southern soul food. I definitely recommend checking out the outdoor produce market and the indoor international grocery.

East Side Fish and Bolton's Spicy Chicken will give you a different side of Southern cuisine if you decide to venture across the river (away from the tourist areas of Nashville).

One of my favorite Nashville establishments is the international grocery across from the previously recommended Cafe Coco near Belmont University. There is a cafeteria style buffet that is VERY CHEAP and delicious if you are a fan of spicy/salty Southeastern Asian food.

Arnold's is a meat-and-three also on 8th. More Southern food, but that's probably part of the reason you're going to Nashville, right?

Authentic Mexican restaurants (NOT Tex-Mex) abound in Nashville. Keep your eyes open, and enjoy your trip!

7 days a week

http://www.nashvillefarmersmarket.org/

I second Fido, SATCo, Baja Burrito, Pancake Pantry, and Loveless.

Additionally, one I haven't tried (but will one of these next times I get to go home) is Tayst, which is on 21st just south of Hillsboro Village. They primarily use local farmers.

For late night, there's Mafiaoza's down on 12th. It's open until 2 or 3 in the morning and has a pretty good Italian menu.

@cm82.....they are indeed related.

PS...had the taco salad at Baja Burrito today and it was other wordly in it's wonderfulness. I've had it a million times...but this one was special. Check it out if you get a chance.

Fido is a great rec...fantastic for people watching. You never know who is going to show up in there. Mafioza's is also a good rec - especially for pizza.

Just my personal opinion, but I would stay away from Pancake Pantry and Loveless. Before anyone bashes me for that, I KNOW they are both Nashville legends. But, I feel like you should know that Pancake Pantry is notorious for having a historically bad sanitation grade. I personally have had a very bad experience there in terms of the cleanliness of the place, to the point that I will never eat there again. As for Loveless, yes, it's good food, but it's a substantial drive outside the city (prob a good 30 minutes from downtown), it's overpriced, and the food is good, not exceptional.

If you love Southern breakfast, I'd recommend Puckett's in downtown historic Franklin. This too is a little bit of a drive, but the food is great and the location is awesome.

ps. @goochybird ~ couldn't agree more about the taco salad at Baja. I crave them regularly.

Germantown Bistro is nice, but not really in walking distance from Union Sta.. I also like the Mojo grill for Cajun bent food.

Fried Bolonga sandwhich in a HonkeyTonk goes perfect with a cold beer too! Sorry I cant' remenber which one it was though. Loved it and I hate bolonga.

Gotta co-sign with Emsev on this thread... a lot of the suggestions here are ok places to eat, but if you're TRULY a serious eater you're not looking for the chains or fast casual places. Fortunately Nashville has a lot of solid local cheap eats, even if a lot of them aren't right near where you'll be staying. Cheap booze is also readily available as well.

In the already mentioned Hillsboro Village area check out Savarino's for great italian sandwiches and pastries and will put you near several bars. Unfortunately they don't stay open super late. If you're not super hungry though, the small plates at the nearby Cabana make for decent drunk food.

Jack's BBQ on lower broadway is the best bet in that neck of the woods, although Rippy's can give them a run for their money when it comes to ribs (but not anything else). Don't even bother looking for food on 2nd avenue proper.

Also, if it were me, I'd say you could eat late at Mojo Grill (while you wash it down with drinks from the adjacent Broadway Brewhouse) and then mosey up the street to Red Door Saloon for drinks that will give you more bang for your buck. THEN if you want to kick yourself for not going to undergrad in Nashville, stumble further to Demonbruen street.

Finally... Prince's Hot Chicken Shack. Steal someone's car to get there if you have to. It's worth it.

I'm over in nashville tomorrow or the next - glad I came across this thread.
Thanks!