The Absolute Best Brunch Spots in Nashville

Reservations for dinner at Audrey, chef Sean Brock’s shrine to Appalachian cuisine, have been tough to come by ever since the restaurant opened to national acclaim. At least you’ll have an extra chance to score a seat now that brunch will join the line-up on April 29 with an impossibly fluffy showstopper of an omelet cooked using the Mère Poulard method over an open hearth. Audrey encourages reservations, but a few dining room seats will be reserved for walk-ins. The full menu (no reservations) is available at the bar as well.

Frosé brunches are so last year. Take a refined trip to Italy with a brunch service at Luogo that revolves around the traditional Venetian peach and prosecco-kissed Bellini cocktail. In addition to a Bellini Martini to accompany plates of Italian shrimp and grits or frittatas, diners can also opt for a special Bloody Mary garnished with an entire meatball. That’s Italian!

Since The Butter Milk Ranch doesn’t take reservations, arrive when the doors open or prepare to wait for table service. It’s worth the effort because everything on the short menu is outstanding. From laminated biscuits and brown butter beignets to egg dishes including house specialty The Cube, a box-shaped croissant filled with house-made sausage, bacon, or ham covered with luscious hollandaise, there are plenty of good reasons why that line is stretching out the door.

The queue of hungry patrons waiting to get into the original Biscuit Love in the Gulch are smart enough to know the cozy eatery’s biscuit sandwiches are something special. They’re just not smart enough to realize that the second location five minutes away in Hillsboro Village serves the same menu as the one in the Gulch— biscuits and gravy, hot chicken biscuit sandwiches, and the biscuit/donut clone known as the Bonut—but with smaller crowds. Be doubly smart.

There’s no need to hurry to get to brunch at Cafe Roze since brunch is served every day from 8 am until 3:30 pm. They’ll be ready when you are. Get the day off to a healthy start with a berry shake or some coconut yogurt, or soak up a little of last night’s sins with Country Ham Toast with a soft scrambled egg or one of the best smash burgers in town. More refined options include a delightful turmeric-carrot soup and a beautiful smoked trout toast served with radish, lemon, and chives.

Husk’s reputation comes from chef Sean Brock’s inventive takes on classic Southern dishes made with heritage ingredients. It also has an incredible selection of spirits in the cozy bar downstairs. Combine these two factors and you have a perfect recipe for a transcendent Southern breakfast, where options include quail with red-eye gravy, johnnycakes, a poached egg, sweet potato glaze, and hollandaise. Luckily, that famous Husk cheeseburger is also available during brunch, which runs from 10 am to 2 pm on weekends.

Ever since the Graduate Nashville hotel opened, the property’s bold and playful decor and cheeky worship of Dolly Parton have made it a premier location for Instagram photoshoots with bevies of bachelorettes often making multiple costume changes between shots. The rooftop pool patio and lounge is a magnet for fun-seekers who want to sip on clever cocktails and enjoy a sweeping panorama of downtown. The food menu includes plenty of shareables for your crew to divvy up plus larger plates if you’re feeling selfish.

Henrietta Red is best known for its work with seafood, and there are certainly some ocean delights like roasted oysters and citrus-cured salmon on the brunch menu. But weekend mornings are when the kitchen has a bit of fun with internationally-inspired breakfast treats and sweet pastries. The decor of the lovely dining space is a treat for the eyes, the pleasant buzz of excited diners provides the soundtrack, and a list of brunchy cocktails keeps the party going.

During the week, this stylish lounge from the team behind Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria focuses on creative cocktails and tapas. During Sunday brunch, the vibe is a little more casual. The menu still sets a high bar with dishes like Belgian Waffles, Smothered Salmon Croquettes, and Creole Fish and Grits, but you can also go more old-school with a la carte options of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and smothered potatoes. Brunch drinks on the docket include a specialty punch and a classic bellini along with Bloodys, mimosas, and cold brew coffee.

Already home to one of Nashville’s best “power breakfasts,” weekend brunch is more festive thanks to more tourists and fewer attorneys in the crowd. Egg plates and omelets lead the fare, and pay special attention to the fork-tender short ribs basted in Coca-Cola barbecue sauce. The kitchen bakes up exemplary buttermilk biscuits too, whether served with sausage gravy or stuffed with breakfast meats.

While you might associate German biergartens with lederhosen-clad oompah bands, Von Elrod’s Beer Hall and Kitchen inherited its popular weekend Bluegrass Brunch after its sister restaurant, The Sutler, shuttered last year. Live pickers offer just one more reason to enjoy a morning meal at Von Elrod’s on top of a menu of sausages, pecan sticky buns, breakfast burritos, and mimosas (served in a liter-sized beer stein).

The latest addition to the Fifth + Broadway retail and entertainment complex focuses on Spanish tapas and a robust bar menu, so a boozy brunch just makes loads of sense. Served Friday through Sunday, Boqueria’s brunch offers fun dishes like Torrija (caramelized French toast with citrus honey, and Breakfast Paella with roasted chicken, piquillo peppers, chorizo, kale, and eggs. Add in 90 minutes of free-flowing sangria, mimosas, beer, Bloody Marys, or cava, and you’ve got an hour and a half of very good times.

Bring a crowd to Sinema on the weekend for family-style bottomless brunch service, like a buffet without having to leave your table. Platter after platter of fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, Papas Rancheras, cheese grits, and eggs parade to your table until somebody cries “Uncle!” They also offer the option to add all the mimosas and Bloody Marys you want for the duration of your meal. You might want to pace yourself—and go ahead and cancel your dinner reservations.

The Israeli-leaning menu at Butcher & Bee lends itself to an enjoyable vegetarian experience, even for hardcore carnivores. It does serve meat, but small flavorful plates like the popular whipped feta and honey with cracked black pepper and mains like an addictive avocado crispy rice make it pretty easy to go veggie every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. Or make the baller move and partake in the “Brunch Like a Boss” option, and the kitchen staff will send out its favorite dishes to enjoy family-style for just $30 a head.

The good folks at Earnest know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so they offer their brunch menu every day of the week except Monday. This is a real benefit for hospitality professionals who have to work during weekend brunch hours and would like the chance to enjoy an occasional cocktail with their morning meal alongside dishes like brown butter pancakes, breakfast tacos, and poutine Benedict. 

The Mockingbird knows weekend brunch. The festive atmosphere at this party palace encourages appropriately irresponsible behavior among friends, and the available bowls of spiked punch with your choice of alcoholic spirit turn everything up a notch. The menu is filled with delicious, punny menu items like a cinnamon roll dish called “Those Buns, Dough!” and a Mexican-inspired platter named “Taco the Town.”