The 12 Best Breakfast Spots In Nashville 2024 - Nashville - The Infatuation (2024)

There’s one downside to all the amazing brunch places in Nashville: for many of our favorites, it's a weekend-only thing. These 12 breakfast spots are here for you (almost) every day of the week though, no matter if you’re looking to fuel up for a productive day or recover from your shot-fueled Tuesday at Santa’s. You'll find gravy-smothered biscuits at a vintage diner counter, soft skillet cinnamon buns in a gorgeous cafe, gooey bagel sandwiches in South Nashville, and more.

THE SPOTS

Despite the name, you’re not coming to The Butter Milk Ranch for riffs on arguably the best wing dipping sauce in history—you’re here for breakfast. Hit this spot early (seriously, it gets very crowded mid-morning) for a meal of ricotta and herb soft scramble with chili crunch, and a basket of biscuits with sublime poblano gravy. But your meal won't be complete unless you stop at the bakery case for churro croissants made with dulce de leche cream, and oatmeal cookie sandwiches stuffed with brown butter frosting.

This Nashville classic has been serving diner-style breakfasts and meat-and-three lunches and dinners since 1939. The shop leans hard into the nostalgia, but resists feeling like theme park—construction workers, police officers, and office workers are all posted up on the vinyl seats waiting for their first coffee of the day. The breakfast options are simple, but done well: the buttermilk biscuits are moist, the pepper gravy flavorful, and the creamy cheese grits will satisfy even the most discerning porridge enthusiasts. If you’ve got a little space left after all those carbs, the shop does still indeed serve up old-timey sodas (with phosphates!) and milkshakes (with malt!). There’s also a case of meringue-topped pies made daily by the resident pie lady, and you should absolutely get a slice on your way out.

Cafe Roze is a nice break from Nashville’s biscuit-centric breakfast scene. It's pretty and polished without feeling sterile, and will win you over with the details: tin ceiling tiles, a pink marble-topped bar, and fresh flowers on every table. Dive into the egg and avocado bowl with feta, lemon yogurt, and kale, or the fluffy waffle topped with mascarpone and fruit compote. Roze also has a lengthy list of brunchy co*cktails, excellent coffee, and unique seasonal steamers (basically, hot drinks that aren’t coffee or tea) that you shouldn’t miss.

The Marsh House is on the ground floor of the Thompson Hotel, and it scratches the seafood itch for all of Nashville’s landlocked, breakfast-seeking citizens. Sip a perfect cup of coffee before getting into a robust raw bar (even at 9am) and the fried oyster benedict with its perfectly poached eggs, zesty Creole remoulade hollandaise, and lightly breaded oysters. They do other things well besides seafood, like a surprisingly soft cast-iron cinnamon roll (let’s be real, those things can be hard as rocks) with tangy cream cheese frosting. All you need is one of the house Bloody Marys and you’ll feel like you’re somewhere in the Lowcountry South with a sea breeze.

The kolache is an unsung hero of the breakfast world, and we wish everyone (besides our friends in Houston) knew about the beauty of this dense yeast-dough pastry. Yeast does some of the best in Nashville, and you’ll want to try every variety of their fluffy golden goodness. Traditionalists should go for the sweet “Bohemian” options filled with cherries, apples, or blackberries, while carnivores should lock in on the savory “Tex-Czech” kolaches (the sausage, cheddar, and jalapeño is where it’s at). While there are a few tables available inside and on the small patio, we recommend snagging your treats and enjoying them in East Park across the street.

There’s no shortage of donut shops in this town, but we like East Park because they have both tasty pastries and a down-to-earth space where you can actually hang out in East Nashville. Settle in beneath the string lights to chow down on brioche and cake donuts with just the right amount of icing and toppings. And there are no trendy donut monstrosities here: even combinations like roasted strawberry balsamic glaze don’t feel overdone with extras. East Park also does savory breakfast burritos and biscuit sandwiches, if you're looking for something more substantial.

Hearts brings a piece of the prolific Melbourne breakfast scene to Nashville, offering a damn good Aussie spread featuring lots of eggs, lots of avocado, and some corn and zucchini fritters thrown in for good measure. Other menu highlights include muesli with chia seeds, berries, and candied almonds, turkish eggs covered in garlicky yogurt, and decadent ricotta hotcakes with strawberry and rhubarb compote. Hearts has two locations in town, but the East Nashville one is our favorite, thanks to the large shaded outdoor patio that’s perfect for sipping a honey rose latte on a breezy summer morning.

Nobody does pastries in Nashville quite like Brightside Bakeshop. This bakery focuses on gorgeous variations of all the baked goods we love best: cheesecake streusel danishes, three-cheese brioches, oatmeal cream pie croissants, lemon lavender kouign amann, glistening “sunshine” rolls with orange zest—the list goes on. The menu rotates monthly, so you have time to revisit favorites before they disappear to make way for buttery new creations. Brightside has locations in East and the Nations, but we’re partial to the latter with its big sunny wall and cute cafe tables.

Frothy Monkey is synonymous with the city’s cafe scene—the first location opened in 12 South back in 2004. The coffee empire has since expanded, and our favorite location is in the Nations, housed in a former hosiery factory with exposed brick, a beautiful U-shaped bar, and huge windows. It’s a dreamy place to get some work done, and the food matches the digs, with reliably delicious breakfast options like huevos rolandos served with black beans, avocado, and corn tortillas, or the pillowy vanilla-cinnamon french toast. When it comes to drinks, Frothy Monkey offers pretty much anything you can think of, but their spice-forward take on the golden milk latte is a real star.

We dare you to visit Crieve Hall Bagel Co. and leave in a bad mood. This bagel shop has major feel-good energy, with pastel wall art, Scrabble-tile menu, super friendly staff, and, of course, its crispy-chewy sourdough bagels. They come in a range of options—jalapeño, cinnamon sugar, blueberry, lemon thyme, rosemary—and are accompanied by schmears in creative flavors like toasted everything, maple walnut, giardiniera, and more. We also like the stuffed bagel sandwiches, including the Fig & Pig (whipped feta, fig jam, and bacon) or the Hot Chick (breaded chicken, bacon, egg, cheese, spicy mayo, and hot honey). There’s also a short but delicious pastry menu featuring housemade pop tarts, scones, and muffins.

Dozen does marvelous things with bread dough. See: their unami sourdough, pepita and amaranth boule, olive oil focaccia, and unassuming oatmeal sandwich bread that’ll be one of the best loaves you’ve ever tasted. The bakery also does a concise-but-excellent daily menu of tartines, galettes, baguettes, and breakfast sandwiches, and even something as simple as the airy egg sandwich surprises us every time with how flavorful it is. The space itself is modern, with tight quarters and a big garage door/window that fills the wood-accented space with light—if you need more room, grab a chair on the patio for some excellent people-watching.

Walk into Big Al’s breakfast and lunch joint and it's always a sitcom-worthy scene: locals perched at the counter discussing the overpopulation of the neighborhood squirrels, the regular who comes in and always gets the biscuits and gravy, and the 20-something who bought a cheap ticket to Nashville and headed straight to Al’s from the airport. Al himself mans the grill while his son, AJ, runs the dining room, and the two of them are certified charismatic maestros. They churn out towering biscuits glazed in butter, perfectly cooked eggs, well-seasoned hash browns, and a brown-sauce take on biscuits and gravy, all in enormous portions. The dining room is tiny, so come early on busy days to avoid a wait, and always check the restaurant’s Instagram and Facebook before heading over, as Al sometimes closes for breakfast to do catering jobs.