Biggest changes to the Nashville food scene so far in 2019

Lizzy Alfs
The Tennessean

Dozens of new eateries have opened their doors in Music City this year, hoping to compete for diners’ business in an uber-competitive food landscape.

So far in 2019, high-profile restaurant openings in Nashville have outpaced big-name closures two to one. There have been more than 30 splashy openings, compared to 15 closures, according to reporting by The Tennessean.

Here are some of the biggest openings and closings of the year, along with five of the most anticipated restaurants coming soon to Nashville.

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TOP FIVE OPENINGS

Downtown Sporting Club

Nashville natives Benjamin and Max Goldberg debuted their new Downtown Sporting Club, a venue unlike anything else on Lower Broadway. The four-story building now houses chef-driven restaurants, a Crema coffee bar, ax throwing lanes, boutique hotel rooms and a rooftop garden with games. 

411 Broadway, Nashville; 615-271-4395; downtownsportingclub.com

Santo

This upscale restaurant from the owners of Epice in 12South puts a modern spin on Mediterranean cuisine. The menu includes lamb tartare, shredded kale salad, halibut, Moroccan chicken and ricotta gnudi.

3998 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville; 615-336-3426; santonashville.com

Redheaded Stranger

Talented chef Bryan Lee Weaver and restaurateur Michael Shemtov of Butcher & Bee opened their Tex-Mex restaurant Redheaded Stranger in East Nashville. The small, inexpensive menu features tacos served on housemade tortillas with creative toppings, burritos, burgers and queso.

305 Arrington St., Nashville; redheadedstrangertacos.com

Redheaded Stranger is now serving tacos, burritos, burgers and queso in East Nashville.

Superica 

You know your city is a hot foodie destination when a prominent out-of-town chef expands to town with not one, but four restaurant/bar concepts. Atlanta chef Ford Fry in August opened Tex-Mex eatery Superica in the Gulch and he's moving full steam ahead with plans for The Optimist, Star Rover Sound and Le Loup in Germantown. 

605 Overton St., Nashville; 615-709-3148; superica.com

The Gulf red snapper, on the bone, avocado and tomatillo salsa are available at Superica, an Austin-style Tex-Mex eatery opening Aug. 5 in the Gulch.

Gino's East & The Comedy Bar

Midwesterners rejoiced when iconic Chicago pizzeria Gino's East opened its first Nashville outpost. The Sobro restaurant serves golden-crust deep-dish pizzas, alongside appetizers, salads and sandwiches. But that's not all: The Comedy Bar operates a stand-up comedy venue in the same building, with shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, in addition to a Sunday comedy brunch.

311 3rd Ave S, Nashville; 615-323-5300; ginoseast.com/nashville

Gino's East opened in Nashville in March with The Comedy Bar in the same building.

TOP FIVE CLOSINGS

Tin Angel

Rick and Vicki Bolsom decided to retire and closed their Tin Angel restaurant on West End Avenue after 26 years. The Bolsoms were trailblazers in Nashville’s dining scene when they opened Cakewalk in 1987.

Rick and Vicki Bolsom, the owners of Tin Angel, are retiring after 33 years in the restaurant business. They were trailblazers when they opened Cakewalk in the 1980s, hiring Deb Paquette who would go on to become one of Nashville's most beloved chefs.Sunday, March 10, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.

Flyte World Dining & Wine

Flyte World Dining & Wine closed after nearly 13 years in the Gulch. The closure coincided with the departure of executive chef Chris Stallard, who moved to Florida with his fiance for her surgical fellowship.

Flyte World Dining & Wine closed this year after nearly 13 years in the Gulch.

Le Sel

Nashville restaurateurs Benjamin and Max Goldberg closed their French restaurant Le Sel after a nearly four-year run in Midtown. The move came one month after their restaurant group Strategic Hospitality debuted its new Downtown Sporting Club on Lower Broadway.

Le Sel closed in May after a nearly four-year run in Midtown.

Firefly Grille

Health issues spurred Firefly Grille owner Curt Cole to retire and close the Green Hills restaurant after 17 years. Cole was a founding partner of Midtown Cafe in Nashville and worked in the restaurant business for 40 years.

Firefly Grille closed recently after 17 years in Green Hills.

The Gold Rush

Classic dive bar The Gold Rush closed after 44 years. The general manager said traffic declined following a revamp in 2016, when the bar stopped allowing smoking and added items like craft cocktails that appealed to the city's fast-growing number of tourists.

The Gold Rush in Nashville opened in 1974.

FIVE MOST ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

E3 Chophouse

E3 Chophouse, planned for a fall opening in Hillsboro Village, is owned by the families of former professional baseball player Adam LaRoche, and country music stars Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. The restaurant will include the neighborhood’s first rooftop bar, a showy cocktail menu and beef dishes made with cattle raised on the LaRoche's Kansas family farm. 

1628 21st Ave S, Nashville; e3chophouse.com

E3 Chophouse serves beef from its own Kansas ranch and other E3 certified ranches.

International Market and Restaurant

Beloved Belmont institution International Market and Restaurant closed in July, but the restaurant will have a new home right across the street. Anna and Arnold Myint plan to revive their parents' restaurant with a steam table, lunch specials and hard-to-find groceries and gifts. The new outpost will feature an enhanced menu, modern decor and a full bar.

2013 Belmont Blvd., Nashville; internationalmarketnashville.com

Belmont University now owns this location of  International Market & Restaurant at 2010 Belmont Blvd.

Hunters Station

Fresh Hospitality's Hunters Station project is nearing completion in East Nashville, and it will bring a handful of fast-casual eateries to the east side. Tenants will include Vietnamese restaurant Vui’s Kitchen, popular sandwich spot The Grilled Cheeserie, fast-food joint Hugh Baby’s and taco truck-turned-restaurant Tacos Aurora. The building will also house a marketplace stocked with Nashville-made goods and culinary coworking space Citizen Incubator Kitchens.

969-975 Main St., Nashville

Matt Bodnar of Fresh Hospitality is looking forward to the opening of their food hall Hunters Station that will include Vui's Kitchen, Hugh Baby's, The Grilled Cheeserie and Tacos Aurora. photographed Monday, April 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn.

Pabu

Revered chefs Michael Mina and Ken Tominaga are bringing their acclaimed Japanese izakaya and sushi bar Pabu to Nashville. The restaurant, which was named one of the country’s top Japanese restaurants by Zagat after the original outpost opened in San Francisco, is planned for the ground-floor of the JW Marriott in SoBro.

201 8th Ave. S., Nashville; michaelmina.net

Michael Mina, pictured here inside his Nashville Bourbon Steak at the JW Marriott, is bringing Japanese izakaya and sushi bar Pabu to the same SoBro hotel.

L&L Marketplace

L&L Marketplace, the industrial-turned-retail development opening soon on Charlotte Avenue, will feature Bold Patriot Brewing Company, Marigold’s Gourmet Popcorn and Chocolate, Tree House Macarons, Thai Ni Yom, Milkshake Bar, Five Daughters Bakery, Honest Coffee and Penna Pazza Italian Restaurant. It will also house more than a dozen retail and service tenants.

3814 Charlotte Ave., Nashville

A rendering of the L&L Marketplace opening soon on Charlotte Avenue.

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Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.