East Nashville sits across the Cumberland from downtown — close enough to walk, far enough to feel like a different city. Once down on its luck and largely overlooked, the neighbourhood has been the focus of the city's last twenty years of cultural and culinary regeneration: it is now the centre of Nashville's indie music scene, the bulk of its best independent restaurants, and the most concentrated stretch of locally-owned bars.
The action concentrates along Eastland, Gallatin, and Main between 5th and Riverside Village. Notable food: the original Prince's Hot Chicken location, Lockeland Table, Mas Tacos, Two Ten Jack (ramen and izakaya), Rosepepper Cantina. For drinks and music: The 5 Spot (long-running indie venue), The Family Wash, Drifters. Walkable, leafy, and at its best on a Sunday morning when the neighbourhood farmers' markets are open.