Eating the East Side, Pocket by Pocket

Where to eat in East Nashville right now, as of Oct. 28, 2026, starts with two fresh lists. On Oct. 21 the Michelin Guide kept Bib Gourmands at Kisser, Peninsula, Redheaded Stranger, S.S. Gai and Sho Pizza Bar and newly recommended Junior on Dickerson Pike; on Oct. 8 the Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville named Noko the city's best restaurant. October's openings include Bar Cala Cala on McFerrin Avenue and GAON on Eastland Avenue.

Which East Nashville restaurants are in the 2026 Michelin Guide?

The Michelin Guide revealed its second American South selection on Oct. 21 at The Pinnacle, and every 2025 Nashville pick returned. The Tennessean counts 23 in all: three one-star restaurants, none in East Nashville, eight Bib Gourmands and 12 Recommended.

The Bib Gourmand is Michelin's nod to very good cooking at a fair price. East Nashville holds five of the city's eight Bib Gourmands, and it kept every one of them. WKRN named the five:

• Kisser, 747 Douglas Ave.: Japanese comfort food (Michelin Guide).
• Peninsula, 1035 W. Eastland Ave.: Iberian-leaning small plates (Michelin Guide), served Thursday to Saturday nights as of Oct. 28 (Peninsula).
• Redheaded Stranger, 305 Arrington St., Cleveland Park: Tex-Mex on flour tortillas made in-house (Michelin Guide).
• S.S. Gai, 1101 McKennie Ave.: Thai fried chicken in a converted car wash (Michelin Guide).
• Sho Pizza Bar, 1309 McGavock Pike, Riverside Village.

Junior, at 907 Dickerson Pike, is the only new east-side Recommended pick. Folk (823 Meridian St.) and Cafe Roze (1115 Porter Rd.) returned.

East Nashville holds five of the city's eight Bib Gourmands, and it kept every one of them.

What's changed on Woodland Street, from Five Points to Lockeland Springs?

Margot Café & Bar, which Margot McCormack opened at 1017 Woodland St. in 2001, served its last dinner June 5, its 25th anniversary (WSMV), and the Nashville Scene named the send-off its Best Long Goodbye. Scene readers also chose Five Points Pizza as Best Pizza, and Lockeland Table tied with Answer for Best Happy Hour.

Veselka at Lakeside Lounge

Veselka, the Ukrainian restaurant founded in New York in 1954, opened its first kitchen outside the city in August, inside Lakeside Lounge at 921 Woodland St. (Nashville Scene). The Infatuation's Oct. 12 review was mixed, rating it 7.1: it liked the soft boiled pierogi, beef stroganoff and borscht, not the greasy fried pierogi and latkes. Order boiled.

Mama Bread

Mama Bread, a bakery and small market at 1600 Woodland St. in Lockeland Springs, opened Aug. 15, 2025 (Edible Nashville). Owner Jennifer Latham was once Tartine's director of bread, and the Scene's Best Neighborhood Hangout citation praises the seasonal savory pastries, olive bread and back-room chess games.

Living nearby: Homes within a few blocks run from early-1900s cottages, Craftsman bungalows and Foursquares to condos and newer two-home builds. See the Five Points and Lockeland Springs guides.

What's new on McFerrin Avenue and Dickerson Pike?

Bar Cala Cala

Ryan Costanza of Present Tense and Joshua Walker of Xiao Bao opened this coastal Italian restaurant and listening room, built around four vintage Klipschorn speakers, the first week of October at 930 McFerrin Ave. (Nashville Scene). The Infatuation rated it 9.3 on Oct. 27 and singled out the Sicilian crudo and spaghetti vongole. At opening, the Scene reported it closed Mondays and Tuesdays, with the bar open until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

In McFerrin Park, Meridian Street holds Folk and Walker's Xiao Bao (Nashville Guru). Xiao Bao took the Scene's 2026 Best Chinese Food award for its hand-pulled noodles.

Junior and ELEVEN11

Two honorees share one former Piggly Wiggly on Dickerson Pike, a building the Scene said in 2022 would house both teams. At No. 907, Philip Krajeck's Junior pairs French technique with Basque-style cooking over wood; Michelin's inspectors recommend sharing plates and the porridge bread. At No. 913 (Nashville Guru), ELEVEN11, the Scene's Best New Restaurant, serves Son Pham's Vietnamese-inspired cooking, from crispy tomato rice to hand-pulled noodles, alongside co-founder Alexis Soler's cocktails.

Living nearby: Cleveland Park and McFerrin Park pair modest older cottages with renovations and new builds a few minutes from downtown. The Cleveland Park and McFerrin Park guide covers both.

What's good on Porter Road, Eastland Avenue and Gallatin Avenue?

Noko

Noko, the Asian-inspired restaurant at 701 Porter Rd. (Nashville Guru), took the Scene's top prize twice over: critics named it Best Restaurant, and readers chose it for a third straight year. Chris Chamberlain's citation credits its smoky, umami-rich cooking, the warmth set by co-owners Jon Murray, Wilson Brannock and Junior Vo, and how it treats its staff.

GAON

GAON, a Korean restaurant at 1896 Eastland Ave., opened Oct. 15 (Nashville Guru). City Cast Nashville places it near Graze and points to dumplings, bibimbap and seolleongtang, a milky ox-bone soup. Its Nashville Guru listing showed no hours as of Oct. 28, so check Instagram (@gaonnashville) first.

On Gallatin Avenue, Strega (No. 1405) won the Scene's Best New Bar Patio for $1 happy-hour pizza slices, movie screenings, live jazz and an upstairs wedding chapel. The Infatuation points drinkers to the amaro flight.

Where should you eat in Riverside Village and Inglewood?

In Riverside Village, Michelin's inspectors credit Sho Pizza Bar's cold-fermented, wood-fired crust, from chef Sean Brock, and a sunny room with a tiled, Italian-made oven. Also on McGavock Pike, at No. 1304, Curry Boys BBQ, a San Antonio import in the pink building that once housed Lou, pairs oak-smoked brisket with Thai curries. The Infatuation rated it 8.8 in April 2025, and the company's website still listed the location as of Oct. 28.

Lost & Found and The Fox

Where McGavock meets Gallatin Pike in Inglewood, Lost & Found opened in March at 3104 Gallatin Pike (Nashville Scene) and has since won the Scene's Best Food Truck Revival. Rotating trucks join vendors such as Pizza Lolo and The Pepper Pott, a wine bar, an outdoor cocktail bar, picnic tables and a rooftop deck. As of Oct. 28 its website lists a 3 p.m. opening Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

Also on Gallatin Pike, at No. 2905B, The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club, open since 2017, won the Scene's Best Bar for seasonal cocktails, well-made classics and a recently added patio. As of Oct. 28 its website lists hours of 5 p.m. to midnight daily.

Living nearby: Inglewood, the heart of 37216, is known for larger lots, brick ranches and Tudor-style cottages, with renovations and new builds mixed in. The Inglewood guide has more.

East Nashville restaurant questions