The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Nashville

Heads up java-nuts – Nashville has no shortage of locally owned coffee shops from which to choose your brew. The vibrant Music City is having a major coffee moment, with some solid cafes and roasteries springing up all over the city.

Banish all thoughts of honky tonks and barbecue joints (well, actually don’t) and join in on the Third Wave Nashville coffee scene. Here’s our top picks of the city’s many amazing coffee shops…

The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Nashville, How do these rankings work?

1. 8th & Roast 

Pride themselves on sourcing their brans from a global network of fair trade farmers and have a simple mission statement as a company to “educate, inspire, and serve”.

They also offer a subscription service for their most loyal customers, ensuring you’ll never be without their beans.

2. Retrograde Coffee

Retrograde is a cute neighbourhood coffee store that offers locals the perfect place “to pause for a moment” and kick back with a great brew. Serving up coffee from local roasters, their iced lattes are the ideal summer cooldown.

Bit chilly? Stop by and order The Equinox. A delicious honey and espresso drink topped with a sweet potato marshmallow.

3. CREMA

CREMA is best known as being pretty much the first place to bring specialty coffee to Nashville, opening over 10 years and adding roasting to its many other qualities a few years after. They work directly with farmers to source only the best beans, and supply coffee to businesses all over Nashville.

It’s a classic.

4. Slow Hand Coffee + Bakeshop

This East Nashville coffee store recently re-opened with a stylish fit out and is back serving up speciality coffee and its famously tasty baked goods. Opt for a simple espresso or order from the pour-over coffee bar to try the regional favourite Counter Culture Coffee.

5. Falcon Coffee Bar

A funky coffee bar in the Wedgewood-Houston neighbourhood, Falcon has an impressive menu with brews from local roaster Osa Coffee and special seasonal coffees. They also do tasty plant-based bites, including a grilled cashew cheeze and a seitan sausage biscuit.

In a hurry? Swing by the coffee hatch window and pick up a cup to go.

6. Barista Parlor

Possibly Nashville’s best-known coffee house, Barista Parlor now has five locations across Music City, with its sleek anchor logo and freshly roasted coffees. Head to their Golden Sound location for the ultimate coffee experience – smell the beans roasting, grab a seat at the counter and watch the baristas in expert action.

7. Stay Golden 

Stay Golden is the place to come when you can’t decide between specialty quality coffee, restaurant quality food, and craft cocktails – you can get it all here. Their signature roast is their own Guatemala-Peru blend and they also serve up creative ‘augmented coffees’.

The Springtime Sandesh good: espresso with cardamom rose milk and pistachio.