As a company, Crema possesses a true mastery of coffee. Their website boasts numerous pages detailing the nature of their specialty coffee: where it’s grown, how it’s processed, how it’s brewed, and how they ensure that each step results in better-tasting coffee. And to learn more, sign up for one of their coffee classes. Crema serves nuanced beverages with a variety of aromas and flavors. If you wonder where to start, ask for the Cuban Espresso. To deepen your experience, ask for beans from Rwanda, Brazil, or Ecuador, and see if you can taste the difference.
Come to Frothy for the coffee, but stay for the atmosphere. Here, you can enjoy a meal, a glass of wine, or a pint in a creative and approachable environment. With three locations in Nashville (and one in nearby Franklin), a Frothy Monkey is always near. For breakfast, try a combination of cheesy grits, arugula, tomato jam, prosciutto, and dijon sauce. For lunch or dinner, the quinoa burger is satisfying. As for coffee, ask for their Brazil Serra Do Cabral Tropical Microlot, a specialty brew made from beans grown in an innovative and ecologically-friendly way.
As a company, Crema possesses a true mastery of coffee. Their website boasts numerous pages detailing the nature of their specialty coffee: where it’s grown, how it’s processed, how it’s brewed, and how they ensure that each step results in better-tasting coffee. And to learn more, sign up for one of their coffee classes. Crema serves nuanced beverages with a variety of aromas and flavors. If you wonder where to start, ask for the Cuban Espresso. To deepen your experience, ask for beans from Rwanda, Brazil, or Ecuador, and see if you can taste the difference.
Come to Frothy for the coffee, but stay for the atmosphere. Here, you can enjoy a meal, a glass of wine, or a pint in a creative and approachable environment. With three locations in Nashville (and one in nearby Franklin), a Frothy Monkey is always near. For breakfast, try a combination of cheesy grits, arugula, tomato jam, prosciutto, and dijon sauce. For lunch or dinner, the quinoa burger is satisfying. As for coffee, ask for their Brazil Serra Do Cabral Tropical Microlot, a specialty brew made from beans grown in an innovative and ecologically-friendly way.
For a sophisticated step away from the busyness of life, try Cafe Intermezzo. The word means ‘Interlude’in Italian, and the delicate aromas, quiet atmosphere, and beautiful artwork adorning the walls create a space between the ‘acts’ of your day. Inspired by coffee houses in his homeland of Germany, founder Brian Olsen created the cafe as an antidote to American fast food. Cafe Intermezzo is a ‘slow food’ place, a place to relax and enjoy the good things of life. The options for coffee can be overwhelming. The cafe doesn’t offer a menu– it offers a book. The Beverage Book walks you through everything from teas to coffees to cocktails. It’s easy to navigate, but if you have trouble deciding, try the Cappucino La Scala (featuring almond and chocolate liquors).
Falcon is a tiny coffee shop tucked into the Wedgewood-Houston space. Falcon’s menu is all plant-based, with offerings crafted from locally sourced produce. You can sit at the coffee bar in front, the cocktail lounge in the back, or the outdoor patio. For food, try avocado toast (one of the best in Nashville!). The chop-chop burrito (featuring beans, avocado, and grilled Chix) is also delicious. At night, the unassuming Falcon coffee shop transforms into Flamingo Bodega, a club with assorted cocktails that stays open till 3 in the morning.
Sump Coffee returns the beverage to its roots with its Ethiopian Buleye, available as a brew and espresso and featuring notes of melon, banana, guava, and citrus zest. Inside, you’ll find a wide, open building with a distinctive hipster vibe. Sump also boasts expansive outdoor seating and a lawn where your kids and/or dogs can play. Besides Ethiopian, Sump’s distinctive offerings include a Cold Fashioned (a cocktail with cold brew instead of booze) and their Karatu (a savory, tart, and sweet coffee from Kenya). And for a classic experience, their plain lattes are smooth and rich.
Three Brothers serves specialty coffee in a trendy, rustic environment. Sit at the rich wooden bar, bathe in the sunlight from the wide windows, and play one of the board games while you sip your drink. Three Brothers often mixes up their menu with seasonal brews and espressos. They’re also experts at preparing drinks with vegan-friendly substitutes– their oat milk cappuccinos are creamy and delicious. One outstanding vegan option is the Hot Mess, an oat milk latte with maple syrup, brown sugar, and pecans.
Ugly Mugs stands out in being kid-friendly, with a dedicated kid table and books the little ones can borrow. But ‘kid-friendly’ doesn’t mean ‘childish’-- Ugly Mugs offers various specialty brews to be enjoyed by adults. They also go against the grain of the coffee industry in using biodegradable cups. For unique coffee, Ugly Mugs is the place. Their series of ‘Rare Origins’ highlights beans sourced from all over the world. Myanmar coffee, for example, features notes of floral blueberry and white grape and recently became available as Myanmar ended its decades-long dictatorship.
The Pink Hermit by the world-renowned restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten keeps Nashville interesting for locals and visitors. Tucked into a charming corner of The Hermitage Hotel, the Hermit’s offerings evolve throughout the day, from locally roasted coffee and baked pastries in the morning to craft cocktails and artisanal wines in the evening. With a whimsically nostalgic atmosphere, this place stands ready to welcome visitors at any hour. If you come for dinner, the wood-fired pizza with black truffles offers an elegant culinary experience. As for coffee, you can’t go wrong– a chai latte, french press, or cappuccino comes exquisitely prepared and sure to satisfy.
With gleaming chandeliers and numerous couches, benches, and tables for seating, Poindexter Coffee is made for Instagram. Their coffee is reliable and satisfying, with their strawberry latte a delectable offering. They’re also great at providing dairy-free substitutes. But the real treasure in Poindexter is the atmosphere.
Bongo Java is one of Nashville’s oldest coffee shops, boasting expert baristas that take pride in their trade. For a bold taste of the goodness, ask for the Wildfire Latte (featuring blackberry and honey). In East Nashville, another Bongo location doubles as a board-game cafe. Bongo’s curated selection of over 700 board games available to all its customers and its welcoming atmosphere make it the perfect place to go head-to-head with your friends in an intense round of Exploding Kittens.
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