royallmonarch and hughes already covered some of the best spots so this will be supplemental.
Mainstream Music Venues:
The Basement - both locations host big acts but also locals
Brooklyn Bowl - not homegrown, but still a nice venue
Robert's Western World - if you must visit a honky-tonk, might as well visit the original
Coffee:
Crema - homegrown classic
Sump - not homegrown, but may have the best espresso in town
Headquarters - cozy spot
Food:
Kisser - Japanese, award winning, lunch only.
S.S. Gai - Thai grilled chicken and sticky rice. Tastes like my childhood.
Red Headed Stranger - Tex-mex, best flour tortillas in town.
Mother's Ruin - Good burger, great fries, amazing brussel sprouts.
Deg Thai - Not the only great Thai spot, but one of the best.
Little Hats - Italian deli and market. Get the Chicago style beef, dipped.
Gabbys Burgers and Fries - Best burger in town, lunch only.
Nicolettos - Handmade pasta with a mean meatball sub. Right next to Mickey's Tavern and they don't mind you bringing in Nicolettos to go with your beer.
Drinks:
Rice Vice - Sake, sochu, and beer. My favorite spot.
Attaboy - Cocktails. No menu. Expensive, but a good experience.
Martha My Dear - Good cocktails. Chill.
Honeytree - Mead if you want to try it. Bad Luck Burger is also here and worth a visit.
Never Never - Great bar with a great Mexican food truck. Lots of neat places nearby.
Otto's Bar - Sister spot to Headquarters. Tacos and drinks.
Random Distractions:
Nashville Zoo - great zoo and zoolumination is running all winter.
Grimey's, Anaconda, Living Waters - Records, vintage, coffee, and beer all in one spot.
Tempered - Chocolatier shop. Truffles, hot chocolate, espresso. Bonus: converts into an absinthe bar at night called Green Hour.
Dec 9, 2024
Related Recs
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Music Venues:
DRKMTTR - great for tapping into the local underground scene
Random Sample - another cool lil indie scene spot
Coffee/Breakfast:
Matryoshka - the cutest and funnest lil spot to get cooky specialty coffee
Tempo - get breakfast tacos from here to go and eat them nearby at Matryoshka
No Free Coffee - if you're like INTO coffee as an experience this spot has some very quality coffee
Weak Coffee - if you're in East Nashville this is a good spot for coffee and bagels next door at All or Nothing Bagels
Bagelshop - their tartines are INSANELY good
Guerilla Bizkits - vegan breakfast sando spot
Bars:
Schulman's - nice lil social bar in east, they make a mean dirty gin martini. get the lil buddy beer. their sandwiches hit for lunch too
Dino's - the staple dive bar in east. great bar food also
Tiger Bar - spin the wheel
Random Distractions:
Belcourt Theater - THE spot to go see indie movies
Dec 8, 2024
🌟
BARS:
Rice Vice by Proper Sake
Martha My Dear
Americano Lounge (also a cafe)
Mother's Ruin (just realized this is an NYC import. best brussel sprouts in the city)
Green Hour (also chocolatier shop)
Living Waters (also has coffee/tea and is right next to Grimey's and Anaconda Vintage)
CAFES:
Crema
Stay Golden
Dozen Bakery
Matryoshka Coffee
Headquarters
ETC:
Anaconda Vintage
Grimey's
Kisser
royallmonarch you better get in here
Mar 25, 2024
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🍣Perry’s, AdMo: good sushi, cute rooftop
$$
🐯Tiger Fork, Shaw Blagden Alley: good drinks, upscale Hong Kong street food
$$
🥩Bar Spero, Penn Quarter/east end area: one of the best meals I’ve ever had, but definitely expensive. Seafood & grill food. Also was rated one of the top 5 new restaurants in the US last year
$$$$
🌻Gypsy Kitchen, 14th St: really good small shareable plates, nice rooftop/outdoor seating esp. during sunset, good drinks
$$$
✨Dlena, mt Vernon: amazing margs (10/10) and food. Good outdoor seating and inside is fun.
$$
🌍Maydan, FL Ave: so good. Went with banana Dans $$$
🌵Vera, Ivy City (Mexican/Mediterranean fusion): SO good. Def upscale, went for kittys bday. Food was bomb and was served the largest gin drink in the world. If you go late enough, it turns into a full service bar upstairs and a separate club/bar downstairs $$$$
🥀El Secreto de Rosita, U Street: cute inside with nice booths/ambiance (good for a date), burratta flatbread was bomb, brunch on the weekends and a good happy hour, waitress told me their turning the extension next door into a fine dining section soon
$$
👯♀️Jane Jane (14th street): great drinks and a cozy environment. Fills up fast, especially at night, and doesn’t take reservations but you can put your name on a waiting list. Right on 14th so you can hit Aslin or somewhere else while you wait.
🫒Green Zone (AdMo): one of my favorite bars in the city. Has awesome middle eastern music and small plates but fills up very fast. Indoor & outdoor seating, doesn’t take reservations so expect to stand somewhere upstairs unless you go early for a table.
💕Thip Khao (14th st): delicious Laotian food and really good portions. fair prices too
Mar 31, 2024
Top Recs from @lucius
Alright y'all, standards have gotten a little lax around here and rec quality has taken a dip (I'm including myself in this). Here are some pointers for High Rec Standards.
ANATOMY OF A REC:
TITLE—This is the rec or recommendations. This is NOT a lead in. Type exactly what you're recommending here. What appears in the Title should finish this sentence, "I recommend _____."
BODY—This supports the rec and anything goes. Supporting statements, supporting essays, additional recs, you can get silly, you can pontificate. You can do anything you want. Except putting the main rec down here. Where does it go? That's right. In the Title 👆
IMAGE—No rules. Add one to preference. It can be relevant or a non sequitur.
LINK—I highly recommend links but it's not as important as the Title or Body. If you are recommending something that has an online presence (music, movies, websites, products, etc.), Piffies want to click on it immediately. Don't make us google. Be kind a leave a link.
EMOJI—No rules. Express yourself.
ANTI-RECS:
They exist and they are valid recs. "Anti-Rec: _____" clearly communicates this is something best avoided. But a better way format this type of Rec is to use a modifier or verb that flows with "I recommend _____." Ex. I recommend... Not Eating Tacks, Avoiding Area X, Leaving Off the Anchovies, etc.—(Formatting Anti-Recs this way first recommended by tyler the Creator)
ANATOMY OF AN ASK:
TITLE—This is the question or topic of the Ask. Asks can solicit advice or start a discussion. You have some flexibility here because the Ask is expected to be expounded upon in the body if it needs more context. Just be clear. Again, this is not a lead in. Be direct and ask the question or state the topic.
BODY—Provide more context. Narrow the recommendation field. Add relevant links. Remember, the Ask goes in the Title 👆
EMOJI—No rules. Express yourself.
ANSWERING AN ASK—Recs on Asks can break style as dictated by the Ask. If the Ask is looking for Recs, give Recs following style. If it's asking for opinions, give your opinion. Asking for links? Give links! Respond however you would respond some someone IRL. Asks start a conversation so you can be more conversational. But keep in mind that these Recs will appear in the main feed. So where you can maintain Rec style, do so.
Example: WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT LETTERBOXD TOP 4?
A response to this with High Rec Standards would look something like this:
TITLE—Lists your current Letterboxd top 4. You are recommending these four movies.
BODY—Free reign here. Drop your Letterboxd @. Talk about the movies. Make a quip. Emoji. Relevant links. Nothing.
IMAGE—Optional. Screenshot of your top four. Frame from a movie. Dealer's choice.
LINK—Add your Letterboxd profile only if you want to be found.
EMOJI—Whatever. But it'd be nice if it was relevant.
DISCLAIMER:
This is a living community document! These are only my recommendations for a foundation. Debate and Discussion of proper style are Encouraged. Any editions and changes to the PI.FYI STYLE GUIDE will be notated with attribution.
Changelog:
07.26.2024—Clarified a Rec is not limited to one recommendation. Recs can recommend multiple things. Thanks to shegoestoanotherschool for identifying the issue. / Added guidance for Anti-Rec format.
02.11.2025—Moved SpongeBob Bubble Blowing Technique video link from the top level into the body ("some pointers") so the embed wouldn't override the High Quality instructional graphic.
Jul 25, 2024
🐸
This combo has just been here the whole time?!
Feb 6, 2025
🥯
i will eat one every day i do not give a fuck anymore
Jan 30, 2024