Nashville’s best-known restaurants tend to be grouped in particular genres, usually involving great Americana, Italian, French or some type of fusion cuisine. And we love those restaurants. But sometimes we crave something a little different, and that’s when we turn to Music City’s growing number of ethnic eateries.
In recent years, the trend toward ethnic foods locally has grown, brought by new residents to the city, inspired by popular culture, or brought by returning military service folks and immigrants who want to find the foods they were used to at their last address, whether it was New York, Tokyo or Mumbai. They all provide the markets skilled chefs and restaurateurs need to open and succeed, and then the rest of us get to discover what all the fuss is about.
There are now literally so many good ethnic places at which to grab a bite it’s impossible to include all of them in our magazine without morphing into the yellow pages. So, we’ve compromised, and we’d like to offer you a few of our favorites—some very high-end, others just cool holes-in-the-wall with great sushi or fish tacos. If you visit NashvilleLifestyles.com, you’ll find more listings. And even better, if you email us with another favorite you can’t find listed on our website, we’ll include it for you.
And, if you’re one of the few who hasn’t branched out beyond burgers and fries, take these pages as a sign it’s time to explore the worlds of curry and falafel, of nigiri and jerk. There’s amazing food out there, just waiting for you. It’s a cultural exploration all its own, right here in town.