Best Italian Nashville: 9 Restaurants Worth Skipping Broadway For
The best Italian Nashville has to offer isn't clustered on Lower Broadway, it's spread across Sylvan Park, Germantown, The Gulch, and West End, and most of it requires a short drive or Uber to reach. If you're staying downtown and only eating within stumbling distance of the honky-tonks, you're missing the city's strongest Italian cooking entirely.
Key Takeaways
Nashville Scene's 2026 Best of Nashville readers' poll named Caffe Nonna the city's best Italian restaurant, with PennePazze second and Pelato third.
The strongest Italian dining in Nashville sits outside downtown, in neighborhoods like Sylvan Park, Germantown, and West End, roughly a 10 to 20 minute drive from Broadway.
Price points range widely, from casual family-style spots under $20 a plate to chef-driven tasting menus at hotel restaurants like Yolan inside The Joseph.
Nashville drew 16.9 million visitors in 2026 and visitor spending is projected to reach $12.2 billion in 2026, according to Tourism Economics, which means reservations at popular Italian spots book up fast on weekends.
Groups traveling together get more mileage staying in a vacation rental with a full kitchen as a backup option, since some of the best Italian restaurants in Nashville don't easily seat parties over six.
Nashville's Italian dining scene has quietly become one of the city's most competitive categories, and 2026 is shaping up to be a good year to explore it. New openings like Salento Italia in Donelson are joining long-running family institutions, while downtown hotel dining rooms keep raising the bar on chef-driven Italian cooking.
If you're staying at a Stay Nashville property for a bachelorette weekend, a family reunion, or a girls trip, you already know the honky-tonk food on Broadway is fine for a late-night snack but not built for a real dinner. This guide skips the tourist-trap red-sauce joints near Second Avenue and points you toward the nine Italian restaurants locals actually recommend, several of them backed by this year's Nashville Scene readers' poll.
Each entry below includes what to order, roughly what to expect to spend, and how far it sits from downtown, so you can decide whether it fits your itinerary before you book a table.
What Makes a Nashville Italian Restaurant Worth Leaving Broadway For?
A Nashville Italian restaurant is worth leaving Broadway for when it delivers made-from-scratch pasta, a wood-fired or brick oven, or a family recipe passed down for decades, none of which the tourist-district Italian chains reliably offer. Specifically, the restaurants below were selected using three filters: recognition in the 2026 Nashville Scene readers' poll, coverage in respected local food journalism, and a menu built around at least one dish that isn't found on a generic Applebee's-style Italian menu.
As a result, this list skips a few names that show up in older citywide roundups simply because they're Italian-adjacent rather than destination-worthy. Nashville's dining scene has shifted noticeably since 2023, and a restaurant that mattered five years ago doesn't automatically still earn a special trip in 2026.
1. Caffe Nonna: Sylvan Park's Reigning Best Italian Restaurant
Caffe Nonna, located at 4427 Murphy Rd. in Sylvan Park, won Nashville Scene's Best Italian Restaurant readers' poll in 2026, and it's the pick locals mention first when asked where to get real Italian food in Nashville. Thrillist describes it as a traditional, family-run spot and a longtime neighborhood favorite, which tracks with the low-lit dining room and handwritten specials board.
Order the veal saltimbocca if it's on the specials board, or stick with a classic bolognese if you want a safer bet for the table. Expect to spend $20-35 per entree. This is a reservation-driven restaurant on weekends, so call ahead rather than walking in around 7pm on a Saturday.
Sylvan Park sits about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Broadway, which makes Caffe Nonna a solid pick if your group is staying somewhere central like The Herman Haven, a boho-chic house for 10 that sits less than 2 miles from downtown and cuts the drive time down considerably.
2. PennePazze: The Runner-Up That Locals Argue Should Have Won
PennePazze placed second in Nashville Scene's 2026 readers' poll, right behind Caffe Nonna, and it's the kind of narrow margin that starts arguments among regulars. This is a pasta-forward Italian restaurant where the noodle shapes and sauce pairings get more attention than the ambiance.
If you're deciding between the two, Caffe Nonna leans toward classic red-sauce comfort while PennePazze plays more with texture and lighter preparations. Either way, both restaurants earned their poll ranking through repeat local visits, not tourist foot traffic, which is exactly the signal worth trusting when you're choosing where to eat outside the Broadway bubble.
3. Pelato: Germantown's Third-Place Finisher With a Wood-Fired Edge
Pelato, at 1300 3rd Ave. N in Germantown, took third place in the same 2026 readers' poll and pairs a wood-fired oven with a menu that leans into Naples-style pizza alongside pasta. The Infatuation's Nashville guide covers Pelato among its featured newer and upscale Italian restaurants, a signal that it's earned attention beyond just the poll ranking.
Order a Margherita or a pie with a more adventurous topping combination to see the oven's char at its best. Germantown is one of Nashville's most walkable historic neighborhoods, with brick rowhouses and a farmers market a short stroll away, and it sits roughly 10 minutes from downtown by car, making it an easy add-on if you're already exploring the Nashville Farmers Market area that afternoon.
4. Yolan: Chef Tony Mantuano's Elevated Italian Inside The Joseph
Yolan is chef Tony Mantuano's upscale Italian restaurant located at 403 4th Ave. S, inside The Joseph hotel, and Nashville Scene identifies it as one of the city's most elevated Italian dining rooms. This is the pick for a celebratory splurge, an anniversary dinner, or a night when your group wants white tablecloths and a wine list to match.
Expect handmade pasta courses, a raw bar, and entrees in the $30-50 range, plus a tasting menu option for larger celebrations. Yolan is also one of the few genuinely upscale Italian options within actual walking distance of Broadway, since The Joseph sits just a few blocks off Lower Broadway near Ryman Auditorium.
Reserve at least a week ahead for weekend dinners, especially during peak tourism months. Nashville's downtown hotel dining rooms fill quickly given the city's $11.2 billion in 2026 visitor spending, according to Tourism Economics and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, and Yolan draws both hotel guests and locals looking for a special-occasion meal.
5. Frankies 925 Spuntino: East Nashville's Casual Italian Neighborhood Spot
Frankies 925 Spuntino sits at 925 Cherokee Ave. and represents the more relaxed, neighborhood-trattoria end of Nashville's Italian scene. The Infatuation groups it among the city's newer Italian restaurants worth knowing about, and "spuntino," Italian for a small snack or light meal, hints at the menu's approach: shareable plates rather than heavy entrees.
This is a good choice for a casual weeknight dinner or a lighter meal before heading out, rather than a formal sit-down occasion. Cherokee Avenue's East Nashville setting means you're also close to the neighborhood's broader food and coffee scene if you want to make a night of it beyond just dinner.
6. Il Forno: Chestnut Hill's Third Avenue Institution
Il Forno sits at 1414 3rd Ave. S, at the far end of Third Avenue South between Wedgewood-Houston and Chestnut Hill, and Nashville Scene has profiled it specifically for being, as the headline put it, Italian through and through. This isn't a fusion concept or a trend-chasing menu, it's straightforward Italian cooking in a neighborhood better known for its art galleries than its restaurant scene.
The name means "the oven" in Italian, and unsurprisingly, the wood-fired pizza and bread program are where the kitchen focuses its energy. Budget $15-25 for pizza, more for shared pasta plates. Third Avenue South is roughly 10-15 minutes from downtown and worth combining with a walk through the Wedgewood-Houston gallery district if you're visiting on a First Saturday.
7. V Modern Italian: Division Street's Contemporary Take
V Modern Italian, located at 820 Division St. with a 4.8 rating and reachable at (629) 348-3457, brings a more contemporary lens to Italian cooking, distinct from the red-sauce, family-run tradition of spots like Caffe Nonna. The name signals the intent: this is modern Italian technique applied to familiar dishes, not a straight recreation of a grandmother's recipe book.
Division Street sits in the Gulch-adjacent corridor, close enough to downtown that it works well as a pre-dinner stop before a Bridgestone Arena show, roughly a 5-10 minute drive from Lower Broadway. Call ahead for weekend reservations, since Division Street's restaurant row gets busy on Friday and Saturday nights.
8. Moto: The Gulch's Rustic-Modern Italian in a Former Mechanic's Shop
Moto occupies a building in The Gulch that Thrillist describes as a former mechanic's shop, now serving rustic-modern Italian cuisine in a space that keeps some of its industrial bones. That contrast, exposed brick and metal fixtures against a menu built on handmade pasta, is exactly what makes Moto worth the short drive from Broadway rather than settling for a Second Avenue tourist spot.
The Gulch is walkable and dense with restaurants and rooftop bars, so Moto pairs naturally with an evening that includes drinks nearby afterward. Expect moderate to upscale pricing, in the $25-40 entree range, and plan for a wait on weekend evenings unless you reserve.
9. Trattoria Il Mulino: New York Italian Steps From Bridgestone Arena
Trattoria Il Mulino sits downtown next to Bridgestone Arena, and Thrillist calls it a New York-based Italian restaurant bringing an NYC-chic, casual approach to Nashville. Specific standouts include the ricotta meatballs, calamari, an assorted pasta program, and a signature craft-cocktail list, according to Thrillist's coverage.
This is the most practical pick on this list if you have Bridgestone Arena tickets and want a real Italian dinner beforehand without straying far. The outdoor patio is well suited for people-watching before a show. Reserve ahead on concert nights, since tables near Bridgestone book quickly once an event is announced, and expect entrees in the $25-45 range with a cocktail list that runs $14-18 per drink.
How Should You Decide Which Italian Restaurant Fits Your Trip?
Choosing the right Italian restaurant in Nashville comes down to matching the occasion to the neighborhood and price point rather than picking whatever restaurant ranks first on a generic list. Specifically, ask three questions: how far are you willing to travel from downtown, what's the occasion, and how many people are in your party.
For a date night, Il Forno's Third Avenue South setting or Pelato's wood-fired room in Germantown both deliver atmosphere without the price tag of a hotel restaurant. For a celebratory splurge, Yolan inside The Joseph is the clear pick, especially for anniversaries or milestone birthdays. Families with kids or larger multi-generational groups do better at Caffe Nonna or PennePazze, both of which handle classic dishes that satisfy picky eaters and adventurous ones alike. For a casual pasta night, Frankies 925 Spuntino's lighter, shareable format works well. And if pizza is the priority, Pelato and Il Forno both run wood-fired ovens worth comparing side by side.
If you're near downtown before or after a Bridgestone Arena or Nissan Stadium event, Trattoria Il Mulino and V Modern Italian are your most convenient options, both within a 5-10 minute drive or rideshare of Lower Broadway.
Restaurant | Neighborhood | Best For | Price Range | Drive From Broadway |
Caffe Nonna | Sylvan Park | Family dinner, classic dishes | $20-35/entree | 15-20 min |
PennePazze | Sylvan Park area | Pasta-focused casual dinner | $18-30/entree | 15-20 min |
Pelato | Germantown | Wood-fired pizza, date night | $15-30 | 10 min |
Yolan | Downtown (The Joseph) | Celebratory splurge | $30-50/entree | Walkable |
Frankies 925 Spuntino | East Nashville | Casual, shareable plates | $15-25 | 10-15 min |
Il Forno | Chestnut Hill / WeHo | Pizza and bread program | $15-25 | 10-15 min |
V Modern Italian | Division St / Gulch-adjacent | Contemporary Italian, pre-show dinner | $20-35 | 5-10 min |
Moto | The Gulch | Rustic-modern pasta, group dinner | $25-40/entree | 5-10 min |
Trattoria Il Mulino | Downtown, by Bridgestone | Pre-event dinner, NYC-style | $25-45/entree | Walkable to minutes |
Why Does Nashville's Italian Scene Sit Outside Downtown?
Nashville's strongest Italian restaurants concentrate in Sylvan Park, Germantown, and West End rather than Lower Broadway because those neighborhoods developed as residential dining destinations, not tourist corridors. Historically, Broadway's restaurant real estate has been priced and positioned for volume-driven, tourist-facing concepts rather than the kind of slow, family-run kitchens that built Caffe Nonna's reputation over decades.
Thrillist's citywide Italian roundup makes a similar point when it recommends Coco's Italian Market in Sylvan Park as family-owned with chefs who bring deep knowledge of Italian family cooking, or when it flags Valentino's Ristorante in West End for its full lounge, dining room, and rentable wine cellar for private parties. Amerigo, also in West End, gets called out by Thrillist as a casual option well suited to large family dinners and workday lunches, which is a different use case entirely from a Broadway tourist stop.
City House in Germantown, meanwhile, has built its reputation specifically around pizza, according to Thrillist, adding another strong wood-fired option to that neighborhood's growing food identity. And in 2026, Salento Italia opened at 329 Donelson Pike, beside SweetMilk, in a split-level space with high ceilings, serving dinner seven days a week and planning to add weekday lunch service, according to Nashville Scene reporting, a sign the city's Italian scene is still expanding well beyond its established core.
What Should You Know Before Booking a Table?
Booking Italian dining in Nashville successfully means reserving ahead for the popular poll-winning spots, being realistic about parking, and building in extra travel time if your dinner is scheduled around a Bridgestone Arena or Nissan Stadium event. Below is a simple checklist to avoid the most common mistakes.
Reserve Caffe Nonna, Pelato, and Yolan at least several days ahead for Friday or Saturday dinner, since all three draw both locals and visitors following the readers' poll results.
Check whether the restaurant offers valet before assuming street parking will be easy, especially in Germantown and around The Gulch.
Build 30 extra minutes into your evening if you're eating near Bridgestone Arena or Nissan Stadium on a game or concert night, since traffic and rideshare surge pricing both spike.
Confirm large-party accommodations directly with the restaurant if your group is over six, since several of these spots (Il Forno, Frankies 925 Spuntino) run smaller dining rooms better suited to two to four guests.
Ask about wine cellar or private dining options at Valentino's Ristorante in West End if you're planning a bachelorette dinner or milestone celebration for a larger group.
If you're coordinating a group meal around a bachelorette weekend, it's worth pairing this with a look at our guide to Nashville bachelorette party house rentals for large groups, which covers how to keep everyone together instead of splitting across multiple restaurant reservations and hotel rooms.
What Is Taylor Swift's Favorite Restaurant in Nashville?
Taylor Swift's specific dining preferences in Nashville aren't something Stay Nashville can verify or claim to know, and no restaurant on this list has been publicly confirmed as her personal favorite. What's documented instead is that Nashville's dining scene, including its Italian restaurants, draws a mix of longtime locals and touring musicians who value the same things regular diners do: consistent food, a room that doesn't feel like a tourist trap, and a kitchen with a real point of view. Caffe Nonna's win in the 2026 Nashville Scene readers' poll is a stronger, verifiable signal of local preference than any celebrity rumor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best Italian restaurant in Nashville right now?
According to Nashville Scene's 2026 readers' poll, Caffe Nonna in Sylvan Park is currently voted the best Italian restaurant in Nashville, with PennePazze in second place and Pelato in third. As of 2026, that poll result remains the most current, locally sourced ranking available.
Is there good Italian food actually on Broadway?
Most of Lower Broadway's dining is built around hot chicken, barbecue, and quick honky-tonk bites rather than destination Italian cooking. The closest genuinely strong Italian option within walking distance of Broadway is Yolan inside The Joseph hotel, plus Trattoria Il Mulino near Bridgestone Arena.
Where is the best area to stay in Nashville for exploring restaurants beyond Broadway?
Staying somewhere central but outside the immediate tourist strip, like Elizabeth Park or a home base a couple miles from downtown, gives you quick rideshare access to Sylvan Park, Germantown, and The Gulch without the noise and markup of staying directly on Broadway. Properties like Underwood Manor, roughly five minutes from downtown and seven from Broadway, work well for this exact reason.
What amenities matter most for a group planning a Nashville dinner trip together?
Groups doing a lot of restaurant-hopping benefit most from a home base with a full kitchen for mornings after late dinners, enough bathrooms to avoid a bottleneck before heading out, and free parking so you're not juggling rideshare costs on top of dinner reservations. A fully stocked kitchen and multiple en-suite bathrooms, both features at The Herman Haven, solve this for a group of up to 10.
Do I need reservations for the best Italian restaurants in Nashville?
Yes, for the top-ranked and higher-end options. Caffe Nonna, Pelato, and Yolan all get busy on weekends, and Yolan in particular should be booked at least a week ahead for Friday or Saturday dinner given its location inside The Joseph hotel downtown.
Which Italian restaurant works best for a special occasion or celebratory dinner?
Yolan inside The Joseph is Nashville's clearest pick for a splurge dinner, with chef Tony Mantuano's tasting menu options and a downtown setting suited to anniversaries or milestone birthdays. Valentino's Ristorante in West End is a strong alternative for larger groups thanks to its rentable wine cellar.
Are there Italian restaurants in Nashville good for large groups or bachelorette parties?
Caffe Nonna and PennePazze both handle larger parties well with classic, crowd-pleasing menus, and Valentino's Ristorante in West End offers a private wine cellar specifically for group bookings. For groups over eight, calling ahead to confirm seating is always worth doing regardless of which restaurant you choose.
Conclusion
The best Italian Nashville has to offer in 2026 rewards a short drive: Caffe Nonna's readers'-poll win in Sylvan Park, Pelato's wood-fired oven in Germantown, and Yolan's chef-driven tasting menu inside The Joseph all outshine anything within stumbling distance of the honky-tonks. Skip the Second Avenue tourist traps and reserve ahead at whichever of these nine fits your occasion, whether that's a casual pasta night or a celebratory splurge.
Nashville's tourism numbers keep climbing, with visitor spending projected to hit $12.2 billion in 2026 according to Tourism Economics, which means these restaurants will only get busier. Book your table before your trip, not the morning of.
If your dinner plans keep pulling you away from Broadway toward Sylvan Park and Germantown, The Herman Haven puts your group less than 2 miles from downtown with a fully stocked kitchen for mornings after a late dinner out. Check availability and see photos at thehermanhaven.com.
Written by Chase Gillmore, Owner & Operator at Stay Nashville
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