Dine

Wedgewood-Houston

The front bar at Bastion, walk-in only and separate from the tasting-menu room behind it, pours sharp craft cocktails alongside a short list of beer and a plate of nachos that regulars order on principle. It's the loosest, most neighborhood-feeling room in Wedgewood-Houston, no reservation required.

615-490-8434

Edgehill Village

Tucked into the old boiler room of a 1920s steam-cleaning plant in Edgehill Village, Old Glory keeps the exposed brick, coal hopper, and smoke stack intact and builds a candlelit cocktail lounge around them. There's no exterior sign, so look for the golden-lit triangle entrance off Edgehill Avenue rather than a storefront.

Midtown

Nashville's original serious cocktail bar, operating since 2009 on the fifth floor of the Bill Voorhees Building with no sign to announce it. The bartenders here still work from a pre-Prohibition-leaning menu and won't rush a shake, which is precisely the point if you've had enough of Broadway.

615-810-8200

Printer's Alley

Nashville's most storied supper club, reborn in Printer's Alley. Burlesque shows, stiff martinis, and a throwback vibe that honors the original Skull's that ran from 1948 to 1998. The jazz is excellent, the cocktails are stronger than they look.

(615) 810-9631