Howdy Nash
Howdy Nash
The local's guide to Nashville dive bars. Seven no-frills spots off Broadway, where the regulars outnumber the tourists.
Lower Broadway is the show. The dive bars are where Nashville actually drinks. No cover, cheap beer, a jukebox or a local band, and a crowd of regulars who have been coming for years.
This guide covers seven dive bars worth finding, where each one is, the vibe, and what to order. None of them are on Broadway. A few are cash only, so plan ahead. For the Broadway side of the city, see the honky tonks guide.
115 27th Avenue North, near Centennial Park. The oldest continuously operated bar in Tennessee, pouring since 1896. Springwater is a gritty, beloved institution with pool tables, live music nights, and a crowd that ranges from college kids to touring rock musicians. Cash only and 21 and up.
411 Gallatin Avenue, East Nashville. The oldest dive bar in East Nashville, open since the 1970s. Dino's is a low-lit room known for a great cheeseburger, cold beer, late-night hours, and a dog-friendly back patio. A neighborhood classic that has stayed cool without trying.
2225 Bransford Avenue, near the fairgrounds. A Christmas-themed dive bar inside a double-wide trailer, open year-round. Santa's Pub runs karaoke every night, serves cheap beer, and pulls in one of the most mixed crowds in the city. Cash only, beer only, no attitude.
2102 Blair Boulevard, Hillsboro. One of the oldest spots in Nashville, a converted diner that has been serving cheeseburgers and beer for generations. Brown's is no-frills and proud of it, a wood-paneled room with a long local history near Belmont and Vanderbilt.
1719 21st Avenue South, Hillsboro Village. A dim, English-pub-style dive in Hillsboro Village with dartboards, a fireplace, and no televisions. The Villager has been a conversation bar for decades, drawing Vanderbilt students and longtime locals to the same worn booths.
1400 Woodland Street, East Nashville. An East Nashville institution and one of the city's most welcoming bars, LGBTQ-friendly and open to everyone. Two floors of karaoke, trivia, live music, and drag, with a crowd that treats newcomers like regulars.
1006 Forrest Avenue, East Nashville. Part dive bar, part live music venue, in the Five Points corner of East Nashville. The 5 Spot books local bands most nights, and its long-running Motown dance night is a Nashville rite of passage.
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Springwater and Santa's Pub are cash only, and Santa's Pub serves beer only. Bring cash for those two. The rest take cards, but a dive bar is always a safer bet with a little cash on hand.
Yes. These are neighborhood bars, not rough spots. They are far less chaotic than a Saturday night on Broadway. Use normal city sense and rideshare between them.
Springwater, The 5 Spot, and Lipstick Lounge all book live music or run karaoke regularly. The 5 Spot is the most music-focused of the group.
Usually not. A few charge a small cover on nights with a booked band, often five dollars or so. Broadway honky tonks never charge a cover either, but the dives keep the crowds smaller.
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