Tavern Midtown reopens, Double Dogs closes and more Nashville June restaurant changes

Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean

Updated Wed, July 3, 2024 at 10:05 AM UTC

6 min read

Just because a restaurant closes its doors doesn't mean it's gone for good — especially in Nashville.

Nearly two years after M Street Entertainment Group shuttered Tavern Midtown, the popular restaurant and bar revived itself in June, joining a long list of grand openings last month. Meanwhile, a few local mainstays announced closing dates, many without giving their customers a clear reason.

The resurgence of Tavern reflects a trend of classic Nashville restaurants making comebacks after their closures in recent years — from the meat-and-three Arnold's Country Kitchen reanimating earlier this year to Rotier's Restaurant keeping its signature cheeseburger available in Bridgestone Arena after closing at its original location of 90 years.

Nashville restaurateur Randy Rayburn and downtown developer Tony Giarratana are leading several similar projects. They reopened the 85-year-old Elliston Place Soda Shop in 2021 , and now they're working to bring back the Gold Rush bar and restaurant 49 years after it first opened. The pair already have plans for another reopening after that too.

While The Tennessean keeps an eye on what other lost Nashville favorites may be coming back soon, here's a roundup of the most recent openings and closings in Nashville's dining scene:

June openings

Tavern Midtown

M Street Entertainment Group announced the closure of Tavern Midtown back in September 2022, saying in a statement that the 15-year-old space required facility upgrades. Now, after nearly two years, those upgrades are presumably complete, and Tavern is back up and running.

The restaurant and bar's elevated menu and expanded craft cocktail list includes items like whipped feta, ahi tartare, rosemary-infused Aperol concoctions and an assortment of spritzes. It's located at 1904 Broadway.

Tavern Midtown reopened in June after two years of being closed.

JamBox Sandwich Shop

JamBox Sandwich Shop opened inside Fait La Force Brewing in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood on June 19. The concept is a joint venture from Nashville restaurateurs Shane Nasby, of Cledis Burgers & Beer Garden, and Tyler Lechtanski.

Menu items include subs like the Blueberry Cobb with turkey, Bleu cheese, bacon, egg salad, avocado and blueberry jam; the Purple Rain with homemade chicken salad, white American cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, pecans and grape jam; and the Caprezy-E with tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, balsamic glaze, jalapeno chips and blackberry jam.

It's located at 1414 3rd Ave. S.

Raising Cane's Nashville flagship eatery

Lower Broadway got its first major fast-food restaurant in June. Known for its crispy chicken tenders and buttery Texas toast, Raising Cane's chose Nashville as the home for a flagship location , one of only five in the country.

Flagship locations have a larger public presence, custom decorations to fit the city's culture and more Instagram-friendly photo-ops than a regular Cane's restaurant. The Nashville flagship is located at 212 Broadway, sharing a corner with Blake Shelton's Ole Red, Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge and Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse.

Stools around the restaurant are made with vinyl records, and there are references to some of country music's biggest stars in every part of the space.

A 'groovy Korean restaurant'

A "groovy Korean restaurant and bar" named Onda opened last month in Midtown. It takes the place of Scout's Pub, which closed its doors at 101 17th Ave. S. in April.

"We come here to bring Korean culture to Nashville," Onda's website reads. "Korean cuisine isn't just about Korean BBQ or Korean fried chicken but Korean cuisine offers delicate and sophisticated dishes as well."

Menu items include kimchi arancini, bibimbop, grilled fish and a variety of bulgogi.

Slim + Husky's WeHo

Recently, popular Nashville pizzeria Slim +Husky's took up a residence at Diskin Cider in Wedgewood-Houston. Located at 1235 Martin St., the new Slim +Husky's location operates out of the cider bar's kitchen, serving patrons their choice of eight pizzas, plus salads and breadsticks.

Menu items include a plain cheese pizza and specialty pies like a vegan option.

The City Juicery

The City Juicery has sold cold-pressed juices for years in farmers markets across the Nashville area. As of June, though, juice lovers can find them in a brick-and-mortar spot at The Nashville Food Project, 5904 California Ave.

The collaboration between the company and the nonprofit was in the works over the last several months, and now, The City Juicery's cafe is open for business.

Toastique

A self-described "micro café," Toastique serves up gourmet toast, juices, smoothies and coffee across dozens of locations in the U.S. The company's first Nashville store opened over the last weekend in June with signatures like a the Superfruit Smoothie, spicy crab toast and acai bowls on the menu.

It is located at 820 4th Ave. N.

A new toast and juice bar called Toastique opened under the Starling Germantown apartments in June.

Tall Tales cocktail bar

Located atop the boutique hotel Waymore's Guest House & Casual Club, the Tall Tales cocktail bar is one of just a few rooftop options in East Nashville.

The bar is open daily starting at 4 p.m. Specialty drinks include a Melted Creamsicle, the Tennessee Smash and a Perfect Martini, plus bites like hot chips, spinach dip and a summer squash salad.

Cal's Country Kitchen

For 24 years, the original Cal's Country Kitchen bore the catchphrase "Nashville's best kept secret." Owner Carolyn Buggs decided to retire in 2021, and this year, her son Marcus Buggs picked up the torch.

The revamped Cal's held its grand reopening at 1315 Dickerson Pike on June 23, serving up Southern soul food favorites like pork chops, fried chicken, turnip greens, sweet potatoes and black-eyed peas.

Marcus Buggs, owner of the restaurant Coneheads on Dickerson Pike, recently reopened his mother's legendary Madison soul food restaurant in a new location on Dickerson Pike.

Trap Fusion: Memphis Caribbean cuisine

A popular "Memphis Caribbean cuisine" restaurant just opened in Midtown Foods to-go food hall on 18th Avenue. This is Trap Fusion's third location since opening the first in Memphis in 2019.

Co-owner Markeith McCory said Trap Fusion melds Caribbean flavors with a Southern flare with menu items like jerk lamb chops, Caribbean oxtails, jerk chicken alfredo pasta and barbecue jackfruit. Nashville locals can order Trap Fusion on Midtown Foods' website or most food-delivery apps.

Recent closings

Double Dogs Sylvan Heights

As announced on June 17, the Sylvan Heights location of Double Dogs closed on July 1. The restaurant and bar served hot dogs, wings and beer for nearly eight years before shuttering.

"It's been a good run, and we are immensely grateful for your support and loyalty since we opened on July 18, 2016," a statement from Double Dogs on social media read . "While we're saying goodbye to Sylvan Heights, we're not leaving Nashville completely."

The restaurant's Hillsboro Village location remains open, and some of Double Dogs Sylvan Heights' last customers received $10 gift cards free of charge in the final week of operation.

Portland Brew 12 South

While Portland Brew 12 South will remain in operation for another month, The Tennessean confirmed in June that the coffee shop will close for good at the end of the summer to make way for a new tenant. It's unclear whether the building is getting a new restaurant or retail shop.

Portland Brew 12 South opened its doors over 20 years ago. Its sister café on Eastland Avenue will stay open.

Hadley Hitson covers trending business, dining and health care for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com . To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: June 2024 restaurant, bar openings and closings in Nashville