9 Best Cafes and Coffee Shops in Nashville TN – Locals Recommend

Killebrew is a space for finding a home away from home for more than just its regulars.

Tucked in the Gulch, Killebrew is a bright, friendly, and refreshing corner of escaping. With a classic European style coffee menu and a carefully selected tea selection, the KB team will be able to help you find anything your heart is seeking!

Beyond the caffeine kick, the executive pastry chef and her team create the most delectable pastries that will be sure to keep you full and wanting more tomorrow. If that isn't enough, ask for a little glitter on your next latte for a drink you'll be sure to remember!

Started and run by locals with the idea to create a neighborhood community and change the coffee culture in Nashville, Elegy Coffee is inspired by both a love for the craft and dark poeticism that sets itself apart through its beautiful aesthetic and unique coffee selection with locations in both the trendy East Nashville and soon-to-be Germantown neighborhoods.

In addition to caffeinated staples including espresso drinks and drip coffee, Elegy offers a menu of seasonal rotating specialty drinks that prides itself on handmaking all syrups, whipped toppings (vegan options available) and lemonades in-house with current offerings that include:

• Apple Jacks Matcha made with high garden matcha of the dawn, cinnamon, burnt honey and choice of milk
• Black & White made with cold brew, black cocoa, and marshmallow whip
• Spicy Icy made with espresso, watermelon, topo chico, tajín, and splash of oat milk
• Horchata made with vanilla bean, rice milk, cinnamon, and creamy toasted coconut

Along with an extensive coffee and drink selection, Elegy locally sources their food menu covering breakfast, brunch and lunch with standouts that include a vegan breakfast burrito made with scrambled tofu, The Be-Hive chorizo, vegan cheddar, and vegan siracha mayo, and an assortment of decadent pastries with vegan options.

2909a Gallatin pike Nashville, TN 37216
open daily 7 am-4 pm

What happens when a coffee guy and a board game guy get together?  Game Point Café is the answer!

Located in the Five Points neighborhood in East Nashville, Game Point is an awesome place to gather.  In addition to a library of over 500 games to try, they have a full coffee bar, sandwiches, salads, snacks, beers and a curated retail section for you to take the fun home.  Bob Bernstein (the coffee guy) has been roasting and serving coffee for decades here in Nashville.  Rick Keuler (the board game guy) has been organizing game nights and hosting a board game convention for over twenty years.  Game Point Café brings all that expertise to the table for a great night out.

Sharing space with an existing café (Bongo East) allowed Game Point to hit the ground running.  During the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, they expanded their retail section so that customers had even more options and choices than ever before.  When they were able to reopen the in person experience, they brought back favorite events and have been adding new ones as well.  They truly have an event for everyone – chess nights, trick taking games, Catan Meetups, Game Design sessions – the list goes on and on. 

Whether you are looking for a fun place to grab a coffee and play checkers or want to have a beer and try out the latest strategy gem – Game Point has you covered.  If you find yourself wanting to have some laughs with that latte, check out Game Point Café, where gaming is the point!

107 S 11th Street

Nashville, TN 37206

Staying true to its local roots, Germantown Café is your home away from home, bringing together charm, flavor, and a lively atmosphere. Nestled in the heart of Germantown, #GTCNash has been the go-to bar + restaurant for over 15 years.

The Café is a welcoming experience with a menu specializing in straightforward cooking with a splash of Southern hospitality – comfortable, not complicated. We boast a signature bar and cocktail program, full of deliciously reimagined classics.

A sense of familiarity surrounds you whether you join us to cozy up to the bar for classic cocktails with a twist, meet with friends on the patio for lunch, celebrate a special occasion or brunch with the best mimosas.

We are breathing new energy into our favorite neighborhood gem and continuing the rich legacy of the Germantown Café. We look forward to you joining us on our journey and welcoming you to the #GTCNash family!

Tin Cup Coffee offers a welcoming atmosphere for friends and families with its approachable baristas, homestyle décor, and eclectic music.

When dreaming of the perfect cup of coffee, we figured out all you need is the perfect bean, the ideal roast, and a Tin Cup touch.

We offer a variety of the best beans from around the world, a multitude of freshly brewed loose leaf tea blends, custom cappuccinos, signature lattes, and decadent treats; it’s clear why Tin Cup has gained so many friends. 

Tin Cup Coffee pays homage to the straightforward enjoyment of sipping on a perfect cup of coffee. Just outside of downtown Nashville sits The Gulch, the current home of Tin Cup Coffee. Tin Cup Coffee began brewing epic roasts five blocks away and eventually opened to the public in 2013.

Colonial soldiers used tin cups in Revolutionary America, pioneers exploring the west, and soldiers in the American Civil War. “Spirited conversations at coffee house gatherings initiated the foundation of our country. That pioneer spirit is one we share and tip our hat to.

Our brand has been part of the nostalgia that we carry with us every day. It started as hospitality to clients and employees and evolved into a passion for sharing coffee with everyone we meet.

201 Demonbreun Street

Suite 100

Nashville, TN 37203

Long before the modern “Coffee Houses” adorned corners all over America, Café Intermezzo embodied the essence of the 300-year-old European coffeehouse. Step into Café Intermezzo, and you are stepping into another time, another place. It’s a vacation, a holiday, an 'intermezzo', or 'intermission'  between the busy acts of your life …  in musical terms, it’s your rest between allegro' and 'adagio.' A wonderful cappuccino, a beautiful pastry, and your getaway or rendezvous is complete.

On another visit, you might enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late-night appetizer with a glass of wine or a cocktail. The Beverage Book offers hundreds of choices. “TourGuides” take you through descriptions of nearly sixty pastries. Café Intermezzo has been presenting the place, the time, the choices for over forty years. It is truly a tradition, complete only with the presence of you!

Café Intermezzo began as an idea in 1971, when Brian Olson traveled to his heritage homeland of Germany. Visiting a Konditorei in Berlin (bakery-Café), and then many more throughout Germany and Austria, brought conviction that the Europäische Kaffeehaus (European coffeehouse), as a significant Place in the lives of its guests, had a potential for a home in America. As a respite in a person’s day, a place to stop, to relax, to think…as an “intermission ” between all of the activities and responsibilities, Olson believed that the Kaffeehaus would provide a distinct and wonderful refuge in the ever-expanding world of fast-food and environments designed to expedite takeout beverages and foods. 

The European coffeehouse represents the antithesis of food and drink in a hurry. Here the music, the aromas, the art, and the sheer nature of the Café all represent the essence of the coffeehouse experience. Rush and chaos are left outside the door. Inside abounds the almost ethereal stuff of thought, of the body at-ease and the mind simply doing what its owner wants it to do. Rendezvous with a friend, hold a meeting, or simply ponder the moment, the day, or the lifetime in solitude. Each is, and all are, sufficient reasons for being there.  

We proudly opened our Nashville cafe in SoBro in November 2018

Sweetwaters is built on real ingredients, global flavors, and making our guests' day. Walking into each cafe, you’ll find carefully curated pastries to perfectly accompany our unique and refreshing drinks. Whether it’s a morning pick-me-up, or late night snack, Sweetwaters can satisfy breakfast, lunch, and dessert cravings.

Our globally inspired products offer diverse flavors for our guests to enjoy. One must-try drink is our French Vietnamese Au Lait, this rich, luscious drink is a French chicory coffee sweetened in the Asian tradition of using sweetened condensed milk. Our indulgent pastries and desserts complement our baked to order sandwiches.

Other immensely popular drinks are our Dreamy Cold Brew (our slow brewed sweetened Cold Brew topped with cream), Mango Fruit Tea (real whole leaf tea sweetened with real mango), and Thai Iced Tea (Thai spiced tea & half/half).

Here’s what our guests have to say, “Think Local. Drink Global. You will find teas, milk teas, various coffees and lattes, frozen or iced drinks, bakery items, and light foods in this cute coffee shop. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere or sit outside on their front patio. Parking is available on site.”

Sweetwaters Lenox Village

6900 Lenox Village Dr Suite 8, Nashville, TN 3721

Established in September 2018, Tempo was the first business in Nashville to merge deliciously authentic Tex-Mex breakfast tacos, specialty coffee on par with the great coffee shops that this city has to offer, and an intimate venue space for all types of events.

Tempo was started by Javier Solis and his family. Being from San Antonio, Texas, Tex-Mex food and the overall culture was a big part of their lives. Most mornings consisted of breakfast tacos, coffee, and fellowship around the table. This just seemed like best way to start any day! By trade, Javier is a percussionist, and in 1998, Javier relocated himself and his family to Nashville. After decades in the music industry, the Solis family decided to extend their family “tradition” to the city of Nashville. Javier is still an active session and touring musician, and while he is still blessing Music City with his talents, the shop is another way of giving back to the amazing community that welcomed him and his family in so long ago.

When you visit Tempo, you can expect warm smiles and a family vibe from the family themselves, the great staff, and the finest customers in the city. You can also expect a small, precise breakfast menu and coffee selection. All the tacos start with flour tortillas made to order, just like they do in Texas. To really nail that authentic taste, they even get the tortilla dough from San Antonio! You can’t go wrong with any taco that starts on a tortilla like that. And as far the coffee goes, word on the street is that the Iced Coffee is the best in town. Also make sure to try the Dirty Horchata, which is their homemade Horchata with espresso! And if you play music or need space for a party, Tempo can be that for you as well! If any of that sounds like a good time to you, then pay Tempo a visit for a little taste of Texas in Nashville!

Tempo

2179 Nolensville Pike

Nashville, TN 37211

Yeast Nashville is a small breakfast bakery that is unique among breakfast restaurants in Nashville. They specialize in kolaches, both authentic ones, and amazing new ones that have become local staples on the eastside with the hard to impress hipsters as well as the average Joe/Jane. 

What the heck is a kolache? The Czech-style is similar to a danish, but the dough is a little more dense and sweeter than a danish. The Texas-style is the same dough, but instead of fruit or sweet fillings, they’re stuffed with savory fillings.

Yeast makes both kinds (we even ship the sausage in from Elgin, TX), top shelf gourmet ones, closer to what Gordon Ramsey might come up with more so than what you’d find along a Texas highway.

Sara (owner) made her way to Nashville after first stopping in Texas for 17 years. In Nashville, not finding any kolaches shops anywhere, she started experimenting at home and sharing her homemade breakfast awesomeness with friends. 

Two years later, after friends continuously saying, “spread the love” and that the East Nasty breakfast scene could use her… she finally took the leap, and Yeast Nashville opened its doors in 2013, just a couple minutes’ walk from Five Points. That’s when the early hours, followed by yummy breakfasts, started and have continued since.

Yeast also serves some of the best breakfast tacos available anywhere, cinnamon rolls as big as your face, muffins, and other stuff that goes great with all your favorite coffee drinks and teas. 

Check out the daily specials that are posted on Facebook and Instagram and range from “far out” to “down home” and sell out quick. They also have a food truck for events and catering too! 

They are open Wednesday – Friday from 7:00am – Noon.