Nashville’s new dining scene has slowed down a bit after a busy spring, but that doesn’t mean it was a slow month. A Condé Nast accredited hotel added a new restaurant concept, an old favorite found a new home, and a New York delicacy came to Midtown.
Read on to get a taste of what’s new in Music City’s dining landscape. Before you go, be sure to check online or call ahead to find out each restaurant’s latest coronavirus safety guidelines.
Taqueria diving motel
The Dive Motel opened as a kitschy Nashville getaway in August 2019, a combination of a retro-style roadside motel and a swimming pool that is open to locals. But the coronavirus pandemic has largely canceled its plans for a major Nashville launch in the summer of 2020. The Dickerson Pike destination is fully open for its first full summer ever, now with a new taqueria featuring traditional Oaxacan tacos and quesadillas.
For subscribers: The Dive Motel is aiming for sunnier days after the coronavirus pandemic rained on its opening
1414 Dickerson pike; thedivemotel.com; 615-650-9103
H&S bagels
With H&S Bagels, New York-style bagels have arrived in Nashville. Hector Sanchez, a native of New Jersey who has hand-rolled bagels for over 40 years, went out of his way to provide an authentic experience and even brought in a four-stage water filter to recreate New York’s famous bread-making water. The midtown eatery serves simple bagels, bagel sandwiches, and coffee from Nashville roaster Good Citizen Coffee Co.
Perforated rollers: New York style bagel shop now open in Midtown Nashville
105 17th Avenue S .; handbagels.com/mobile-menu
Athens family restaurant
The Athens Family Restaurant has been a neighborhood favorite in Melrose since it opened in 2004. Owner Mohammed Rasras announced in April that the restaurant had lost its lease after failing to make payments during the pandemic, so it only takes a few weeks to find a new home. Now it’s reopened in the former PM restaurant near Belmont University.
Continue reading: PM Cafe closes, but another long-running Nashville restaurant will take its place
2017 Belmont Boulevard; athensfamilyrestaurant.com; 615-383-2848
Closing: PM
Belmont’s one-stop shop for Thai food and sushi closed on June 13th after 18 years of operation. Owners Arnold and Anna Myint left their place on Belmont Boulevard to the Athens Family Restaurant, another locally owned restaurant.
“Small businesses shouldn’t stall, they should flourish,” the PM owners wrote on Facebook and shared a photo of the Myint family in Athens in 2012. “And like our parents’ vision in 1975, small businesses are what this city built. So we invited Athens to move into our building on Belmont Blvd (PM) 2017. You agreed. “
The Myint siblings are now turning to the upcoming International Market (IM2), a revival of the store their parents built near Belmont.
Cole Villena covers The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network – Tennessee. Reach Cole at cvillena@tennessean.com or 615-925-0493. Follow Cole on Twitter at @ColeVillena and on Instagram at @CVinTennessee.