First dates come with enough anxieties. Does my hair look good? Is my breath all right? Is this shirt too casual — or not casual enough? Why add to the list of concerns: Will I need to shout to my date to be heard in a noisy restaurant?
As recently explored in an article by our sister publication the Nashville Post, some restaurants hire sound engineers to make sure this sort of thing isn’t a problem. One company, Music City Acoustics, has worked with restaurants and coffee shops including Noko, Jane’s Hideaway, Crema, Five Points Pizza, Hathorne and Roze Pony to keep noisy reverb at a minimum.
We’ve rounded up several more of the best quiet spots in the city. Here are some places you can take your date if you want to keep things low-key.
Druise & Darr
Drusie & Darr: Opened in the Hermitage Hotel by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Drusie & Darr was named Nashville’s Best Restaurant by Scene writers in our most recent Best of Nashville issue. Impeccable food.
Ginza: Though things can get slightly noisier on the hibachi side of this classic Green Hills outpost, the sushi bar is significantly more chill. Wow your date with the Old Nashville trifecta of a movie at nearby Regal Green Hills, a couple of rolls at Ginza, and dessert at Fox’s Donut Den.
Le Loup
Le Loup: Wrote our own Margaret Littman in 2022, “The beauty of the velvet-clad Germantown oasis that is Le Loup is that it makes the mere act of sitting at the bar and sipping a cocktail feel like a special occasion.” Le Loup has been known to host DJs later in the evening, however, so make this an earlier stop.
Lou: According to a recent review from longtime Scene writer Kay West, owner Mailea Weger has “achieved a seamless synthesis of easy-breezy California contemporary and classic Parisian poise” with Lou, her excellent but low-key Inglewood restaurant.
Roze Pony: This all-day cafe in Belle Meade — a recipient of multiple Best of Nashville awards — is quietest at night. Daytime can get busy.
Urban Cowboy: This Lockeland Springs spot is particularly good for a quiet date if you visit its indoor wine bar or back garden.
Yolan: Yolan — which we named Best Upscale Italian in 2021 — fits the bill because it’s essentially a lobby with plenty of space between tables.
Yolan
Other relatively easy, quiet places to dine: etc., Valentino’s, Caffé Nonna, The Standard, Farmhouse, Sinema, Midtown Cafe and Germantown Cafe.
Ashley Brantley contributed reporting to this article.
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