First Bite: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Last month, I told you about

the change in branding from Big River to Rock Bottom

at the Lower Broad stalwart brewpub that has been a favorite pregame and preconcert destination for years. Since the conversion, I've had two opportunities to visit the new rooftop at Rock Bottom, and early indications are very positive.

First off, you can't beat the location. A conveniently short walk to LP Field, Bridgestone Arena and the Ryman, Rock Bottom is also big enough to handle downtown crowd and turn tables at a decent pace. There are plenty of parking lots nearby in the $10-15 range, so if you're willing to pay those sort of urban parking prices you shouldn't have too much trouble. Now, personally, when I walk under the trees the birds go "cheap, cheap, cheap," so I have a few secret free on-street parking spots that I can almost always get into, especially after the Music City Center construction crews have knocked off for the day. Buy me a beer someday and I might tell you where one of them is ...

The entrance to the new rooftop bar is a little hard to find, since you have to take an elevator hidden away in a little vestibule at the corner of Second and Broadway. It's not quite a speakeasy kind of hidden entrance, but you may need to search for it. But once you find it and make your way to the top floor, you'll be handsomely rewarded by the best public rooftop view of downtown. The expansive outside deck offers views all the way up Broadway past the arena, across the river to East Nashville and up Second Avenue, where you can watch the tourists contributing to our tax base without having to actually interact with them.

First Bite: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

In addition to a two-sided bar that opens out onto the patio and the large outdoor dining area, there is also a separate room that is available for private events. That patio looks up the hill toward Rutledge Hill and the back of the Symphony Hall to offer a different scenery. The main outdoor area has plenty of tables, comfortable sofas and even a fire pit to encourage year-round enjoyment

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