After months of speculation, AJ Capital Partners has confirmed the rumors. James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs Keith McNally and Stephen Starr are opening an outpost of their restaurant Pastis in Nashville. The French food establishment will open in the May Hosiery Mills adaptive reuse complex in Wedgewood-Houston in 2023.
McNally is a polarizing figure in the restaurant world — his Instagram account often pushes buttons, with references to Ghislaine Maxwell, Woody Allen and others at the center of controversial news stories. He routinely calls out patrons — by name, on the internet — who make reservations and don’t show up. (But hey, don’t be a no-show — it makes life hard for restaurant workers.)
McNally’s eccentricities aside, there’s no denying Pastis’ enduring popularity. McNally opened the first Pastis in New York City’s Meatpacking District in 1999 and ran it for 15 years. Then, in 2019, he partnered with Starr to reopen Pastis in a new location, just down the street from the original.
Pastis in New York has a see-and-be-seen vibe, and there is never a shortage of celebrities dining at Pastis. The menu is largely French-inspired (think steak frites, lamb tagine and salade Niçoise) with an ample wine list, cocktails and, of course, plenty of pastis, the anise aperitif from which the restaurant gets its name. McNally’s restaurants, which also include the popular Balthazar, Morandi and Minetta Tavern, are known for their attentive service and food-service acumen.
The Nashville outpost will be the first Pastis outside of the Eastern Time Zone; a Miami location is set to open later this year. The Nashville space will feature the now-classic Pastis decor, complete with exposed brick, original architectural details, plus factory-style windows that fit the 1897 May Hosiery Mills aesthetic. The restaurant will be next door to Soho House Nashville, which opened earlier this year.
