New East Nashville Food Tour Is Not Just for Tourists ... and Not Just About Food

Shoe leather isn’t on the menu, but Karen-Lee Ryan is about to go through a lot of it.

Ryan, a former Tennessean reporter, launched the Walk Eat Nashville tours this fall as a way to show off the neighborhood she's come to love since first moving here in 2005.

Earlier this year Ryan participated in an entrepreneurship program at The Skillery to hone her business plan, learning that even East Nashvillians who love their 'hood and eating out felt like they couldn’t keep up with all the new restaurants on their side of town. And visitors wanted to uncover the local foodie scene they've heard so much about. So she worked with local restaurants and food-related businesses to create fun, tasty, interesting and time-efficient tours that appeal to both those who live down the street and those who live across the country.

Ryan is offering tours now on Thursdays (1:30 p.m.) and Fridays (11 a.m.), the idea being that if visitors take them early on in a trip to Music City they'll learn about places they want to check out in more depth on their own. Currently Walk Eat Nashville offers two tour routes, each with six eating stops, about 1.5 miles of walking over about two-and-a-half hours. New routes will be added in the future.

Possibilities include a Makers and Bakers route and a vegetarian option (currently vegetarian accommodations can be made with advance notice).

Ryan's ideal mix of tour-goers is one-third East Nashvillians, one-third folks from other parts of town and one-third visitors from elsewhere.

While the tours stop at a few long-popular spots (think: Marché), even those who have been there, seen that, eaten that will learn something new.

Last week Ryan hosted five writers and bloggers to come experience what Walk Eat Nashville offers. We feasted everything from salad at Marché to slices at Five Points Pizza to cocktails at Lockeland Table to a ghost-pepper chocolate at Chocolate FX.

While there was plenty of food, and I certainly didn't need to eat again that day, I didn't leave so stuffed that I couldn't bear the thought of food. While there was a timetable (and Ryan kept to it), nothing felt particularly rushed. At most stops we heard from an owner or manager about the business. They talked about their food and neighborhood lore. While most places did have a hook that made you want to come back, nowhere did I feel like I was being presented with a sales pitch. En route to each stop Ryan talked about East Nashville’s history, pointing out important architecture and urban planning landmarks and also mentioning other places worth stopping, even if they weren’t on the tour.

Advance reservations are required. Call 615-587-6138 or book tickets online. Cost is $49 per person. Gift certificates are available.