Finding Vegetarian Food in Nashville

by Shep
(New York)

Hi Cathleen,

After a week in Nashville, I managed pretty well. I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Downtown on 4th and Commerce (closer to Church). There was always a bowl of fresh fruit at the front desk, which served as dinner one night.

Within a one block radius was Sam's Sushi Bar - a hole in the wall sushi place with miso soup and veggie rolls. This was OK.

My favorite place by far was Santorini Greek Restaurant- this was an impeccably clean lunch spot with falafel, greek salad, hummus, tabouleh, stuffed grape leaves, and spinach pie. All homemade and fresh. I must say, I have been to Greece, and the island of Santorini, and this was very authentic. The dressing was tops, with a nice citrus flavor. (lunch only)

Next to Santorini was A Taste of Italy Italian restaurant. I had a veggie pizza there that was quite good. Lots of fresh veggies, and for a non-NY pizza, it was very good. (lunch and dinner)

Going the other direction on 4th Ave out of the hotel I found Chili Burrito, where I got a quesadilla one day, and a bean burrito the other. It was a small chain, not unlike Chipotle. The food was satisfying, and there were nice salsa choices, including pineapple. (lunch only)

Another stop on 2nd ave was The Old Spaghetti Factory. It was along the lines of The Olive Garden, and I tried the vegetable lasagna. Along with a simple salad and fresh bread, this was a good meal too. Plenty of southern 'sweet tea' too, and did I say cheap? My bill was $11. (lunch and dinner)

Another dinner was at the newly renovated Hard Rock Café, where I had the venerable veggie burger with fries. This was at least a 1/2 pound burger, on a huge roll with Monterey jack cheese and a delicious chipotle salsa and well seasoned fries. This huge burger left me with no room for desert in was so big, and was very tasty. It had a good amount of veggies in a TVP type base, and was well cooked and not mushy.

Up Church St 1/2 a block was the City Market, a downtown grocery store. This was well stocked with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. I got my grapes and avocado there for snacking, along with the ever famous Moon Pie. They had plenty of Amy's frozen entrée's in the freezer section too.

So all in all I was able to maintain my vegetarian status for the week, although a vegan would have a tough time. Many of the downtown lunch spots close at 3:00PM, so dinner is more of a challenge.

I was even able to get a fresh made carrot apple juice at the airport!

Regards,
Shep