Nashville has a thriving restaurant scene, and the City Cast Nashville team has been busy all year long eating our way through it. Here are our favorite meals we ate this year, from ramen and mole to sushi and sandwiches. Let us know what your favorite meal of the year was!
I’m gonna call it: This new Italian deli in Wedgewood-Houston has the best sandwiches in Nashville. Their sandwiches are stacked with fresh ingredients and housemade bread, and they even have gluten-free focaccia! The deli is small and charming, and also serves coffee and gelato. Check out the shelves of Italian treats while you’re waiting for your sandwich. I love that the owners stepped up during SNAP cuts, and offered a free sandwich to anyone in need. — Margaret Kingsbury
I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest sushi enthusiast, and I went into this dinner fully expecting to be challenged by dishes outside my comfort zone. Sushi | Bar Nashville completely blew me away. The chefs guide you through a rotating omakase menu that pulls seasonal ingredients from both land and sea. The standout for me was the wagyu steak sushi, a personal homage to the head chef’s Texas background. Equally unforgettable was a buttery tuna bite that ranks among the best things I’ve ever eaten. — Daniel Sumstine
My family and I have been eating at the International Market since I was a kid, and somehow their food keeps getting better and better! The spicy impossible dumplings are shockingly juicy and packed with flavor (even though it’s fake meat), and the lettuce wraps are a fun DIY moment since you have to break apart a red curry rice ball to fold it into your lettuce. You truly can’t go wrong with any of their noodle dishes — shoutout to Mr. Aaron, who supplies some of those noods! Don’t sleep on their rotating desserts; the coconut cake I had there recently was to die for. — Marie Cecile Anderson
Move over, gazpacho: Fox Den’s scallop + tomato shio ramen is my summer lover now. (Whitney Pastorek / City Cast Nashville)
Sake and vinyl bar Rice Vice hosted an all-star series of dinner pop-ups this year — love you, Saap Saap — but Fox Den gets my top spot, thanks to their scallop + tomato shio ramen, a cold plunge of tangy-salty-sweet flavor that dropped on an insanely hot June night and may have saved my summer. Chef Tillman Gessitt promises me he’s got big plans (and larger venues) in mind for 2026 … you don’t want to miss a single bowl. — Whitney Pastorek
🇲🇽 Alebrije
Alebrije in East Nashville has the best chicken mole enchiladas in Nashville. The mole is deep, rich, and clearly made with love. The chicken stays super tender, too! The space is simple and welcoming, and you can even sit at the bar and watch the chefs cook; they are incredibly kind. Don’t skip the homemade churro at the end! — Anthony Luciani
