Tailor Nashville — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Hands down THE best dining experience I have had in Nashville.

The first line sums up the entire experience for Tailor Nashville. My girlfriend and I went here for our Valentine's Day dinner, and I was a little nervous with them being so new, but it far surpassed all expectations I had. Reservations are required, they do not accept walk-ups. This is also a tasting menu so the menu is set and you do not actually order anything (unless you would like something from the bar).

THE ATMOSPHERE: Tailor Nashville is located on the backside of Mop / Broom Mess hall and has it's own entrance down the alley, which automatically gives it a cool, secretive feel. The space itself is very intimate, only about 16 or so tables with soft lighting which really gives it a romantic, unique feel. The decor is simple yet elegant with the massive chandelier being the focal point of the room. All of the food is prepared in the open for every one to see. During each course the chef personally tells you the history of the dish and fun facts about the ingredients, without dragging it on and even making us laugh numerous times. Sometimes with tasting menus the chef can drag on about how good the food is and so on, but this is not the case at Tailor Nashville.

Everything is paid for upfront when you make your reservation online, which can understandably make some people nervous. As a nervous buyer myself, let me tell you we will be back again and again. Not having a single transaction take place while we were there was incredibly unique and also incredibly refreshing.

THE FOOD AND DRINK: A beverage pairing is optional, and I do recommend taking an Uber/Lyft if you plan on purchasing that as you have a drink paired for 6 of the 8 courses. The pairings themselves are expertly selected and paired perfectly with each of the dishes.

I historically have not a huge fan of Indian-inspired food, but this place completely changed my mind. This was like nothing I had eaten before and it was totally delicious! Every dish flowed nicely into the next and had me wishing I had more and more of each dish (although we were completely stuffed by the time we left).

THE SERVICE: There are a plethora of restaurants in Nashville with excellent service, but few are as exceptional as Tailor Nashville. We truly felt welcome and comfortable our entire meal. We were the first ones to show up for the 8:30pm slot and chatted with the incredibly friendly staff. They will have you a seat assigned before you show up, but they were happy to accommodate our request for a particular table. Even with the table change they knew our names and that we had the optional beverage pairing when we sat down.

At Tailor Nashville, you don't have one particular server, but the entire staff at the restaurant. Everyone tends to all the tables collectively and they work like a well-oiled machine in terms of fulfilling requests or any needs there are. I would not have guessed that they had only been open for 2 months. Another feature that stood out to me, and it may seem small, but the team that plated the food wore gloves while prepping each meal which was nice to see since everything is prepared out in the open.

Hands down the best part of the entire experience is the staff. They are incredibly professional, prompt, welcoming, and also down to Earth. Tailor Nashville is an upscale dining experience with a laid-back attitude, and the staff embodies that. If you truly want to get to know the staff, sit at the bar.

We cannot wait...

Vivek Surti is a local boy, a lifelong Nashville resident and Vandy grad. But his roots run deep in India where his parents were born and grandparents still live. A little more than a decade ago, Surti was offering impressive dinners made with local ingredients out of his parents’ house. But the cream always rises to the top, and this supper club became so popular that it soon morphed into an award-winning eatery debuting in Germantown in 2019.

Although Surti began with little chef training, he deeply understood quality and had a knack for creativity. Now, he’s snagged an appearance on Thrillist’s Best New Restaurants, a spot on Bon Appetit’s Hot Ten list, and even became a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Award. You’ll see the name Tailor on nearly every top ten list touting where to eat in Nashville.

And Tailor does not disappoint. Perhaps the most understated, unpretentious expensive restaurant at which I’ve ever dined, that’s the whole point. Surti wants diners to feel like they’ve stepped into the kitchen at his family’s home, an inviting and unassuming space with full view of the chefs who calmly assemble masterpieces before you in this glorious open kitchen. Even waiting for your table allows one to sit in a den-like area where drinks are served. It’s a beautifully warm concept.

I was surprised the restaurant’s name wasn’t related to its location on Taylor Street, nor the way they tailor these menus to local foodies. It’s actually a nod to a family surname as well as their history in the textile business. And you wouldn’t think southern food would have comparisons to Indian cuisine. But Surti has found every nuanced connection between the two, cleverly fusing the southern delights upon which he was raised and the exotic flavors of his ancestors’ land. For $300 per person including tax and tip, we were treated to this prix fixe, eleven course extravaganza of complex flavors, intriguing sauces, and delightful foods. Our favorites included the Bhajiya, a fritter with the texture of a deep-fried hushpuppy and the complexity of an Indian dish, and the pork belly from Franklin’s Bear Creek Farms. The little samples just kept coming, every dish impeccable, each reminding me of the south and simultaneously of the year I lived in South India. Keep in mind that the menu changes each season and these may not appear when you arrive. I’m sure something equally stunning will be available.

Because we opted for the chef’s table when making our reservation, we were able to converse with Surti throughout the two-hour experience and pepper him with questions which he delightfully answered. For Nashville’s high rollers looking for an unforgettable and heralded culinary experience where you don’t have to dress up, this is the place! Vivek, we’re definitely coming...

First let me preface my opinion by saying that I spent a lot of time considering if I even wanted to leave a review and if so, how to score it and how to qualify that score. Obviously this is all subjective and you should take my 2 cents with a grain of salt but maybe my thoughts might inform your decision. I’ll start with the negatives first but that’s so I can end on a positive note.

So, why 3 stars? Well sadly my score is mostly due to the food. Some of the dishes were rather spicey and usually I don’t mind a fairly stout level of heat but these were a type of spice that lingered for long periods of time thus making it difficult to fully enjoy courses that arrived after the hotter ones. Actually the complexity of the flavor of the dishes may be a problem for you overall. I consider myself pretty well traveled and a foodie so I’ve eaten some pretty adventurous stuff (including a trip to India) but this dinner really put my stomach through it and I felt uncomfortable and bloated for at least 24 hours afterwards. Actually my wife and I both were having a pretty hard time later that evening into the next day. I don’t usually have that problem but this place got me so if you have a sensitive digestive tract, this one might mess you up. Be advised.

So yeah, sadly the main reason I was there turned out to be the most disappointing to me. I will say the food was beautifully plated and diverse and some of the dishes really knocked it out of the park but it was just too much. I didn’t feel well afterwards.

Besides the food, everything else was top notch. The chef was very friendly and I couldn’t help but like the guy. All the rest of the staff were super friendly and responsive and the location was beautiful. I won’t say it was a negative experience because it wasn’t. In fact we had a lot of fun and they took great care of us but I don't think I'll return. Not...