The Absolute Best Rooftop Bars in Nashville

You might have attended a concert at City Winery in the comfortable showroom or enjoyed a meal or a glass of their house made wines in the eating and drinking areas scattered around the complex. But if you haven’t experienced the joys of dining al fresco on the Skyline Patio with its sweeping views of downtown, you haven’t really gotten the full experience. Fix that ASAP.

Standing seven stories high atop the TowneSuites Hotel, Zeppelin is a whole lot cooler than you’d expect from a chain hotel restaurant/bar. The expansive open-air patio has quickly become a neighborhood hot spot, especially on weekends when the deck is packed with beautiful people sipping cocktails while admiring a view of the Nashville skyline that is rarely seen from that particular perspective. Guests dine on small bites from the tapas menu and pose for neon-lit selfies among the art installations on the roof to create the ideal Instagrammable experience.

This stylish rooftop bar is named after the old Louisville/Nashville railroad line, which is quite appropriate considering the Grand Hyatt towers above the railroad gulch where trains still bisect downtown. Even the indoors portion of the bar makes you feel like you’re soaring in the clouds twenty-five stories up, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the room. Step out on the deck for an assortment of flexible seating options from couches around a fire pit to bistro seating along the railing for the non-acrophobic. A covered area allows for a little shade for outdoor summer frivolity.

When local beverage professional John Peet took over a historic building on Printer’s Alley to create his dream cocktail emporium, Jane’s Hideaway, locals knew he would come up with something cool. The cherry (literally) on top came when he opened an intimate rooftop bar that offers an indoor/outdoor spot that feels completely hidden away from the downtown craziness below. In addition to frozen drinks, sangria “booze bags” and late-night pizza, Jane’s on Top also often features live music, a rarity in that part of downtown. Hide away far from the madding crowds at Jane’s.

While you have to be a guest at The Joseph to actually take a dip in their rooftop pool, anyone can enjoy the view from the luxury hotel’s pool bar, Denim. The walls are indeed covered with various shades of blue jean fabric, creating a lovely homage to Nashville’s country music tradition, but the big surprise comes from the food and drink menu. Superstar chef Tony Mantuano provides the inspiration for Italian classics like flatbreads and antipasto plus a damned fine double smashburger. Signature cocktails include a couple of non-alcoholic options, and Denim also offers plenty of local craft beers as well as wine and bubbles by the bottle or the glass.
 

They’re all about the delicious excess at the Virgin Hotel, and an afternoon spent in a cabana at their rooftop Pool Club is about as decadent as it gets. Lush landscaping creates an oasis environment in the middle of a commercial district until DJs get the party pumping later at night. Groups are welcomed, and actually encouraged thanks to the availability of large-format drinks like punch bowls, porróns, and beer sold in bulk served in a retro Igloo cooler.

You’d better like pink if you visit this whimsical rooftop restaurant and pool lounge on top of the Graduate Hotel, because it seems every shade of pastel is present somewhere in the plush indoor area. Decorated like the parlor in the genteel home of the coolest grandma ever, the design scheme extends to the pool deck. A giant pink statue of the patron saint of country music, Dolly Parton, creates an almost shrine-like vibe, and precious Pepto pink umbrellas shade guests enjoy decadent French-inspired snacks like caviar and steamed mussels while lounging poolside.

Acme’s prime location at the foot of Lower Broad offers a unique perspective to look up and down the Cumberland River as well as all the craziness below stretching up Broadway to the Bridgestone Arena. Featuring fun frozen drinks like the moonshine-based “Mule Kicker” plus live DJ dance parties on the weekend, Acme truly is the acme of rooftop bars. For a chiller elevated vibe, drop in for one of their rooftop yoga classes every other Sunday.

Perched 27 stories above downtown atop the luxe Westin, L27 is one of the most chi-chi spots in town. The menu of food and drinks is literally elevated, thanks to its location, but the internationally-inspired food offerings are perfect for enjoying poolside at L27. That pool is truly an architectural marvel with a glass wall offering a view of downtown without having to towel off.

The Thompson Hotel in the Gulch has the benefit of being close enough to downtown to make it an easy walk, scooter trip or Lyft but still offers enough distance from the mayhem of Lower Broad that it’s a nice alternative to lay your head at night. Their LA Jackson rooftop bar is another prime amenity with floor-to-ceiling windows revealing a wraparound vista of the city and the rolling hills beyond the urban core. The food menu features fantastic classic bar snacks like garlic-parmesan fries and a delicious double-stack cheeseburger, and the drinks are great, too.

Bobby is a downtown boutique hotel that seeks to stand out in a crowded hospitality market, and their rooftop is definitely a differentiator. In addition to private cabanas where you can sip a cocktail or cold beer poolside, Bobby features one of the most novel bars in the entire city. During the construction of the hotel, they shut down the entire street below to crane up a vintage 1956 Scenicruiser bus where guests can hop aboard to take a trip to tequila town or a gin journey.
 

With the rooftop arms race that’s going on downtown, every venue looks for something to brag about. At Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, they boast “The Tallest Rooftop Bar on Broadway,” thanks to the fact that their building happens to be on a small rise on the high side of the street. There’s more to love at Whiskey Row than just the altitude thanks to a separate entrance from the street that allows guests to head straight upstairs without fighting their way through the crowds, and great food, drink and music once they arrive on top.

In Nashville, “SoBro” stands for “South of Broadway,” but at the FGL House there are always plenty of Southern Bros in attendance as they worship at the altar of their heroes, Florida Georgia Line. It’s all in good fun though at this multi-level entertainment complex where the music is pumpin’, the bass is thumpin’ and the drinks are flowing, especially at the popular Cruise Rooftop Bar. A tight menu of tasty bar food adds to the fun, and live musical acts or DJs provide the soundtrack.
 

It seems like all that Blake Shelton touches turns to gold, and his lucky streak continues at his mega-popular Ole Red multi-story honky tonk at the corner of 3rd and Broadway. The Lookout is Ole Red’s rooftop feature with a full menu of surprisingly fancy food and drink and what they describe as “a VIP patio vibe.” So much so, in fact, that they offer priority seating with online reservations so you can be treated as VI even if you’re just normal P like the rest of us.

While these two rooftops are ostensibly separate venues, you can pretty much just walk from one to the other across the top of the building they share. On Luke Bryan’s side of the roof the menu skews toward sushi, an unusual choice for a landlocked state, but whatever… Jason Aldean features downhome Southern fare from skillets of cornbread to meatloaf and steaks. Both bars offer plenty of fun, though, with live music and extensive beer and liquor selections.

While it may have “underground” in its name, it’s the rooftop at this Gavin- and Joey DeGraw-owned complex that really stands out. They claim their open-air terrace is the city’s tallest (take that, Dierks!) and that it is the only double-deck rooftop on Broadway. All boasting aside, it really is pretty impressive with an indoor penthouse section featuring a huge wall of video screen and an LED dance floor opening up onto those two decks.The lower upper level is divided into all sorts of spaces for lounging around in comfy sofas while the tippy top actually has a grass-covered green roof and declares itself to be dog-friendly if you have a friendly dog.