Best of Edgehill: Where Locals Actually Go

Here is the honest thing about Edgehill that the food blogs used to get wrong, and that I got wrong too: people kept saying the neighborhood had no real food of its own, that it was just a launch pad to other districts. That was a fair read a few years ago. It is not a fair read anymore. Edgehill Village, the cluster of restored brick buildings at 1200 Villa Place, has quietly become a genuine destination, and it is surrounded by enough 12 South heavy hitters that you could eat well for a week without ever finding a highway on-ramp.

So this is the real version: a few standout anchors right inside the Village, one legitimately-in-Edgehill coffee-and-cocktail spot, and then the short walk or drive down to 12 South where the brisket and the donuts live. I will tell you what to order at each one, and I will tell you what it actually tastes like, because that is the only part you actually came here for.

Where to Eat

Sadie's — Edgehill Village

Sadie's is the one to build a whole night around. It is modern Mediterranean done as mezze — small plates you order in waves and graze through — and The Infatuation has it on their list of Nashville's best restaurants, which the 4.6-ish rating across thousands of reviews backs up. Start with the whipped feta, which is the dish everyone tells you to get and they are right: it comes with honeycomb, pomegranate, grilled pita, and actual edible flowers, and it is the rare appetizer where the sweet-salty-tangy thing lands instead of fighting itself. Add the crispy artichoke hearts with lemon-dill and chili aioli for crunch.

Then anchor the table with something big: the braised lamb shank falls off the bone the way a braised lamb shank is supposed to, or get a Moroccan-spiced lamb kebab board grilled over open flame. If you want the vegetable that actually earns its spot, it is the sumac-roasted butternut squash stuffed with quinoa, kale, and cranberry. Finish with Mimi's pistachio baklava. The menu rotates seasonally, so a specific small plate may come and go, but the whipped feta is a fixture. Weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 3.

Bella Napoli Pizzeria — Edgehill Village

Bella Napoli has been in the Village for over fifteen years, it is family-owned and Italian-owned, and it does true Neapolitan pizza — San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, 00 Caputo flour, an oven running around 900 degrees. The Margherita is the honest test order, because there is nowhere for a Neapolitan pie to hide: the crust comes out bubbled and leopard-spotted, crisp at the edge but foldable in the middle, with that faint char that a too-cool oven never gives you. The Infatuation and the Pizza Snob have both put it in the same conversation as New York and Italy, which is a big sentence to write, and the pie holds up to it.

If you are sharing, a rotating special with prosciutto and arugula is the move. Not in a pizza mood, the chicken parmesan is properly tomato-rich, and there are daily pasta specials worth asking about. The tiramisu is airy and creamy with none of that pulled-from-the-freezer texture, which is a low bar that a shocking number of places trip over. One catch: they keep tight hours — closed Monday and Tuesday — so check before you walk over hungry.

Edley's Bar-B-Que — 12 South edge

Edley's is technically on 12 South, a short walk or quick drive from Edgehill, and it is the BBQ you bring out-of-town guests to when they say the word 'barbecue' on the plane. The meats are smoked low and slow over Southern white oak, the brisket for ten-plus hours until it goes properly tender. The signature order is the Tuck Special: brisket, spicy pimento cheese, an over-easy egg, pickles, and both the red and white sauce, all stacked into a sandwich that is going to get on your hands and is worth every napkin. It has been voted Best BBQ in the Nashville Scene Readers' Poll more times than I can keep straight.

If you want to keep it cleaner, get the brisket platter with mac and cheese. To drink, the Bushwacker is a boozy frozen milkshake that does not pretend to be a sophisticated cocktail and does not need to. Save room for the banana pudding.

Bartaco — 12 South edge

Bartaco is the upscale beach-taco spot on 12 South, a quick hop from Edgehill, with a patio scene that runs late. The tacos come on palm-sized corn tortillas, which means they are small and you should plan on three or four per person — order a spread and pass them around. The pork belly is the one people order twice; the chorizo and the Baja fish are reliable; and the falafel taco is good enough that it does not feel like the token vegetarian option. Get the guacamole and chips while you decide.

If you want something bigger, the mahi-mahi ceviche is bright and clean, and the rotisserie half chicken feeds a hungry person properly. It is open late, to 11 or midnight, which on the Edgehill side of town is a genuinely useful thing to have.

Coffee

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee & Social — NOVEL Edgehill

This is the one I get to call genuinely Edgehill without an asterisk — it sits at NOVEL Edgehill, 805 12th Avenue South, inside the neighborhood proper. It is a coffee shop by day and a cocktail-and-mocktail lounge by night, which is a dual identity that sounds gimmicky until you have used it both ways in the same week. The coffee is ethically sourced from Rwandan farming communities, and the whole brand is built around living wages, education, healthcare, and clean water for those growers, so your espresso drink or seasonal latte is carrying a little weight, which I respect.

It is cozy and dog-friendly, open 7 to 9 most days. Lead with the coffee and the drinks and a house baked good. Some folks find the food, the avocado toast in particular, a little underwhelming for the price, so I would not build a meal around it — build a morning, or an evening, around the drinks instead.

Frothy Monkey — 12 South edge

Frothy Monkey has a half-dozen locations now, but the original is the cozy 12 South bungalow that opened in 2004, right on Edgehill's southern doorstep, with an expanded beer garden out back. The coffee is roasted to order, and the food is scratch cooking from regional farmers, so this is the rare all-day cafe where the kitchen is not an afterthought. The Monkey Mocha — a banana mocha — sounds like it should not work and absolutely does. Pair it with the mini biscuit board: little biscuits with butter, honey mascarpone, whipped feta, and seasonal preserves, which is the right amount of food when you are not actually that hungry but you want to sit there a while.

If you are hungry, The Farm Breakfast does the job. And because it runs from coffee in the morning all the way to beer and wine at night, it quietly covers lunch and dinner too. In-house pastries, bagels, and artisan bread round it out.

Drinks

Barcelona Wine Bar — Edgehill Village

Barcelona is the Village's main drink anchor, a Spanish tapas-and-wine bar with a deep Spanish and Mediterranean list, including real sherry, and a constantly-changing seasonal small-plates menu out of Exec Chef Cesar Diaz's kitchen. Start with a glass of Spanish red or a sherry and the bacon-wrapped dates, which are the most-recommended thing on the menu for a reason: warm, sweet, salty, gone in two bites. Then the patatas bravas — crisp potatoes under a paprika-spiked sauce — and the grilled octopus if it is on, which it usually is.

From there you can keep grazing with a Spanish charcuterie board of jamon, goat cheese, and salami, or the Brussels sprouts, or you can commit and order the paella for the table. Flan to finish. Because the menu rotates seasonally, treat the specific plates as a guide rather than a guarantee, but the dates and the bravas are about as close to a fixture as Barcelona has.

Dessert

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream — Edgehill Village

Van Leeuwen opened its first Southeast scoop shop right in the Village in March 2025, and it is French-style ice cream, which in practice means more than double the egg yolks of standard ice cream — richer, denser, the spoon stands up a little straighter. Get the Sicilian Pistachio, made with pistachios from Mount Etna, or the Honeycomb, in a cup. If you want the Nashville-only move, the Goo Goo Cluster sundae is a collaboration with the local candy maker and you cannot get it anywhere else.

The vegan lineup here is not a sad afterthought — the Churros & Fudge and the Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb are genuinely good, so this is a safe stop for a dairy-free guest. Flavors rotate through 30-plus options, so the exact pistachio-versus-praline decision changes by the visit; the richness does not.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams — 12 South edge

Jeni's has anchored the 12 South corridor since 2013, a short walk or drive from Edgehill, and it is the from-scratch, grass-grazed-milk ice cream that put a lot of people onto the idea that ice cream could be a serious thing. The two best-sellers come up over and over: Brambleberry Crisp, which is a berry-and-oat-streusel situation that tastes like the inside of a pie, and Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks, which is exactly as good as it sounds. Brown Butter Almond Brittle is the pick for the caramel-and-crunch crowd. Always ask what seasonal flavor is in — that is usually the sleeper.

Five Daughters Bakery — 12 South edge

Five Daughters is the 12 South bakery that built its reputation on one thing: the 100 Layer Donut, a croissant-donut hybrid laminated over a literal three-day process — dough day one, butter folded in day two, served day three. The result is rolled in sugar, filled with cream, and glazed, and it pulls apart in flaky layers instead of the dense bite of a normal donut. It is rich, so the smart play is a mini box — build a four or twelve of the staple flavors plus whatever is seasonal — and split it. They also do yeast-raised and paleo options if the 100-layer is more architecture than you want before noon.

If You're Moving Here From Out of State

Here is the orientation, because the geography trips people up. Edgehill's own food center is Edgehill Village at 1200 Villa Place — that is where Sadie's, Bella Napoli, Barcelona, and Van Leeuwen all live, in one walkable brick courtyard. There is also Land of a Thousand Hills at NOVEL Edgehill on 12th Avenue South, which is inside the neighborhood proper. Everything else I named — Edley's, Bartaco, Frothy Monkey, Jeni's, Five Daughters — is on 12 South, which is a short walk or quick drive from most of Edgehill, not technically in it. I am drawing that line on purpose so you do not show up expecting the brisket to be next door to your front step.

The bigger thing to understand is that Edgehill's real food advantage is the radius. You are not buying into a single dense restaurant row; you are buying into a starting point that puts the Village, 12 South, Hillsboro Village, the Gulch, and Wedgewood-Houston all within reach without committing to a highway. That is a different — and for a lot of people, better — kind of food neighborhood than a single famous strip.

Recently Closed

One honest note so you are not chasing a ghost: Edgehill Cafe, which sat at 1201 Villa Place, has closed — its listing was marked closed as of mid-2025, and a second Lenox Village location is gone too. If you find an old blog post raving about its Hot Chicken Sandwich, the Edgehill Burger, the Southern Scotch Eggs, or the Sweet Potato Biscuit Bites, those are all gone now. The good news is that the Village did not get quieter; the current anchors above are stable, established, and worth your time.

What's Missing (Honestly)

•A large grocery store inside the neighborhood. Most residents drive a few minutes to nearby options.
•A long, self-contained restaurant row. Edgehill's real strength is the Village's handful of strong anchors plus everything adjacent — not one dense mile of its own.
•Lots of late-night food inside the Village specifically. For late, you are usually drifting toward Bartaco on 12 South or out to the Gulch.
•Quiet. This is a central, in-transition part of town, and the food scene reflects that. If you want sleepy, you want somewhere else.

Quick Questions

What's the best restaurant in Edgehill?

For a full dinner, Sadie's in Edgehill Village is the standout — modern Mediterranean mezze with the whipped feta as the universally-cited must-order. For pizza, Bella Napoli in the same courtyard is genuinely excellent Neapolitan. Both are inside the neighborhood, not a drive away.

Where's the best brunch near Edgehill?

Sadie's does weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 3, right in the Village. For an all-day cafe option, the original Frothy Monkey on 12 South does a strong morning, and Land of a Thousand Hills at NOVEL Edgehill is the in-neighborhood coffee-and-baked-good pick.

Where should I take kids?

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Jeni's are the easy crowd-pleasers, and Bella Napoli's pizza and Bartaco's small, hand-sized tacos both tend to go over well with younger eaters. Five Daughters on 12 South is a fun donut stop. Hours vary by spot, so check before you head out.

Where do I get coffee in Edgehill?

Land of a Thousand Hills at NOVEL Edgehill is the one actually inside the neighborhood — Rwandan-sourced coffee by day, cocktails by night. The original Frothy Monkey on 12 South is the all-day cafe just on the southern edge.

Where do locals go for a drink?

Barcelona Wine Bar in Edgehill Village is the neighborhood's wine-forward anchor — Spanish wine, sherry, and tapas. Land of a Thousand Hills flips into a cocktail-and-mocktail lounge in the evening, and Frothy Monkey serves beer and wine all day.