The Nashville bar scene is for the most part synonymous with the Nashville restaurant scene; an establishment has to serve food in order to serve liquor. So, in addition to the places listed below, if you want a cocktail, step into almost any moderately priced or expensive restaurant. The first thing you're likely to see is a bar.
An ever-increasing array of nightspots keep Nashville jumping after dark. Redevelopment is bustling in the Gulch. Across the street from the venerable bluegrass venue the Station Inn is Sambuca, 601 12th Ave. S. (tel. 615/248-2888), a Dallas-based newcomer with an eclectic menu and nightly live music -- with an emphasis on jazz. Next door are a few more relatively new hipster hangouts: Ru San's, 505 12th Ave. S. (tel. 615/252-8787), is a vibrant, ultra-modern, Atlanta-based sushi bar; while City Hall, 405 12th Ave. S. (tel. 244-2115), has become a popular party and live music venue. It backs up to another trendy nightspot: Bar Twenty3, 503 12th Ave. S. (tel. 615/963-9998), an urban warehouse environment where you can wash down cocktails with everything from empanadas to bite-sized beef Wellingtons.
Farther south of downtown, Rumours Wine Bar, 2304 12th Ave. S. (tel. 615/292-9400), is a cozy house converted into a festive bar that offers more than 50 by-the-glass wines along with good eats, an artsy patio, and lots of whimsical metal sculptures.
Meanwhile, in the West End, Virago, 1811 Division St. (tel. 615/320-5149), is still the Vanderbilt University area's most sizzling sushi bar and a late-night gathering place -- at least for the young, beautiful, and thirsty. Another upscale West-End restaurant that's better known for its after-hours vibe than its Mediterranean-inspired menu is Layla Rul, 909 20th Ave. S. (tel. 615/620-6015).
