The Gulch's 2026 Restaurant Map Runs Through Its Hotels

The address 507 12th Avenue South has been quiet since January. In the first week of 2026 it lost two Gulch fixtures at the same time when The 404 Kitchen and Gertie's Whiskey Bar both closed, as the Tennessean reported on January 9. The next tenant has already been named. The Perlant, a private social club built around wine, is expected to take the former Gertie's space in fall 2027.

That one building tracks the larger change in the neighborhood this year. Most of the Gulch's new places to eat and drink in 2026 didn't open as standalone rooms on the street. They opened in hotel lobbies and on hotel rooftops, under national names arriving in Tennessee for the first time, and in the case of 507, behind a membership.

Ten openings, and one address holds four of them

Here are the Gulch's ten most notable 2026 openings so far, along with what kind of building each one is in.

Five of the ten are inside hotels, and four of those five share one street address. W Nashville at 300 12th Avenue South opened Zaytinya in February, then the José Andrés Group concepts Bar Mar and Butterfly by José in March, and added Glowbird on its WET Deck in April. The Gulch's own directory also places a Barista Parlor in the W, so the building now covers a full day, from morning coffee to a late table.

Two blocks over, COA opened March 6 on the roof of Canopy by Hilton at 920 Division Street. Executive Chef José Mendoza runs a Mexican-inspired menu there.

Two more of the ten are first-in-Tennessee national brands. PopUp Bagels opened its first Tennessee shop on 11th Avenue South on February 27. Sweetgreen followed on June 30 with its first Tennessee restaurant, a 2,755-square-foot space at 341 11th Avenue South with an outdoor patio near Noble Park.

The openings that don't fit that pattern

Love's Alibi comes closest to the kind of room the January closures left behind. It opened to the public on Wednesday, January 14, at 901 Gleaves Street, and Nashville Lifestyles describes it as a cocktail-led neighborhood bar. It's a LeBlanc + Smith project led locally by partner Jason Sorbet with Robert LeBlanc and Liam Deegan. Chef Todd Pulsinelli and Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Burkett run the kitchen.

Along 8th Avenue South, the changes have happened inside existing storefronts. Cledis Burgers & Beer was open at 719 8th Avenue South, in the former Party Fowl space, by the time NewsChannel 5 covered it on May 19. Naked Farmer announced an August 31 opening at 620 8th Avenue South in Paseo South Gulch. It's the second Nashville location for founder Jordan Johnson's concept, and the Gulch directory now lists it as new. Next door at 622 8th Avenue South, the All'Antico Vinaio shop has closed, according to an August restaurant roundup in the Nashville Business Journal.

What's lined up for 2027 continues the trend

The pipeline Nashville Guru published on September 29 points the same way.

• Yeppa & Co. is listed for 2027 at 118 12th Avenue South, inside the Caption by Hyatt.
• Village Whiskey, the Philadelphia concept founded by chef José Garces, is listed for 2027 on the ground floor of The Quinley at 900 Division Street.
• Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse is listed for 2027 at 1212 McGavock Street, with tableside fire-roasted meats and a hot-and-cold food bar.
• 51st Deli is listed for 2027 at 730 8th Avenue South, in the former Fat Kat Slims space.
• The Perlant is listed for fall 2027 at 507 12th Avenue South.

So another hotel restaurant and another out-of-state brand are on the way. All of these dates are projections given as a year or a season. None is a confirmed opening day.

The Perlant is the most notable of the group because of where it's going. The club was founded in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood in 2025. Nashville Guru's listing describes a cellar of more than 1,000 bottles, 40 wines by the glass, dining, and educational events. Chef Jordan Sanchez, formerly of Soho House Chicago and Proper Hotel in Austin, will lead the culinary program. The Nashville club will follow the Atlanta model, starting with 100 founding members recruited through personal conversations rather than a conventional sales process. For most of the past decade, anyone could walk into the 507 12th Avenue South storefronts. When the new tenant opens, getting in will mean being a member.

The one opening still due this fall

Vagabond is the nearest addition, and its timing has been described three different ways. A June announcement in Davidson County Source called it a late-2026 debut. A July Nashvegas report targeted October. Nashville Guru's current listing says fall 2026, with no opening day. The concept, from Stephen Finch, is a self-pour wine, beer, and Tennessee whiskey bar at 1000 Division Street. As of early October, it's expected this fall, and no public date has been set.

Noble Park carries the free calendar

With so much new dining tied to hotel guests or club members, the neighborhood's free public events are concentrated in one place. Noble Park at 333 11th Avenue South opened in 2020. It hosts both of the Gulch's free events on the October calendar:

1. Fall Market in Noble Park, Thursday, October 8, 3 to 6 p.m. Local vendors, seasonal goods, and fall activities, according to the event listing.
2. Free Hocus Pocus movie night, Thursday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. An outdoor screening with free pizza and a drawing for a $250 St. Vito gift card. Admission is free, and the organizers suggest bringing a blanket.

After that, the neighborhood's signature-events page lists the Holiday Market as a December event. A 2026 date hasn't been posted yet.

A good Gulch evening this month could start at the market or the movie, then move to a table at Love's Alibi on Gleaves Street, to the W's lineup at 300 12th Avenue South, or up to COA on the Canopy roof. Sweetgreen's patio sits at the edge of Noble Park. And 507 12th Avenue South will stay dark for about another year before The Perlant opens.

If the steady turnover of Gulch storefronts has you thinking about what the next few years mean for your own building or block, Nichole Herold follows these openings and closings as closely as the sales data. Let's Connect over coffee in the Gulch.