Best Honky-Tonks & Bars on Broadway in Nashville (2026)

The best way to do Broadway isn't to visit the most bars. It's to find a few you actually want to stay in.

For traditional country, start with Robert's Western World and Layla's. For rooftop river views, head to Acme Feed & Seed. For a celebrity bar that still puts country music first, try AJ's Good Time Bar. For a proper meal before the evening gets louder, look at Friends in Low Places, Chief's, or The Twelve Thirty Club.

This guide covers the honky-tonks and bars of Lower Broadway, plus three nearby spots worth a short detour. Entries are grouped by the kind of night they suit, not ranked, so you can choose between a country band, a rooftop party, a real meal, and a night of singing along.

Use the map to find bars that fit your plans, then build a short route around the music, food, and atmosphere you want.

These are the rooms that made Lower Broadway famous: live country bands, no standard cover, and a stage you can stand a few feet from. Start here if the music is the point.

When dinner, a view, or a ticketed show is the plan, these are the buildings that handle it well. Most take reservations, and two of them, Bell Bottoms Up and This Bar, sit a block or two off Broadway.

The multi-floor buildings are made for groups: several stages, rooftops, VIP tables, and room for everyone to split up and find each other again. Category 10, a block off Broadway, adds line-dancing lessons to the mix.

Traditional country: Robert's → Layla's → AJ's. All three sit within a few doors of each other. Give Robert's and Layla's enough time for real sets, then cross the street to AJ's for karaoke or a change of scene. Stay put if a band is excellent.

First visit: Tootsie's → Robert's → Acme. The famous purple honky-tonk, our traditional-country favorite, and a rooftop over the river, without three similar celebrity buildings in a row.

Bachelorette night: Casa Rosa → Category 10 → Whiskey Row. (For the full weekend, see our Nashville bachelorette party guide.) Tex-Mex dinner, a line-dancing lesson, then a 21+ party to finish. Check Category 10's lesson times before you set the dinner reservation.

Free entry doesn't mean a free night. Many bars have no standard music cover, but food, drinks, band tips, ticketed shows, and VIP areas all add up. Carry a card and some cash for the musicians; a few venues are cashless.

Book dinner when dinner matters. Friends in Low Places, Casa Rosa, Luke's, and The Twelve Thirty Club all take dinner reservations. A dinner booking usually doesn't cover rooftop or VIP access.

Age policies vary. A bar that welcomes families at lunch might turn 21+ anywhere from 6 to 10 p.m., and some rooftops stay 21+ all day. The table above has each venue's rule; confirm the day and floor before you go.

Eat before, not after. Most honky-tonk kitchens close long before the bar does, and Robert's fried bologna is the exception rather than the rule. Hattie B's and Prince's both have counters at Fifth + Broadway (see our Nashville hot chicken guide), and when the night runs late, our late-night food guide lists when each kitchen actually stops. If Broadway isn't your scene, our Nashville bars for your 30s guide covers the neighborhoods instead.