Lou Nashville

<p>A California chef with time in Paris opening a natural wine bar on Nashville's east side was, for a stretch, exactly the kind of counter-programming the city's dining scene needed. Lou, at 1304 McGavock Pike in Riverside Village, drew on a European-leaning sensibility — seasonal, vegetable-forward cooking, a thoughtful pour list weighted toward natural and low-intervention bottles — while staying loose enough for a long brunch on the patio or an easy weeknight dinner on the lawn.</p> <p>The menu moved between registers without losing focus. Brunch brought dishes like chocolate maple buckwheat pancakes and Peruvian lima beans; dinner leaned toward whole roasted chickens and the kind of Beaujolais magnums that suggest the wine list was taken as seriously as the food. That balance — unfussy but considered, seasonal without being precious — earned Lou a Best of Nashville recognition from the Nashville Scene and a review in Condé Nast Traveler, two signals that placed it well above the neighborhood-restaurant baseline.</p> <p>Mailea Weger's background gave the room its particular character. Her California training and Paris experience translated into a cooking style that sat somewhere between a West Coast all-day café and a French bistro, with the patio and open lawn reinforcing the sense that the point was to stay, not to turn tables. The price range, moderate to upper-moderate, kept it accessible for regulars while the wine program gave it a reason to draw guests from across the city. Lou has since closed, and the Riverside Village location no longer operates under that name.</p>

How it compares

• Lou Nashville

  Awards

  4 recognitions

  Cuisine

  Dining

  Notes

  Nashville

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