Nashville| Junior: The Reservation You Need to Make Now
I’ve always considered myself one of Nashville’s rarer specimens, a native, born and raised, from back when that still meant something. As I drive through Music City, I’m not sure I recognize the city that raised me. The Gulch, once a quiet industrial stretch most Nashvillians passed through without stopping, is now a canyon of glass condos, apartments, and rooftop bars that seem to change hands before you’ve learned their names. 12th South was far from a destination, but a neighborhood that you went to because the rent was reasonable and the coffee shop knew your order. But now the street itself has been replaced by upscale brands in full force. Places like Lululemon, Reformation, and Love Shack Fancy are anchors on a street that once housed MAFIAoZA’s Pizzeria, Portland Brew, Las Paletas, Halcyon Bike Shop, and Becker’s Bakery. In their place, you’ll find luggage stores, jewelry shops, and out-of-town restaurant concepts that could exist identically in Austin or Scottsdale. Germantown, which once felt like a secret worth keeping, has given way to boutique developments and restaurant concepts catering to a Nashville still finding its footing.
Change is inevitable, and some of it has been genuinely good. But Nashville’s progress is often coming at the expense of its unique character, as new developments erase the very places and people that defined the city’s spirit.
Iconic establishments have vanished: Pelican and Pig, Sinema, Lou, Red Perch, 404 Kitchen, Varallo’s Tavern, Manny’s House of Pizza, McCabe’s Pub, and Hawthorne are gone, and that’s not even the entire list.
The trend continues, with Fido and Margot Cafe & Bar scheduled to close later this year.
This leads me to ask: how many original Nashville restaurants, the places that formed the city’s cultural backbone, can survive amid Nashville's rapidly shifting identity?
I get it. Chase the buzz, try the new restaurants, and enjoy the experience, but then make a reservation somewhere that was here before the headlines.
Supporting our local establishments like Arnold’s Country Kitchen, City House, Rolf and Daughters, and Nicky’s Coal Fired isn’t about nostalgia. It’s a choice.
So when I wanted a meal that still felt like Nashville, not this faux-branded version, but the one I grew up trusting, I turned to something local.
Junior, the newest addition to the family that gave us Folk and Rolf and Daughters, sits quietly in East Nashville. It's been on my list for a while, and I can’t wait to share my experience.
Junior | Vodka Martini + Sidecar
Let’s Talk Location
Junior is located at 907 Dickerson Pike, not the obvious part of East Nashville, but that’s somewhat the point. The space is a former Piggly Wiggly, which sounds like a footnote until you’re standing inside and realize the bones of the place have been put to wonderful use. This is what Phillip Krajeck and his team do well: find the right room, in the right neighborhood, before everyone else figures out it was the right neighborhood.
menu details
The menu at Junior focuses on Basque-inspired open-flame cooking, using seasonal ingredients from local purveyors. The cocktail menu keeps it simple: a martini, a Negroni, and a Manhattan. I’m here to tell you- start with a vodka martini, it does not disappoint.
You know the wine selection will be phenomenal when Billy Smith, formerly assistant wine director at The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn, was brought to Nashville specifically for the role. He’s curated a flawless wine list that leans towards minimal-intervention producers.
Junior | 2023 Ink Claw Joullian Vineyard Zinfandel (Carmel Valley)
The menu opens with a series of single-bite moments that set the stage for the rest of the dinner. At our server's recommendation, we started with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartelette with bone marrow and beef bacon. Honestly, it was a bite I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around. The delicacy of the tuna against the richness of the marrow and bacon? It was a bite where the flavor arrived in layers, each one slower to leave than the last.
If I’m being completely honest, bread isn’t something I typically seek out at a restaurant. Primarily, because my self-restraint around delicious carbs is somewhat lacking. And I order with intention. There are too many incredible dishes to try, so fill up early. However, Junior’s Porridge Bread has a reputation that precedes it, and for good reason. Served by the half-loaf with Amish butter, it’s quietly one of the best things on the table.
Junior | Collard Green Farci + Carolina Gold Rice + Chicken Jus + Lardo
After lunch at Audrey, I have been on a collard green kick, so when I saw the Collard Green Farci on the menu, I ordered it immediately. Not only was the presentation stunning, but I also loved how the dish elevated Southern soul-food ingredients with French technique.
Junior | Dry-Aged Wagyu Beef
The above dish needs little explanation, as Dry-Aged Wagyu needs no embellishment, and Junior knows it. The aging concentrates what’s already exceptional, deepening and intensifying the flavors.
Rather than the off-menu frites (which looked incredible by the way), we opted for an order of Cinderella carrots, which was both simple and elegant.
LAST WORD
If there’s one dish that is non-negotiable, it's the chocolate soufflé. Period.
The chocolate soufflé is a test that any kitchen can fail for myriad reasons. Junior doesn’t. It arrives exactly as it should: risen, barely trembling at the edges, and the surface giving way to something dark and molten at the center. The vanilla ice cream surrenders to it, melting slowly into the warmth, cool and quiet against the intensity of the chocolate. And of course, each bite is a negotiation in balance between the two, and getting that perfect bite.
This is one dish that reminds you why certain things have never needed improving.
Junior | Chocolate Souffle + Vanilla Ice Cream
Nashville’s dining landscape is shifting, and many are questioning whether it is headed in the right direction. Restaurants like Junior are why we should pay attention to what we still have. This is a kitchen operating with intention and a meal that will stay with you well after you leave. But none of it exists without the table being filled. Make a reservation. Show up. And don’t forget to order the Chocolate Soufflé.
The best thing you can do for Nashville’s food scene is eat in it, and Junior is as good a place to start as any!
Until Next Time!
Tariff: Snacks and starters range from $5.00-$12.00 with small plates and entrees priced between $16.00 and span upwards of $48.00. Overall, you can nibble through snacks and a small plate for under $50.00, but if you are doing the distance with mains, wine, and dessert, expect to spend well over $100.00/person.
Can’t Miss: Undoubtedly, the Chocolate Soufflé, but if you are in the mood for steak, I highly recommend ordering the Wagyu dish of the moment.
Potential Pass: Candidly, I enjoyed everything that we ordered. No notes!
