July 22, 2026 · bars · guides
Broadway drinking is a spectator sport. East Nashville drinking is a neighborhood habit. Here’s the map, sorted by what kind of night you’re having.
Attaboy is next door. Not down the street, not around the corner: the building next to ours at 8 McFerrin. It’s the sister bar to the New York original, and it operates the same way: there is no menu. You tell the bartender what spirits you like, what flavors you’re chasing, and what kind of mood you’re in. They build something for you.
The move is to be specific and then get out of the way. “Something bitter, gin, not too sweet” gets you further than “surprise me.” Go early or expect to wait, and that wait is part of the deal.
Pearl Diver does tiki without the kitsch tipping into parody. The back patio is essentially a resort cabana — string lights, colored panels, movies playing on mute — and on a warm night it is the most fun outdoor space on the east side.
The Pharmacy has a tiered beer garden behind the burger parlor that is, straightforwardly, one of the best places to drink outdoors in Nashville. Get there before the weekend rush finds it.
Urban Cowboy Public House is attached to the hotel, but the patio crowd is overwhelmingly local, which is the whole tell. Cocktails, wood-fired pizza, a converted Victorian, and the east side’s unofficial front porch.
The Basement East on Woodland, “The Beast” to everyone here, books touring acts most nights and is a short walk away. Check the calendar before you plan the night.
The 5 Spot is three minutes from our front door. Motown Mondays, $2 Tuesdays, and a dance floor that fills with people who live here. Whatever is playing, the answer is yes.
Every one of these is close enough to The Eighteen that the night ends on foot, with a slice from Five Points Pizza if you time it right. No rideshare surge, no parking hunt, no drive.
That’s not a small thing. It’s the reason to stay on this side of the river. See availability →