Nashville Downtown Farmers Market is the mack-daddy of farmers markets. Really. I could probably write on this subject for the next seven hours, but I have kids and a husband and my in-laws are in town, and you wouldn’t want to read all that anyway. So you get the abridged version—chock-full of photos for your viewing pleasure.
When you first walk into the giant Nashville Farmers’ Market, you enter an area that is like the greatest mall food court ever—only far, far better.
There is gourmet, homemade pizza from Bella Nashville, southern Indian cuisine from Swagruha, coffee and sweet goodies from Butter Cake Babe’s Coffee Café, authentic Louisianan Cajun food from The Original Nooley’s , plus sushi, popcorn, pimento cheese, chess pies, gelato, burritos, even artisan dog biscuits! And get this—soon there will be a local, craft beer garden and gastropub—The Picnic Tap! On my recent visit, my in-laws enjoyed BBQ sandwiches and jalapeño cheese grits from B&C BBQ. (The B&C stands for Bacon & Caviar.) As vegetarians, the husband and I are loyal fans (along with Food Network’s Guy Fieri) of Jamaicaway‘s Caribbean awesomeness. The curry tofu (below left) is my favorite food ever. EVER. My husband recently ordered the spicy jerk gluten (below right) and it was also delicious. We both ordered collards, he got cheesy mashed potatoes to split with our son, and I got the yellow rice to soak up my precious coconut curry sauce. This place isn’t just for vegetarians. You can also order goat, ox-tail, and a variety of other meat products at Jamaicaway. After lunch, my mother-in-law and I split a sinful strawberry and nutella crepe (below bottom) from Music City Crepes and it was insanely good. I’m looking forward to trying one of their savory crepes next time.
Also located in the main building is an international market where we found every single kind of rice and lentil you can imagine, along with yams the size of my child and roughly a thousand other fun and unusual products.
In the farm shed, you will find more beautiful, fresh, local produce than your mind will likely be able to process at one time. I am embarrassed that I have ever brought grocery store produce, and I may never do it again. This place has EVERYTHING!!! Fruits, veggies, jams, honey, pickles, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, bread, seafood, nuts, soaps—the list goes on and on. Be forewarned that while this farmers market is open 362 glorious days a year, not all of the vendors are there every day. For the merchant schedule, click here.
There is also a massive selection of plants, gardening supplies, and décor. We had so much fun browsing the options.
Still not impressed? How about this? Every third Friday, the Nashville Farmers’ Market hosts Night Market! This involves food from local food trucks and a featured restaurant cooking at the market’s Grow kitchen, craft beer, local wine, cocktails, music, fashion, and craft trucks make shopping a special event anyone can find a reason to enjoy.
If you’re a parent (which I’m guessing is likely since you’re here reading Nashville Moms Blog), here is another fun perk: just across the street from Nashville Farmers Market is the Bicentennial Mall Park—complete with splash pad and overhead train track. Because I just can’t resist, here is a picture of my kid playing in the water with a friend.
The Nashville Farmers’ Market is located at 900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. They are open daily 8-6, though all merchants have their own days and hours. Get out there and support your lovely, local farmers!
