We drank one too many cups of McDonald’s coffee on the way down to Nashville from Chicago, so the first thing we had on our list when we arrived was to hunt down a decent cup of coffee. We had no idea what kind of treat we were in for when we turned into the parking lot at the Nashville coffee house, Barista Parlor.
The building is actually tucked back from the road, and it didn’t have a big flashing marquee along the main road letting you know you had arrived.
The marquee in this photo is actually inside the Barista Parlor gates.
In coffee heaven, these would be the pearly gates because this Nashville coffee house has one of the best cups of coffee I have ever had.
The coffee
They use organic coffee beans and offer a variety of blends with flavor descriptions to help you figure out which blend may be to your liking. We enjoyed the coffee so much, we went back for more the next day and would have kept going back, had we not left for home the following day.
Although the ambiance completed the whole experience, quite honestly I would drink this coffee while sitting in a damp and dingy basement, (as in my very own scary basement) if required.
The decor
The building must have been a garage at one time, hence the abundance of garage doors. Everywhere I looked I saw salvage, chippy, vintage or industrial. Hanging light fixtures with Edison bulbs kept the atmosphere low key. Clever use of salvage all around and they even had a collection of vinyl records in alphabetical order, no less.
The hipsters
Not only is Barista Parlor a coffee heaven, it’s a hipster haven, as well. Coffee houses and hipsters just kind of go together, so there was really no surprise to see “the cool people” hanging out. They were friendly, unobtrusive and didn’t seem to mind us dorky, middle-aged (except for my niece) women crashing their scene…if you know what I mean;}
Barista Parlor is located on the east side of Nashville near the 5 Points district which unlike the bright lights and honky tonks of downtown Nashville, you will find an eclectic scene full of alternative music venues, bars, restaurants, thrift stores and plenty of unique and trendy shops.
When your reach your destination on a trip, do you like to head straight for the main attraction, or do you like to venture off the trail a bit and see what you can find?
Hope your week is hip! ~ Amy
For more on our Nashville trip:
Have you ever tried Nashville hot chicken?
Have you been to the Nashville honky tonks?
Mel says
Amy that place is awesome! I love those chairs, I’m no hipster but I could see myself there.
Feral Turtle says
What a fantastic coffee house. The decor is too cool and so are you guys! I never saw one dorky middle aged woman in any of your pictures from your Nashville trip, just some hot mammas!!! It really is hard to find a good cup of coffee these days.
Amy says
You are too kind! Thank you and yes, it is hard to find good coffee, so when you do it’s worth mentioning.
heather f says
Ohhhh what a fun place to go!!! It is so quirky.
Amy says
Yes, Heather, quirky and different are two great words to descirbe Barista Parlor…….then there’s the wonderful coffee
Sherry@Thrift My House says
We have a place similar, a garage style hipster restaurant called Matchbox. I went with my 2 very cool daughters and felt very out of place ….and bored. BUT it was evening and I didnt have coffeee…I needed another out of place mom to hang out with me. And coffee! HA!
Looks like you ladies had fun!
Amy says
Sherry, I would hang with you and feel out of place anywhere!
Danni@SiloHillFarm says
I always like to find the unexpected! Heading to Nashville next summer for our family reunion, so I think I’d better put the 5 points district on my agenda! Thanks for letting me know about it!
Carolyn says
I’m from Nashville and I didn’t know this place existed (obviously not a native). Love me some coffee & some cool places, gonna have to check this out. Thanks Amy. BTW – love the blog too 🙂
Amy says
Thank you so much, Carolyn for stopping by!! We just loved Nashville and wish we could have stayed much longer. There is so much to see and do, we even tried the famous hot chicken, oh so good!! Have fun and Barista Parlor, I have no doubt you will love the coffee. ~ Amy
Kim~madeinaday says
What a cool looking place! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim