Gulch Happy Hour
Happy Hour is a great way to get a taste of a great restaurant, get a nice bargain, and leave room for more places to visit. This swing is one of our favorite things to do when we are in staycation mode.
Agenda:
- Iberian Pig
- Sunda
- STK
Here is our suggestion, with a few audibles you may want to call to right-size your Gulch outing.
Overview: Starting at the Iberian Pig, moving on to Sunda, stepping across the street to STK and perhaps finishing up at the LA Jackson rooftop.
Let’s talk parking. One of the most important things you should do if you are driving to Nashville is to figure out your parking plan. The most expensive mistake you can make on a Nashville outing is to Yolo parking and just pull into a lot and hope that it is a reasonable deal. Often, it is much too expensive. For this outing, Connie and I usually park on the city street. These spots are usually available during happy hour because you are arriving early. If you are good with time management and love saving a buck, you can pay for two hours of parking near the Iberian pig (there is street parking near Sunda and STK, but it is more coveted and thus harder to find) This is information about parking on Nashville’s city streets. Two hours of parking costs $4. It is a bit of a tight fit, which is why I suspect it is a bargain. Longer than 2 hours and it costs $5 per hour and not $2 an hour. While I am on this topic, the two city garages referred to on this list and the Music City Center have the best parking options in Nashville with the most consistent pricing.
But hey, this is Happy Hour, and if nobody is the designated driver, your best play is to use rideshare. So let’s get started.
If you can arrive near 4, this is your best option. The Iberain Pig is an elegant space, for that matter, everything on this list is elegant. Their happy hour menu features $5 wine. This is a Tapas restaurant, so if you don’t see what you want on the happy hour menu, their are very nice options off the menu for another bite. Sit at the bar and edit yourself, because the night is just starting. You are mostly settling in and relaxing and kicking off happy hour.
Hopefully after a half hour you are ready to walk to Sunda. Their happy hour window is the same as the Iberian Pig, 4-6 PM on Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Sunda’s happy hour is 3-4 PM. For me, the superstar of this show are the $6 hand rolls. These are the things that I crave the most when it has been a while since our last Gulch happy hour. Enjoy your experience at Sunda. It can craft some of the most beautiful dishes. I was blown away by their Ube Waffles when we went there for brunch. But that would be for a different outing.
Ideally it is not later than 5:15 now. Now we cross the street for a taste of STK’s happy hour. If I were prone to puns or dad jokes, I would say that they have beefed up their happy hour menu. The weekday happy hour lasts until 6:30, which is a reason to save STK for last. You may scoot this stop forward to make sure there is a seat waiting for you at the bar. The cabernet is a tremendous value for $9. I like their Chimay and Modelo offerings. There are so many options to choose from, I would caution you to get what you want and to read through the whole menu. I lean toward the Steak & Frits and the Crispy Calamari. I can’t wait to try a couple of the new offerings on this menu though!
The next stop is the L.A. Jackson rooftop bar. If you want happy hour they have one from 3-5. We go after happy hour, because we like the elevated menu at the other locations. The star of the show at this bar is the view of the city. Go on up, look for a good spot to sit down and relax and send someone to the bar for some drinks if no one comes by. Enjoy the view, enjoy the company, and think about when and what your next Nashville outing will be. For me and Connie, it is heading home and crawling in bed. For my kids and their friends, and probably for you, this is a pregame activity for evening plans.
If you are a mural hunter…. You may want to take a short detour down 12th Avenue to see this fairly iconic mural. It is a short walk and by my estimate it is the most popular mural in the Nashville area.
Audibles:
- L.A. Jackson Rooftop
- WhatLiftsYou Mural
