INTERNATIONAL CUISINE SCENE

Expand your palate in Nolensville Pike, Nashville’s ethnic cuisine corridor

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN ZUCKER

Nashville is synonymous with country music, hot chicken and Southern hospitality. It has also become a foodie’s paradise with countless restaurants offering authentic foods from around the world, and boasts a wealth of immigrantowned restaurants. From Jamaican to Indian, Ethiopian to Korean, Brazilian to Egyptian, if you’re hungry for it in Music City, chances are good that someone somewhere in this town is authentically preparing this cuisine right now.

Several areas in Nashville are known for their high concentrations of foreign-born chefs, but the undisputed epicenter of the ethnic cuisine scene is Nolensville Pike. In a drive of less than a dozen miles total—straight out-and-back from downtown—it is possible to make a gourmand journey around the world. Increasingly popular, Nolensville Pike draws locals and tourists alike—little wonder the number of restaurants and the diversity of cuisines along this vibrant strip continues to expand. There are many more worthy choices along Nolensville Pike than we have room to cover here; these seven are worth a try for their authentic flavors, great vibes and authenticity.

NASHVILLE VENEZUELA FOOD

Nashville Venezuela Food claims to make the best arepas in town, and it delivers. The origins of this indigenous dish pre-dates the arrival of the Europeans to South America. Its base is masarepa, a type of cornmeal that griddles up into corn cakes that are soft, smooth and somewhat starchy, perfect platforms to hold any number of good things to eat: shredded beef or chicken, fried plantains, yellow cheese, black beans, avocado, cilantro, carrots and cabbage salad. Tying it all together is a creamy jalapeño sauce, the last few drops of which left on your plate can be easily absorbed by the last bits of corn cake left between your fingers.

EXPERT TIP: Pair your arepas (or empanadas) with a cold, sweet chicha, a Venezuelan drink made from milk and either pasta or rice and topped with cinnamon.

GOJO ETHIOPIAN

Don’t come expecting fast service—typically only one server staffs the entire space—but do come here expecting friendly service, the scent of frankincense and lots of authentic Ethiopian food. For those not familiar with this cuisine, Ethiopian food is served communally, typically on a round tray placed in the middle of your party’s table. If you wait for the cutlery to arrive, you’ll be sitting there a long time; your eating utensils are already on the palms of your hands. To help scoop up the savory stews and succulent sauces, the base of the meal is made up of injera, a somewhat spongy, slightly sour, fermented flatbread that is easy to tear into pieces and dunk into all the deliciousness.

With dishes such as red and yellow lentils and Ethiopian cabbage, vegans will be happy here. However, if dietary restrictions allow, don’t miss the doro wat. Arguably the most emblematic dish of Ethiopia, doro wat—which literally means “chicken stew” in Amharic—is nothing like the chicken stew your grandma used to make (unless your grandma comes from Addis Ababa). Doro wat’s punching-above-its-weight flavor profile owes its impact to niter kibbeh, a spiced, clarified butter, and to berbere, a spice blend that typically includes fenugreek, paprika, hot chiles, cardamom and coriander.

EXPERT TIP: Order the traditional Ethiopian coffee. As much a ritual as it is an extraordinary cup of joe, restaurant staff roast the beans themselves and the coffee is served in a jebena (an Ethiopian coffee pot).

OSH RESTAURANT & GRILL

It’s reasonable to assume that most folks in Nashville have no idea whether or not they like Uzbek cuisine. It is also reasonable to assume that, outside of Uzbekistan itself, there are few places better than this town to discover the answer. That is because Nashville is home to OSH, a gleaming gem of a restaurant tucked inside a basic strip mall. In early 2022, this

From left: Discover delightful Thai street food at Degthai; don't miss dessert at OSH Restaurant & Grill; the shish kabobs stand out at Edessa; eat like kings and queens at King Tut's, when chowing down on the Royal Plate. Opening spread, left to right: Try the national dish of El Salvador at Pupuseria Reina la Bendición; Ethiopian coffee is a must at Gojo; bite into the arepas of your dreams at Nashville Venezuela Food.

place took 9th in the nation on Yelp’s Top 100 list. Not bad for a family-owned restaurant that opened just two years earlier.

As for the food, Uzbekistan once straddled the Silk Road, making it the perfect place to blend the flavors flowing back and forth between Asia and Europe across the Middle East. A great way to dive into this cuisine is simply to select from all the courses. For starters, try the lamb samosa, a crispy pastry filled with lamb, onions and spices. For the salad, consider the vinegret, a colorful combo of diced beetroots, boiled potatoes, onions, pickles and green peas. The Lagman soup is next, a tomato-based soup with lamb, vegetables and noodles. The main is osh itself, the most traditional Uzbek dish, a heaping plate of rice pilaf with braised lamb, carrots and spices served with homemade yogurt and achichuk, thinly sliced tomatoes and onions seasoned with spices and basil. Don’t forget dessert: The baklava is divine, made from thin layers of pastry with walnuts, butter and syrup.

EXPERT TIP: With ample parking and large private rooms, OSH is an ideal place to feast with a group of friends.

PUPUSERIA REINA LA BENDICIÓN

If you can read Spanish, then you already know that this little El Salvadorian restaurant bills itself as “Queen of the Blessed Pupusa Makers.” Well, the crown fits; the pupusas here are outstanding. Considered the national dish of El Salvador, pupusas are thick corn cakes cooked fresh on a griddle and filled with beans, cheese and meat, typically served with Salvadoran salsa roja. However, there is much more to this charming slice of Salvadoran authenticity than just pupusas. Reina la Bendición is also known for its mojarra frita and its camarones a la diabla: fried fish and spicy shrimp.

EXPERT TIP: Brush up on your Spanish before sitting down to dine. Your efforts are both appreciated and helpful.

DEGTHAI

From mild to native hot, this place—always clean and bright and pumping out pop music— makes Nolensville Pike part of the Thai street food scene. From its traditional pad Thai to the more fusion-forward stir fry of Jay’s Special (owner/chef), Degthai packs fountains of flavors into the food. Known for its friendly and

attentive service, Degthai presents an evergrowing number of locals with a dilemma: green curry or red? Vegans can feast happily here; the crispy, spicy tofu will tempt even the most ardent carnivore.

EXPERT TIP: Save the plane ticket to Bangkok and hang at Degthai instead, munching on kra prao moo kai dao: Thai stir fry with pork, holy basil, garlic and Thai chili pepper, all topped with a Thai fried egg.

EDESSA

Named for an ancient city in Mesopotamia, Edessa’s large dining room sets authentic Turkish and Kurdish dishes before Nashville patrons. A great place to start is with an appetizer platter; among the temptations are grape leaves, tabbouleh, hummus, ezme (a mixture of fresh tomatoes, red and green peppers, onions, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and Turkish spices), baba ganoush (roasted eggplant puree mixed with garlic and seasoned with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt) and haydari, a creamy yogurt mixed with walnuts, garlic, mint and melted butter.

For main course dishes, consider tavuk sis, the chicken shish kabob or the Adana kebab, chargrilled lamb and beef mixed with herbs and spices.

EXPERT TIP: Don’t leave without enjoying the Turkish kunefe (sweet cheese pastry) for dessert.

KING TUT’S

While this wonderful food truck and restaurant is not parked along the Nile, there’s no denying that King Tut’s will make you feel like you’re eating in Egypt. The charming, fenced-in patio could easily make you think you are sitting in some Cairo bistro, and the authentic, flavorful food might even convince you that you are. To get a wide variety of tastes, start with the sampler, a plate piled with hummus, pickles, fried eggplant, falafel and cabbage slaw. For the main, consider the Royal Plate, a generous serving of gyro chicken and lamb with saffron-enhanced basmati rice.

EXPERT TIP: One word: falafel.