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Credit: Daniel Brown - Bad Idea, Nashville, TN
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Bad Idea

$50 and over
Wine Bar

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 28 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Innovative
  • Great for fine wines
  • Good for special occasions
Bad Idea is East Nashville's buzziest new restaurant from Sommelier Alex Burch and Executive Chef Colby Rasavong. It was honored as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in America in 2024 by the New York Times. New York Times food writer Brett Anderson remarks “Bad Idea may well be what many seasoned diners thought when they heard there was a wine bar specializing in envelope-pushing Lao food opening inside an East Nashville church. But given the level of cooking here, the name turned out to be a self-aware joke, rather than a
self-own…[Rasavong] invests the weight of his life experience in food that stretches the boundaries of
Southeast Asian cooking to the edge of Appalachia. And the wine list is wise beyond this restaurant’s
years, mixing tantalizing obscurities, affordable crowd pleasers and connoisseur selections you’ll rarely
find poured by the glass.” Bad Idea was also named a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in the 2025 James
Beard Awards.

Why they're an Icon

From the OpenTable editors: Chef Colby Rasavong leans on his Lao heritage at this one-of-a-kind East Nashville wine bar that Bon Appétit dubbed one of its most eagerly anticipated openings in 2023. Sommelier Alex Burch's exciting, global wine list, which includes selections from South Africa, Hungary, and Portugal, sets the stage for Rasavong's ever-changing menu. Expect inventive dishes like a sausage roll with Calabrian chiles and lemongrass, mushroom tartare, and pot pie and noodle soup all served in a spacious bi-level former church with arched windows overlooking the street. The New York Times named Bad Idea one of its 50 favorites around the country in 2024.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Laotian, Farm-to-table
  • Hours of Operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–12:45 am
  • Phone number
    (629) 729-4332
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Private party facilities
    Enjoy a semi-private experience in our mezzanine.Overlooking our beautiful dining room, our mezzanine can be the perfect gathering place for up to 30 people!Email Events@badideanashville.com

Experiences

  • Iggys x Bad Idea Dine Nashville Collab

    US$100.00 per person

    Prepaid

    26 Feb 2025 only
    Bad Idea in collaboration with iggy's. Chef Colby Rasavong and Chef Ryan Poli will prepare multi-course shareable menu to celebrate Dine Nashville. Advanced sommelier Alex Burch certified sommelier Matt Poli will suggest wines to pair with this experience.

What 48 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Nashville

    Innovative

  • Nashville

    Great for fine wines

  • Nashville

    Innovative

  • Nashville

    Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bad Idea offers a unique dining experience with "phenomenal" food and an "amazing" wine list. The restaurant's creative dishes, like the quail and crudo, delight patrons, while the knowledgeable and attentive staff enhance the experience. The atmosphere is "beautiful," though seating can be tight. Ideal for adventurous diners seeking a memorable night out.
48 Reviews
  1. Tim

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The ambiance was very nice. Food was not tasty. I couldn't identify what I was eating. It was supposed to be yellow fin tuna.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Drew

    Nashville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was an experience! Small portions as they value ambience, wine and delicately built plates. Server Callan was amazing, the owner came by to show us our chosen wine - AJ Adam. Would recommend getting multiple small plates with one large entree. Going back again soon! Only downfall in my opinion was parking - highly trafficked area and may have to park down street, not a big deal though!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Holly

    Nashville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had an amazing dinner! Every bite we tried was outstanding and great service as well. Already looking forward to coming back!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Abishai

    Nashville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Unbelievable. Everything we ordered was prepared perfectly. Great date night spot without feeling too formal.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Austin

    Nashville

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was immaculate again. Really really delicious and worth every penny. The banana toastie was the star of the show though. So effing good! We sat in the balcony area this time and it was super cozy. We’ve recommended this place to anybody that has ears.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Kelly

    VIP

    Nashville

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was absolutely incredible. The bologna sandwich. The quail. The wild boar pie. THE TERRINE. We cannot wait to go back.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Sherry

    Nashville

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The restaurant is a beautiful space. The service and food absolutely the best. Very innovative - the fish dumplings were delicious. The staff were all very attentive without being annoying. Wine was superb. We will definitely be going back.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Ryan

    New York City

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 7 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Eat everything they have on the menu…you won’t be claiming it was a “Bad Idea”…absolutely amazing!!!! Cannot wait to come back

    Is this helpful?

  9. John

    Nashville

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 7 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Amazing food flavors. Expensive. VG service, except waitress’ wine recommendation.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Karen

    VIP

    Phoenix

    37 reviews

    3.0

    37 reviews

    Dined on 7 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Drinks were on the small/weak side. Beer and cocktail menu was tiny. Clearly pushing the wine. Crudo app was amazing. House compliment of a fillo dough wrapped spinach cigar was the best thing we ate. We ordered the $85 shared plate beef and it was simply just ok. Service is top notch. While intrigued by the Velveeta ice cream, we felt like we had spent enough money at that point. 20% gratuity is on the bill but they are very upfront about it and it’s well deserved

    1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Bad Idea is rated 4.6 stars by 48 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 28 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Bad Idea

1021 Russell St, Nashville, TN 37206

Additional information

  • Area
    East Nashville
  • Hours of Operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–12:45 am
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Laotian, Farm-to-table
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Vegan
  • Phone number
    (629) 729-4332
  • Private party facilities
    Enjoy a semi-private experience in our mezzanine.Overlooking our beautiful dining room, our mezzanine can be the perfect gathering place for up to 30 people!Email Events@badideanashville.com
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