Eat Drink Nashville: Saying goodbye to Margot

Plus, Nashville pizza gets accolades

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June 11, 2026 5:02pm EDT

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Eat Drink Nashville

NEWS FROM NASHVILLE'S DINING SCENE. CHEERS!

Thu Jun 11 2026

Mackensy Lunsford | Senior dining reporter / Southern Kitchen editor

@mackensy

Hello Nashville! Mackensy Lunsford, senior dining reporter for The Tennessean, here. Welcome to your Eat Drink Nashville newsletter, where I round up the biggest in this week’s food news.

Nashville restaurant closures are becoming more and more common. But Margot Cafe & Bar’s closure hit differently, especially in East Nashville, where the longtime farm-to-table restaurant helped launch a seasonal movement.

This was no ordinary restaurant closing. A day after the restaurant served its last plates, the sendoff spilled into the surrounding Five Points neighborhood with a full-on block party, drawing hundreds to celebrate a spot that has anchored East Nashville for 25 years.

"I've always felt like the little engine that could," McCormack said after climbing onto a stage in front of the crowd. "Every year was like, 'Are we going to make it? Are we going to make it?'"

She said the restaurant's success belonged as much to the community as to her. Read more here.

ICYMI

•	Climbing coffee costs: Your daily coffee run is getting more expensive, and it’s not just your imagination. Prices are climbing in Nashville and beyond as supply issues, weather and global costs push beans higher, leaving local shops to decide how to bear the burden. Read more here.
•	From Windy City to Music City: Nashville’s run of high-profile restaurant openings continues with Alla Vita, the final piece of Boka Restaurant Group’s three-spot Wedgewood-Houston rollout. Read more here.
•	Hot dog debate: What belongs on a hot dog? Our poll pits classic Southern toppings like chili, slaw and chow-chow against each other just in time for peak cookout season. Read more here.
•	It's Sho-time: One East Nashville restaurant is getting national love. Sho Pizza Bar cracked the 50 Top Pizza USA list, suggesting Nashville can hang with some of the country’s best slice cities. Read more.
•	The World Cup is here: Nashville bars are ready with massive screens downtown and high-energy watch parties across the city. Read more here.

That's it for now! I'll see you next week with more news. In the meantime, please reach out to me at [email protected] with your tips and bad jokes. -ML