🍽️ Restaurant Run of the Week: 12 South Taproom

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This one hurts to write, and honestly, I haven't even been in Nashville long enough to feel the full weight of it. But I've been here long enough to understand what 12 South Taproom meant and to see what 12 South has become. The Taproom has been my most frequented spot since coming to this city. For the people who were here before the bachelorette parties and the boutique hotels and the lines around the block for brunch, this closure has to sting in a way that's hard to put into words. The Taproom opened in 2006 when the neighborhood was a completely different place; a low-key street with local businesses, a dog-friendly patio, good craft beer, and zero pretension. That was the whole point.

The owners confirmed that the doors will close for good on May 25. The property sold for $12 million, and the building will be torn down and replaced with a retail space expected to house Ralph Lauren and Alo. Even as someone who didn't grow up here, that's a hard thing to read. 12 South has been losing its identity piece by piece for years: the local coffee shops, the neighborhood spots, the places that actually gave the street its character, slowly replaced by national chains that could exist in any city in America. The Taproom was one of the last things tethering it to what it used to be.

Co-owner Will Shuff, who first opened a business on that street back in 2003, said they have no plans to relocate and that the restaurant industry in Nashville has been as tough as he's ever seen it. In their farewell post, the owners wrote that the closure feels like the passing of a loved one. I believe them. And even from the outside looking in, I get it. Monday night bluegrass, two-for-one Tuesdays, a rotating craft beer list that always had something worth trying, this was a real neighborhood bar in a neighborhood that doesn't have many of those left.

You've got until May 25 to get in there one more time. Go do it. And when you're done, do yourself a favor and head over to support one of the last original spots still standing on that stretch: Sloco Sammies, a Nashville original that deserves every bit of your loyalty right now. Find them at @slocosammies and show up hungry.

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• 📍Location: 12 South

• 🍴Recommendation: Try it all before it’s gone

• ⭐️ Highlight: The Neighborhood Spot

🍻 Check them out: https://www.12southtaproom.com/

Have a great day!

Hueston Nelson | Publisher | The Nashville Grapevine