The second wave of restaurants opens at Assembly Food Hall on Friday. The Fifth + Broadway dining destination will add 13 dining options — many of which originated here in Music City — spanning everything from hot chicken to sushi to Philly cheesesteaks.
Coco’s Café & Dulce
Chuck Cinelli opened the first Coco’s Italian restaurant in 1995, and the business has grown to four locations throughout Nashville. The Nashville staple will have two locations at Assembly. At the Café and Dulce, diners can pick up desserts like cannoli, tiramisu and cheesecake.
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Coco’s Fresh Italian
The second Coco’s location will serve lunch and dinner fare like pasta, subs and paninis.
Hattie Jane’s Creamery
Hattie Jane’s has developed a strong following with its Columbia and Murfreesboro locations, but the Assembly Food Hall shop will be its first in Nashville. The small-batch creamery has a menu full of frosty takes on Southern classics, from peach cobbler and banana pudding to Nashville’s infamous Goo Goo Cluster candy.
Hōru Sushi Kitchen
Hōru Sushi Kitchen is one of a few concepts coming to Assembly from its Dallas, Texas sister property, Legacy Food Hall. Dallas chef Chin “Steve” Liang founded the original location there in September 2019, and the menu offers sushi rolls, sashmi, bento meals and more.
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Istanbul Shawarma
The team behind Little Kurdistan’s Edessa Restaurant is bringing Turkish and Kurdish food to Assembly. The restaurant will serve up familiar favorites like shawarma and baklava alongside new offerings like the Tantuni, a street food similar to a Turkish taco.
The Pharmacy Burger
East Nashville favorite The Pharmacy Burger will have two concepts at Assembly. The first will serve the same burgers and fries from the original McFerrin Avenue location, from the classic beef patties to falafel, salmon or vegan burgers.
The Pharmacy Wurst
The original Pharmacy Burger grinds and smokes sausages in-house, and its second location in Assembly will focus on German-style sausages like bratwurst and currywurst.
The Philly Special
The Philly Special is named after the Philadelphia Eagles’ legendary trick play in the 2018 Super Bowl, and the restaurant specializes in the city’s most legendary dish: the Philly Cheesesteak. It’s another concept making the trip from Legacy Food Hall in Texas, and the standard sandwich is made with ribeye steak, caramelized onions and American or “whiz” cheese.
Prince’s Hot Chicken
Prince’s Hot Chicken needs no introduction, but here’s one just in case: It’s the restaurant that put Nashville’s most iconic dish on the map. Founder Thorton Prince developed the original hot chicken recipe during the Great Depression, and his great niece still serves it today from several locations throughout Nashville.
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Saffron Indian Kitchen
Saffron Indian restaurant is bringing tandooris, kebabs, chaat and more to Assembly. The restaurant’s original location opened in Franklin in 2017.
Steamboys
Middle Tennessee natives Brandon Lin, Andy Le and Michael Olatunji Junard teamed up with friends Hans Alcindor and Tao Xu to launch Steamboys, a Chinese restaurant specializing in steamed bao buns and dumplings. The fast-casual concept has locations in Germantown, Hermitage and Nolensville.
The Liege Waffle Co.
Liege waffles hail from Belgium and are made with brioche-style dough and pearl sugar. The Liege Waffle Co. will offer both chef-created and customizable waffles.
Velvet Taco
Dallas fast-casual chain Velvet Taco serves off-the-wall tacos on handmade tortillas. At Assembly, they’ll offer chicken and waffle tacos, beer-battered cauliflower tacos and Nashville hot tofu tacos.
Cole Villena covers business at The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach Cole at [email protected] or 615-925-0493. Follow Cole on Twitter at @ColeVillena and on Instagram at @CVinTennessee.