Flash Back Friday: Chowing Down on Vegan Fare at Graze in Nashville, Tennessee

The last time we were in Nashville, it was for such a short window of time—literally just passing through. However, we did check out the famed vegan spot The Wild Cow while we were there which was phenomenal. Being in Nashville this time, a few things had changed.

First, we had more than 24 hours to spend. We actually ended up staying almost a week, exploring the city and primarily chowing down on all the vegan food in Nashville. The other thing that had changed? The Wild Cow opened up a sister spot basically in the same plaza. So here we were thinking, "okay, if The Wild Cow wowed the hell out of our tastebuds, then sky's the limit with this one, right?"
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​RIGHT DAMNIT. Introducing to you the best vegan food in Nashville, Graze. Vanessa and I decided to check out this gem for an early dinner on our first night in town. And honestly, that set the bar for any other meals we were going to have from that point on. 

What makes Graze different from Wild Cow, is that they are more of a bistro-style restaurant. They have a full bar with unique cocktails and specialty beers, not to mention happy hour specials which bring in an entirely different clientle. It's less of a family-style setting and more of a vegan date night spot, or place to catch up with old friends.

The menu is so damn eclectic, you'll be in shock that everything is vegan. Seriously. After Vanessa andI ordered the Mac n Chorizo, we had to double-check that the deliciousness was entirely plant based. It tasted THAT GOOD.

While I opted for a brown ale draft to sip on slowly, Vanessa ordered a shake which included almond butter, dates, nut milk, and banana. It was thick, and topped with nuts, and despite needing to thin out a bit to make it completely drinkable, it was just the right amount of sweet.
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I'm not going to lie, after the draft beer and appetizer, I was kinda full. The portions at Graze are huge. Wonderfully huge, might I add. But still, we had two sammies coming, and really couldn't say no.
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We each got a sandwich and gave half to the other. This usually is how we do things in restaurants, just because we want to try as much as possible. Vanessa ordered the vegan bahn mi with mashed potatoes and vegan gravy, while I ordered the roasted Brussels sprouts and portobello sandwich. Both sandwiches were out-of-this-world. The pesto aioli on my sandwich was the perfect addition to the crisp, roasted flavor of the Brussels sprouts. Meanwhile the tempeh used in the bahn mi was so flavorful. 

Honestly, our meal at Graze was so satisfying...we decided to come back to brunch over the weekend. Which, I need to add, was BETTER than the dinner we had. Brunch can be hit or miss in a lot of vegan places, but brunch at Graze would absolutely we our weekly vegan food fix if we lived in Nashville.
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​It's so funny to think that everything they served at Graze was plant-based. Because not only were we extremely full after our brunch, but we also felt good. Not heavy with grease and fat like most other brunches. The tofu scramble was light, and seasoned perfectly. Oftentimes tofu scramble can be watered down and bland, but this wasn't the case. Then you have the Brunch Bowl, which is hands-down the best thing on their brunch menu. You get to taste a little bit of everything, including vegan sausage, tempeh bacon, tofu scramble, homemade biscuits, all topped on a bed of spinach and doused in hollandaise. I can't imagine vegan food better than this brunch bowl.

If you're in Nashville, you have to visit Graze. It's vegan cuisine like you've never had before. Vanessa and I are dead set on trying to recreate these meals in our small RV. Stay tuned to see if that turns into a successful reality, or if we need to visit Nashville pretty much every other week.