After several busy months of jam-packed weekends and travel, we finally had a free weekend to get back into our brunch routine. Our most recent visit was to Geist, a charming and recently renovated restaurant in Germantown. We try our best to make it to a newly opened (within the year) restaurant for brunch at least one weekend out of the month. I’m so glad we made the choice to visit Geist because it was undoubtably the best brunch I’ve had in Nashville in quite a while.

The building is beautiful and takes the place of a 118-year-old blacksmith shop. The interior boasts modern bar decor and southern charm surrounded by exposed brick and giant leather seats. I wish I would have snapped more photos of the interior, but as soon as our table was ready all I could think about was getting my hands on some food. I promise to do better next time, but for now here’s a photo courtesy of Nashville Guru:

I ordered a mimosa and the egg sandwich, which was served open face (just the way I like it) topped with caramelized onions and the most perfectly soft-scrambled egg next to a side of American-style potatoes. Steve and I split a side order of the maple bacon, which was the thickest cut of bacon I’ve ever had. I jokingly referred to it as bacon steak. Steve ordered the Dutch Baby with roasted mushroom, spinach, goat cheese, and egg.

Mark my word, we will be back very, very soon. We loved everything about Geist Nashville. Even if you just want to pop in for a craft-made cocktail, it’s the perfect place for a conversation at the bar. I highly recommended paying them a visit. You can check out their menu here.

Last Sunday, on our day off together, Steve and I had a brunch date for the first time in several weeks. Since I’d only been to Le Sel once before with some friends nearly two years ago, I figured it was time to go back and to bring him with me. Le Sel is a French brasserie located in Midtown. I love the unique Parisian decor and the contrast of bright colors and bold patterns. It makes me feel like I’ve stepped right into France (or what I imagine everything in France looks like.) Everything about it is the epitome of chic.

We started with coffee and beignets, or, what I like to call the perfect pair. Their beignets have apple butter and spiced sugar and are a gift from heaven. If you’ve been looking for a place to visit in Nashville that has beignets, look no further than Le Sell.

For our brunch entrées, Steve ordered the savory crepe with bear creek farms sausage, a sunny-side-up egg, tomato and fromage blanc. I took a taste of it myself and it was amazing.

I ordered one of the house favorites, the croque madame with country ham, gruyere, egg and mornay. You best believe I upgraded to a side of truffle fried (my all-time favorite splurge snack.) Holy flavor batman, this meal is no joke. It was everything I could’ve wanted in a brunch.

I would definitely slide Le Sel up into the top 5 places to eat brunch in Nashville. The service, location, aesthetic, and most importantly, the food are all top-notch. 10 out of 10, we’ll be back again soon.

Some images by Nashville Guru.