Mid-Michigan Dining

• 120 2nd Avenue
• Nashville, TN 37201
• (615) 256-9453
• Website
• Menu

The Wildhorse Saloon on 2nd Street in Nashville, TN

While BBQ may have been the thing I was most looking forward to on our trip, line dancing at the world famous Wild Horse Saloon may have been J’s. 

We weren’t planning on being in Nashville long.  We did our trip to the Opry, checked into the hotel, relaxed a little bit,  then headed downtown for dinner and dancing.

The Wildhorse Saloon is on 2nd Street in downtown Nashville.  It’s an old warehouse that has been converted into a three story bar.  The tree lined street that runs in front of it is sort of narrow, but there is street parking on either side.  The first time we drove by, we missed it.  The trees must have been covering the sign.  As we were driving around the block, we found the back service entrance, made a note of which businesses were around it, then drove back around to 2nd Street to try again. 

Once we spotted the building, we started looking for parking.  I didn’t see any garages, but I got lucky and found street parking right across the street.  The meters were off, so we didn’t have to pay to park in downtown Nashville. 

The Wildhorse doubles as a bar/restaurant and an entertainment venue.  There’s a gift shop with a separate entrance then the restaurant entrance.  There’s a ticket window inside the first set of double doors.  There was a cover the night we were there, but it was only $2, so I didn’t balk.  I was expecting it to be more.

The Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville, TN

We went inside the huge building and found the hostess station.  The space is gigantic, yet they only do table service at a small group of tables near the dance floor.  The hostess asked if we wanted to eat and we said yes, so she put us on the wait list and said it could be a half hour.  We decided to go to the bar and get a couple drinks while we waited.

Not ten minutes after sitting down, the hostess came to get us and said there was a table ready.  The dining room is in a small area between the bar and the dance floor.  There are pub style tables on either side that don’t get table service, so they can’t seat people there for dinner.  We were shown to a four top near the back of the dining space.  We sat facing the stage because house band Stony Run was playing.  We’d never heard of them, but they sounded good and through in some covers.

The waitress came over to see if we were ready.  We already had drinks, so that was covered.  We needed a few more minutes so she let us be while she took care of another table.

When we were ready to order, she came back and sat down at the table with us.  The music was loud, so it was easier for her to hear that way.  I ordered the Wildhorse Burger with cheddar and bacon.  I should have asked questions because it also came with a “Famous Burger Sauce.”  Yup, that’s mayo.  Completely ruined the meal.  Why…someone PLEASE tell me why it’s so hard to write mayo on a menu?  It’s freakin four letter word!  After scraping off as much as I could, I tried to eat it, but all I could taste was mayo.  I finished it because I was hungry, but that’s about it.  The sandwich came with fries and they were pretty good.  Much better than the burger.

The Smokey Moutain Chicken Sandwich

Line dance lessons at the world famous Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN

J ordered the Smokey Mountain Chicken Sandwich.  The sandwich was a huge grilled chicken breast with BBQ sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, and applewood smoked bacon.  Did I mention it was huge?  We tried butter flying the chicken, but it didn’t really work.  She tried to eat it like a sandwich, but the bottom bun was so soggy it disintegrated.  It was delicious though.  The chicken had a great char-grilled taste that actually tasted like it was cooked over wood. I ended up getting half the sandwich just because of the size of it.  It was enough for two people to eat.  She also got the fries which she really liked. 

 After dinner, we got a couple more drinks and watched the band.  I was waiting until the top of the hour because their website says they alternate band and line dancing lessons and I knew that’s what J wanted to do.  Sure enough, the lights came up and the DJ came out on the dance floor and dragged people up to learn some steps.   J was one of the first people to hop out of her seat.  I, on the other hand, sat at the table and watched her purse.  I wasn’t upset about that.  I hate dancing and would rather not embarrass myself.  Since you line dance by yourself, I didn’t have to go out there and she could still have a blast….and she did. 

Our bill was a little over $40.  We tried to use a Visa Gift Card to pay the bill, but their system wouldn’t take it.  We ended up just using one of our credit cards.  The Wildhorse was a fun experience.  I was a little disappointed by the food…especially considering the prices (both sandwiches were $12…a piece), but it was a great atmosphere.  We would have loved to have seen a concert there as well, but..again, maybe next time.  The Wildhorse should definitely be a stop on any Nashville trip.