8th & Roast

There are a lot of coffee places in Nashville, A LOT and the really good ones often have more than one location or wholesale their coffee to local restaurants and bakeries.  Eighth & Roast is the first place I had a real cup of coffee so it’s my favorite, but it’s also my favorite because they were my very first wholesale customer when I owned my bakery. Eighth & Roast is owned by Brad and Lesa Wood and I spent many early mornings talking to Lesa about women in business in “Music City” and I learned more than my brain could comprehend about coffee notes from Brad, so to write this post was a little like a home coming for me.

Headed south through Nashville on my way home from Louisville last weekend, this place was the perfect stop for a quick pick-me-up for the last leg of the drive. I was pleased to find them open fairly late in the afternoon and on a Sunday no less. Even better was the mostly-maneuverable nearby free parking lot! Not a ton of space, but a spot for me - hurray! :) After a short walk over, I found the inside of the shop to be bright, slightly industrial, airy, and comfortable, with several people clearly hanging out, working on laptops, or just catching up. Seems like a good place for all of those needs! On the quieter side than some community coffee shops the day I visited, so perhaps extra good for getting work done. One drawback was I looked for a restroom and didn't find one easily. There might be one available to the public but I wasn't quite desperate enough to ask. I knew pretty quickly I wanted one of their seasonal specialities. I asked the barista taking my order which of a couple yummy-sounding drinks was the sweetest as I like my lattes on the dessert side. He said he hadn't tried any of them! I thought that was pretty funny. No big deal. I wound up choosing an iced "We Were in Paris," which had hazelnut, cinnamon, and brown sugar. It was nicely balanced, pleasantly sweet, with lots of cinnamon flavor. I enjoyed it. Pictures showed yummy looking pastries, but they were understandably somewhat picked over by late afternoon. I wound up with a chocolate chip muffin for a snack. It was decent but a little dry. I would've liked it if someone had offered to heat it up for me but there were folks waiting behind me and I didn't want to be an inconvenience so I just took it as it was. The crumble and drizzle of glaze on top was nice. All in all, could definitely see a return stop in the future. Enjoyed my brief time here and certainly enjoyed my drink!

This is a wonderful little coffee shop to get some work done! Plenty of people on laptops, studying, or just catching up over a delicious cup of coffee with a friend. There are outlets available with some of the seating against the walls. They also have large tables if you want to work on a project with a larger group. The windows really let the sun shine through, so it’s not too dark like some other small coffee shops. The drinks were great. The specialty drinks are on the right side of the coffee shop on a blackboard-don’t miss ‘em!

Great little place! Love the options and uniqueness of the place. I enjoyed a blackberry mocha latte aka the little bear! Do yourself a flavor favor, stop on in at 8th & Roast!

8&R is definitely a must try. Their coffee tastes so fresh and my latte was crafted so well. The ambience of the shop was also very cool! A new stop for whenever I visit home. :)

Their banana muffins were moist and delicious! I also had a large vanilla latte that came out with such cute latte art!