Restaurant in Nashville, United States
Nashville's izakaya escape from the tourist strip.
Two Ten Jack is East Nashville's izakaya, built around Japanese bar food, ramen, and one of the city's better Japanese and American whiskey lists. It's the right pick when you want something casual but considered — especially for groups. Booking is easy, the bar is worth sitting at, and it fits a neighbourhood night out more naturally than a formal occasion.
Two Ten Jack is the right call for a first-timer who wants something other than a meat-and-three or a Broadway bar crawl. It is an izakaya-style spot in East Nashville's Eastland Ave corridor, built around Japanese bar food, ramen, and a serious whiskey list. If you are eating alone, bringing a small group, or trying to find a Nashville restaurant that doesn't feel like Nashville tourism, this is where to go. For a more ambitious Japanese-leaning meal, Atomix in New York City sets the category benchmark, but Two Ten Jack is not trying to be that — and it shouldn't be.
The room has the visual language of a Japanese pub: low lighting, wood-heavy interiors, a bar that dominates the space, and enough noise to make the atmosphere feel lived-in rather than curated. First-timers should know this is not a quiet dinner spot. It skews casual-social, and the bar seating is a genuine option, not a fallback. The whiskey program is a draw in itself — the list runs deep on Japanese and American bottles, and the bartenders know it well.
The food is izakaya in format: small plates, ramen, and composed dishes built for sharing. Order broadly rather than anchoring to one large dish. This format makes Two Ten Jack a more natural fit for groups than most East Nashville restaurants, which tend toward counter-service or intimate dining rooms. For groups of six or more, it is worth calling ahead to confirm the leading seating arrangement, as the layout accommodates larger parties better than many comparable spots on the strip.
For a special occasion, Two Ten Jack works if the group is comfortable with a casual setting. It does not have a formal private dining room in the way that Bastion or The Catbird Seat can offer a truly enclosed group experience, but the semi-private bar area and the generally convivial format make it serviceable for a birthday or informal celebration dinner.
Booking at Two Ten Jack is easy relative to the wider Nashville restaurant market. Walk-ins are possible, particularly earlier in the evening on weekdays. Weekend evenings fill up, so a reservation a few days out is sensible. The address , 1900 Eastland Ave #105 , puts it squarely in East Nashville, walkable from several of the neighbourhood's bars and accessible by rideshare from downtown. For more Nashville options, see our full Nashville restaurants guide, our full Nashville bars guide, and our full Nashville hotels guide.
| Venue | Style | Booking Difficulty | Leading For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Ten Jack | Izakaya / Japanese bar | Easy | Groups, bar dining, whiskey |
| Locust | Progressive | Moderate | Serious eaters, small groups |
| FOLK | Italian | Moderate | Date night, pasta focus |
| Arnold's Country Kitchen | Southern | Easy (no reservations) | Lunch, solo dining |
| Yolan | New American | Moderate | Special occasions, splurge |
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Ten Jack | Easy | — | |||
| Locust | Progressive | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — | |
| Arnold’s Country Kitchen | Southern | Unknown | — | ||
| FOLK | Italian | Unknown | — | ||
| Yolan | New American | Unknown | — | ||
| Biscuit Love Gulch | Biscuits | Unknown | — |
How Two Ten Jack stacks up against the competition.
The izakaya format means the bar program and small plates are the draw, not a single signature dish. Focus on the ramen and Japanese-leaning bar snacks, and lean into the whiskey selection — it's a genuine strength of the menu. Ordering broadly across a few rounds is the right approach here rather than anchoring on one main.
Two Ten Jack sits at 1900 Eastland Ave, away from the downtown chaos, which is part of the appeal. It runs as an izakaya — expect a bar-forward, shareable-plates format rather than a conventional dinner service. First-timers who arrive expecting a traditional sit-down Japanese restaurant may be surprised; those who treat it as a drinking-and-grazing session will get more out of it.
Yes, and it's one of the better ways to experience the place. The bar dominates the room and is designed for it — solo diners and pairs do well there. If you're arriving without a reservation, the bar is your most reliable entry point, especially on busier weekend nights.
FOLK on Gallatin Ave is the comparison for something with more culinary ambition and a tighter, produce-led menu. Yolan is the right call if the occasion calls for an upscale Italian room with serious wine. Arnold's Country Kitchen is the counterpoint if you want traditional Nashville meat-and-three. Two Ten Jack sits between those poles: more interesting than a standard bar, less formal than a destination dining room.
It works for a low-key celebration — a birthday dinner with friends or a casual date night — but it's not set up for milestone occasions that call for white-tablecloth service. The noise level and communal energy suit groups who want to eat, drink, and talk rather than mark a formal moment. For something more occasion-appropriate, Yolan is the stronger choice in Nashville.
Two Ten Jack is one of the easier bookings in Nashville — a few days ahead is usually enough, and walk-ins are realistic earlier in the evening on weekdays. Weekend nights get busier, so a reservation a week out removes the risk. It does not require the weeks-in-advance planning that Nashville's harder tables demand.
Groups of four to six are manageable and fit the izakaya sharing format well. Larger parties should check directly on booking — the room is bar-heavy and not structured around big group tables. For a private-room dinner or a formal group event, Two Ten Jack is not the right venue; Yolan or FOLK would serve that need better.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
