My husband brought me here for our belated Valentines Day date. An Asian cuisine where we order everything on the menu? I loved this restaurant!!! Everything was amazing: food, service, ambiance. My favorite was being greeted by everyone at work. It wasn’t a generic greeting. Eye contact was made, accompanied by a smile and a wave! Every bit of my food was so flavorful and melted in my mouth. The beef tartare and the dumplings were my favorite. And dessert?!?! C’mon now!!! That kakigori was to die for!!! *chef’s kiss*
Highly recommend balling out and trying one of everything because it was such a great experience. Immediately the staff greets you like family when you walk in. The food is delicious and I think about the beef tartar and shaved ice often.
Great atmosphere and food. The shaved ice desert was out of this world - unique and delicious.
The food is worthy of Michelin star, and service is friendly and warm, but they did not wear hair nets and had long curly hair in the kitchen and I had a hair in my food. I did not say anything because I did not want to ruin everybody's night. The service was way too slow. I had to request something three times. They need to get their act together in the kitchen. They need a system and not forget orders. Music was too loud for easy conversation too.
Ok so the menu is limited and honestly it’s pretty pricey (lookin at you veggies with salt) but it was delicious. Make sure you get the shaved ice! Also, the employees are quite possibly the nicest people in Nashville.
Clean, modern bright interior with open kitchen and well-spaced tables. Service was excellent. Menu is limited but what they do have is good. We found the seafood daily specials to be the highlight of the meal (rather than the standard dumplings, vegetables and shrimp toast offered on the permanent menu.) Best toro I've probably ever had. The shave ice dessert with passion fruit and caramel was also quite unusual and delicious. You will pay a pretty penny for the food but it's high quality and immaculately prepared.
I found it very easy to give this 5 stars based solely on the food and not taking into account the atmosphere or prices.The initial experience - it was very easy to make a reservation online (required) about a month in advance. You pay $20 for the reservation but that is taken off your final bill once you eat at the restaurant. We were seated quickly.The menu is very succinct. The printed menu has 4-5 items while the main seafood items are written on a board above the kitchen. With how small the restaurant is, almost every table can see this board.The first item we got was a small cup filled with an extremely tiny amount of a soup you could drink in less than a sip. It was very garlicky, oily, and delicious. Small pieces of white truffle were laid on top of this foamy mixture that tasted exactly like really good garlic bread.We then got fried scallops. 3 good sized scallops were served on a shell. Covered in panko and fried, these were served with a spicy, vibrant sauce made out of roe. It was extremely tender, juicy, and a good juxtaposition of flavors.Talking about juxtaposition, the tuna belly was served next. 8 small pieces of incredibly tender tuna were served with a little horseradish dip surrounded by seaweed oil. The tuna itself was sweet, fatty, and melted immediately in your mouth. With the spicy and aromatic horseradish, it left you wanted much more.Then came the grilled mackerel. A small half mackerel was served with a dried chili on top that is meant to be crushed and spread. It was served with an oyster sauce.We then got the beef tartare. Yes it is raw beef. This was served with sushi rice, freeze dried capers, and 4 pieces of nori. You take some nori, add some rice, beef, and capers, then roll and eat. It was really really delicious and flavorful.The dumplings were solid. 10 pork dumplings served with a spicy chili oil were served in a steamed bamboo basket.The shrimp rocket was a crispy fried bread filled with shrimp. The outside was then glazed with what I can only describe as a sweet habanero sauce. To me, it tastes exactly like the mango habanero sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings. Either way, I really enjoyed having this after the other dishes.Finally, we had dessert. This shaved ice dessert is served with a heap of marzipan, a salted caramel drizzle that is added tableside, and the center is a passion fruit custard. This was arguably my favorite part of the meal. 1 of these can easily feed 2 people!Price-wise, expect to spend a good amount. It was $180 for our entire meal for 2.Ambience is pretty good as well. It is a little loud and it feels like the tables are closed together than they should be, but that’s what you get for the small area.I would definitely come back here in the future and try many of the same dishes as well as some new fish options.
Holy smokes... delicious food! Elevates Nashville cuisine to a new level. The dumplings will change your life, as will the shaved ice. However, be aware that you should order more than you think you will need, and do so at the very beginning. The reservation system clearly says 1.5 hours for dinner, but we were getting the side eye after 55 minutes. We were so excited so see Trevor again after dining with him at the Catbird Seat, and the entire team was very skilled and very professional, but for the price, small portions and rushed vibe, we left disappointed. Totally get the need to turn tables, but this was not the relaxing experience we had hoped for. We did not even get a chance to order a drink with our dessert.
The staff was extremely friendly and professional and seemed to actually be having fun! So cool that you can see into the kitchen where every one is doing a little bit of everything and seemed to be genuinely enjoying it- the kitchen staff delivers your courses and gives you the run down on how to properly enjoy your meal. From the friendly greeting when you walk in the door to the incredible cuisine - locust has the best service I think I’ve ever had. A must visit in Nashville!
Although Locust is a bit pricey, the wontons and other dishes are SO good. Had the beef tartare. Kakigori was delicious as well. I would say the shrimp pouch was good but would not get again. Really cute date night vibes, but fills up fast so highly recommend making a reservation a few days in advance, or even 1+ weeks for a weekend night. The staff was super friendly and made us feel very welcome. Big selection of Asian drinks, although we did not try any. Great new addition to 12 South!