Beautiful setting! Great server who explained all dishes as if I were tasting them. Started the evening with a tasty Negroni followed by a Spring salad (laab) of radish/turnip. On to a scallop crepe under a tulle, delicate and full of flavor. Followed by catfish grilled in a banana leaf and perfectly seasoned, very good. Portions were good for a moderate hunger. Visit this restaurant for a dining experience! I will be back!
Michelle L.
Tried all of the small plates available. Favorites stared -potage aux pomme-3/5 potato soup with potato chips was a little salty because of that couldn't really take anything else in it - pate-4/5 was good but I was expecting blended up liver pate texture/ flavors and tasted more like a fatty pork sausage instead *-pain perdu-4.5/5, Kaya jam was really nice (sweet, refreshing) reminding me of Singapore but not sure what else is added to make it mint colored?, spread on light crispy toast and hits of cavier saltiness *-nam khao crispy rice- 5/5 so much favor and spice in fried rice but very balance and it makes you wanna take second bites -Bloomsbury laab salad- 4/5, initially it was nothing exceptional and had radishes in it which was not in the menu? but went nicely with dishes that were spicy and salty. Good refreshing palate cleaner between heavier bits *-Broken rice porridge- 5/5, very umami with heavy mushroom favors and creamy texture, great comfort food dish *-scallop crepe-5/5, our favorite dish, it's a blended up scallop mixture that was light but some bite to it (almost like bouncy shrimp ball texture) wrapped in crepe with crunchy tuile -catfish- 3.5/5, the catfish texture was dry so needed the sauce that came with it *-durian Mille feuille 5/5, not too sweet, great durian and earl grey cream flavor with layers of crispy light puff pastry (lighter than normal mille feuille). Very happy to have a durian dessert in Nashville! Overall, I would come back to try the mains, new dishes and favorites!
sebastian a.
High end wine prices were insane and the food was excellent. Highly recommend the scallops or the bologna sandwich. I'm not a bologna person at all but it's fantastic.
Michael Chan
Celebrated our son's birthday at Bad Idea and we were blown away with the food, service, and wine list. We actually had gone out to dinner earlier in the evening and were just stopping at Bad Idea for a "night cap." The wine list was amazing and we ended up ordering a couple of their finer bottles that were very well priced and a few appetizers to go along with the wine. The scallop-stuffed crepes were out of this world! I have never had such great bologna sandwiches, and the Pain Perdu were amazing too! Our server, sommelier, Alex, the atmosphere, the food, wine, it was all the best! We wish we had come here for dinner instead and can't wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ever Zhang
Terrific Laotian inspired food. On par with the best Asian food in the States and even in Asia. Try the poulet rouge! How does this place not have a Michelin star yet? I call it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cassie Frustaci
Brinn rocks! Very kind service. Unexpected and daring flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin Barry Cook
What an awesome bar. Converted from a church, the design and aesthetic was well thought out. A large selection of wines available - they even had Orange Wine which was a first for me. The cherry on top though was the authentic Lurisia Chinotto they had for sale, which is something I haven't been able to find stateside yet. Overall, would definitely return to explore some more wines and enjoy the interior design.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vatsana K.
The staff was very friendly,the food was delicious.Good place to hangout ,drinks wine , just chill talking to your friends.
Taylor C.
Bad Idea was beyond amazing. Walking in, the vibes are just perfect with a stand out throw back playlist which I immediately liked. I made a reservation but when I got there, I realized I had the wrong date and luckily they were able to take us right away. We were seated upstairs which I honestly think I will always prefer because you can stare down into the restaurant and look at everyone below. The menu is small but there's something for everyone. I appreciated this because they did a couple things and a couple things EXTREMELY right. I think I said wow after each bite. I'm new to Lao cuisine and the layers of flavors were outstanding. Alex and Colby are super friendly & passionate about their business which we loved. This is the place you want to try in Nashville. I can't wait to go back! Bad Idea = GREAT IDEA
Taylor Culpepper
Great food, great vibes, great service. Excellent Old World wine selection. Definite must see for the Nashville food scene!
Lovely atmosphere! The food was good, but expensive for what is offered, same with drinks. I live in the neighborhood and probably will not frequent due to those two things, but it has a beautiful interior!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Purely Driven Fitness
I don’t often feel compelled to write reviews but our experience was so wonderful tonight that it wouldn’t seem right to not acknowledge this.Firstly, the place itself is simply beautiful. Great atmosphere and lighting, and beautiful decor.The service was impeccable. Our server Shade was extremely knowledgeable, had fantastic recommendations, and we felt completely comfortable with him guiding us through the menu. Additionally, with us being vegan, the chef was very accommodating in making the appropriate adjustments to the dishes to remove any animal products.The food itself was absolutely AMAZING.Such creative and unique dishes that were dropping flavor bombs left right and center!Our fav dish were the croquettes which were unlike anything we’ve ever had before.Bad Idea is such a welcome addition to East Nashville. Definitely a new favorite of ours that I expect we will be frequenting quite regularly!Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating for vegans.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Erica Calhoun
Tried out Bad Idea for the first time for my birthday. The service and wine selection was great, and although the food was aesthetically pleasing to look at, we felt the flavors were just not something we particularly enjoyed. We are adventurous eaters and love to cook, but some of the plates were lukewarm (which may have been the intention, but just didn’t quite do it for us). I think the textures and plating are great, but the overall flavors need some tweaking.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Sherrill Thompson
I stopped into bad idea with a group of friends on a Saturday night and we were seated very quickly. The ambience is absolutely stunning and the wine selection is beyond extensive. I'll have to come back for food next time since we stopped for dinner before hand. If you're near five points make the effort to stop here. It's a wonderful addition to the East Nashville scene.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Brenda A.
I was so excited to try this place! The staff were welcoming and answered all our questions about the items on the menu. * French toast- soft and fluffy on the inside,rich in flavor, toasty on the outside * Salmon- puffed wild rice gave it a nice crunchy texture to the smooth tender salmon, but I wouldn't get this again before trying the pork. * Egg custard- superb. * I had higher expectations for the pork but it wasn't my favorite. Although, I really liked the Jeow Nam Jim. It added that extra kick it needed. The Mille- Feuille was PHENOMENAL. It was a nice way to tie in the meal with a tropical and refreshing end. Shoutout to our waiter for recommending we pair it with the Rare Wine Verdelho!
Beautiful setting! Great server who explained all dishes as if I were tasting them. Started the evening with a tasty Negroni followed by a Spring salad (laab) of radish/turnip. On to a scallop crepe under a tulle, delicate and full of flavor. Followed by catfish grilled in a banana leaf and perfectly seasoned, very good. Portions were good for a moderate hunger. Visit this restaurant for a dining experience! I will be back!
Tried all of the small plates available. Favorites stared -potage aux pomme-3/5 potato soup with potato chips was a little salty because of that couldn't really take anything else in it - pate-4/5 was good but I was expecting blended up liver pate texture/ flavors and tasted more like a fatty pork sausage instead *-pain perdu-4.5/5, Kaya jam was really nice (sweet, refreshing) reminding me of Singapore but not sure what else is added to make it mint colored?, spread on light crispy toast and hits of cavier saltiness *-nam khao crispy rice- 5/5 so much favor and spice in fried rice but very balance and it makes you wanna take second bites -Bloomsbury laab salad- 4/5, initially it was nothing exceptional and had radishes in it which was not in the menu? but went nicely with dishes that were spicy and salty. Good refreshing palate cleaner between heavier bits *-Broken rice porridge- 5/5, very umami with heavy mushroom favors and creamy texture, great comfort food dish *-scallop crepe-5/5, our favorite dish, it's a blended up scallop mixture that was light but some bite to it (almost like bouncy shrimp ball texture) wrapped in crepe with crunchy tuile -catfish- 3.5/5, the catfish texture was dry so needed the sauce that came with it *-durian Mille feuille 5/5, not too sweet, great durian and earl grey cream flavor with layers of crispy light puff pastry (lighter than normal mille feuille). Very happy to have a durian dessert in Nashville! Overall, I would come back to try the mains, new dishes and favorites!
High end wine prices were insane and the food was excellent. Highly recommend the scallops or the bologna sandwich. I'm not a bologna person at all but it's fantastic.
Celebrated our son's birthday at Bad Idea and we were blown away with the food, service, and wine list. We actually had gone out to dinner earlier in the evening and were just stopping at Bad Idea for a "night cap." The wine list was amazing and we ended up ordering a couple of their finer bottles that were very well priced and a few appetizers to go along with the wine. The scallop-stuffed crepes were out of this world! I have never had such great bologna sandwiches, and the Pain Perdu were amazing too! Our server, sommelier, Alex, the atmosphere, the food, wine, it was all the best! We wish we had come here for dinner instead and can't wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrific Laotian inspired food. On par with the best Asian food in the States and even in Asia. Try the poulet rouge! How does this place not have a Michelin star yet? I call it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brinn rocks! Very kind service. Unexpected and daring flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What an awesome bar. Converted from a church, the design and aesthetic was well thought out. A large selection of wines available - they even had Orange Wine which was a first for me. The cherry on top though was the authentic Lurisia Chinotto they had for sale, which is something I haven't been able to find stateside yet. Overall, would definitely return to explore some more wines and enjoy the interior design.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The staff was very friendly,the food was delicious.Good place to hangout ,drinks wine , just chill talking to your friends.
Bad Idea was beyond amazing. Walking in, the vibes are just perfect with a stand out throw back playlist which I immediately liked. I made a reservation but when I got there, I realized I had the wrong date and luckily they were able to take us right away. We were seated upstairs which I honestly think I will always prefer because you can stare down into the restaurant and look at everyone below. The menu is small but there's something for everyone. I appreciated this because they did a couple things and a couple things EXTREMELY right. I think I said wow after each bite. I'm new to Lao cuisine and the layers of flavors were outstanding. Alex and Colby are super friendly & passionate about their business which we loved. This is the place you want to try in Nashville. I can't wait to go back! Bad Idea = GREAT IDEA
Great food, great vibes, great service. Excellent Old World wine selection. Definite must see for the Nashville food scene!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Lovely atmosphere! The food was good, but expensive for what is offered, same with drinks. I live in the neighborhood and probably will not frequent due to those two things, but it has a beautiful interior!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
I don’t often feel compelled to write reviews but our experience was so wonderful tonight that it wouldn’t seem right to not acknowledge this.Firstly, the place itself is simply beautiful. Great atmosphere and lighting, and beautiful decor.The service was impeccable. Our server Shade was extremely knowledgeable, had fantastic recommendations, and we felt completely comfortable with him guiding us through the menu. Additionally, with us being vegan, the chef was very accommodating in making the appropriate adjustments to the dishes to remove any animal products.The food itself was absolutely AMAZING.Such creative and unique dishes that were dropping flavor bombs left right and center!Our fav dish were the croquettes which were unlike anything we’ve ever had before.Bad Idea is such a welcome addition to East Nashville. Definitely a new favorite of ours that I expect we will be frequenting quite regularly!Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating for vegans.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tried out Bad Idea for the first time for my birthday. The service and wine selection was great, and although the food was aesthetically pleasing to look at, we felt the flavors were just not something we particularly enjoyed. We are adventurous eaters and love to cook, but some of the plates were lukewarm (which may have been the intention, but just didn’t quite do it for us). I think the textures and plating are great, but the overall flavors need some tweaking.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
I stopped into bad idea with a group of friends on a Saturday night and we were seated very quickly. The ambience is absolutely stunning and the wine selection is beyond extensive. I'll have to come back for food next time since we stopped for dinner before hand. If you're near five points make the effort to stop here. It's a wonderful addition to the East Nashville scene.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I was so excited to try this place! The staff were welcoming and answered all our questions about the items on the menu. * French toast- soft and fluffy on the inside,rich in flavor, toasty on the outside * Salmon- puffed wild rice gave it a nice crunchy texture to the smooth tender salmon, but I wouldn't get this again before trying the pork. * Egg custard- superb. * I had higher expectations for the pork but it wasn't my favorite. Although, I really liked the Jeow Nam Jim. It added that extra kick it needed. The Mille- Feuille was PHENOMENAL. It was a nice way to tie in the meal with a tropical and refreshing end. Shoutout to our waiter for recommending we pair it with the Rare Wine Verdelho!