I didn’t get on a plane and leave Nashville until I was 26 years old in 2012. Prior to that, Atlanta was the only “big” city I had been to. Since that first fateful plane trip to New Jersey, I’ve visited New York, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, among other cities. In being exposed to the big city life as a simple country bumpkin from Mount Juliet, one of the things that stood out to me was how each big city had it’s own like pockets tucked away from the hustle and bustle, hidden in plain sight. I thought it would be pretty cool for that to happen here in Nashville…for us to have little pockets of entertainment and dining options outside of the bright lights of Broadway. Namely, because I hate walking around on Broadway now, but that’s neither here nor there. Forgive my naivety, but I recall thinking, “oh it’ll be forever before this happens in Nashville.”
But, as I sat on a cold rainy night in February, perched at the bar at Cummins Station cocktail lounge Pullman Standard, I thought back to those feelings from nearly a decade ago and realized, “this place is exactly what I was talking about.” Wedged between the commotion of downtown and the glitz of The Gulch, Cummins Station offers a couple of neat little hideaways.
It’s #GinFriday at Pullman Standard. Helluva spot to celebrate life and wave at the haters 👋 pic.twitter.com/ykyTH3deik
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) February 17, 2024
I’ve been known to kill time waiting for my wife to get off work by eating gyoza and drinking Heineken at Wild Wasabi, but it’s good to know that Pullman Standard offers a different experience in the same building. I like having a choice. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had dinner reservations for 7:30 at Two Ten Jack over in East Nashville. We were meeting our good friends Brittany and Jesse (the Danger Zone Video braintrust), but with my wife calling it a day at 6PM and not wanting to make the trek all the way home to Mount Juliet just to turn around and head back to East Nashville, we wanted somewhere to grab a drink and kill time.
She brought up Pullman Standard, and who am I to say no? We sat and killed about an hour, and I found that the lounge was buzzing with classic cocktail lounge vibes. I felt like I should’ve worn a tuxedo. We were living The Great Gatsby, if you will. The cocktails were clearly crafted with care (how’s THAT for some alliteration?). The staff took the art of the cocktail seriously and presented my 1906 martini in first-class fashion. The martini itself had layers to how it ran across my palate. Up front, the botanicals of the gin soared, enhanced by a citrusy highlight, and finished with a slightly sweet balance that reminded me of a good classic hard candy. It’s a great place to decompress, to dodge the honky tonk vibes, and to have a fantastic conversation with your wife.
For more on Pullman Standard, and to take a gander at their full menu, check out their website here. In their own words, Pullman Standard is “upscale cocktail lounge located in the iconic Cummins Station building focused on top-shelf liquor & wine, inventive craft cocktails, and creative small plates.”
CURRENT NASHVILLE RESTAURANT RANKINGS
- Audrey (8.82/10)
- Hathorne (8.62/10)
- Butcher & Bee (8.5/10)
- Nectar: Urban Cantina (8.44/10)
- The 404 Kitchen (8.41/10)
You can check out our full Nashville restaurant rankings here. I’m always looking for new spots to try – don’t be afraid to hit the comments with suggestions!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
