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Credit: Daniel Brown - Bad Idea, Nashville, TN
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Bad Idea

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Visa Dining Collection

$50 and over
Wine Bar
1021 Russell St, Nashville, TN 37206

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
Booked 19 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Innovative
  • Great for fine wines
  • Good for special occasions
Bad Idea is East Nashville's buzziest new restaurant from Sommelier Alex Burch and Executive Chef Colby Rasavong. It was honored as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in America in 2024 by the New York Times. New York Times food writer Brett Anderson remarks “Bad Idea may well be what many seasoned diners thought when they heard there was a wine bar specializing in envelope-pushing Lao food opening inside an East Nashville church. But given the level of cooking here, the name turned out to be a self-aware joke, rather than a
self-own…[Rasavong] invests the weight of his life experience in food that stretches the boundaries of
Southeast Asian cooking to the edge of Appalachia. And the wine list is wise beyond this restaurant’s
years, mixing tantalizing obscurities, affordable crowd pleasers and connoisseur selections you’ll rarely
find poured by the glass.” Bad Idea was also named a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in the 2025 James
Beard Awards.

Why they're an Icon

From the OpenTable editors: Chef Colby Rasavong leans on his Lao heritage at this one-of-a-kind East Nashville wine bar that Bon Appétit dubbed one of its most eagerly anticipated openings in 2023. Sommelier Alex Burch's exciting, global wine list, which includes selections from South Africa, Hungary, and Portugal, sets the stage for Rasavong's ever-changing menu. Expect inventive dishes like a sausage roll with Calabrian chiles and lemongrass, mushroom tartare, and pot pie and noodle soup all served in a spacious bi-level former church with arched windows overlooking the street. The New York Times named Bad Idea one of its 50 favorites around the country in 2024.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Laotian, Farm-to-table
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–12:45 am
  • Phone number
    (629) 729-4332
  • Website
    http://www.badideanashville.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Private party facilities
    Enjoy a semi-private experience in our mezzanine.Overlooking our beautiful dining room, our mezzanine can be the perfect gathering place for up to 30 people!Email Events@badideanashville.com
  • Location
    1021 Russell St, Nashville, TN 37206
  • Neighborhood
    East Nashville
  • Parking details
    None
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Lao New Year Dinner Collab

    May 25, 2025 only
    Join us in Celebrating the Lao New Year with guest Chefs Jeff and Boby! We will be hosting a speicial menu for this day of - Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is a two-time James Beard finalist and one of the leading Lao chefs in the US. His two acclaimed restaurants, Ma Der and Bar Sen, are nestled in Oklahoma City’s vibrant Plaza District— just minutes from his childhood home. His restaurants have both been recognized by The New York Times & Bon Appetite. Chef Boby Pradachith is a nationally recognized Lao-American chef based in Los Angeles, California. As the Chef and Co-Owner of Padaek, Thip Khao, and Baan Mae, Boby has earned spots on Zagat’s National 30 Under 30 list, Eater’s Young Guns list, and Washingtonian Magazine’s The New Wave.
    Lao New Year Dinner Collab Photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 99 people are saying

Bad Idea reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Nashville

    Innovative

  • Nashville

    Great for fine wines

  • Nashville

    Innovative

  • Nashville

    Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bad Idea offers an "unbelievable wine list" and "incredible" food that leaves guests "completely satisfied." The creative and unique menu delights with dishes like the "fried bologna sandwich" and "mango sticky rice." Guests rave about the "dynamic menu" and "exceptional service," making it a "must" for adventurous diners.
99 Reviews

  1. Clay

    New York City1 review

    1.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was just off. Trying to hard to be unique and missing on flavors. Soft shell crab was disgusting - how can a knowledgeable, experienced chef serve something like that? It was like mushy goop - just a disgusting look and texture. No dish really stood out and the price point was sky high. We have been to tons of outstanding restaurants across the US - this is not even close. Definite skip. They also have a ton of space in the restaurant but choose to have seating incredibly close to the next table - kind of baffling. Why would I want to have the person next to me basically sit in my lap?

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  2. tanya

    New York City2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Different innovative delicious food served beautifully. Great ambience. Exceptional service from our waitron Heather who made the evening very special with outstanding service and her humor. Unmissable

    Is this helpful?

  3. Mell VIP

    Los Angeles11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Amazing unique food... Cool vibe and very clever menu!!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Kelly VIP

    Nashville8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was amazing. Service was great. The happy hour menu should be illegal ($10 dishes and drinks!) Thank you!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Josh

    Charlotte1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Unbelievable wine list with owner kindly helping answer any questions

    Is this helpful?

  6. Luis

    SW Indiana5 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on May 7, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Not many options on the menu, and they don’t seem flexible in modifying dishes that are too spicy.

    1 person found this helpful

  7. ben

    Nashville1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 6, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was incredible. Staff recommendations were excellent and made sure we got a taste of all the best options on the menu (which were numerous). We left completely satisfied

    Is this helpful?

  8. jessica

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing ! Literally the food is so good Michelin star quality ! We recently dined here on a Sunday night; a group of 8 ladies. We were in town for a bachelorette and reserved dinner plans at 9pm on a Sunday. The place wasn’t as lively as I would have expected being from ny and this is prime time dinner time but none the less service was still great. Our server was a very nice and informative young lady who you can tell was well versed with the menu and was able to suggest so many things based on our feedback and she was able to accurately suggest how many of each Dish to order based on the portion size for our party since we shared everything. The sommelier was excellent and based on he’s suggestions we ordered a white and red wine options which all of us loved. Must have dishes: sai oua and the gaeng nor mai . Definitely a 10/10 this place is a must .

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  9. Claire

    New York City3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible food, atmosphere, and service. I can't rave enough about my experience at Bad Idea. This restaurant presents fine dining without a pretentious attitude. The building is light and airy and welcoming; the same can be said of the staff. Incredible flavors and complexity in every dish. I highly recommend the Naem Khao and Bahn Cuon!

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  10. Stephanie

    Chicago3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible dinner and service at Bad Idea. We booked it on a whim while in town and we were wowed. A great night and great wine!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Bad Idea is rated 4.5 stars by 99 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Nashville
  4. Nashville
  5. East Nashville

Make a reservation

Booked 19 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Bad Idea

1021 Russell St, Nashville, TN 37206

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    East Nashville
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–12:45 am
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Wine Bar, Laotian, Farm-to-table
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.badideanashville.com/
  • Phone number
    (629) 729-4332
  • Private party facilities
    Enjoy a semi-private experience in our mezzanine.Overlooking our beautiful dining room, our mezzanine can be the perfect gathering place for up to 30 people!Email Events@badideanashville.com
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