Things to do: Nashville Farmers Market

Nov 24

Nov 24 Things to do: Nashville Farmers Market

While looking up restaurants, many of them that were highly regarded kept being located in the Nashville Farmer’s Market so I figured I’d make some time to visit. I am so glad I did.

The farmer’s market spans a couple buildings, and open air space. One section is dedicated to stalls and stands for grocery and artisans. While I was there, there were not really any artisans set up, just a few stalls for groceries.

The other building is a cafeteria. This is a popping lunch spot, as things close by five. It is all enclosed and in the shape of a capital H with four spokes of restaurants, and the center square filled in for seating and local artisan shops.

The farmer’s market has a long history in the city. Prior to 1801 farmers used horses to bring their goods to market in the heart of the city. That changed when the General Assembly in Knoxville put the town under a government and a law was passed so a city market building could be built. This 40 foot long market was finished in 1802, and then replaced in 1829. It expands to two, two story buildings and sheds that host about 100 vendor stalls. Buildings were lost more than once to fires and it’s not until the 1930s that we see the new market building constructed and moved for the new Davidson County Courthouse.

This new structure was considered the second best in the country behind the Boston Market. Now known as the Ben West building, it was in operation from 1937 until 1955. The farmer’s market did outgrow the building with many complaints on space and then in 1949 the state authorized a million dollar bond that would allow the construction of yet another new location. This open air version was useful as a drive through as well with it’s open air stalls for convenience. Now called the old market.

We’re going to jump to 1995 when the market was renovated yet again for the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. This version that still is in use today was designed after touring other markets around the country. The goal was to make a world class market. This landed with the design that has four open air market stalls, the market area which is air conditioned, a garden center and parking. The stops inside the market housed year round businesses now, and the market is open 362 days a year. In 2012 a new stall was added in the market hour, the Pop Up that is designed to have rotating start ups to get their business out there. In 2024 a rentable kitchen called the Commissary was also added to help support farmers, bakers, food artisans with a state of the art cooking space when needed to expand their business and offerings. The market currently has about 30 shops and stalls.

For my visit, I did a tour of the indoor market for my lunch break. The place was bustling and many people were choosing the same location for their meals. The place was kept clean with plenty of seating available at varying sizes of tables with accessible access. I was there on a Thursday afternoon and not all stalls were open so that helped limit some of my choices.

I ended up trying three different places. First up was ramyun from Bowl & Roll which is a Korean fusion location. The proprietors were very kind and accommodating with my order. They serve ramyun, bibimbap, and sushi rolls. I ordered the dumpling bowl to get to try the dumplings and spicy ramyun. They also let me have a side order of Kimchi even though it’s only offered in a rice bowl otherwise. The dumplings were a crispy version that were super tasty and the portion sizes was more than enough. The noodles tenderly cooked, and the spice was delightfully tangy, without being overwhelming for me. While I can handle a decent amount of spice, I think it definitely was toned down a little bit for the masses. I did ask while ordering if their spicy was more to Asian or white American standards and he had a nice laugh but did warn me it would be a bit spicier.

After smashing that, I tried a pizza from Bella Nashville Pizzeria. They serve a wood fried pizza and have a diverse menu that most people can find a pizza to enjoy. I went simple with pepperoni just to see what they were about. The crust had a nice crisp from the wood fire, and smoke to the taste while the cheese was that delicious greasy that slides off as you pick up a New York thin slice. The pepperonis curled as they baked.

I ended my tour with a milkshake from Farm City Coffee. I was torn between the fudgy brownie batter and double cookie dough so I let the cashier choose for me. She gave me the double cookie dough which did surprise me for how much like cookie dough it tasted. Though as a chocolate lover, I do regret slightly not getting the brownie in the end.

I cannot recommend this place enough, and spent the next few days preaching the wonders to all my friends in hopes they could find time to visit as well. Alas, I did not succeed but I’d almost consider a trip back just for this location.