Open wood-fired grill with flames and smoke rising in a restaurant kitchen
Modern American · Nashville

Fire. Flavor.
Something Worth
Gathering For.

Seasonal American cooking, wood-fired dishes, and an inviting dining room in the heart of Nashville.

Explore the Menu
412 12th Avenue South, Nashville, TN
Chef Marcus Reed tending to wood-fired grill with open flame
The hearth · Nashville
Our Story

Rooted in the South.
Driven by the Fire.

Ember & Oak was built around a single, simple idea — that dinner should be cooked over a live fire, by people who care, in a room that feels like the best seat in the house. We opened on 12th Avenue South with a wood-burning hearth, a small open kitchen, and a bar built for long, slow evenings.

Our cooking draws on Southern classics, modern American technique, and the seasonal produce Middle Tennessee does better than almost anyone. The menu shifts every few weeks to follow what the farms are bringing in — tomatoes and corn through the summer, root vegetables and game in the colder months — and most of what leaves the kitchen passes through open flame before it reaches the table.

We believe in hospitality the way the South practices it: warm, unhurried, and intentional. Whether you are here for a Tuesday dinner at the bar or a celebration in our private dining room, the goal is the same — a meal that is generous, considered, and easy to remember.

From the Hearth

A Few Things We’re Known For

Six dishes that capture the kitchen at Ember & Oak — built around live fire, seasonal produce, and Southern technique.

Plated wood-fired heritage chicken with charred lemon and seasonal vegetables

Wood-Fired Heritage Chicken

Charred lemon, roasted garlic, seasonal vegetables

$32
Ember-roasted ribeye steak with smoked onion jus and crispy potatoes

Ember-Roasted Ribeye

Smoked onion jus, crispy potatoes, herb butter

$58
Carolina shrimp and grits with sweet corn and smoked tomato

Carolina Shrimp & Grits

Sweet corn, smoked tomato, aged cheddar

$34
Charred octopus over white bean purée with chili oil

Charred Octopus

White bean purée, preserved lemon, chili oil

$28
Brown butter peach tart with vanilla cream and toasted pecans

Brown Butter Peach Tart

Vanilla cream, toasted pecans

$14
Fire-roasted mushrooms served with whipped ricotta and sourdough

Fire-Roasted Mushrooms

Whipped ricotta, herbs, sourdough

$22
The Kitchen

Meet Chef
Marcus Reed

Executive Chef

Marcus Reed grew up between Knoxville and the coastal kitchens of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where dinner was always a fire, a knife, and a long conversation. He opened Ember & Oak to bring those two ideas — wood smoke and hospitality — into a single room in Nashville.

His cooking sits at the intersection of seasonal American produce and open-fire technique. Heirloom tomatoes in July, persimmons in October, and tubers through the winter show up on the menu the moment they are at their best, and the menu shifts every few weeks to follow what the region's growers are bringing in.

Most of the kitchen's work happens within arm's length of the hearth. The team butchers whole animals in-house, cures its own charcuterie, and builds sauces from smoke and stockpot rather than from a squeeze bottle. The goal, in Marcus's words, is to cook food that feels like it belongs to the room — warm, generous, and unpretentious.

Born
Knoxville, Tennessee
Cooking
Wood-fired · Seasonal
Sourcing
Middle Tennessee farms
Hospitality
Warm, unhurried
Executive Chef Marcus Reed in the Ember & Oak kitchen

“Cook food that belongs to the room — warm, generous, unpretentious.”

— Marcus Reed

The Dining Room

Come for dinner.
Stay for the evening.

The room was designed for one thing — long, easy evenings. The bar overlooks the open kitchen, the dining room is warm and low-lit, and the covered patio is strung with lights for warmer nights.

Open-Fire Cooking

Most dishes pass through the wood-burning hearth before they reach the table.

Intimate Atmosphere

Warm lighting, comfortable booths, and a dining room built for conversation.

Considered Drinks

A small, focused list of craft cocktails, regional wines, and zero-proof options.

Built for the Evening

Date nights, business dinners, and slow Sundays all feel at home here.

Behind the Bar

Cocktails built
on small-batch spirits

Our bar program keeps a tight, focused list — Tennessee whiskey, regional gin, and seasonal produce. Beyond the cocktails below, you will find a curated wine list, regional beers on draft, and a half-dozen zero-proof options that change with the seasons.

Wine

Small American & European producers

Beer

Tennessee breweries on draft & bottle

Zero-Proof

Seasonal shrubs, sodas & infusions

Smoked old fashioned cocktail under a smoke dome

Smoked Old Fashioned

$16
Signature

Bourbon, maple, aromatic bitters

Tennessee highball whiskey cocktail over ice

Tennessee Highball

$14

Whiskey, citrus, ginger, sparkling water

Blackberry sage sour gin cocktail with fresh herb garnish

Blackberry Sage Sour

$15
Seasonal

Gin, blackberry, lemon, sage

Reservations

Reserve your seat
by the fire

Walk-ins are welcome at the bar, but reservations are recommended for the dining room, especially on weekends. Use the flow below to hold a table in a few quick steps.

Call (615) 555-0148

Tonight’s Availability

412 12th Avenue South, Nashville, TN

Walk-in bar seating available nightly. Large parties and private events handled separately.

Intimate private dining room with candlelit table set for guests

The Private Room

Seats 10 – 30 guests

Private Dining

Make it a night
to remember

From corporate dinners and rehearsal dinners to milestone birthdays, our private dining room offers a dedicated space, custom menus built with Chef Marcus, and a dedicated event lead.

Demo only — no message is actually sent.

Upcoming Events

A few nights
worth planning for

A rotating series of dinners, tastings, and chef-led experiences. All fictional demo events — dates and details for illustration only.

01Select Sundays · 6:30 PM

Sunday Supper Series

A relaxed four-course family-style supper built around whatever came in from the farms that morning. Wine pairings available.

02Thursday – Saturday · 7:00 PM

Chef's Table

Six seats at the kitchen pass, with a multi-course tasting menu cooked directly over the fire by Chef Marcus and the kitchen team.

03Quarterly · 6:00 PM

Wine & Fire

A seasonal five-course dinner paired with small-production wines chosen with our wine director. Limited to thirty guests.

Want first notice on new dinners? Subscribe to the table list at the bottom of the page.

Join the List
From Our Guests

Tables we’ve had
the pleasure of hosting

“We sat at the pass for the chef's table and watched a whole ribeye come off the fire. That single plate changed how I think about eating in Nashville.”

Carter & Dana Whitfield

Anniversary dinner · Nashville

“Brought four clients expecting a safe business dinner and stayed three hours. The room is warm, the cocktails are serious, and nothing on the table felt generic.”

Janelle Pierce

Business dinner · Atlanta

“We had our rehearsal dinner in the private dining room. The team built a custom menu around our Southern family favorites, then made it their own.”

The Murphys

Rehearsal dinner · 22 guests

Fictional demo testimonials. Names and quotes are illustrative only and do not represent real guests or reviews.

Find Us

On 12th Avenue,
in the heart of Nashville

We’re a few blocks off Division Street, with street parking after 6 PM and validated lot parking across the street. Valet runs Friday and Saturday from 5:00 PM.

Address

412 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203

Hours

  • Monday – Thursday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Friday – Saturday5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
  • Sunday4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Get Directions

You are here

Ember & Oak

412 12th Avenue South, Nashville

Contact

Questions, ideas,
or just say hello

For reservations, please use the reservation flow or call us directly. For everything else, use the form and we’ll respond within one business day.

Demo only — no message is sent.