Iconic Broadway bar in Nashville named one of the best in US. What to try if you go

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6 days ago

Robert's Western World is an icon among icons. Amid the noise on Nashville's bright, boisterous Broadway strip, Robert's Western World stands alone with its (relatively) quiet reverence for Nashville's spirit — the one that existed before the crowds.
It's a shotgun of a place in a street full of multistory bars named after famed country music makers. At its barrel is a tiny stage where musicians play beneath the visages of long-gone country stars, while the masses whirl and two-step in front of them.
If the Ryman Auditorium is the Mother Church of Country Music, Robert's Western World, just a stone's throw from its back door, is the Holy Ghost.
On July 30, USA TODAY named the Nashville landmark one of the 29 USA TODAY Bars of the Year for 2025.
"They always say, 'Buildings breathe' and, 'If the walls could talk,'" said Emily Ann Jones, who owns Robert's with her husband and native Brazilian JesseLee Jones, the leader of one of Nashville's longest-running house bands. "Here, they do talk. We have the pictures on the wall, and every time people come in, those pictures on the wall, they start a conversation and introduce strangers that are now friends."
Robert's is adorned with neon beer signs and crooked tile. It's beloved for its fried bologna sandwiches and ice-cold PBRs. The air resonates with a twang of country music, the kind with steel guitar instead of autotune.
"It is a spiritual place," Jones said. "We still do gospel every Sunday, and anybody from all walks of life, homeless people included, are welcome as long as they behave."
Robert's has held down its corner of Broadway for more than 25 years with a simple formula that's still turning heads: authenticity.
More: The best bars in America in 2024: See USA TODAY's 27 favorite spots
Jones likes to say she and her husband don't own Robert's. They're the caretakers of one of the most traditional honky tonks around. Robert's is a living homage to traditional country, before the glitz and glam and big names on Broadway.
"It's a torch that we carry proudly, and it is not changing," Jones said.
Why Nashville's Robert's Western World is legendary
Robert's began to solidify its legacy in Nashville's nascent country music scene in the late 1950s, when it served as the home of Sho-Bud Steel Guitar Company. There, country music icons Shot Jackson and Buddy Emmons manufactured some of the best musical instruments ever made. In 1969, this is where Jackson breathed new life into Willie Nelson's road-worn acoustic guitar, Trigger.
When the Grand Ole Opry moved from downtown, it kicked off a Broadway decline. Sho-Bud became Lynn's Liquor Store. Then, in the early 1990s, Robert Wayne Moore launched a western apparel store there, soon adding ice-cold beers to the mix. Then a few live entertainers. Then a grill.
Moore had built a party — one that's still raging on Broadway and quietly drawing stars from the nearby Ryman. It still brings in old-timers who pull spoons out of their pockets to play along with the music on stage, Jones said.
"We have 92-year-old little men that drive an hour each way that still come down to dance every single night and it's what we do it for," she said. "Those are the people who have paved the way for everybody playing on Broadway."
You can feel the ghosts of country music here. Even if Nashville is constantly changing, this is one place that keeps one boot firmly rooted in the city's original spirit.
What to order at Robert's
Here, ice-cold PBRs still reign supreme. Even the best whiskey comes in a plastic cup. This is not the time to ask for something complicated. Shout your order to the unflappable bartenders over the din of the country music and crowds. Just be nice and have your ID ready.
"You don't have to have mixology skills to work at Robert's," Jones said.
In fact, "fancy" is taboo here, even if it's on the labels of the ketchup bottles Jones once balked at.
"I said, 'Who the hell ordered fancy ketchup?'" she said. "There's nothing fancy about Robert's."
Recession Special: This enduring Nashville favorite has long fed innumerable aspiring stars, tourists and locals alike. It includes an ice-cold PBR, a fried bologna sandwich, a bag of chips and a Moon Pie — all for just $6.
Cheese curd basket: You know exactly what this is. If you've been on Broadway all day and you're looking for something to soak up some of the suds, a basket of fried cheese with some ranch dressing for dipping will likely do just the trick.
Insider tip: Don't miss the upstairs "Balcony Bar." It can be hot and far from the stage, but this is where the locals hang when they want a Nashville experience without the crowds. There's no beer on tap, no food from the bar, but that's not the point. You can sneak out the back door into the alley when you're done.
Details: 416 Broadway #B, Nashville, TN 37203; 615-244-9552; robertswesternworld.com
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville bar named one of America's best by USA TODAY
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