Lyra - Nashville

I am so mad at myself for not going here earlier! Seriously.Tip: they stay busy, so make a reservation. We got there at 5pm and were only able to snag a seat at the bar, which filled up in a matter of minutes.The space is beautiful. It's perfectly curated to exude warmth and light. Whoever made the decor choices (like right down to the planters) gets three cheers from me.I have surgery tomorrow, so I can't have dairy today. I generally eat all the dairy. I was so thankful they marked up a menu for me and were very knowledgeable about what's in the food.Knowledgeable and happy. Everyone seemed kind, attentive, and happy. But I guess it's easy to be happy when the product you serve is amazing!We started with a happy hour special: za'atar french fries. They subbed the ghee for some other oil for me. Those fries were DELICIOUS. And I bet they were even more amazing with ghee.Then we got the hummus collective, which they put 2 items on the side due to ghee. That hummus was amazing! It was so flavorful and creamy even without the toppings. Both my dining companion and I are kind of mad we've never had apples in hummus, too. How did I not know it's so delicious? ...at least we're pretty sure they were apples. ?Next up was the lamb kefta, which was so good. The lamb meatballs were perfectly cooked! They were moist even without the delicious sauce, but the combination was excellent. Every flavor on point.We really didn't think it could get any better, and then the flat iron steak arrived. I've never thought of putting apricots and pearl onions and steak together, and I'd never had black tahina before, but I want more of it. The perfect bite has all 4 elements together. Perfect harmony, ridiculously happy mouth.The tea my friend got was even so good that she talked me into getting one in a takeaway cup, and I'm glad she did! Spiced and delicious (I get it unsweet).Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful meal!

By far one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The service was great, staff were happy and knowledgeable about the menu. We tried a variety of dishes and loved them all. The flat iron steak with apricot and pearl onions was amazing. I’ll certainly return and will highly recommend to others. It’s also locally owned and chef driven which is a huge plus with so many chains/out of state investor driven restaurants in Nashville.

We had a family chef in town, so it was a test of faith to bring him to a place we had not been. He loved everything- the food, the cocktails, the service. Definitely get reservation ahead of time.Dietary restrictions: They were great about my corn allergy.

Food was delicious! Service was great, and the outdoor patio was lovely.

Lyra was an amazing experience, now sitting at the very top of our favorite restaurants.We have a monthly “Food Club” with some friends and we love mezza/tapas style menu be able to really get a feel for the restaurants cuisine.We ordered almost every item on the menu skipping only 3 in total (only because of an allergy).The Hummus collection was the star of the starters even our onion hater in the group loved the candied onions.The eggplant changed our lukewarm eggplant eater into an fan.The Lamb, Steak, and mushroom dish were standouts.The only dish that we didn’t enjoy was the shrimp the char was great, the cabbage and olives were a little eh.You can tell from our photos everyone loved the desserts and cocktails as well.Lyra is a must in Nashville!