Locust

Locust is one of Nashville’s most distinctive restaurants, a compact, high-energy space in the 12South neighborhood where chef Trevor Moran has built a menu that resists easy categorization.

Open just three days a week for lunch and dinner, Locust operates with a deliberately limited format. Reservations are required, and the menu changes frequently based on seasonality and availability, reflecting what the kitchen feels like cooking at any given moment.
Rather than a traditional tasting menu, the experience unfolds through a sequence of dishes designed to be shared, arriving as they are prepared. The menu is anchored by a mix of seafood, dumplings, and composed plates that draw from Japanese technique, Irish influence, and Moran’s background in some of the world’s most influential kitchens.

Certain dishes have become closely associated with the restaurant. Beef tartare hand rolls, assembled at the table, remain a defining staple, while a delicate crab omelette and seasonal raw seafood preparations highlight the kitchen’s precision. Desserts often center on kakigori-style shaved ice, reworked into layered, sculptural forms that change regularly.

The room itself is small and informal, with an open kitchen and a team that moves fluidly between cooking and service. That structure creates a dining experience that feels more like a dinner party than a formal restaurant, with dishes delivered directly by the chefs and minimal separation between kitchen and guest.

Locust’s approach has earned national recognition, including being named Restaurant of the Year by Food & Wine in 2022 and receiving one MICHELIN star following the guide’s expansion into the American South.

At its core, Locust is defined by its flexibility. The menu evolves, the format remains loose, and the experience is shaped as much by instinct as by structure, making each visit feel distinct.