Why this East Nashville restaurant is one of the most exciting in the U.S.
An East Nashville restaurant has made the New York Times' Restaurant List, featuring the 50 most exciting restaurants in the United States.
Kisser, located on Douglas Avenue, was the only Tennessee restaurant to make the list.
"Despite the upheavals in recent years, this is an expansive moment for independent restaurants," said The Times. "We can’t help but feel that cities and towns in the United States are better to eat in today than they have ever been."
The Times called the casual Japanese eatery "refuge-like" and "austere," full of "unharried employees executing a concise menu of only good options."
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"Truth is, there isn’t a neighborhood that wouldn’t be richer for the addition of this soulful, personal take on a Japanese teahouse," Brett Anderson of the New York Times wrote.
About Kisser
Kisser opened in March 2023 in the new Highland Yards development in East Nashville. It's the first restaurant for husband and wife duo Brian Lea and Leina Horii, it is an homage to kissaten or tea shop.
California native, Lea, worked as a sous chef at Husk before moving back to Los Angeles where he met Horii. The daughter of a sushi chef, Horii worked as the sous chef of The Catbird Seat.
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Diana Leyva covers breaking and trending news for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kisser in East Nashville makes NYT's most exciting restaurant list
