Nashvillians are making Cabana, an elegantly casual bar and restaurant, the place to gather with friends. While they enjoy creative and fresh food, diners will be amazed and delighted by the meticulous transformation of the property, located at 1910 Belcourt Avenue, across the street from Sunset Grill.

 

This spectacular renovation completes the Hillsboro Village Restaurant Triangle, where successful restaurateur Randy Rayburn and partners Craig Clifft and Executive Chef Brian Uhl have made Sunset Grill the place to dine in Nashville. 

 

Cabana under the watchful eye of co-owners Clifft and Uhl, is a cool hip upscale bar that’s a feast for the eyes and palate serving up creative Southern Comfort Cuisine in a fresh and exciting environment that’s unlike any restaurant or bar in Middle Tennessee.

 

Guests will immediately notice the exterior changes to the 1920’s Bungalow Building. The front façade on Belcourt underwent a radical facelift. A 16-foot tall wood trellis framed by custom canopies and curtains prepares the diner for the sensory experience. The back, which faces Wedgewood, is a completely new venue—a huge breathtaking setting for year-round outdoor lounging and dining. This part of the renovation alone adds 2900 square feet of new space.

 

Cabana’s interior will satisfy all the colors of your mood ring, with a hip range of seating areas. Each has a different feel pulled together by light earth tones and whimsical patinas. Just inside the front porch entry is a large new bar and dining area with a warm and inviting restaurant and club ambiance. Deeper shades of wood and furnishings will be used here. Next to that are two very private lounges that will have a more contemporary club vibe.

 

The Cabanas are quickly becoming the most sought after drinking and dining spots in town. Six of these custom creations line the inside wall. Each has its own sheer drapery that can be closed for privacy and can be quickly transformed from a dining area to a cocktail lounge with the use of custom made adjustable tables and lighting. The Cabanas have their own flat screen television with video, satellite TV, music and game capabilities.

 

Exiting the Cabana area, you enter the vast addition visible from Wedgewood. There customers will find another more casual eating area and bar. There are additional dining tables and 4 more Cabanas. Large glass paned garage doors on the entire back wall of this space will be raised in good weather to further enhance the veranda feel.

 

 

The aim of Cabana is the ability to transform from day to night to late night. “We want a place with the ability to change with the customer”, says co-owner Craig Clifft. Clifft has been working with Rayburn for the past ten and a half years, most recently as the General Manager and Wine Director of the Sunset Grill. “Bars and restaurants have different rhythms depending on the time” says Clifft. “We see Cabana as having three personalities; the relaxing bar for those wanting that drink after work, to a cool affordable restaurant to get that great meal in, and finally a late night high energy hip hang complete with a D.J. Booth and lots of space to roam in.”

 

The food will adapt to the customer as well. The menu has been lovingly created by Executive Chef Brian Uhl who has been overseeing Rayburn’s two kitchens, Midtown Café and Sunset Grill for the last six years. Uhl served as Chef de Cuisine under three Michelin starred chefs including the late Jean Louis Palladin and world renowned French Laundry Chef/Owner Thomas Keller.   

 

“My vision is to keep the food at Cabana affordable yet exciting and constantly evolving depending on the availability of different regional products,” says Uhl. “I will continue to present Nashville diners with creative meals and signature dishes at both Sunset Grill and Midtown Café. However with this restaurant I can have fun and play. I am not limited to a particular menu, so I can create the food that I would want to eat if going out for a casual meal with friends. I am also very committed to using made in Tennessee products. As much as possible will come from local growers and farmers. Even my prosciutto is cured for me right here in Middle Tennessee.”

 

Some of the menu items include fun foods like Tennessee Sliders, Chicken Wing “lollie pops”, Mini Lobster Corn Dogs, Oyster Shooters, to Fresh Salads, and the Build your Own Pizzas. There will be sandwiches like the 10oz Black Angus Burgers, Fresh Grouper along with entrees including Pork Chops, Rainbow Trout, and Smoked BBQ Baby Back Ribs. And watch out for the innovative “Martini Meals.”

 

Clifft and Uhl are serving as managing partners of the new restaurant, and Rayburn will act in the role of investor and adviser. Cabana’s architects are Eric Scowden and Manuel Zietlan, Nancy Inman of Inman and Associates is the hospitality and décor designer, and Ikon Construction is overseeing the project.