After several local favorites closed earlier this year — from coffee shop Portland Brew 12 South to acclaimed eateries Lou and Hathorne — the outlook for Music City's food scene seemed bleak.

But Nashville's restaurant industry doesn't stand still.

Two months later, at least a dozen more restaurants and bars have opened their doors and even more are planned through the end of the year. Recently, the new spots include a mixture of expansions from longtime Nashville hotspots, a fresh Nashville-based bagel shop and a wine bar chain in 12 South.

Ugly Bagel opens in the revamped Arcade mall downtown

Nashville hospitality veterans Jeff Crabiel and Jake Strang are launching their hand-rolled bagel business downtown this week, but they can't promise the product will be pretty.

Ugly Bagel is opening in the redeveloped Arcade , Nashville's oldest enclosed shopping center opened in 1903 that New York-based Linfield Capital purchased in 2021 for $28 million. It's one of over 30 restaurants, bars and shops coming to the unique space at 65 Arcade Alley.

“We’ve poured our hearts into Ugly Bagel and we’re beyond thrilled to see our vision finally come to life," Crabiel said in a statement. "Our goal was to create a fast-casual concept that matches the busy energy of downtown, catering to workers, locals and visitors alike."

While Ugly Bagel employees are in the kitchen whipping up bagels, sandwiches and coffees, customers will mainly interact with technology. Patrons can either order online or use self-checkout kiosks in the store.

Ugly Bagel's Wednesday opening includes limited-edition November flavors like the gingerbread bagel, the cranberry walnut bagel, hot cocoa cream cheese and sage and onion cream cheese.

To celebrate opening week, Ugly Bagel is offering up to two free bagels from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, which will "ensure that the shop makes room for freshly made products daily."

Five Points Pizza takeout window coming to the Gulch

After more than a decade serving slices in East Nashville and six years of its West Nashville location, Five Points Pizza announced its second expansion this month.

In early 2025, the business will open an innovative third location in the Gulch. Instead of a full restaurant, though, the spot at 920 Division Street will be a takeout window on the street level of a new hotel, Canopy by Hilton. There, customers can order pizza by the slice.

“We are super excited to partner with Canopy Nashville to bring the slice window experience to the Gulch.” Five Points Pizza co-owner Tara Tieman said in a statement. “We have been working with their amazing team for almost a year and can’t think of a better brand to partner with on our first stand-alone slice window.”

All-day 12 South wine bar opens

Cofounders Craig DeMarco and Lauren Bailey opened the first Postino location in an old post office in Arizona two decades ago. Since then, they have built over 30 all-day wine bars across the country, each with interior design elements and drink offerings specific to the area.

Most recently, Postino 12 South opened in Nashville on Nov. 1. Located in the space at 2317 12th Ave. S. that previously housed Taqueria Del Sol, Postino 12 South serves over 30 wines by the glass, Tennessee-brewed beers and a seasonal menu of salad, soup and bruschetta.

Food highlights include crispy cauliflower, butter-poached shrimp scampi and an Italian beef dip panini.

“We are thrilled to introduce Postino to Tennessee,” Bailey said in a statement. “We believe our new location will make a great addition to the charming neighborhood of 12 South, and we’re so excited to join the incredible community of businesses, restaurants and retailers that make this area so special.”

Etch expands to the Factory at Franklin

About two weeks ago, Etch opened its second location in the Nashville area. The original location in Downtown Nashville made its debut in 2012 and has since regularly landed among the city's best restaurants, according to Condé Nast Traveler and The Tennessean in 2022. Its sister restaurant Etc. also opened in 2016.

All three of Chef Deb Paquette's Nashville restaurants feature eclectic menus that range in offerings from crispy fish tacos to scallops and filet mignon. The Franklin dinner menu is widely the same as the downtown Etch location, with some variety in side options including heirloom tomatoes replacing the roasted butternut squash.

"We started looking a while back. We have a team of people who do that thing, and they found The Factory and were able to construct a deal, and here we are," Paquette said. "Franklin is incredibly excited. We get a lot of Franklin people at the small restaurant in Green Hills, and they are just overjoyed to know that they can only drive five minutes instead of 30 to their destination."

The restaurant was initially set for an opening earlier this year, but construction delays pushed it back.

Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at . To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean .