A new restaurant — Yaki House — was recently added to the Taste of Nashville program, while Nada and Cafe Coco permanently closed their restaurants and are no longer part of the program. Two Boots is currently negotiating with Campus Dining to join Taste of Nashville. 

Departures from Taste of Nashville

A sign on Nada’s entrance announced its closure and thanked customers for “six great years.” A similar statement can be found on Nada’s website when trying to make a reservation. Nada did not respond to The Hustler’s request for comment. 

Junior Eshani Arumalla expressed sadness to hear about its closure as she has honored special occasions at the restaurant.

“As someone who’s celebrated two consecutive birthdays at Nada, it’s associated with a lot of joyous memories,” Arumalla said in a message to The Hustler. “I’m very sad to see it close.” 

Cafe Coco closed on Nov. 22, 2023, according to user philsloptv on Reddit, who claims to be a previous employee of the restaurant. Yelp also identifies the restaurant as closed. The Hustler was unable to contact Cafe Coco for a comment.

Cafe Coco previously closed in 2020, before rebranding to its final state as an Italian market. 

Recent and potential additions to Taste of Nashville

Yaki House, located on Elliston Place, adds another Asian-cuisine restaurant to Taste of Nashville after the departure of Koi Sushi and Thai and Shokku Ramen from the program last semester. Ashley Prommi, a Yaki House employee, said she is excited about the future of the restaurant now that it accepts the Commodore Card. 

“When we opened [the restaurant], business was very slow, but now it’s getting a lot better as more students are coming,” Prommi said. 

A sign outside Satay names Yaki House its “brand new location.” Supanee Pilansri, a Satay employee, explained that the owners of Satay own a majority of the space Yaki House occupies, so both restaurants formed a partnership that labels Yaki House an extension of Satay. 

In an email to The Hustler, Campus Dining said they are currently in negotiations with Two Boots to add the restaurant to the program. Safiyah Vakari, an employee at Two Boots, said the restaurant tried to use the Commodore Card in the past, but it was difficult to implement. 

“We are willing to join [Taste of Nashville] if there is an easier solution that Vandy can suggest,” Vakari said. 

There was also speculation among students claiming The Baked Bear may be joining Taste of Nashville, but Dining denied the rumor. 

“We have not entered any formal agreement with The Baked Bear but will be sure to let students know of any new additions as they become available,” Dining said. 

Sophomore Areeba Alam expressed excitement when she first heard rumors that The Baked Bear may accept the Commodore Card and now hopes Dining can add the restaurant to the program.

“As a Nashville native, The Baked Bear would make a really great addition to the Taste of Nashville program and would add another great option for desserts fairly close to campus,” Alam said in a message to The Hustler.