There’s just something about Italian dining that practically forces you to stay awhile, and it isn’t just an overzealous nonna. It’s dishes passed family-style, arms reaching for yet another helping. It’s another glass poured before the last one is even empty, the laughter around the table getting louder as the meal stretches well beyond when anyone intended to leave. Add coffee, dessert and just one more story, and no one is in a hurry to go anywhere.
In Germantown, that spirit has found a fitting home at Indaco, the latest Nashville concept from The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which also owns Oak Steakhouse and O-Ku—the latter just across the street.
That proximity is particularly fitting for General Manager Tiffany Pahlavan, who spent more than five years at O-Ku before crossing the street to help open Indaco. And while new to Nashville, the Italian eatery joins other Indaco locations in Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville, Atlanta and Alys Beach, with another planned for West Palm Beach.
But the growing footprint doesn’t mean a copy-and-paste approach. Each location is developed with an eye toward its own surroundings rather than simply replicating the concept from city to city.
“Each of the Indacos looks different, but they still have a very similar vibe,” Pahlavan says. In Nashville, that meant leaning into the city’s personality. “We were going for darker, edgier Nashville rock-and-roll vibes here,” she says.
Design goes deep
The Nashville influence comes through in a material mix that feels equal parts industrial and tailored. Exposed brick and concrete mingle with dark wood, polished metal and indigo tile, while plaid upholstery and deep teal banquettes bring softness—and a little swagger—to the room. Black-and-chrome bar stools add a retro note, and a gallery wall of framed records and music ephemera nods to the city’s musical roots without leaning into familiar Music City tropes.
The open kitchen puts the wood-fired oven and movement of dinner service on display, while warm, eclectic lighting softens the harder materials. Expansive windows connect the dining room to the neighborhood by day; by night, the darker palette takes over. The result is polished but not precious, moody but welcoming—and comfortable enough to settle in for the kind of long Italian meal Indaco is built around.
The menu follows suit. Rooted in Italian tradition and guided by seasonality, it centers on hand-rolled pastas, wood-fired pizzas, antipasti and ingredient-driven dishes incorporating products from local farmers and vendors. It’s rustic Italian rather than the traditional red-sauce variety, Pahlavan explains, and the pacing is intentional. Unlike the come-as-it’s-ready rhythm of sushi at O-Ku, dinner here lends itself to courses—to ordering another dish, sharing around the table and staying awhile.
A neighborhood ready for more
And Germantown appears ready to do just that. Even in its first months, Pahlavan says Indaco has drawn heavily from the surrounding neighborhood, a pattern she recognizes from O-Ku, where a strong local following came first and visitors followed.
For Pahlavan, turning those first visits into lasting relationships comes down to what happens once guests walk through the door.
“We want to create an experience more than anything transactional,” she says. “We want someone to come in and not only enjoy the food, but enjoy the experience of their server and the team in general.”
It’s an important distinction in a city where diners have no shortage of new restaurants competing for their attention. The food and design may bring people through the door, but the welcome and service can turn a new restaurant into a neighborhood favorite.
“We want it to feel like a home to people,” Pahlavan says. “They’re our guests.”
And ultimately, that may be the simplest expression of what Indaco hopes to bring to Germantown: modern Italian food, a distinctly Nashville setting and a reason to stay awhile.
“We have a seat at our table for anybody,” Pahlavan says.
