Aba, the Mediterranean restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, is one of many new spots in Wedgewood-Houston that have opened in the past year. It’s the first restaurant in Tennessee for the Chicago-based restaurant group. Their second project in the state, Sushi-san, opened in the Gulch a few months later.
“The innovative food scene in Nashville continues to grow, and we are excited to be a part of the restaurant community. And, we are thrilled to join the creative, up-and-coming neighborhood of Wedgewood-Houston,” said Marc Jacobs, executive partner and divisional president of Lettuce Entertain You.
With locations in Austin and Chicago, the Nashville location is Aba’s largest space to date. Located at 435 Houston St., Aba — meaning “father” in Hebrew — draws influence from the Mediterranean, while also incorporating chef partner and Top Chef alum CJ Jacobson’s culinary roots from California.
The two-story, 12,000-square-foot restaurant accommodates up to 340 guests, including multiple semi-private dining spaces and a private dining room accommodating up to 80 guests. Known for its signature indoor-outdoor dining, Aba Nashville features a multi-level, wraparound patio that connects seamlessly with the restaurant’s interiors.
The restaurant was designed by Lettuce Entertain You’s in-house Director of Interior Design Avril Zayas, in collaboration with Jacobs. The interior boasts soaring ceilings and steel doors that give nod to the neighborhood’s warehouse roots, complemented by found vintage pieces, refined millwork, and curated artifacts.
“I personally was not that familiar with Nashville, so I was really excited to come to a new market,” Zayas said. “We were bringing a brand that already exists, so the goal was to bring the essence and the concept to Nashville, but also give it a little bit of a local flair and its own identity.”
Nashville’s influence is immediately evident in the building itself, an old warehouse that has now been transformed with rich tones of leather and stone, mosaic floor tiles, and antique mirrors. The tree and plant-filled main dining room is anchored by Italian Murano chandeliers that hang below the expansive skylight.
“I always like to think of lighting as the jewelry of the space,” Zayas said. “It is what really makes it special, and gives the place personality. And that is super important for us — not only the decorative lighting, but also the architectural lighting. The levels, the color, the temperature, it all has to be right.”
The lighting placement and millwork along the stairs help the eye travel top down, connecting the second-floor mezzanine (which has a private bar and views overlooking the dining room and Houston Street) to the ground floor, bringing two distinct places together into one.
Zayas said lighting can make or break a design. “You could pick really beautiful finishes, but if the lighting’s not right, it could wash it all out,” she said.
But Aba’s true defining element is how the design blurs the line between indoors and out. Plants are integrated throughout the space at multiple heights, making guests feel like they are tucked in a canopy of greenery, even when seated inside.
“It was a design challenge for me, in a good way,” she says. “Like, how do we make this place feel cozy and inviting while also having this giant feeling of being in a warehouse?”
Inspired by the lush, plant-filled landscapes of the Mediterranean, Aba’s space blooms with flora, natural light, and tactile materials. Textured plaster, natural stone, and warm wood frames create depth, while sunlight moves through the room during the day, softening the environment. Expansive windows and an open sightline give the dining room a sense of airiness and movement.
A fluid transition between patio and interior seating keeps the restaurant feeling connected rather than segmented. Anchored by an olive tree casting an ambient glow over the patio, the outdoor space is perfect for sipping a bottle of wine on warm nights. And once the retractable window opens up the dual-sided bar, every seat becomes the best seat in the house.
The beverage program at Aba highlights spirits and wines from boutique, family-owned producers and lesser-known regions across the Mediterranean. The extensive wine list is largely made up of Mediterranean wines, with many from women and minority-owned producers.
Complementing the wine selection, Aba also features an inventive cocktail program including zero-proof creations that incorporate Middle Eastern spices. In addition, neighborhood partners like Jackalope Brewing Co. and Diskin Cider are also featured on the menu.
“It’s the kind of place where you can go with your friends to have a drink, or you can go with your family to have an early dinner, or you can have a date,” Zayas said. “The whole Aba concept, the design and the feeling, really appeals to different groups of people and different types of activities.”
Aba Nashville: 435 Houston St., Nashville, TN 37203
