Frankie J's, Nashville

About Frankie J's

Frankie J's is a neighborhood queer bar and restaurant in a converted 1910 house in Nashville's Germantown, just north of downtown. Jay Kill opened it in early 2023 as a retirement project, in a long-vacant home the owner leased to honor her late gay uncle's love of entertaining; the name combines Jay's with Frankie's. It's pitched as a social, lower-key alternative to the city's high-energy club scene, leaning toward a 40-plus crowd. The layout runs across multiple rooms that can host events at once, a front patio, and a backyard with a disco ball for dancing (a leather-and-apparel shop, Stond Nation, sets up out back). Programming runs nearly every night the bar is open — trivia, drag king bingo, show-tune sing-alongs, karaoke, tarot, Drag Race watch parties, and monthly nights for the furry and pup communities. The kitchen serves Mexican-leaning bar food — quesadillas, empanadas, tacos, burgers — developed with Chef Jonathan Robinson, with Kill's husband, who is from Mexico, consulting on the recipes.