Veggie Review: Caffé Nonna
By far, our favorite dinner outing as vegetarians was to Caffé Nonna in Sylvan Park. I’m not just saying that because Nonna is less than two miles from where we live, or because its intimate interior hosts possibly the most charming atmosphere in Nashville to the point where I want to set up camp under one of the tables. No, this place is a legit destination for vegetarian eaters.
The key is the choose-your-own-adventure pasta and pizza offerings and I went for the pasta. My current favorite is the rigatoni with sun-dried tomato cream and sauteed spinach. Be forewarned: the sauteed spinach isn’t on the list of veggies to add, but it’s must-do hidden option. I asked my waiter to suggest veggies for my pasta and sauce combination and this is what he brought me. We went back to Nonna this week—as meat eaters—and I ordered the same thing.
The kicker, though, is that the best dish on the menu is vegetarian. Their Lasagna Nonna is layered with butternut squash, spinach, ricotta, and swiss chard, surrounded by two sauces that I can only describe as sinful. Bill and I fought over who got to order the lasagna for our first few visits, so we now trade off. This time was his “turn.”
So when you boil that cabbage down, here’s the bottom line:
- How easy is it to be a vegetarian at Caffé Nonna? Easy and delightful. Don’t let the number of meat- and fish-laden dishes on the menu fool you.
- If you go back as a vegetarian, will you have to eat the same thing? Absolutely not. I could go nuts with the pizza and pasta combinations, and I haven’t even tried the Nonna White Bean soup or the salads.
- If you do have to eat the same thing twice, will you be upset about it? No. Did I mention that I ordered the same vegetarian dish twice in a row?
Caffé Nonna is one of our favorite places to eat and, happily, a staple for the vegetarian 40 days in our year. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s so damn cute.
