Little Octopus

Daniel Herzog is a mastermind of flavors, textures and excitement, a true chef who runs a brilliant menu I need to come back for more of. I was blown away by our meal here.
It took me forever to try out Little Octopus considering I already loved the POP location and chef and bartenders enough to hold our wedding reception here (people still go wide eyed and frame the statements with «omg, those…» when speaking of our reception food and cocktails), but I had heard that it can get a bit pricey here on filling a stomach and being into long-​distance athletics usually means a longer stretch to fill my belly, so I did hesitate.
I must speak to food first. I ordered the Buratta first — sort of an up-​and-​coming Nashville sweetheart dish if you ask me (third probably to having Kale or Brussel Sprouts on your menu), and what madness was done to this Buratta, I could not even pin down. Creamy Cheese to cut through all the dish’s sweet and sour, crunchy garlic on top, the most glorious explosion of fruit, oils and vinegars flavoring the greens. Pickled grapes and raisins I was surprised to even find in a cheese based dish and these tiny pops of chili you would get to just kick through with a moment of spice. I was in heaven on this dish it was so delicious and so entirely surprising. I ordered the Congee as well: Smoked Pumpkin and Durian. Not sure what to expect since the Congee I’d had only once before was sort of this awesome peasant dish, I was happy to rediscover the chefly make-​over here: super smokey, with that Durian-​crème center that just blew the whole thing up.
Grass fed Burger was up next — this thing is very large and very, very juicy. So plain and so much taste straight from the juiciness of the burger and that beautiful buttered bun. The burger was an homage to simple delicious ingredients done well. Pan Roasted chicken next: I never knew chicken could be so delicious. This is better than the Adele’s famous brick-​roasted chicken, hands down — the bird was juicier, the chimmichurri-​like sauce more addictive and surprising, the skin of the bird just perfect when it hit your tongue. Grilled scallops were last for us, (I’d argue this was the overkill dish for two, so if your checklist budget is nervous by now be warned we are a pair of absurdly endless stomachs who will happily pay for a good meal since eating out is an actual event for us) I liked the grill on the scallops, the lentil mashup was very decent and with a bit of a dip in the oil the perfect smokey bite would come together. Not totally my thing but a delicious and amen different non-​Italian scallop.
Staff-​wise I’ve never not been treated fabulously here. Water all the time (I’m a big water fan), very fast service and random plates one by one, super welcoming and easy-​going crowd. Always pleasant (always being when we’re here for a POP event, were here for the Otaku South past, are here now, do brunch here). Our server even ran back to the kitchen on the one time she wasn’t aware of all the odds n ends ingredients (we kept asking «what was that crunchy bit… that dollop in the middle… the jus on the side…)
People like to pick on the hipster vibe, but heck we walk in in sweatpants and whatever we just worked out in at almost all our East Nashville home base restaurants including here — I’m sure it’s not 100% perfect but no one ever minds so if it offends you that too many people looked hipster… toss on a pair of paint-​covered sweatpants. It’s been a hard day, treat yourself to this menu and don’t feel like you need to «fit in» — focus on «filling in» your belly :)
The location is ridiculously convenient to me, the décor I half enenunciated my hatred for since it looked like a pinterest wall, and half loved since the main artwork boasted pop icon mashups in bright colors: «Heisenburgler» (The Hamburgler + Heisenberg), «Garth Vader» (Wayne’s World Garth + Darth).
All in all, Food is so delicious and outrageously creative, staff is just fantastic and helpful, I’m fine with the vibe and hit/​miss on the décor… but oh that food.

Ate here last night and was the best meal we’ve had in East Nashville and top 5 Nashville. We asked our server his recommendations and were very happy with all
Burger, book Choy, fingerling potatoes and oysters. All very good
The minus point would be the décor hasn’t really changed since the ramen place but I guess that’s the whole pop up concept. Some more personal touches would be great but this did not distract from the food
Will be back soon

Review is a little overdue; we came during thanksgiving with a large group. We came here because someone in our party is gluten and lactose intolerant which becomes challenging in restaurants; LO seemed to have many options. We received warm and friendly service, our waitress was patient to answer questions and went to ask the chef if she’s wasn’t sure. We thought the Moqueca, salmon quinoa and lamb ribs were outstanding! I’m pretty sure we all fought over those ribs! Our guests still rave about their experience and will certainly be back to try brunch.

I want so much to love this place. I had a few dishes that were ok. The burger was pretty good. The burrata was enjoyable. Now… Before I get yelled at about the platform, I was aware of the shared plates concept. My server explained it as well. Just know that you will get things randomly and in VERY small portions.
This comes to my biggest problem with LO– the price. Having been to culinary school, I can appreciate quality ingredients. I had ok food here, but would expect larger portions for the price. Even with shared concept, it just was upsetting to see two scallops come out for nearly $ 20.
Two stars on Unilocal is stated as «I’ve experienced better». This is exactly how I felt. The hostess was not very friendly, seeming irritated that people had arrived to eat there. Unfortunately, the experience was just below average for us.

Loved the small plates concept. although I do think that the plates are pricey for their portion and for being small plates. but i loved almost everything we ordered — the sardines were great, burrata was great, the grass fed burger was the juiciest I’ve ever had. The only thing I didn’t care for was the charred eggplant — it wasn’t bad, just not as good as the others. My cocktail was really good too ! The ambience was cool too — very typical of a Nashville restaurant ! i’d definitely go back !

Hipsters of East Nashville UNITE!
I had read the great reviews and was excited to give it a try. BUT things didn’t quire go as hoped. First, let me say from the staff to the patrons the place was an oozing pus pool of über hipsters with man buns, flannel, and coffee shop worker attitude.
Second lets talk about the food.
They were out of two dishes we wanted to order. The waitress told us they were still prepping them. Prepping them after 7pm on a Saturday? When did they expect people to order them?
My date also requested the burger well done but we were told they only serve medium. I understand the chefs desire to suggest the right way but heck I am paying so give me date what is requested.
The bokchoy was served with some hot and some ice cold bits. I mean like refrigerator cold. I told the waitress and she said interesting and walked away.
he fingerling potatoes were so salty as to make you wince.
Finally, what really left me with the bad taste in my mouth that sums it all up… every other table around us started with a tiny chef tasting. We never go it even after commenting to the waitress that the chef tasting the table next to us was having look interesting.
With the exception of that long list of problems the other items were tasty but so über hipsters, and failing in service as to really not even make two starts… I ma being generous.

Some of the dishes were great, but I disappointed with the over cooked scallops. And the waitress wasn’t very nice either. That’s why I can only review with three stars.

Simple décor and food is simplistic but full of flavor. The lamb ribs is packed with jerk spice and moist. The sauce keeps the heat down and yuca is nice complement. The charred eggplant is smoky, creamy, and crunchy bread goes well with it. The papaya salsa has mint and basil to cut the heat. The plantains were over cooked and burnt.

Little Octopus didn’t really do it for me during a recent visit for brunch. I was definitely expecting more but was disappointed. My friend and I ordered the pancakes, waffles, and burger. (won’t comment on burger because I’m a burger noob/don’t really eat them)
Pancakes: they are very healthy and if you’re not a big fan of that kind of taste, then probably don’t order this dish. I, on the other hand, thought this was the best dish out of the three we ordered. It came with creamed honey and a kumquat preserve which had the perfect amount of tartness. The pancakes itself were really fluffy considering they are whole wheat! Loved them.
Waffles: these are savory and come topped with green peppers, onions, and delicious shrimp. I think the overall plate was pretty dry :/​wish it came with some more sauce to complement the other ingredients. Loved the fried egg on top, though.
I ordered the grapefruit sage seltzer which I loved — super refreshing and not sweet at all! I would order this all the time here.
Best part of my experience here: service. Perfect and the ladies are so lovely.
I would love to come back and try the cold or warm small plates, but I most likely won’t be coming back for brunch.

A friend and I tried Little Octopus for brunch after our plans to go elsewhere were botched by an unexpected closure. Both of us were happy with what we ordered, tasted good, but wasn’t anything I will go screaming back for. I ordered the Shrimp and Waffles with No egg (I hate egg) and the fingerling potatoes and my friend ordered the Egg/​harrissa dish which she enjoyed very much. It was a nice surprise to see the waffle was hearty vs sweet. I enjoyed it to be a slightly spicy vs sweet. My style in general approved. I could have done with less oil on the bottom of my plate though. (It didn’t really add anything to the meal).
It was super slow. There were only about 4 tables seated the entire 2+hours we were there. I actually joked of a questionable apcoloypse. It’s typically pretty hard to get a brunch table in Nashville on a Sunday. Despite the lack of tables seated, the staff seemed a bit disoriented.
Coffee was not good, which is strange of a hip environment and menu.
Maybe would score higher had something stood out more. Overall, good food, okay quiet experience. I’ll go back if someone wants to try it but I would probably choose something else if asked to decide.

After months of seeing rave Unilocal reviews and incredibly tempting pics on Instagram, I was amped to give Little Octopus a try. Instead, I was left a tad disappointed, wondering, «maybe I just don’t ‘see it.’»
Let’s start with the menu. Little Octopus’ concept is to mostly offer small plates, sort of tapas style, most of which are vegetarian– or vegan-​oriented. These are categorized into ‘hot,’ ‘cold,’ etc. Cool, right? Initially, definitely.
However, when some items on the menu are $ 4 – 6 and others $ 16 – 20, it’s impossible to figure out which are small bites, versus full-​sized entrees. This makes dining at Little Octopus a little like playing the slot machine – you might expect a salad and get about five little leaves, or expect small sliders and get a full-​sized burger. It made ordering a colossal pain, and the wait-​staff weren’t particularly helpful in terms of helping us select appropriate portions or diverse tastes. Not a great time.
As for the food itself, it’s again a gamble. The oysters taste amazingly fresh, but seem otherwise bland, lacking any sort of seasoning, spice, or real flavor. The bok choy is amazing, but the way it’s seasoned leaves a gritty, unpleasant texture. It’s like eating sand. The burger was incredible. A touch too well done, but topped with a delicious sauce. and I’d probably have been OK to order just that alone. Note to self for next time.
Also, the wait staff ought to up their game. They get a B– for being attentive, and a C– for explaining the ingredients and menu selections. Not impressed at all.
All in all, Little Octopus is basically a tapas joint for yuppie-​wannabe-​hipsters and pretentious vegans that tries to be an upscale exploration of rare ingredients and fresh tastes. But it’s really just overpriced vegetables with a smoke and mirrors presentation in a sketchy strip mall. I don’t see the hype; definitely not planning another visit.

Interiors and Ambience — A minus. The architecture is clean, rustic, minimal — all of which are my personal favorite. There is an edgy twist here and there too, like the «tiny bar» at the entrance (which is just a tiny table behind the host lol) or random table in the bathroom. I even saw a DJ prepping in the room next to our table. This place has a hip, clean, and inclusive vibe to it. I dock it off to A minus because the interior can feel too clean and bland — or maybe because we got there right when they just opened and the room was empty. Maybe.
Food — A plus. Flavorful. Delicious. Yummy. Unique. Tons of options for vegans or gluten free diet. Basically the kind of food you crave but dont feel guilty afterwards. We ordered the hamachi, grilled sardines, and fingerling potatoes. Hamachi are basically sashimi (so fresh btw) with burn bread powder and parsley. Grilled sardines are grilled just right with the perfect amount of flavor — it is flavorful but not too salty, crunchy with a smokey taste but not too burnt; the fish bones are chewy enough. Fingerling potatoes are also the bomb as everyone here already reviewed.
Price — A minus. At first glance, price is not bad as most dishes come out to around 10 $ each, but given the portion it is on the pricier side. I guess this place is perfect for snacking and that in between meal rather than a full blown lunch or dinner.
Overall — A perfect. I am definitely coming back and taking my visiting friends/​family here.

I am a fan. The flavors are definitely amazing and all unique. My husband on the other hand was not impressed as much — but that’s because he’s more of the meat and potatoes, large portion kinda guy. However, I give it 4 stars. The place was clean and spacious, there was even a DJ working on a random Tuesday night.
The waitress was a little aloof — and didn’t really explain the concept or menu to us as well as we would have hoped. I mean this is a serious foodie restaurant and if you don’t know what Farro is, you’re probably gonna need some ‘splain’in’ of the other items on the menu. There was another waitress working that night and we just listened in on her descriptions of the menu items for help.
The food: Yes. I ordered the beets, fingerling potatoes with chimichurri sauce (amazing) and squash. The beets were my favorite, and the potatoes with sauce was amazing. The squash was pretty good — but not something I would probably order again.
Drinks: I ordered the non-​alcoholic Grapefruit and sage drink (I think it was sage?), and it was so refreshing. My husbanded ordered a red wine. Their cocktail list looks very intriguing and I will definitely be back once the baby is born.. . because if the non-​alcoholic version was that good — I can’t wait to try the alcoholic options.
I’ll be back, but maybe with my sister or someone else for some small plates and drinks.

Sleek, ultra-​modern, artsy. This chic spot makes you feel like you’re in a warehouse gallery in California or New York. Props for the posh. The food follows suit. It looks so beautiful; it’s well plated and pretty to look at. And it’s delicious. Take the avocado bowl. It’s vibrant, zesty and refreshing. The shallots, scallions, orange, and cilantro delivers a great zip with crunch. I’m telling you, this dish is elegant and refined. If I lived in this neck of the woods I would be noshing here all the time.

My experience with the Little Octopus was hit or miss. I came here for a Saturday night dinner with my mom, who was in town from ATL.
The décor is a little bare bones for my taste and definitely does not hit the cozy mark. They have updated it quite nicely since the POP days, though.
The service was fine, but not exceptional. Our server didn’t give any recommendations or even tell us about the specials, which when overheard from the server at the adjacent table, sounded quite tasty. She didn’t seem entirely knowledgeable about the menu, and I feel as that would have made our experience better.
The first course we received was the Burrata, and OMG it was delicious. The creaminess of the cheese was accented with some sort of chili to give a lingering heat and some grapes to give sweetness. I would 100% order this again, and I would come back just to order this again.
Secondly, we received our Warm Marinated Olives. These were so salty, my mom (who does not complain and also really likes salt) insisted on sending these back. This is where things took a turn for the salt-​laden.
Next arrived the Roasted Eggplant and Fingerling Potatoes. The eggplant was interesting, and I’m not sure if it was in a good way. It was a spread (something that wasn’t explained on the menu or by our server) and a plentiful portion, but there were only two small crostinis to eat it with. My mom suggested that maybe if we weren’t loading it on our one crostini each and eating it in a thin layer that it would taste better as it was quite salty. I would not order this again, but I would recommend them serving this with more dippers. The potatoes had a good flavor but the chimichurri served with it was way too salty.
For our larger courses, we ordered the Moqueca and the Burger. I loved the Moqueca, which was 4 shrimp over coconut rice with cherry tomatoes to brighten it up. The coconut rice was incredibly tasty and filling. The burger was my mom’s favorite dish of the night, but for me, it was again very salty.
Our bill was under $ 80 including two drinks and without tip. For the amount of food that we received, I was impressed with the value. I would return and ask more questions about the food in the future. There were plenty of bright spots that could make this an outstanding destination, but they need to work on a few of the dishes and the service.

If you have yet to go to Little Octopus, stop what you are doing, makes some phones calls to gather the crew and make plans to do so as soon as possible. What a great little dinner and cocktail joint this place is!
From the start I was impressed with this place. From the cool painting outside of the octopus, to the well laid out art gallery style feel of the interior, to the cool dog friendly enclosed patio in the back, and the great bathrooms, everything just felt like it was very intentionally designed and done right! I like that they have couches to hang out at or you can get a large family style table to make you feel right at home.
The staff we had the pleasure of coming in contact with was very nice, prompt and informative.
Onto the food — wow — just wow! There wasn’t one thing I didn’t enjoy and we tried a lot of things! Some of the menu highlights for me: The poached salmon, it was smooth, buttery and just melted in your mouth. It was probably the best salmon I’ve ever eaten! The Avocado was delish with that scallion ash — what is that, so good! Green Papaya Salad was as good as I’ve ever had and I’m a huge thai food fan. It was so freaking fresh and had just the right bite to it. The bok choy — I need this recipe! I found myself craving it all weekend! And the fingerling potatoes were spicy and delicious! And this was just the ones I found outstanding. The boozy beverages were just as great! The Ameridian being my fav.
I would not hesitate one second to recommend this place and as soon as I arrive back in Nashville — you can bet I’m going back! Keep it up Little O — you are rocking East Nashville’s culinary scene!

I was very excited to try Little Octopus. Keeping up with the Nashville food scene has become quite a task lately. I’m not ashamed to say I felt pretty hip eating somewhere with such a glorious name.
The hostess greeted us with a big smile and a genuine welcome and seated us right away. We were the first people arriving for dinner hour so we had a few minutes of lovely conversation all to ourselves. The atmosphere is minimal with art that is for sale on the wall, classic/​sleek dining furniture, and white walls. Personally, I didn’t find it uninviting at all. I like the idea that the art will change. The space is a somewhat blank canvas, it doesn’t project any particular mood onto its’ diners. The focus is on your company and the food.
That being said, the acoustics of the space (I assume? I’m not an architect.) cause it to get kind of loud easily. We quickly had people on either side of us and had a difficult time tuning out our neighbors. This can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. We ended up striking a nice conversation with the people to the right, but the people to the left were just loud…
Our service was wonderful! Drinks never became empty and the food was brought out warm one at a time as the dishes were ready. Sometimes the wait staff can become intrusive, interrupting conversation or checking in too often. The wait staff at Little Octopus have struck the delicate balance of not distracting from your company while also providing an excellent level of service.
But what about the food?!
Little Octopus is tapas style so the intention is that you order several things to share with your table. Everyone gets their own little plate and you take samples from dishes as they arrive. Then you order more!
We ordered four dishes. Two of them were phenomenal. One was pretty good and the other wasn’t really my personal tastes.
I will just get out of the way that the quinoa with poached salmon and seaweed salad didn’t exactly rock my world. Was it prepared well? Absolutely. In this particular case, it just kind of paled in comparison to the rest of the dishes. In my personal opinion, the other dishes just shine so much more. Maybe it’s not fair to compare dishes like that and I would have been better off allowing the quinoa and poached salmon to just be itself. It is what it is.
The fingerling potatoes were basically the equivalent of a casual night out with friends sprinkled with light but meaningful conversations… in potato form. That is to say, they are spicy and delicious in all the right ways. The avocado with dates and Caramelized onions surpassed my expectations of a dish that sounds so simple. The crunchy sweetness of the toppings pair so wonderfully with the smooth avocado.
As if that weren’t enough! Even the freshly squeezed lemonade was a pleasant surprise of deliciousness. I’m a little bit of a lemonade snob so I’m hard to impress in this arena. For my personal tastes, the lemonade walked a wonderful line of sweet and tart.
I highly recommend Little Octopus!

I really wanted to like this place. I’ve passed by the large octopus mural a hundred times & we finally stopped in on a Wednesday night with another couple for dinner. The place is a cocktails/​tapas kind of place. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a shopping complex. The interior of the restaurant is very barebones, birch colored tables and chairs, white walls, a potted plant here and there. Very basic. The atmosphere isn’t conducive to making someone want to stay a while for drinks, at least in my opinion. The music that is played on the speakers is rather loud, kind of hard to make conversation at the table.
Our server greeted us and told us the concept on the restaurant, small, tapas sized portions to be split amongst the table. He took our drink order and we skimmed the menu as a table. We decided to order burrata ($ 10), calabrese olives ($ 4) avocado ($ 6), grass fed burger ($ 10), grilled scallops ($ 16), okra ($ 8) and roasted maduros ($ 6). The different plates come out whenever the food is ready, it’s not cold food first, then hot.
The burrata was okay. I liked the olives, but I’ve had some a Whole Foods I liked just as much. The avocado tasted like an avocado with some crunchy onion bits on top. I wished I didn’t have to split the burger because it was the one thing I really enjoyed. The scallops were a joke for 16 bucks and you get two of them. I got to try half a scallop and some lentils. The okra was served cold, I know it’s listed on the ‘cool’ menu but I guess the whole table forgot that fact when it arrived and we were all surprised. I love okra, but it can be slimy and slimy and cold isn’t the best combination. Lastly the roasted maduros had a lime preserve that made it really lip puckering.
The food was just okay to me. Nothing really stood out on it’s own and the tapas portions and prices seem a little askew to me. The prices seemed more along the lines of downtown Nashville than east Nashville. When I had the ten course tasting menu at Josephine, the portions were small but the flavor of each dish was so intense. I didn’t get that at Little Octopus. Between drinks and the food, our bill was $ 100 before tip for the 4 of us. We left and had to stop to get a snack on the way home because we were still hungry.

My husband and I went here last night based on great reviews. We waited for a short period of time and were seated at bar height tables in the middle of the restaurant. The art was colorful and fun, much like the exterior of the building and stairs leading up to the restaurant.
We had previously looked at an online menu so it didn’t take us long to decide on what we wanted to eat. I decided on the grilled scallops, hubs chose the sumac crusted tofu, and we ordered the fingerling potatoes to share. Sadly, they had just run out of tofu, so he ordered the quinoa and poached salmon dish.
In the meantime, we ordered drinks; my husband a peach beer and myself a pineapple cider. Both were awesome and reasonably priced between $ 4 – 5 each.
While the restaurant seemed fairly busy, we didn’t wait long at all for our food to arrive. The potatoes came out first, then the salmon, and lastly the scallops.
Here’s what’s up.
The fingerling potatoes with chimichurri rojo and charred broccoli rabe were so SO good. Next time I will order these and NOT share. These were vegan and gluten free and full of flavor. The portion was also decently sized for $ 6.
The grilled scallops with braised lentils, honey, and kimchee. Wonderful. For the portion size, flavor, and visual appearance of this dish, I think $ 16 is a fair price. This dish was pescetarian and gluten free. My only complaint would be that I didn’t want it to end!
The quinoa with poached salmon, pea shoots, and seaweed was not good in my opinion. The salmon was cooked fine and was moist, but a) I personally just don’t like seaweed and b) I felt like this entire dish was lacking seasoning. My husband said he thought it was okay but he wouldn’t order it again.
We will go back to little octopus and try other dishes and some of the cocktails. The menu denotes which dishes are vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, etc which is nice so there’s no guessing or confusion. This is definitely a good spot for a date!

Wow. Wow. Wow.
Whoever said this place was too expensive was so misguided. It’s not. It’s some of the best food I’ve had in Nashville.
Approachable and inventive. Burger with manchego and jalepeno. Fingerling potatoes with chimichuri and charred broccoli rabe. Avocado with orange and crispy shallots. I wanted to lick the plate. I may have. Don’t tell. Their motto is «deliciously good for you“and it came through. I never felt like I was eating anything that didn’t belong on the plate — taste or health wise.
I had the special — Wagyu braised beef on smoked puréed plantains. Only $ 15. I got plenty of food and the beef was slightly crispy. My only complaint is that there wasn’t quite enough of the plantains — which is a complaint and a compliment.
Dessert was a frozen avocado and lime tart on a pecan crust. Very yummy.
The space is clean but warm with urban flare. Like you’re in a New York loft.
The wait staff was insanely friendly but not over bearing. They’re passionate about the food which is rare and a huge plus.
I can not wait to return for drinks and to try the rest of the menu. Seriously. Until next time I’ll be dreaming of you, Little Octopus.