Lona Takes Flight

Opening a restaurant inside a downtown Nashville hotel can be a tricky proposition. As a guest amenity, the restaurant should provide an approachable menu to keep lodgers on-site for at least one meal during their stay, despite much competition among excellent restaurants in the downtown district. That also means the kitchen better offer a solid hamburger, available at all hours to satisfy on-the-go business travelers or honky-tonk revelers looking for some party fuel.

To stay afloat, a hotel restaurant also needs to attract local residents to smooth out the peaks and valleys of the tourism calendar. It’s a balancing act that not every hotel restaurant manages to navigate.  

Modern Mexican Meets Historic Setting 

Downtown boutique hotel Noelle opened with an American-tavern-inspired signature restaurant named Makeready Libations & Liberation. The name referred to a term used by printers to describe the first sheets of paper to go through the press — a throwback to the hotel’s location in historic Printer’s Alley. The restaurant eventually began to add Italian influences to the menu in an effort to broaden its appeal, but it became apparent that a hard reset was needed to put the property at the forefront of dining choices in the neighborhood.

That’s when Noelle reached out to renowned chefs Richard Sandoval and Pablo Salas to bring the third outpost of their modern Mexican restaurant Lona to the street-level dining space at the hotel. Joining previous iterations in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Lona seemed destined to land in Nashville. The restaurant’s name is the Spanish word for “canvas,” and is a nod to culinary art and visual aesthetic. A mockingbird — the state bird of both Florida and Tennessee — features prominently in a huge colorful mural by Dominican-born artist Ruben Ubiera that runs most of the length of the dining room. In addition to the bird, the painting offers a nod to Tennessee’s state flower: A purple iris is tucked behind the ear of a woman wearing a traditional Mexican headdress.

While Lona can be accessed from Noelle’s lobby, it is best experienced from the Church Street entrance. The stairs down from the sidewalk lead into a romantically lit subterranean lair with a gritty industrial vibe from exposed ductwork and concrete columns. That backdrop is playfully juxtaposed with bold splashes of tropical colors and a centerpiece bar area where more than 100 bottles of agave spirits act as both decoration and cocktail ingredients.

Artistic Flair 

Even in the intentionally dim lighting, the space exudes an outdoor garden atmosphere, with succulent plants decorating tables and flexible seating options that would feel at home on a Mexican patio. Lean into the al fresco feel with a starter from the bar — perhaps one of Lona’s sextet of margarita options, a glass of sangria, or a smoky mezcal old-fashioned made with deeply complex mole bitters.

Ease your way into the menu with a few small dishes, including a popular tuna tostada with sun-dried chile mayo or three different versions of guacamole, ranging from traditional to a lump crab option. Smoky queso fundido is the perfect dip for fresh tortillas, especially with the addition of spicy chorizo — which, for just two dollars extra, is pretty much a mandatory upgrade.

The artistic flair of Lona spreads beyond the dramatic artwork on the walls to the tableware decorated with hand-painted ceramic depictions of Día de Muertos iconography. The kitchen artfully plates its dishes — think a little island of cilantro and crispy tortilla strips floating on the surface of a delicious tortilla soup. Dramatic swaths of roja and verde sauces divided by a bold line of queso fresco top the Enchiladas Divorciadas, a dish named because it “divorced” itself from the choice of either a red or green sauce. It must have been an amicable separation, because both sides of the dish are equally tasty.

El Jefe 

Other dishes that are early favorites among diners at Lona include Baja-style fish tacos made with fried mahi-mahi and chipotle slaw, skirt-steak fajitas that arrive tableside on sizzling platters, and a grilled salmon that offers lovely textural contrasts from a creamy poblano sauce and crunchy roasted peanuts. 

Oh, and remember how a great hotel restaurant must have a superlative burger on offer? Lona definitely checks that box with a double-patty griddled hamburguesa served with Chihuahua cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion, along with a creamy jalapeño dressing and fries. It’s remarkable when a hotel staple like a burger can stand out on a modern Mexican menu, but that’s the case at Lona.

Whether as a finishing course or part of a nightcap alongside El Jefe — Lona’s version of an espresso martini — a peek at the dessert menu is certainly worthwhile. Rotating selections of sorbets and ice cream accompany churros with rich chocolate sauce for dipping. And sweet tres leches cake or a novel sweet corn cake with hibiscus sauce are standout options to end your visit to Lona on a high note, like the whistle of a mockingbird.