By Monique Gooch
NASHVILLE, TN — At Suite Twelve25, you will find an urban hang-suite and bistro serving vegan and non-vegan fare to satisfy your taste buds. You will enjoy an unmatched eclectic vibe immersed in opulence.
The restaurant in East Nashville opened in February with one goal in mind: to provide a unique dining experience to Nashville. The owner has curated an unforgettable space with their love of food, dedication and an appreciation of art.
“We got our lease in 2020, we opened on February 19, 2022,” said, owner Valeria Lopez. “Our brunches went viral on TikTok three weeks after we opened.”
Suite Twelve25 started when Lopez’s husband became a vegan, “and it became really hard for me at home to satisfy his palate and mine without cooking an enormous amount of food for both of us and making sure that I didn’t touch certain things that he didn’t want in his food any longer.”
Lopez first looked at a building her husband found just a few doors away from the current location. “He said, ‘hey babe I think I found a building for you to do your recipes.’” Lopez said, “the place was nice, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. It was more on a pickup the food and go, pick up place, it was very, very small.” Lopez liked it, but it was not what she wanted to do. “I didn’t want to do a meat and three, I didn’t want to do to-go food. I wanted to do something where people can come and enjoy themselves.”
Once they secured the building, and that took some time, because Lopez and her husband went back and forth on whether it’d be a sports bar. “My husband wanted a sports bar with just some good food. And I said, well people who just want to watch sports, don’t want to just have vegan food. I said I think we should appeal to the masses and then have options. So, that’s what happened. They came to a compromise.
“We knew we wanted to do something trendy, but something that could stay forever. So, we came up with Suite Twelve25. The number 1225 is the address, suite is because we’re small, and hang suite, because we literally want you to come and enjoy yourself, whether you’re just having a drink or some appetizers, or meeting someone for an actual meeting or networking. We wanted this to be a place where people could just pop in, hang out for a minute, and then go on to their next destination.”
Suite Twelve25 currently has 17 employees, along with Lopez who wears many hats. “I wear every hat here. I was the first employee of the business. I’m the manager, boss, owner and I also bartend. I do have a bartending license. I also serve if needed. I will wash a dish if I have to.”
Lopez finds it funny because she has never owned this type of business before. “I didn’t go to culinary school, so all this is from the school of hard knocks system, cooking at home, cooking with friends, hosting parties at home, and being part of a network of people that do great things together.” Lopez says she makes sure the wheels keep turning because people depend on them. “Some of our employees, this is their only job. We have several employees that have two jobs, but they depend on us, even from our DJ’s who spin, we have resident DJ’s. You can catch them here on the weekends or during the week.” Suite Twelve25 has four DJs on rotation: DJ T3 on the beat, DJ 270, Danny Poise Spiffy and DJ Young Quail.
“We have a full-time staff. She said she has managed to keep so many employees when some other restaurants have failed to do so is because Lopez says she meets them where they are. “They are my employees but to them, they call me Auntie. I don’t look at them as workers. I look at them as, hey I need you just as much as you need me. You got bills to pay, and I got customers to serve. So, I think it’s one of those things where people feel appreciated, and they feel they can make an honest wage with you.”
Most people say they have heard about Suite Twelve25 from TikTok or word of mouth. “The only advertising I do is on social media. I do marketing on Instagram, and I do marketing on Facebook, and it’s worked for me.” Lopez said.
Lopez said that most if not all of the customers are from out of state. “When they go to TikTok, they’re normally visiting and they’re looking for things to do in Nashville. Our customers come from all ethnic backgrounds, most of customers are African American and they say when the go to TikTok, they go to Black TikTok for Nashville, and we’re trending.” Suite Twelve25 is looking for people to be unapologetically who they are. The age range is from 21 on up.
SSuite Twelve25 also gives back to the community. “We give back through non-profits throughout the city. Right now we have a Christmas drive coming up. We’re going to give to some needy family. Our proceeds from one weekend will go to some needy families.”
All in all, Suite Twelve25 is a great place to come visit, eat and relax. “We’ve got some good food here. We want everybody to feel like they are at home when they come here. We don’t have a lot of seating, but we have enough for the people coming in.”
We can expect a possible expansion, new location, and more opportunities at Suite Twelve25 in the near future, possibly in 2024. Suite Twelve25 is located at 1225 Meridian Street in Nashville. They are open Tuesday 11am to 12am, Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturdays 11am to 2am, Sundays 11am to 7pm, and they are closed Mondays and Wednesdays. Follow them on Instagram @suite_twelve25 and for reservations, you can call 615-649-8213. at
