Gibsons will head to Nashville with its classic steakhouse concept

Chicago's legendary Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse is packing up some of its signature steakhouse swagger and heading south. Gibsons Restaurant Group is bringing its iconic Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse to downtown Nashville. The restaurant is expected to open in spring 2028 at 414 Union Street, a historic 20-story downtown tower undergoing a major redevelopment. 

For Gibsons, the move is a pretty big deal. The original Gibsons opened on Chicago's Rush Street in 1989 and became a favorite gathering place for Chicago's business, sports and entertainment crowd, including generations of Chicago Bulls stars. Now the restaurant group is taking that distinctly Chicago experience to Music City. 

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And Nashville isn't simply getting another steakhouse. Gibsons is expected to anchor the first floor of 414 Union as part of an ambitious transformation of the property into a mixed-use destination combining dining, hospitality, business and lifestyle uses. The building's upper floors are planned for hotel use. 

Steve Lombardo III, CEO of Gibsons Restaurant Group, said the company had been looking at Nashville for years before finding what it considered the right combination of history, character and location at 414 Union Street as reported in WhatNow. 

The Nashville restaurant will bring plenty of the Gibsons DNA with it, including the group's Prime Angus steaks, fresh seafood and raw bar selections. Plans also call for an extensive wine and bourbon program, private dining and event spaces and outdoor dining. More than 150 jobs are expected to be created, with the project representing an investment of more than $10 million. 

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The expansion comes at an interesting moment for Gibsons Restaurant Group, which has built a formidable Chicago restaurant empire since the original steakhouse opened. Its portfolio now includes concepts such as Gibsons Italia, Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House, LUXBAR and the forthcoming Gibsons Tavern in Fulton Market. 

Closer to home, Gibsons Tavern is expected to open at 925 W. Fulton Market Street this fall, adding another Gibsons concept to one of Chicago's busiest restaurant neighborhoods. The approximately 14,000-square-foot space will have a vintage, turn-of-the-century feel with soaring vaulted ceilings and a menu built around classic American fare, steaks, seafood and desserts. 

But Nashville is the real milestone. Gibsons has long been one of Chicago's restaurant success stories, and its flagship has remained remarkably tied to its hometown identity. Taking that brand to Tennessee represents a new chapter for a company that has been selective about expanding its core steakhouse concept beyond Chicago.

And for Nashville, it means one of Chicago's most recognizable restaurants is joining the city's increasingly sophisticated dining scene.

So while Chicagoans can look forward to Gibsons Tavern in Fulton Market this fall, Music City will have to wait a little longer for its first taste of Gibsons. Come spring 2028, the steaks, oversized martinis and Chicago-style hospitality will have a new address at 414 Union Street.

Sources:

• Nashville Business Journal

• Nation’s Restaurant News

• PR Newswire

• What Now Nashville

• Gibsons Restaurant Group