Bongo Java

BONGO JAVA CAFE
Nashville’s oldest, most celebrated coffeehouse - Est. 1993
Located in the hip Belmont/Hillsboro Village neighborhood across the street from Belmont University, Bongo Java café is a gathering place for residents, students, musicians, artists and a few employed people as well.

The cafe opened Sunday, March 28, 1993 at 4pm and became world famous in December 1996 for the discovery of The Nun Bun, a cinnamon bun that many believe looks remarkably like Mother Teresa.

Well known throughout Nashville for its proximity to Belmont University, this staple has withstood the test of time and remains a true staple of the Belmont neighborhood and community.

Upstairs at Bongo is Nashville’s most intimate theater and music venue, the separately run Bongo After Hours Theatre.

BONGO EAST CAFE
Part Coffeehouse, Part Board Game Café
Our East Nashville location has two names and combines a traditional coffeehouse with the city’s first board game café. In 2000, Bongo helped kick-off the revitalization of the 5 Points business neighborhood by moving our coffee roasting operation there. The café portion was added almost as an after-thought. As the neighborhood grew around us, we moved the roasting division out to make room for tables and chairs.

Now the café boasts a breakfast, lunch and snacking menu along with a coffee bar that features our 100% organic coffee and local craft brews. Our carefully curated selection of more than 700 board games is free for customers to enjoy. Game coaches are on hand in the evenings to teach, settle rule disputes and recommend new games. Many of the games are also available for sale at prices as close to online prices as we can without giving up customer service.

FIDO
All day comfy dining with organic coffee bar - Est. 1996
The popular Hillsboro Village café opened in 1996 as a coffee-roasting cafe with an emphasis totally on coffee. In 2000, the coffee roasting moved to East Nashville and food slowly became the focus. An all-day menu featuring local produce, cheese, dairy and meats convinced the Nashville Scene to name Fido the Best Place for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Fido blends gritty atmosphere – exposed brick walls, local art, study hall tables – with sneakily refined dining. - Nashville Scene

Fido carries a curated selection of local beers, interesting wines and (of course) a full coffee bar featuring organic beans from its sister company Bongo Java. In the words of the folks at the Nashville Scene, "The beloved coffee shop in Hillsboro Village has evolved into an unexpectedly sophisticated yet unpretentious restaurant."

Fido is named after the dog who discovered coffee. Most give credit to the Ethiopian goat herder Kaldi for discovering coffee more than 1,000 years ago. Legend has it that his flock started dancing after eating the mysterious cherries that contained the seeds that we now call coffee beans. Our research (admittedly done when we needed a name for a café) led us to discover that Kaldi's dog truly was the overlooked hero.