That 5-star rating is not about food quality even if I have no complaints with any of the items on the menu. I have actually had better food at places where it was more about the food. Pinewood Social is about way more than the food. And the name represents itself well. The 5 stars are just about it being the best place to be...
Do you want to work alone in a lounge environment with artisanal coffee? It might be the very best place to do that in Nashville. There is an entire section dedicated to people who do this, including a 12 top with outlets for your computer between every seat There are also several isolated two tops with a place for your laptop and a drink.
Do you want to have a team meeting over cocktails? There is a U-shaped sectional sofa that is conducive for collaboration and mixing it up.
Do you want to sit outside on a patio next to a bocce ball court for a sunny brunch? Pinewood has an entire area dedicated to just that...
Do you want to grab a drink and swim with some friends? Do you want to reserve a few bowling lanes for a birthday party and see if you can break 100? Do you want to reserve a dinner for 17 people and gift them all with the best Oaxacan Old Fashioned in Nashville? (No longer on the cocktail menu but you can still order it). Do you want to be in a vibrant place with a stellar vibe but still be able to hear the people at your booth without them raising their voices? Pinewood Social is tier 1 in all of these things, but it's in a tier of its own in being able to provide all of them in one place.
Pinewood Social is the place I spend most of my time at personally, for many of the reasons I listed above but mostly because it's the place I can plug in to enjoy myself and get some work done. There is a spot to the left when you walk in, next to the door that leads outside to the pool and bocce ball area, that I ask for every time I go in alone. It allows me to go unnoticed and unbothered, tucked behind other booths and out of the way, but still right in the middle of everything. I can see the entire restaurant with my back to a wall including all the loungers and the bar-goers and the people walking in the front door. Absolute primo people-watching angle, if you're into that kind of thing. I am. Being that I'm as social as they come, Pinewood Social carries the championship belt of my very favorite place in the city to go. I order the Turkey & Brie (the cranberry chutney is 🔥) with the "Pinewood Mocha" in the early afternoon and watch the Nashvillians roll in from my chair against the wall and feel connected, which is the entire point right?
