Benchmark Bar & Grill

Nice dive bar… music is on all day all the time… haven’t tried the food but people seemed to be happy. It’s a great happy hour spot. Grab some friends, request music and enjoy listening.

In from NH. hittting all the downtown spots. We were looking for a place for dinner and music without all the crowds and better food than what we had at a few of the places we hit.
Great service friendly and great sandwiches and apps. Band was top notch, Good drinks, beer selection a little thin.

A quick in and out drink. Tried to hit up all the bars on the block for a drink at least. If it was good we stayed. Had one drink and listened a bit and moved on. Nothing horrible but nothing special either. Was nice that they had the windows open. VERY small bathrooms.

Went here a couple times during our stay in Nashville, and it’s a good little dive bar. Good music, quick service, and decent prices.

On a trip to Nashville my boyfriend and I found ourselves stopping into this bar a few times. The bands were great every time. They played a mix of country and pop songs. We thoroughly enjoyed the music. The draft beer was $ 3 all day every day. Decent selection of beer on draft. The bartenders were friendly. It has a «dive» feel to it but a place worth visiting more than once!

My husband, sister, cousin and I stopped in for a bit on 9÷20÷2015 to listen to some music and have a few drinks.
The service was ok, nothing exceptional. Two bartenders during peak, although one disappeared for some time and it took us awhile to get our next drink. Understandable given the location and amount of business.
The reason for the low rating is the drinks. My husband and I drank Bourbon on the rocks (our usual brand) and my cousin drank a mixer. Independently, all three of us made a statement about the booze tasting watered down. My cousin said she could barely taste the booze in the drink. Both my husband and I remarked that the bourbon didn’t have it’s usual bite, and despite just being set in front of us on the rocks, tasted as if it had been sitting for awhile and the ice melted (ie, watered down). All 4 of us have grown up in the bar/​restaurant industry and know what a drink is supposed to taste like. I can understand watering down a mixer, but a bourbon on the rocks? That’s ridiculous!
My advice? If you go to check it out, skip the liquor and stick with bottled/​canned beer.

Touch and go to say the least, but the music is SO worth the stop. My husband and I stumbled upon this place after hopping around downtown and we are so glad we did. A guys named Isaac Mathews was playing and he’s absolutely incredible. We made it a point to find out his schedule and come back for round 2 the next day. Service is touch and go– our first day we had incredible service and the 2^nd not so much. Again, didn’t make us want to leave because this guy kicks ass. Suck it up and get a frozen bushwaker for $ 5 and listen to some good jams.

Hold on to your drinks here!!! The barkeeps like to throw ½ glasses away if you aren’t guarding them with your life!!!

Briefly stopped in here to grab a beer and listen to music — loved this place! There was a great band playing and it wasn’t too packed so we could really enjoy ourselves. Will definitely be coming back!

What I remember about Benchmark is not the band or the beer selection or seating, but the bathrooms. This place had by far the oddest bathroom stalls I’ve ever encountered. That being said, they were clean and had more than one in the bathroom. Helpful things.
Also helpful was the giant container of water available for hydration. As a local told my friends and I, «Everyone comes to Nashville thinking they can out drink it. They’re wrong, all wrong.»
Stay thirsty, friends. This place is A-​OK to quench your thirst, alcoholic and non.

Music is great, but bar service is extremely slow. One bar tender sat behind the bar and watched the other while people were waiting for a drink.

loud, the only drinks options were things you could pretty much get at any bar. This place is full of noisy tourists. Usually isn’t a place to sit. Not my scene I guess. The environment was kinda stressful.

Awesome place for live music and great drinks. We came here multiple times over the span of a week. The red bull slushie is amazing. They truly have the best live music on 2^nd.

This review is for music only (we didn’t eat here).
We came here because we heard a great band playing. At 5pm on a Saturday night, this place is exactly where you want to be. The music is great and so is the energy. If you need to get away from the noise, you get step upstairs, but we all had so much fun we only went upstairs for a drink before we realized the band was too good to miss out on. We stayed for the changeover (although the first band was better than the second), and then headed to dinner.
I would come back for more. It’s a less «trendy» place than Tootsie’s, but I actually had more fun here than there because it was less crowded and the bands were better!

Came to Nashville with a friend for a long weekend. Walking down the sidewalk, we tried to go to the Wildhorse Saloon, but they were charging a cover. We could hear the music from across the road, which is what initially brought us in. The band was really good, and the bar staff that was there Friday night, Doyle and a blonde girl who’s name I cannot remember, were awesome! They really make you feel welcome, and not at all like a ‘tourist’. This is the reason it was my favorite place to go all weekend! I was even comfortable going back in by myself the following night while my friend stayed back at the hotel, because she was sick. I will definitely go back next time I’m in Nashville! The drinks are decently priced as well, for being in Downtown Nashville.
P. S. you guys should really put Mark on your payroll as part of your entertainment crew! He gets everyone dancing!

Cool bar, always playing music. I believe they start around 10 or 11 AM. The place is also on 2^nd Ave. so its a little calmer than broadway, yet still really close if you want to hit up those places. Bar tenders were really nice and observant. Next time I’m back in Nashville, I will definitely stop in a few times. I heard the egg rolls were really good, the locals (musicians) were eating them…

Had a great time! Cool place mixed crowd and great music. We went on a Friday afternoon. All tables were filled but it was not crowed. Next time I am in town I will definitely visit again.

Another bar on our bar crawl… the band here was great! The place was kind of busy when we got there however there were seats at the bar. You couldn’t really see the band as well from where we were sitting, but really enjoyed the music. In total we stayed for 2 drinks each and a shot… I think this place was a bit on the pricier side for drinks but we had fun.

I really enjoy this bar on non Peak days rather than the weekend. This bar is unparalleled when they play good acoustic music without all the electric and full band overlay. The bar is comfortable the seating is private and it’s a good mix of Ages people who are locals and visitors from out of town
I suggest the beef or chicken skewers they are cooked well healthy and flavorful.

My first trip here turned out to be a bust. Totally my fault, though. It was a Saturday in Nov and it’s college game day so everyone had already been parked there for hours
(i was hoping to catch the last of the Irish game myself). But we came back on a Tuesday and it was pretty dead. The guy playing guitar was pretty good. I used a groupon and tried the BBQ burger. Not a bad choice at all. Overall, the food was ok. Nothing special, but it hit the spot that evening since I didn’t feel like cooking.