Diving into Nashville’s dive bar scene. First stop? The Cobra

Every other Friday for This Is Nashville, I hop out of my host chair and into the passenger seat to ride shotgun with one (or two) of our fellow Middle Tennesseans. But this week is a little different. Since the topic is dive bars, it’s really best not to ask anyone to get behind the wheel. You feel me? So instead, I headed out to one of MY favorite dives.

When I was new to town, an ornate mural of a cobra on the side of a building on Gallatin Pike really caught my eye. I knew I had to check this place out. And as soon as I walked in, I felt at home.

Yes, I’m talking about The Cobra, on the East Side. 

The Cobra is one of the few smoking bars in town, and it’s easy to tell. There’s an ashtray on every table, and a handful on the bar. The pool table is always a main attraction. This place checks every box on the dive bar list. 

“Soul ain’t clean, soul can be bad, soul can be good. That’s how a dive bar is. It’s full of soul,” says regular Amr Ali.

The Cobra has soul. There is always an eclectic group of people at the bar. Someone from every walk of life.

The music venue, The Cobra 2, highlights this mix of tastes and styles. On any given night you can see performances by heavy metal bands, hip hop acts, an indie rock group, or jam out to DJ’s spinning some wax.

Pablo Caceres, another regular, shares his love of the place.

“Cobra has a special place in my heart for community. Definitely for community. Subculture East Nashville community is here,” he says. 

Khalil Ekulona WPLN News

Amr, Pablo, and the cast of characters at The Cobra

Creating community and relating to each other is high on the list of priorities for The Cobra’s patrons.

“Everybody’s open minded and loving. You don’t last long if you come here with the wrong attitude, you know?” Amr says.

In a city with a growing population and ever increasing diversity of beliefs, Pablo appreciates how the folks who frequent the Cobra are able to shed the labels and come together over their humanity.

According to Pablo, “All political views are thrown out the window. It’s just people who celebrate. They either forget what they truly believe in, or they remember what being a human is.”