A Michelin Star, Right Here in Wedgewood-Houston
Bastion and The Catbird Seat retain their stars in the 2026 Michelin Guide, celebrating two connected chapters of Nashville’s culinary story.
For Wedgewood-Houston residents, one of Nashville’s biggest dining honors comes with a familiar neighborhood address.
Bastion, right here on Houston Street, and The Catbird Seat have each retained one Michelin star in the 2026 American South guide. Michelin’s current listings confirm the distinction for both restaurants—recognition that puts a neighborhood dining room alongside destinations travelers seek out around the world. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com)
For WeHo, Bastion’s continued recognition offers a particular reason for pride. It is a reminder that the neighborhood’s creative identity extends to the people preparing dinner, welcoming guests and building experiences worth returning for.
Two restaurants, one shared history
The connection between Bastion and The Catbird Seat runs deeper than this year’s honors.
Chef Josh Habiger, Bastion’s chef and co-owner, co-founded The Catbird Seat and served as its opening co-chef in 2011. Five years later, he opened Bastion in Wedgewood-Houston. Both belong to the Nashville-based Strategic Hospitality family. Their shared history illustrates how a city’s restaurant culture develops: people build something ambitious, gain experience and carry those ideas into new places. (strategichospitality.com, strategichospitality.com)
The result is two distinct restaurants with a common belief in the possibilities of an intimate, carefully considered meal.
Bastion’s place in the neighborhood
Part of Bastion’s appeal is that it offers more than one way to walk through the door.
Its casual cocktail bar is open to the public, while the separate, 24-seat restaurant serves a tasting menu by reservation. Neighbors can visit the bar without committing to a full evening of tasting-menu dining; those planning a special occasion can settle into the smaller restaurant. (bastionnashville.com)
That combination gives Bastion a meaningful place in neighborhood life. It can be a destination for someone visiting Nashville and a familiar gathering place for someone living nearby.
Michelin’s inspectors describe the restaurant’s contemporary Southern cooking as playful and willing to take risks, with ingredients given a central role. The recognition celebrates the work taking place inside a small dining room in Wedgewood-Houston. (guide.michelin.com)
The Catbird Seat continues its next chapter
The Catbird Seat, meanwhile, carries its own long-running influence on Nashville dining.
Now located atop the developer SomeraRoad’s Bill Voorhees Building on Eighth Avenue South (Paseo South Gulch), it is led by husband-and-wife chefs Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz. Its U-shaped counter places guests close to the kitchen, making the preparation and presentation of dinner part of the experience. Michelin highlights the team’s attention to seasonality, local ingredients and preservation. (thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com, guide.michelin.com)
Where Bastion combines a public-facing neighborhood bar with an intimate restaurant, The Catbird Seat centers the evening around the counter and the unfolding tasting menu. Together, they demonstrate the range of experiences Nashville’s culinary talent can create.
What the recognition means for WeHo
For Wedgewood-Houston, the value of this attention reaches beyond a reservation.
A restaurant that draws visitors can introduce them to the surrounding neighborhood. A dinner becomes an opportunity to discover another local business, explore a nearby gallery or return for a different occasion. Those benefits are possibilities, rather than guaranteed economic outcomes, but they give residents and business owners a reason to celebrate.
There is also something worth remembering as WeHo grows: a neighborhood’s reputation is built by people doing good work over time. Chefs, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, growers and suppliers all contribute to the experience that ultimately earns recognition.
Bastion’s star belongs to the restaurant, but the neighborhood can take pride in being its home.
Nashville’s culinary story continues to attract a wider audience. Here in Wedgewood-Houston, one of its most celebrated chapters is already part of the neighborhood.
Congrats to Chef Josh and the entire team of Chefs, and the amazing team that power them. Bravo!
Explore menus and reservations at Bastion and The Catbird Seat.
