Henrietta Red Will Close in April 2027 When Lease Ends

Henrietta Red, the Germantown restaurant that spent ten years setting the standard for Nashville seafood, will close permanently when its lease ends in April 2027, chef and co-owner Julia Sullivan announced, Nashville Scene reported.

Sullivan, a Nashville native who worked at acclaimed kitchens including Per Se in New York before returning home, opened the restaurant in 2017 with Benjamin and Max Goldberg, founders of Strategic Hospitality. The lease is ending and the property is for sale, so Sullivan decided to give diners and staff plenty of notice to say goodbye.

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The accolades accumulated quickly. In 2018, Food & Wine named Sullivan one of the country’s best chefs, and the same year the Scene named her Best Chef in its Best of Nashville issue. She was a James Beard Foundation Award nominee in 2020 and a past winner of the Scene’s Iron Fork competition. Just this year, Henrietta Red was the Scene’s 2026 writers’ choice for Best Seafood in Nashville, with editor-in-chief D. Patrick Rodgers highlighting the oysters, crudo and grilled octopus.

Turning the Page on a High Note

Sullivan has built her reputation on sustainable seafood and serves on the board of Oyster South. She calls oyster farmers the lifeblood of what we do.

I’ve always said that if I was going to open a restaurant in my hometown, it was important to add value to the landscape. It’s clear from the outpouring of kindness and support that we’ve done that at Henrietta Red. Although part of me wishes that we could carry on forever, Nashville has changed, and so have I, as a chef and a person.

She also runs Judith, a tavern she opened in Sewanee in 2024 that has earned Michelin recommendations both last year and this year. The job requires a 90-mile drive each way, and she has been splitting her time between the two kitchens.

I look forward to seeing how life takes shape, once I’m outside of these four walls. The memories I’ve created here are so special. I am certainly not ruling anything out, but the end of our lease is a perfect time to turn the page on this chapter, and I want to do so on a high note. I really hope folks will come out to support our amazing staff as we celebrate a great run in Germantown.

Henrietta Red will remain open until April 2027, continuing to shuck oysters, shake cocktails and relive the decade that shaped Nashville’s culinary scene.

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