Nashville residents will recognize Nolensville Pike as one of the best and most diverse areas to eat in the city. You can find cuisines ranging from Kurdish to El Salvadorian along the stretch of road south of downtown. Recently, the Solis family added a new destination to the lineup – Tempo.

Tempo is a coffee shop that Javier and Yvonne Solis, along with their kids, Zylah and Uriah opened this September. The family is originally from San Antonio and Houston and the offerings at the shop are distinctly Texan. The coffee is sourced from Greenway Coffee in Houston, they make homemade tortillas (the dough is shipped from San Antonio) for their breakfast tacos, and they always have cold Topo Chico on hand. They also source Latin pastries from nearby bakery Panaderia La Dorada.

When you walk into the cafe, you can catch a glimpse inside the kitchen and see the Solis’ prepping food orders. Each table is decorated with Topo Chico bottles, and in the back of the narrow, but long room is a stage. The name Tempo is drawn from Javier’s career in the music industry. The idea behind the shop is “take your time.” The connection to music comes out in details throughout the cafe, such as a piano that has been retrofitted with plumbing to make a water station.

Behind the bar are a couple of Mazzer grinders, a custom white and red La Marzocco Linea PB, a Curtis batch brewer, and an EK 43 grinder. Zylah Solis, who is managing the shop along with her brother, Uriah, said that the team at Greenway helped them figure out exactly what equipment they needed and also came to Nashville to train the staff. The family previously lived in Houston and they were regulars at Greenway, Zylah said.

Tempo is the first cafe in Nashville to be serving Greenway coffee as their house coffee. The day I was there, I had the Scrimshaw espresso which was sweet and rich with notes of orange. On filter coffee, they were serving the Santa Isabel from Guatemala which has notes of papaya, caramel, and honeysuckle.

The response from both the neighborhood and broader coffee community has been positive. “We’ve heard that this feels cozy and homey for people,” Zylah said. The food menu is largely Tex-Mex with lots of breakfast taco options. It’s great to see people enjoying these things that we grew up with, said Zylah. “It’s important to us as a family and business to make others feel safe and comfortable and help them when we can.”

Tempo is also hoping to be a gathering spot for the surrounding community.They recently hosted an event in conjunction with TIRCC to encourage people to vote. Zylah said that was an exciting time because there were so many different people at the shop. They plan to continue making the most of the space as a venue.

Tempo is unlike any other cafe in Nashville. They’re combining delicious coffee with breakfast tacos and blending facets of Tex-Mex, music, and Nashville culture. Don’t miss an opportunity to stop in for a cup of coffee or a taco.

Tempo is located at 2170 Nolensville Pike and are open 7-3 Monday – Friday and 8-4 Saturday and Sunday.