If you’ve been to Goodlettsville lately, you might have noticed that they currently hold the national championship title for Worst Road Construction in America. Oh—wait. This isn’t a complaint article. Let me try again.

If you’ve been to Goodlettsville lately, you may have noticed a fancy white building standing confidently next to City Hall, right in front of Liz’s Kitchen, like it knows it’s the new kid everyone’s talking about.

That, my friends, is Casper’s Bistro—Goodlettsville’s newest elevated bistro and live music restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner for people who have finally given up on gas station biscuits.

Construction felt like it lasted forever—mostly because I drove by every single day, anxiously trying to guess what this beautifully renovated mystery building was going to become. They finally opened their doors on June 24 for coffee, pastries, and dinner. Then on August 19, 2025, lunch arrived—thank goodness, because there are only so many times you can eat at Chef’s Market before your taste buds start begging for variety.

When lunchtime at Casper’s finally became an option, it felt like the perfect excuse for my husband and me to escape the office for once. We spend nearly every day in Goodlettsville thanks to our family businesses on North Main Street. You would think this means we take lunch dates all the time. We do not. We sit 15 feet apart in the same office and somehow see each other less than roommates with opposite work shifts.

So last Tuesday, we finally escaped for lunch. We drove the exhausting, grueling, two minutes down the road to Casper’s Bistro and were pleasantly surprised from the moment we walked in.

Their lunch menu had a great variety—though they were out of the Roasted Beet Salad that I had emotionally committed to. I pivoted to a lamb skewer with fries, while my husband ordered the Casper’s Reuben. Now, let me say this: lots of restaurants make good french fries. It’s hard to mess up something whose entire job is to be hot, salty, and potato. But Casper’s fries? Elite. Shockingly good. The kind of fries that make you look at your husband and say, “You’re getting your own.”

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The service was great, the food came out fast and hot, and we were in and out in under 30 minutes—which is exactly what every lunch break hopes to be but rarely is.

Inside, the vibe was a mix of modern warehouse and classy comfort. The bar looked like it had been restored from an old movie set, the elegant black piano in the corner practically begged to play itself, and the high exposed ceilings gave the whole place a trendy, airy feel. Natural light poured in through the windows like it was being paid to.

In addition to the traditional restaurant and bar seating inside, there is a covered patio outside, and behind the building they’re working on a stage area for live music—perfect for future warm evenings when you want dinner, atmosphere, and the illusion that you still go out past 8 PM.

Dinner at Casper’s is more extensive than lunch, and my husband and I are already planning a proper adult date night soon. They have live music every Friday and Saturday night, which is a major upgrade from the usual toddlers-playing-iPads soundtrack we eat to at home.

But honestly, the best part of the whole experience happened as we were pulling out of the parking lot. A man working behind the restaurant waved us down—not to tell us we left something behind, but simply to thank us for coming. Genuinely. Like he meant it with his whole chest.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the owner,” my husband said. A quick scroll on their Facebook page confirmed it: Mark Farr, the owner himself, thanking us for stopping by.

Supporting a new restaurant is great. Supporting a small business owner who literally sprints into the parking lot to tell customers thank you? Even better.

So do yourself—and Goodlettsville—a favor. Skip the drive-thru this week and go visit Casper’s Bistro, located at 201 South Main St, Goodlettsville, TN. You might just find your new favorite lunch spot… and some fries that will haunt your dreams in the best way.