Little Hats Market in Germantown

Little Name: Big Flavor

By Ann Walczak | May 12, 2022

photo courtesy of Instagram

If you have yet to jaunt into the quaint corner that is Little Hats Market in Germantown, consider this your sign.

My original visit was simply to check out the market. As I expected, they have an incredible selection of homemade fresh and dried pastas (Itlaian made as well as local from their sister company Alfresco Pasta), as well as a wide array of goods like whole honeycomb, infused balsamics, Italian cakes, cheeses, olives, and pizza dough. I made a list of things I was intrigued by to grab when I cooked a good Italian meal in the future.

But Little Hats, as my subsequent trip taught me, would become a much more regular stop than I anticipated. Why, you ask? Oh, because it’s the perfect place to grab a legit sandwich. (Especially on a Monday, when most of Nashville is closed.)

meatball sandwich

Their sandwiches are so, so good. Inarguably, a truly key ingredient in a good market sandwich is the bread. And they nail it. It has the perfect crackle on the outside but doesn’t get crumbs everywhere or completely fall apart when you take a bite. It has the perfect chew, without being so chewy that the filling smooshes out the sides or top. It is tender, not tough where it’s hard to rip. It soaks up sauce yet doesn’t sog easily.

Get the meatball sub. The pesto on the bottom is clutch. You can see actual shreds of meat in the meatballs as you eat them, and they are seasoned to perfection. The sauce is sublime. The cheese is the perfect amount of gooey. Seriously – just look at this beauty.

Or the spicy Italian sub. It’s the perfect amount of spicy; a beautiful building heat that’s flavorful and never overpowering. The potato salad is the perfect cooling accompaniment, with plenty of hearty celery and real deli flavor. (It reminded me of my moms, actually.)

And then the pickles. Ohhhhhhhhh the pickles. Perhaps the best deli pickle I’ve ever had, let alone in Nashville. They tasted of fresh tarragon and oregano, and I saw some Juniper berries in there. Sliced thin and perfectly crisp. I started fantasizing about a sandwich made out of small fresh mozzarella balls and a giant heap of those pickles on their perfect bread. I ate them at an alarming rate, but still managed to save the last few and some brine for a gin martini later.

And, of course, we had to snag some gelato from Zio Matto Gelato. Stracciatella for my husband and pistachio for me. The lemon ricotta cheesecake sounds to die for as well – I’ll get that next time. Don’t miss the Rainbow Cookies by the register. And there’s a little fridge by the counter chock full of the best sodas and Italian carbonated delights.

This is a perfect little lunch stop. Go now. Go often. Eat great sandwiches