There's a new sign on Hillsboro Circle. The old Wendy's at 4106 Hillsboro Circle is now Waldo's Chicken & Beer. It opened on Tuesday, September 15, serving fried and rotisserie chicken, sides, beer and cocktails, according to Davidson County Source. The next night, a mile or so away on Richard Jones Road, Southern Land Company opened its first full-service restaurant.
These are the openings changing a Green Hills week this October. The two places that usually define the neighborhood are both in a holding pattern. The Mall at Green Hills is still waiting on a renovation with no public start date. The Green Hills Branch Library has been closed since January and won't reopen until early 2027. Until those two return, the new places worth knowing about are on the side streets and at the edges of the mixed-use buildings.
The Two Anchors on Pause
Start with the library, because its absence affects more errands than people expect. Nashville Public Library says the Green Hills Branch at 3701 Benham Avenue closed for a full renovation on January 4, 2026. It's the building's first full renovation in 25 years, and reopening is expected in early 2027. More than 600 people took part in the public input phase. According to NPL's renovation notice, the plan includes a new children's area, more meeting space, and other improvements.
Metro's FY2024 capital spending plan set aside up to $4,341,000 for the Green Hills renovation. That's a budget ceiling from a planning document, not a final cost.
The mall's situation is less clear. In February 2026, Simon announced an investment of more than $250 million across three malls. The plan includes a full transformation and exterior refresh at The Mall at Green Hills, with construction expected to begin sometime in 2026. In June, WSMV reported that the mall still hadn't given a construction start date or said how the work would affect parking. The same story noted that about 70% of the mall's parking spaces are in decks. We haven't found any public update since then confirming that work has started. As of mid-October, the renovation is best described as announced and pending.
Stores inside the mall have kept changing anyway. Simon's mall page now marks Rowan and Edikted as "Now Open" and lists Kendra Scott as a "New Boutique." In June, WSMV listed SKIMS, Hollister and Valenti as recent openings, and Altar'd State and State & Liberty as recent moves within the mall. Coach, Vuori, Oota Egyptian Eatery, Mountain High Outfitters, a relocated Burberry and a Clayton & Crume kiosk were all listed as coming soon. So the stores keep turning over while the building itself waits for its renovation.
Where the New Tables Landed
The fall openings have mostly happened outside the mall.
Lupo Notte, 2035 Richard Jones Road. This upscale Italian restaurant sits inside Vertis Green Hills, Southern Land Company's flagship mixed-use development. Southern Land announced September 16 as the opening date, and its September 24 release on PR Newswire confirms it opened that day. According to the opening announcement Visit Nashville published, the menu centers on house-made pasta, pizzas, daily specials, and entrées built around local ingredients. Executive Chef Owen Lane runs the kitchen. He grew up on a family farm in Leipers Fork, worked as executive sous chef at Pastis, and has cooked at Audrey and June and at The Boardroom in Franklin's Westhaven.
Southern Land founder and CEO Tim Downey described the goal in the same announcement:
"We're excited to introduce what we believe will become the next great culinary addition in Green Hills – a place where friends gather, families celebrate, and special memories are made."
According to Southern Land's opening release, dinner runs 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant's website takes reservations through OpenTable.
Waldo's Chicken & Beer, 4106 Hillsboro Circle. This is the opening described at the top of this post. It took over a former fast-food building on the Circle, and it's now one of the more casual new options in the neighborhood.
Boden at Hill Center Green Hills. The British clothing brand opened a 1,700-square-foot store at Hill Center in July. Hill Center's announcement confirmed it in late summer.
Next on the List
Two more openings are expected on the same blocks, though neither has a firm date yet.
- On, 4021 Hillsboro Pike. The Swiss running brand picked the former Whole Foods Whole Body space for its first Nashville store, WhatNow reported in July. No opening date had been announced at the time, and we haven't found one since.
- Epice, 3827 Cleghorn Avenue. The Lebanese bistro plans to move from 2902 12th Avenue South to Green Hills in 2027. According to WhatNow, the operator expects only a few weeks of downtime between closing on 12 South and reopening in Green Hills.
Cleghorn Avenue, Richard Jones Road, Hillsboro Circle and the Whole Body space on Hillsboro Pike all sit just off the mall's front door, not inside it. Once Epice arrives, these streets will hold most of the new dining and shopping announced for Green Hills this year.
Running Errands Without the Branch
The library closure changes a few everyday routines, and they're easy to forget until you need them.
- Returns. The outdoor book return on Benham Avenue is closed for the renovation, and NPL asks patrons to return items at its other locations.
- Holds. You can move existing holds to another branch through your online library account, and new holds need an alternate pickup branch, as WSMV explained when the branch closed.
- The nearest alternative. NPL points Green Hills patrons to the Edgehill Branch at 1409 12th Avenue South, about three miles away.
- Programs. Some Green Hills programming has moved to other locations nearby. On Tuesday, October 13, the branch's Current Events discussion meets from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Belmont Village Senior Living, 4206 Stammer Place, according to NPL's event calendar. Over the summer, a Green Hills book club met at Sevier Park Community Center on Lealand Lane.
Sunday, October 18, on Hillsboro Pike
The Bluebird Cafe holds its Fall Open House on Sunday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4104 Hillsboro Pike. The cafe is offering merchandise deals and photo opportunities, and no reservation is required. The event listing doesn't say whether admission costs anything, so it's worth checking the page before you go.
That same Sunday works well as a Green Hills afternoon with no mall trip needed. Start at the Bluebird before 2 p.m., then stop by Hill Center for Boden. Lupo Notte opens at 5 p.m. on Sundays, and Richard Jones Road is a short drive away.
What to Expect Through Early 2027
Neither of the two big projects has a fixed date this season. The library's reopening is set only as early 2027. The mall's construction start is still undisclosed, and its effect on those parking decks is unknown. The openings with real dates are the smaller ones: Waldo's on September 15, Lupo Notte on September 16, and the Bluebird's open house on October 18. On and Epice are expected to join them on the same nearby blocks.
The Starling Davis Group keeps up with Green Hills street by street, including which storefronts just turned over and when the branch on Benham Avenue is set to reopen. If you're thinking about selling a home near these streets or buying close to them, we're happy to talk through how this fall's openings fit into the bigger picture.
