loveless cafe

less than wonderful. we were really looking forward to eating at the loveless café after reading all of the website and history of the food and heritage of the café. we thought we were going to eat such good food. unfortunately, we did not. the food was just average. the biscuits were under cooked and not individually cut - but cut in one large square pan. the flavor of the biscuits were just average. the friedchickenwas over cooked and dull in flavor. the blackberry preserves had no flavor at all. the pancakes were very dry and hard on the exteriors. even though we knew it would be crazy busy, we were not willing to wait the 2 hour delay for breakfast, so we ordered it to go and ate i outside on a picnic bench. about 50 percent of the customers did this. to us, it was not worth it. we will not go back. i did buy a coffee mug in the gift shop. to be honest, this is nothing more than a tourist trap. maybe when it was owned by just a couple who put genuine effort into the food, it was great. but now that a few high powered business owners have it, it seems to be just a marketing ploy to make "them" a lot of money at the expense of the customers and employees. sad.


-----04 may, 2015-----

less thqn wonderful. we were really looking forward to eating at the loveless café after reading all of the website and history of the food and heritage of the café. we thought we were going to eat such good food. unfortunately, we did not. the food was just average. the biscuits were under cooked and not individually cut - but cut in one large square pan. the flavor of the biscuits were just average. the friedchickenwas over cooked and dull in flavor. the blackberry preserves had no flavor at all. the pancakes were very dry and hard on the exteriors. even though we knew it would be crazy busy, we were not willing to wait the 2 hour delay for breakfast, so we ordered it to go and ate i outside on a picnic bench. about 50 percent of the customers did this. to us, it was not worth it. we will not go back. i did buy a coffee mug in the gift shop.

preserving a little history with biscuit, ham and fried chicken. the loveless cafe is one of those "places to see" that you have to check off your list. before i talk about my last visit, i'd like to comment to the posts of people who think its touristy and overrated. when i was a boy, most family trips included hours of state highways and back roads, as the interstate system wasn't complete. family run cafes and roadside diners were as common as mcdonalds and taco bells. some were built along with hotels, some were run out of the front rooms of someones converted house. when we talk about them now, it's in the past tense because most of them are gone, and the wonderful, warm people and delicious and unusual dishes along with them. a few years ago, some savvy investors decided to save the loveless cafe and to do that, they had to make it marketable. business is business. so when i see the crowds of tourists, i'm just thankful it will be open in another year when we come back for more ham and biscuits.

we had to wait an hour and a half on a sunday afternoon and though we killed sufficient time in the couple of shops that were open, it was long wait. the meal was worth it. we had a couple of the blueberry and moonshine cocktails (very strong wine, legally speaking, but an interesting twist, none the less). the friedchickenis washed in a light batter and fried very hot so its tender and juicy inside of a very hard crust. very home style. the ham is excellent. the green beans and hash brown casserole were as good as any and the grits were better than most. these aren't my grandmothers biscuits, but they are very good. as busy as they were, the waitress was very hospitable and we weren't rushed at all. the hour and a half wait forgotten, we had a nice home cooked meal in a nice southern diner. took some lemon pie and banana pudding to go.

went for lunch 9/9/18 we got friedchickenfried catfishchickengizzards with turnip greens fried green tomatoes fried okra white beans geeen beans mac and cheese and fudge pie was all wonderful food and the service was impeccable

i went into my meal at loveless thinking "this must be an overhyped tourist spot". boy, was i wrong. it's honest and delicious southern comfort food. i went with my family, so we did the family style meal. for our meats, we got friedchickenand pulled pork. both were great, but the friedchickenwas probably the best i've ever had. it's done right. i wouldn't go there for the pulled pork, but it was still better than i expected. for our sides, we got macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and hash brown casserole. the macaroni and mashed potatoes were superb. however, i didn't find myself drawn to the hashbrown casserole as much. it was great, but not the best i've had.

overall, i'd give loveless an a+. the staff is friendly and warm. there's always a long wait, but there's a reason for that- everyone wants to eat there. it's one of the best food experiences i've had around the franklin area. 10/10 recommend.

i ordered the famous friedchickenand wasn't impressed. it was very dry and kinda bland. could have been an off day. the breads and jellies were great. my wife had the gizzards and they were fantastic.

we went out of our way to have breakfast at the loveless cafe and we were not disappointed. the best breakfast i have had in a very long time. we orderedchickenfried steak, white gravy, biscuits & gravy, grits, eggs, the works and everything was superb. service was excellent and the manager stopped by to chat with us. if you are in the area don't miss the chance to enjoy great southern food and hospitality.

very kitsch - but that's the fun of it. we followed the advice of other reviewers and ordered our food to-go and used the picnic tables - with kids and a dog and a long road trip, this was a great call. although i was excited to get pictures with the sign and eat the country ham and the sides, the friedchickenhad no flavor. it was cooked well and not greasy at all... but it really was flavorless. the kids liked their kid meals and we all enjoyed stretching our legs. glad we can say we've been to this little piece of history, but i won't necessarily put it on my list of go-back-to's.

if there's one iconic restaurant in nashville, it's gotta be the loveless cafe. located on highway 100 just on the fringe of town, the loveless cafe serves up legendary biscuits that are quintessential nashville cuisine. in 1951, lon and annie loveless began serving [friedchickenand biscuits] out the front door of their home to travelers who passed by on us highway 100, the then primary route between nashville and memphis, tennessee. weary travelers found comfort and refuge at the cozy home and in the food the owners served to them while seated at picnic tables in the front yard. as the tiny house became a planned stop for treks along the trace, lon and annie loveless expanded their private home into the loveless motel and cafe. lon loveless built and ran the property’s motel and was responsible for smoking the meats while annie whipped up batches of her homemade preserves and scratch-made-biscuits - a secret recipe that remains unchanged to this day.

this place is on the top of every tennessee foodie list, and it did not disappoint. since we were traveling with our furry friends, we placed a to go order using the app. the food was ready when we arrived, and we proceeded to one of several picnic tables. we avoided the wait and crowds and enjoyed eating outside. thechickenfried steak and country ham platters were both delicious. this is must visit, and don't forget a selfie with the iconic sign.

this place was absolutely fantastic. the wait was long but it was worth it. i love coming to places where employee standards are high and every customer is treated so well. other than the service let's talk about biscuits. there are many places that claim to have the "best" biscuits but none i've ever had even compare to the loveless cafe. there's a reason they won best biscuits award on food network 2010. they are absolutely delightful. almost worth driving all the way to nashville just to eat them. the only thing stopping this place from getting a perfect 5 is some of the breakfast like the eggs my girlfriend ordered were bland and kinda fake. thechickenlivers i had were pretty tasty and all the food was fresh. highly recommend coming here and pharmacy burger while in nashville.

we have been before so took our company from out of town, truly disappointing. thechicken"fingers" werechickencutlets and the breading was tasteless. service was slow, no one finished their meal.

fabulous corn,chickentenders, bbq and jams! wait times are avoidable if you go weeknights or off peak times. i always have had great servers, another reason i go back when i am in the area.

ok.....the lovelesschickenis some of the best that i ever had, all of the meal are top notch, you need to experience this when you visit nashville, get the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and sides you will leave full and happy...

highly recommended.

my server was amazing and very knowledgeable! the show atmosphere was welcoming & homey! the biscuits were to die for, jam was amazing! i had the friedchicken& tried the bbq soooo good!

this place checked almost every box. they had great biscuits and preserves. the setting was great, you could enjoy the shops while you wait to be seated. the service was good. the only downside was i got the friedchickenand it was kind of dry and tough. i was pretty bummed because i was so excited to try it. but all in all i'll visit again.