monell's restaurant

great fun, food and conversation. my wife was on a business trip last month at the gaylord and i tagged along for a little fun. in my research i came acrossmonell'sand i'm glad i did. the place was busy, but we were seated quickly with the a friendly couple from murfreesboro, and a group of young professionals. boarding house rules apply (pass to the left). the catfish was great, as was the chicken and the ribs, but the sides were phenomenal especially the slaw. if i am ever back in nashville, i will most definitely eat here again.

this food was amazing! my friends and i finally understand what true soul food is. chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, vanilla wafer pudding, it doesn't get any better than monell's. the owner, hostesses, and waiters truly embrace you with southern hospitality. also the garden and little ponds are gorgeous. if you are in nashville you have to makemonell'sa stop :)

hmmmm...not sold. visitedmonell'sthis past sunday for breakfast based on the fabulous reviews and i was so excited!!! we were wanting to check it out with plans of bringing a group of "out-of-towners" here the following week. unfortunately, i was disappointed with our experience. we got to the restaurant around 10 am with a 20 minute wait but this was not a big deal, we had expected this. and the outside seating area is comfortable and a great space. however, once our name was called and we were seated, we felt as if we were being rushed through our meal. they would put the food down and walk off with not even a smile and then came over right away with our checkout card. we were seated elbow to elbow with those at our table to the point were it was even awkward to cut our food. we also did not receive the pancakes as advertised. when we did leave, the girl at the checkout was obviously in a bad mood. needless to say, one of the people in our group said as we were leaving "i remember it being so much better in the past." i hated that we had such an experience because now we will need to find another local restaurant to treat our guests....

that's the slogan formonell'sin nashville. the family-style dining restaurant has been "serving south to your mouth since 1995." it's a fixed price (about $15 for breakfast), and you get some of everything they put on the table. you just have to share it with everyone else. i've never been to a family-style dining restaurant, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i've ordered appetizers that are family-style and you serve them to your whole table. but this was kicked up a notch.

each time i've gone whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner i've had an excellent meal and a great time. its family style dining so if you're not with a large group its likely you'll be seated with people you didnt come there with - but thats been okay, its just made for good conversation

the skillet chicken is a constant so you'll always have plenty of fried chicken.

love the corn pudding, southern style green beans, roast beef, ham

went for breakfast, loved the pancakes, the cheese grits

i've only ever visited this location, butmonell'sis a must stop whenever i'm in nashville

delicious food. the food atmonell'sis excellent and the price reasonable. the staff is very friendly great customer service experience. i am from chicago and when i visit nashville i never leave without first dining at monell's.

the pasta salad is to die for!!!

may i have the recipe ???

my ultimate southern food experience!. two friends and i went to nashville over the weekend on a whim of wanting to go somewhere musically inclined, and for us country music freaks, nothing spoke louder to us than nashville! once there and terribly hungry, we decided to trymonell'sbecause of all the rave reviews we read, and boy o boy - was that an exotic experience or what! the people were so friendly, and the food was spectacularly good! the pasts salad was to die for, and so were the barbecued ribs. for the random company, the great food, and all-together a marvelous first-time-in-nashville experience, i would recommendmonell'sto everyone who visits the city! what was even better was the throwaway price at which such delicious food came at...=d i'd do it again and again and again!

nothing but good times. i have visitedmonell'slately each time i travel to nashville for business or pleasure. i am always taking someone with me (pleasure trips) that has not had an opportunity to enjoy or tell someone about the good times i have had. the food is delicious and the ambience is excellent. i have never sat at a table with guest that were not friendly. the conversation and sharing of "is this your first time", "where are you from" "would you pass this, would you pass that" makes this an excellent place to visit.

a nashville tradition in germantown. ate atmonell'sfor dinner while in nashville mid-january on a friday night. not much of a wait so we were seated and eating within 15 minutes of arriving. food was good and plentiful. drink choices are limited to tea, lemonade, or water. enjoyed our conversation with others at the table during dinner. only disappointment was dessert. expected a pie or cake not pudding. will return again in the future.

i read the reviews and was not disappointed!monell'swas an absolute home run!!!! great home style food, outstanding atmosphere and friendly staff. it's like eating at your southern grandma's house, well if i had one. hearty and homecooked, it doesn't get any better than this! if you have time, stroll the surrounding neighborhood and check the interesting architecture - a great nashville experience. don't miss monell's!!!

last visit: december 2008 web site: monellsdining.ypguides.net we first visitedmonell'sabout 10 years ago on the basis of a tiny ad in a newspaper for passengers at the nashville airport: all-you-could-eat for $11. this proposition sounds attractive to a hungry traveler independent of the quality of the food. butmonell'sturned out to be an outstanding experience. the restaurant is located in a restored 1880s house in the old german section of town. guests are served at communal tables and served family style. the food is excellent; the family-style service helps them serve extremely fresh portions. i would never say that a restaurant is as good as my mom's cooking because it wouldn't be true and such a statement would endanger my safety, butmonell'shas mastered southern home cooking. their fried chicken is outstanding; they always serve a selection of meats at every meal. their dressing is more corn-based than the typical dressing, which suits my taste.  the communal service adds

meh.. i grew up on southern cooking, andmonell'sis just ok. if you're already downtown, it's probably the best option nearby. but i'd send someone out to loveless if they really want a taste of authentic southern cooking… heck, i'd send 'em to cracker barrel first. don't get me wrong,monell'sis good. lots of people love it (clearly), but for me, it's not the real deal.

ya'll need to visit, ya hear?. one positive sign that a restaurant serves great food - you have a difficult time getting in every time you visit!monell'sis worth the wait though. wonderful and delicious southern food mixed with a traditional atmosphere that makes you want to watch hee haw and listen to buck owens all night long! my favorite place for southern food by far.

delightful. so good! dollar for dollar such a nice experience. i've been tomonell'stwice, and have never walked away without feeling a little better about the world.

that being said, if you're a serious foodie, don't expect to have your palate transported to some parisian gustatory nirvana in which technique, plating, and a certain "je ne sais quoi," are the guiding principles for what makes "good" food. this is southern, stick to your ribs fare that errs away from much in the way of subtlety. whatmonell'sdoes right, however, they do very, very well indeed.

heaping bowls of green beans, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, cornbread and biscuits, broccoli and cole slaw, cinnamon rolls, bacon, ham, fried chicken, roast beef and gravy, macaroni and cheese, pecan pie, and banana pudding, accompanied by sweet tea, fruit tea, and a truly decadent peach preserves are passed family-style about the table.

i've been tomonell'stwice and my advice to the new friends i brought the second time was succinct: take small portions. the tasting of everything is enough to satisfy any hunger, leaving room for seconds of the things that hit the spot is the real goal. trust me - you'll find more than a few.

the service atmonell'sis extraordinarily polite. i weep for the reviewer who says they were treated poorly - i hate to hear that from monell's, where i've been treated so well on my visits. be prepared for a slight wait, but enjoy it! the kitschy but very well maintained garden surrounding the restaurant is liberally appointed with swings, rocking chairs, fountains, statuettes, and decorative grasses and flora. my group decided to hang out there after eating just to ruminate a bit after our meal.

forget what you ever thought you knew about cracker barrel, or bob evans, or any of the chain restaurants that claim to know "home cookin'," and hightail it forthwith to monell's. rest in the company of old friends and new, delight in the appointment ofmonell'sgorgeous interiors and exteriors, pass to the left, and prepare for a joyous, homey, warm, and utterly delicious experience.

yes siree. whoever came up with the phrase "it's so good, it'll make you want to slap your momma." must have hadmonell'sin mind.

incredibly southern style food (fried chicken, macaroni-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, banana pudding, etc.) to fill your plate as much as you'd like.

if you're going, be sure to invite some friends. tables are all 8-15 chairs. or, make new friends.

either way, do yourself a favor & makemonell'sa must-visit restaurant in nashville.