Monell's Dining & Catering

I've been a frequent customer of Monell's Express for years and thought the restaurant would be the PERFECT Nashville experience for our Family Reunion dinner. My entire family came to Nashville to celebrate both my Grandmother's 80th Birthday and my wedding, being held the same weekend. \r \r I called Michael King, the owner, months in advance to reserve the private room for a 6:30pm dinner and set a menu. He refused to book their private room before 8 pm, no exceptions, but that we were welcome to come before 6:30 and wait for tables to open up. For such a special occassion, I asked if he would reconsider - but he refused, and was quite rude about it. Very rude, actually. \r \r They've lost me as a customer forever. I tell everyone I know to visit the Germantown Cafe around the corner - where we had our Family dinner - they were AMAZING, excellent food, service and wine list. It's a perfect place to take your out of town guests for the ultimate Nashville experience! \r Pros: Food is Excellent Cons: The owner is very Rude! more

How awesome is this place? Well, pretty awesome and that's putting it mildly. Wasn't keen on the family style situation, but I soon got over that part. Now on to the food.. The food was some of the best food man! I'm telling you right now, check this place out. For lunch is was super reasonable. I think it was like $12 or somthing. All that food for $12? This is all you can eat too!! You can have sweet tea, regular tea or lemonade to drink. I almost didn't want to write another great review because next time I go I'll probably have to wait longer than 30 min. I think the words out though :) Pros: Some of the best southern style food anywhere! more

We had my husbands USS Midway Reunion in Nashville, and I chose Monell's as the place to have our last dinner all together before everyone departing Nashville. We live in Ca and picked this out only looking at the Internet. OMG, what a surprise this was, and this left a forever memory with everyone as it was so GOOD!!! I have traveled over half this earth and have eaten in places rated from 5 star to those to sleazy to be rated, but I have never eaten at a place where everything served was as well prepared, and as tasty as the food served at Monells. The staff were efficient and friendly, the atmosphere charming, and the food just kept coming and coming, everything was cooked to perfection, and that banana pudding was second only to what my mother in law used to make. It makes a great place to have a group dinner, as you pay individually, very reasonable, all sit together. They don't accept reservations, but our group was there at the door when they opened at 5:00pm for dinner. My friend just visited Nashville from Ca. and I recommended Monell's to her and she came home and said...OMG!!! I will tell anyone reading reviews...this is the first one I have written, but felt this review was a must to write!!!! Pros: atmosphere charming, food just kept coming and coming, everything was cooked to perfection, Cons: Don't take reservations. Groups, just be there when the door opens. That works!!! more

Monell's has some of the best Southern food around. Everything I had there was amazing. It is all served ""family style,"" and you are seated in a dinner table-like setting. It is great for a large group (i.e.: I was there for my sister's wedding rehearsal dinner). Definitely don't pass this one up. When it comes to Southern food, it's as real as it gets. Pros: Excellent food more

Spectacular!! I went for the first time with my mother while in Nashville on a Mother's Day weekend excursion. The food was delicious. The server starts you off with three different salads and corn bread and follows that up with the sides --corn pudding, baked new potatoes, turnip greens, green beans. Everything was delicious! There was sweet tea and lemonade to drink. Catfish, chicken and and smothered chicken rounded out the meal. And to top it off we had strawberry shortcake. The manner in which they seat you and serve you is creative and neat. You end up making ""dinner friends"" in short order.\r This restaurant is well worth the price. Service, surroundings and food is definitely a five star combo!! Pros: Great service, nice variety of food and beverage Cons: Only one choice of dessert more

This is the best restaurant I've ever been to. The food is absolutely incredible, from the cinnamon apples to the potato casserole to the pulled pork, buttermilk biscuits, fresh preserves, green beans, cornbread, mac and cheese, strawberry shortcake, ET CETERA. You sit down at a big table in one of three lovely rooms, all decorated in a classy-homey way, and the food starts coming and doesn't stop! Pretty overwhelming, but just the Best food I've tasted. I made a special stop in Nashville on my road trip specially for Monell's. The staff is incredibly warm and the service is fast. We ate there, both times, in less than half an hour: it's a frenzy!! Pros: quality of food, quantity of food, GREAT value ($17.50/ person for tons of food) more

No matter the day Monell's has something for everyone. I have yet to have a bad experience and doubt I ever will. The fried chicken, peach preserves, biscuits, corn pudding and the rest of the food is first rate. Pros: Great food and endless supplies more

My fiancee and I just ate there last week for the first time and had such a lovely experience. The staff was delightful, the atmosphere charming and the food was wonderful! We can't wait to go back! We will be moving to Nashville from NY and are looking forward to being close to such a cute place. Unfortunately we will have to pace ourselves or we'll become too fat! The ice tea and lemonade are great and we enjoyed wonderful warm biscuits, fried chicken, scrumptious smoked pulled pork and many other yummy things. They nailed every dish. Just great. Here's to continued success to an adorable place. Pros: Great staff, cute place and wonderful food Cons: very busy up front! more

While visiting my son in Nashville over the New Year's weekend, he introduced us to Monell's. He had eaten there himself several times (both lunch and dinner) and had really enjoyed it. We really enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere with the ""breakfast at Grandma's"" feel. The staff was accomodating and very friendly. We live in a small historic town in NC where I think this type of resturant would do well. \r \r Great experience. I will be back! (perhaps I will try lunch next time) more

We can't imagine eating at another meat and three like this. Monell's is incredible! My family and I had the most amazing breakfast there and then went back for dinner another day. Sitting with strangers didn't sound appealing at first, sharing a table with folks we didn't know, but it was actually really mellow and kind of fun! We didn't mind at all. Monell's seems to have it down totally and connects people in the neighborhood by seating folks together- kind of a refreshing approach if you ask me. The food? Incredible. Just incredible and very fluent! It kept coming and coming and everything was cooked to perfection. Don't miss their Sunday breakfast and of course lunch and dinner are a no brainer. Can't say enough good things about this place. Its our fave. Pros: Food is incredible and plentiful, staff is warm and friendly, atmosphere beautiful more

If you want good food family style then this is the place. Quality over the top. As long as you do not mind sharing the table you will enjoy this place for lunch. Pros: the food quality and quantity Cons: the wait sometimes more

My family and I celebrated our Thanksgiving at Monell's this year. During the 2 hour + wait for a table, I was heartbroken to see a large, friendly, well-mannered family get booted from the waiting list when the youngest member asked the manager how much longer their wait might be. Apparently a couple of her family members had asked the same question previously and he'd had it. The manager snapped that she'd just have to be patient and not to ask again. When her mother came to the girl's defense, asking the host not to speak to her that way, he crossed them off the list and told them they could leave. \r \r While it's understandable that Monell's manager was stressed by the hordes of customers waiting 2 hours and more to enjoy his food and hospitality, you might also expect him to be appreciative. That he played the bully, throwing this family out when there were few, if any, other restaurant options available on Thanksgiving day was petty and unprofessional. I won't be back. I hope you won't either. Pros: Good Food Cons: Rude Management more

Good 'ole home cooking comfort food where you can't help but eat too much. Don't make a habit of it, but definately great a few times per year. more

In short: hell. I could only have been more miserable if they hired children to run around with squirt guns. OK, it wasn't THAT bad. Country-style family dining atmosphere. Corn bread and biscuits. Sides such as turnip greens, corn pudding, broccoli salad, macaroni salad, real mashed potatos, etc. Roast beef (good), BBQ chicken and fried chicken (ok) and banana pudding (yuck) for dessert. Sweet and unsweetened tea. Fruit tea cost extra (no idea why). Eleven bucks is a steep lunch - but you do get a lot of food so go when you're real hungry. Pros: Nice cozy warm atmosphere, great protions. Cons: Price more

My daughter had her wedding dinner there and it was wonderful!! The food was great, the atmosphere in Germantown was good and in the evening the garden out front is really pretty. John the owner is the BEST!! more

I tried the Monell's in Franklin on Bridge Street. This was my first Monell's experience and I liked it. I travel quite a bit and am used to sitting alone in restaurants with a book-- not this time. \r I was seated at a table ""family style"" with some very nice people. It felt like an instant family and the food was passed around family style. We had 3 cold salads (cucumber, pea, and maybe a bean salad), biscuits (didn't seem even remotely homemade, but the peach preserves were wonderful), baked chicken (didn't try it), fried chicken (pretty good), fried pork chops (okay, but not wonderful) and various sides, including mashed potatoes (tasty), corn pudding (okay), cornbread stuffing (not too bad), and green beans (not too bad). Dessert was cherry cobbler and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so full. \r I wanted to just love the food, but I have to say I just wasn't impressed with it. For the price, the portions were certainly hearty and I felt I got my money's worth. Speaking of money-- they DO NOT accept American Express. Would I go back? Yes, if they accepted American Express and I was lonely and in need of comfort food. Pros: Lots of parking available, fun to sit with "instant family", nice comfort food. Cons: Food was not remarkable. more

Forget calories, forget about carbs... Monell's is a fine example of traditional southern cooking. Sometimes the food is a bit sweet or salty but, you always have plenty of dishes from which to choose. If you go at peak lunchtime hours expect a wait because they usually try to seat a table of 12 all together. But, the food is well worth any wait because it is all freshly prepared and ready to be served. Though I wish they would invest a little money in some new serving dishes - the current ones have seen much better days - what they serve IN them is far more important. Do not go to Monell's unless you are ready to eat what they've cooked and in plenty of quantities. They will not customize any dishes but you should have no problem finding something great. Pros: Quality food, laid-back atmosphere Cons: Crowded during lunch, Parking on street more

My partner and I were told about this place on a last minute outing. We could stop talking about the food on the ride back home. The company around the table was wonderful. The food was SO GOOD! Great fried chicken, baked chicken, pasta salad, green beans, pea salad, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, squash pudding, biscuits and strawberry shortcake. This was all in one meal. It was hard only to take a small portion to allow room to taste everything. The food just kept on coming. Lovely and quaint and comforting. Enjoy! Pros: Reasonable, Quaint, Stuffed! more

Where else can you get a big ole country breakfast with all you can eat, plus the old fashioned skillet fried chicken and their rockin corn pudding. Everything you can imagine. Pros: All you can eat, historic house, great southern food Cons: eat too much, what diet??!!, you'll need a nap more

Sorry, but canned green beans and beets, cole slaw from a container........I could stay at home for this fare. I was expecting good, southern-style home cooked food, and was very disappointed. The only item I could recommend was the fried chicken, but $20 for fried chicken, I don't think so........ Pros: fried chicken Cons: overpriced, canned foods more