Monell’s In Nashville: Everything you need to know

We really highly suggest that you go eat at Monell’s. Just make sure you know what you’re walking into.

There are also other restaurants in Nashville that we think you should check out. We have those all in our list of Must-Try Nashville Bars And Restaurants (that aren’t owned by celebrities).

History

Monell’s is kind of an anomaly. The restaurant is within a Victorian-style home that was built in 1905 in the Germantown area of Nashville.

For whatever reason, when Michael King and his business partner, Bill Monell, came across the home in 1995, it was zoned commercial. So the dream of turning it into a Southern restaurant was achievable.

When you’re walking up to it, you do feel like you’re heading to someone’s home. It’s on a residential street and has a Victorian-style garden outside, which feels exactly like the place you sit outside with your neighbors.

But, it’s not a home. It’s a restaurant, with 72 seats and zero menus. Seriously. You don’t get a menu. You get served what’s being made for the day … and, well, we’ll get to the rest.

Seating

When you enter Monell’s, you’re greeted by the absolute most friendliest staff. Then you’re quickly escorted off to an open seat.

Yes. I said seat. Not table.

Okay, fine. You sit at a table. But you’re not at your own table. You’re at a seat at a table where someone else is may already be sitting.

I know. That sounds confusing, but all of those words are in the proper order.

When Pete and I got there, we were escorted to a table where there was already a diner. She was eating by herself because she was on a solo work trip and had to find something for lunch.

She already had cucumber salad and some other vegetables in front of her, so she handed the bowls to me because I was sat next to her.

But then we sort of got in trouble because I was to her right and you always have to pass to the left

There’s a lot of rules.

We sat down and started talking about the work she does in LA and what we do in North Carolina, but our conversation was quickly interrupted by more food coming to the table.

That food was handed to Pete because he was at the rightmost seat, then passed down to me and then to her because plates have to go right to left.

While we were serving ourselves, two women walked in together. They were friends who are both Nashville transplants and have been to Monell’s before.

Thank goodness because they were able to walk us through the experience a little bit better.

At its core, Montel‘s is a family-style restaurant, similar to Paula Dean‘s Family Kitchen (also in Nashville) in that a large plate of food is brought directly to the table for everyone to share.

Each diner has their own physical plates, but no one orders individual plates. You’re served whatever’s on the menu for that day and you’re allowed to eat as much as you want.

If something runs out, your server will quickly bring another bowl of it. You’ll want for nothing.

Except for a to go container. You won’t get that because, like a traditional buffet, you’re only entitled to what you can eat while you’re at the restaurant. You’re not permitted to take home any leftovers.

So slather those biscuits with gravy and stuff yourself while you’re there.

When you’re eating, other customers will come in and will be seated at the next available open seat. So, there is a chance that you’ll be seated when an entire meal is already in progress.

When we were there, a couple was seated after a few plates had already been served. The couple took a quick look around the table, looked at each other, and swiftly left. Dining with strangers who were already partially through their meal was not for them.

And that’s fine. Monell’s is an experience and not everyone is meant to experience it.

We ended up with eight patrons at our table.

There were the two local women who came together, another local who came later and (I think) dines there often because he was very friendly, very welcoming to any new guests, and was very good at middle-ing the table.

Everyone else, which was an even number of men and women, came as singles.

That was really interesting to me. I don’t mind going out for fast food by myself when I want to take a picture of something for the blog or use up my rewards points, but I sit there scrolling my phone in silence.

I’m way too shy to go to a sit down restaurant by myself where I am surrounded by seven strangers who I have have to interact with. And you have to interact. You’re not supposed to have your cell phones out at the table.

Having that experience with Pete next to me gave me the confidence to enjoy the company of strangers the entire time to the point where I felt comfortable asking the woman who sat next to me to text me the table photo that she took.

But, walking into that experience without him would not have happened.

Food

The food at Monell’s is exceptional. I had the absolute best biscuit I had in all of Nashville. And the gravy on top was really flavorful.

At Monell’s, there’s always skillet fried chicken because it’s arguably the best fried chicken in Nashville. It used to only be on the menu sometimes, but Nashvillians were very vocal about their love for it so it’s there every day and a second meat rotates daily.

The day went, the second meat was sliced roast beef.

I don’t eat that much beef because I don’t love the taste of it, but the exception is my mom‘s roast beef. It’s so good, but also it tastes like nostalgia, which helps.

So when the bowl of roast beef was passed to me at Monell’s, it was almost empty. I took the small piece that was left and thought that would be fine.

It was phenomenal. Like, exceptionally phenomenal. And was one of the few times in my life that I was actually bummed about not putting more meat on my plate.

Sure, I could’ve asked for more and our server, who was the happiest ray of sunshine, would have brought some over quickly. But my plate was so full with everything else, as was my stomach, so I didn’t ask.

There were a lot of other sides, like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, an incredible corn pudding, beans, cornbread, and biscuits. And bread pudding for dessert.

There’s also tea, water, and lemonade brought to the table.

No alcohol is served or available a purchase, which is fine because Monell’s is in Germantown, which is where Nashville Oktoberfest is held annually, and where there are a ton of bars that you can pop into after if you want to get your drink on.

When you’re done eating, you take a small card that says, “I’ve eaten and I can’t get up” to the cashier who checks you out.

You’re entire table doesn’t have to be finished in order for you to be done. In fact, the majority of your table probably won’t leave with you.

That means you will have to take a little while saying goodbye to your new friends. And that’s how Monell’s wants you to think of the other patrons. There’s a sign outside that says, “Enter As Strangers And Leave As Friends.”

The restaurant encourages conversation and community, which I think it’s so important right now and something that’s severely lacking.

We spend so much time in our phones, behind screens, interacting with people in and on devices rather than in public.

So many of us use Instacart for groceries to avoid seeing people at the grocery store. People order DoorDash so they don’t have to go to restaurants. We love mobile ordering so we don’t have to make chitchat with cashiers.

But that’s all a little dehumanizing, isn’t it? People spend so much time with devices that they’re falling in love with chatbots and proposing to them. We’re starting to live inside a Black Mirror episode.

Places like Monell’s are the antithesis of this.

It forces you to be a part of society, interact with actual humans, practice your small talk, all while eating a home cooked meal.

Monell’s opened in the mid-90s, way before ChatGPT was a reality. And so, then, it was a way to serve good food to the people of Nashville. That was the entire intention. But now, it has become so much more, and I don’t know if the owners or the patrons even realize that.

Monell’s In Nashville: Frequently Asked Questions

More Dining In Nashville:

Nashville is the birthplace of Nashville Hot Chicken, obviously. So when you’re in town, we highly suggest that you get some.

I loved Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so much. Pete preferred the OG, Prince’s Hot Chicken. So, when you’re in town, we suggest your try both.

You can easily do so if you go to 5th + Broadway, an outdoor shopping experience, located in downtown Nashville, which also houses Assembly Food Hall, a food hall with over 20 options.