Dotson’s Restaurant

Underseasoned and not impressed. Go to loveless for some real southern food in Nashville.

Triple D: Dark, dirty, disgusting (the restaurant itself – I can’t speak for the food). We sat down and walked out. The place is run down, the outside of the pepper shakers were coated with dust and pepper, and it smelled like old grease. My husband was in the mood for pancakes, so we thought we would try this place. It was an easy decision to leave, since they don’t even serve pancakes. I wouldn’t have ordered anything anyway; the smell was making me queasy.

Yum! I had the rise and shine breakfast. The bacon was extra crispy and very flavorful. The best part was the cheesy potato casserole. That’s a must with your order. The bisquit was soft and flakey. I ordered a side of country gravy on the side. I ate the whole thing! The service was fast and they were very friendly.

Waited an hour on our order but never got it last night. Chef quit and walked out. So did I …
I have always had good service and good food at this place but last night was a train wreck. I might get a piece of pie to go but doubt I’ll go back.

Had a friend visiting from San Diego and took her. We ordered REAL fried chicken, sweet potato casserole, and all the other fixins.
WOW — so good — topped if off with their famous banana pudding!
Love this place — so authentic, charming.
She asked to go again before she left!
Oh, the meringue pie is sky high! absolutely AMAZING!!!

I’m a Connecticut gal born and raised, but tried this great little diner with my husband while we were visiting Nashville. Such a charming little restaurant and everything we had to eat was fantastic! The fried chicken (served for breakfast) was unreal, and the biscuits were the best I ever had in my life (especially with the homemade strawberry jelly!) We spent less than $ 20 bucks on a huge breakfast and left very full and happy! Would definitely go back.

I get that it’s an institution, but the food seemed a little like what you would get in an institution. My catfish po’boy was fine, but side dishes had lots of areas for improvement. I might come back for pie carry out, but probably not to dine in.

Our favorite local restaurant. A meat and three the southern way. I would rather eat breakfast here then any other place in the world. Best time to eat here is by 2. Parking can be hard to find.

This is grandma’s home cooking right here! Our meal tasted fresh & homemade! No canned gravy or frozen biscuits here. They served a smooth cup of coffee, too. This place is seated in a more family-​style type seating, which is fine! The locals will make you feel at home. You’re not going to get a fancy place, but you’ll certainly be satisfied with your full & hearty meal. The potato casserole was so Good! The eggs were perfectly prepared & my husband was more than pleased with his biscuits & gravy. We had 5 adults & 1 child, the waitress was efficient & friendly. She has been there for many many years…

I have to say as far as country cooking goes, this is one of my favorites. The BLT was amazing (add grilled onions!). My only complaints are that the onion rings were awful and the place is slightly… humid. Service was great, cash only.

My family’s new favorite in Franklin! The old lady at the cashier is not friendly, but everyone else was great!
The food was terrific and our service very good. I recommend the pies!
Oh, and they only accept cash

Best down home eating you can find. Super friendly staff. Coconut cake will make you slap your momma it’s so good. They cook like your southern grandma. If you’re looking for just really great food this is where to go. Nothing fancy at all. No credit cards cash only.

Great place for a down home southern meal. Relaxed and filled with Country Stars photos who must eat here. Perfect pancakes. My husband likes his we’ll done. I enjoyed the pork tenderloin, eggs, grits, hash browns, biscuits and gravy breakfast. My oh my did I really eat all that.

Eh.
I wanted to like this place. I really did. When a native Nashvillian took me to Dotson’s shortly after I moved here, I was so excited about the idea of a truly authentic meat and three and loved the comfortable, low key environment. I ordered the vegetable plate with a salad, summer squash, black-​eyed peas, and mac and cheese, along with a side of cornbread. My salad arrived, which was a plate of iceberg lettuce soaked in ranch dressing (why I expected more from this, I don’t know…) However, it was the lukewarm «hot» dishes I ordered that really disappointed me – not one of them was flavorful in any way, and I kind of thought the chef had just opened some cans and heated the food with some butter. The macaroni and cheese was gross, even with a generous pouring of hot sauce. We had to send our cornbread back to the kitchen, as it was hard as a rock and freezing cold – however, when we received new corn bread, hot out of the oven, it really was delicious.
With all of the restaurant choices in Franklin, I feel no need to return to Dotson’s anytime soon. Bummer, huh?

There is unfortuantely nothing special about Doton’s. We went here for one reason, that being everywhere else was far too crowded on a cold, busy Saturday afternoon. So Dotson’s won because our 4 and 2 year old boys had to eat immediately, and McDonald’s is not an option.
I was actually excited when I first walked in, as the restaurant gives off a nice vibe. It’s small, run down, has friendly waitress, the owner walks around and appears very proud of his establishment, and there are great looking pies in a display case. Too bad it doesn’t «except» credit cards (yes, there is a sign by the door that actually says «except»). Poor grammar aside, why would anyone in today’s day and age not accept credit cards but accept personal check? Who carries a check book into a restaurant to get a meat and 3 for $ 6.99? You can accept credit cards for 3% on an iPhone! Anyway…
The food was just OK. My wife and I got pretty much every veggie on the menu in our two veggie plates. Mashed potatoes, green beams, cabbage, greens, fried okra … all were fine. Not great. Not bad. Well, the cabbage was not good. It was quite bland. I would not get the cabbage again, and would not recommend it. The green beans tasted like they came straight from a big can (a la Sysco). I had to put hot sauce on them to give them any taste. The fried okra was the best, but I am sure it was frozen too. The greens were OK, but like all of the food on our table, there was nothing that made me just itching to come back and get that meal again.
My kids both had grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. The fries were not good. But that’s not really something we expected in a place like Dotson’s. The grilled cheese was very buttery, as in very, very unhealthy. Made on texas toast, I had a bite of one, and it was better than anything on the veggie platter.
If I came here again, I’d try a meat and 2, and one of the 2 would be fried okra, and the other of the 2 would not be the cabbage or green beans. Or I would just get a grilled cheese with fried okra.
But unfortunately, I doubt I will be here again.
Two stars.

I love little breakfast places like this. I have been here twice now and have gotten the sausage and cheese omlette, very happy with it both times, toast was good and I also ordered a side of their hashbrown casserole which is SUPER GOOD, tastes just like the hasbrown casserole that you would get at the loveless café. I do wish a potato side came with the meal though, as most breakfast places do. Their hot ham and cheese is pretty good. Their french fries are a nice thick cut. My mom said they have good grits, I couldn’t comment though, I do not like grits. The atmosphere is old, dated, kind of ugly, but fantastic all at the same time. Love it, will be back.

My wife and I went in to Dotson’s for a late breakfast on a Saturday. Even though they were busy, we found a table right away. Unfortunately there appeared to be only one server for the room we were in, and when we arrived she was taking the order for a large party. It took her a good 5 minutes to finish with them before she could greet us. Our coffee and water came out quickly, but since she was busy, the refills were pretty slow.
The food came out after a reasonable amount of time, but was a little disappointing. As usual, the fried chicken was excellent. The chicken was flavorful, juicy, and the skin was perfectly breaded and crisp.
Our server got our eggs confused, so mine were over medium and my wife’s were over easy, but it wasn’t a big deal. The hashbrown casserole was excellent, but the home fries were dry and tasted old. The grits were pretty good, but were just lukewarm
The biscuits were light and fluffy, but unfortunately they also were only lukewarm. The jams no longer come a a large jar with a spoon, they had them portioned out into little plastic ramekins. This is a good thing when it comes to sanitation, but you don’t get nearly the amount or selection you used to; our server just dropped a strawberry and blackberry ramekin on our table and those were our choices.
Also, parking is an issue. The empty lot where Earl’s Fruit Stand used to live has been chained off, so the small lot in front of Dotson’s can be crowded and even if it’s empty it can be difficult to navigate. Be careful.
I’m still a fan of Dotson’s, but after this visit I can’t give them five stars.

Dotson’s is one of my favorite food joints in Franklin. I love coming here as there is almost never a wait (at least whenever I’ve gone) and it just has that unbeatable hometown feel.
Sure the place looks like a hunting lodge from the 40s (or something like that), but it’s part of the ambiance. I like going there to sit in the old booths with the wood paneled walls that remind me of my grandmother’s house while I stare at all of the autographed memorabilia. Where else can you hold menus that have been signed by so many country stars?
I love the hamburgers at this place and their creamed corn is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE.
The service isn’t anything special, but I adore how they call everyone «hun» or «sugar», etc. All the waitresses are friendly and welcoming!
It is annoying that this place is cash only and the ATM requires you to pay a fee to get money out, but it takes you back to simpler times. Also, this place is pretty cheap compared to everything else within a mile.

Dotson’s is one of my «used to be» favorites. I gave them one star for the memories.
But over time, they’ve gotten proud of themselves. For what you get, it’s a little pricey. And the service a little lacking.
And given they’ve got the same little shack of a place that they’ve had forever, you can’t blame the overhead.
Speaking of overhead, the ceiling tiles need replacing and the cobwebs need dusting.
I might also be a little sour that last time i was there, before I even placed my order, I told the waitress that I wanted a piece of Coconut pie. It really was the main reason we went to Dotson’s. When I finished my meal and asked for the pie, she told me someone else had just bought it. I don’t really care that they bought the whole pie, I had placed my order before they got there.
But still, they have great fried chicken, decent sides, and country stars’ and pageant winners’ headshots on all the walls.
If you are lucky, you might even see a star.

Don’t look at the ceiling tiles or most of the building for that matter. Just look at the pie.
Waitress is nice… lady at the cash register is cranky.
The food is fine… not great/​not bad. The pie is great!