Red Pony

such great food, i had the fish and my husband had the shrimp and grits. everything from the first bite of what they brought to our table to dessert and drinks was fantastic. if you make reservation they even print a special menu for you special occasion. mine was happy anniversary.

We had the Steelhead Trout and Ahi entrées. The calamari appetizer, Sprouts salad, & crème brûlée … and, oh yeah, wine all contributed to a wonderful experience. If I went back tomorrow, I’m not sure that I wouldn’t order the same meal. Want to experience 1^st class service? Request Michael.

What a great place. I had the pleasure of eating here a while back and sure enjoyed it. They happened to have all their bottles of wine ½ off the night we went so we took advantage of that. The service was top notch and the food tasty.

WOW, I took my girlfriend here for date night solely because the menu /​yelp reviews recommended the Buffalo Cauliflower. It was absolutely fantastic! My girlfriend and I each got a cocktail, shared an appetizer and got different entrees. Everything we had to eat was great and the server was extremely helpful and knowledgeable on what they had to offer. If we ever make it back to Franklin for a fancy dinner date again Red Pony will be our stop!

Incredible service, delicious food and beautiful facility. What more can you ask for. I came here for a business celebration dinner and I am very impressed.

New Years Eve Dinner! 5 course meal that was amazing from start to finish! Service was very good and everyone was very friendly. Seems like a local hot spot which is a great secret to be discovered by out of towners. Fun area and great atmosphere

This was my first time at Red Pony and it was such an exceptional experience! We were seated very quickly upon our reservation time upstairs overlooking main street. I got the elk and lamb gnocchi with goat cheese and the other people in my group got the lobster ravioli and scallops, the ribeye off-​menu special and the oysters. They were all to-​die-​for! Our server was so great and personable and so great even when we kept forgetting the specials! We finished with the hazelnut bread pudding, the crème brulée and the coconut layer cake which were also ¹⁰⁄₁₀. This is a perfect special occasion place and I will definitely be returning.

After much deliberation, my two friends and I decided to go out for one of said friends’ birthday in Franklin (where we were staying) instead of making the long trip back to Nashville for the millionth time on our trip. It turned out to be a great decision! The Red Pony is a cute restaurant in ‘downtown’ Franklin. We made a reservation and were seated upstairs. The service was prompt and attentive. We ordered many menu items and shared including Brussel sprout salad, butternut squash soup, pierogis, cheese croquettes, guac, smoked fried chicken with a butternut squash waffle, garlic cheese grits, gruyère bread pudding, and blue cheese risotto… hey… stop judging us, they were small plates! Anyway, many of the items were delicious. They started us with an amuse bouche, some kind of pasta in a cream sauce, which was so good, I licked the bowl (no shame). Other winners were the pierogis, garlic cheese grits (which were still great the second day), the complimentary breads (of which there were a variety), and the cheese croquettes. Most everything else was good but not great. The chicken was the biggest let down… it was too sweet for me and the waffle was somewhat sad and limp. We had crème brulee for dessert and it was tasty. The drinks were also very good. I would recommend and go back, but I would be more choosy when ordering next time.

One of the better restaurants in town. Great menu, changes up pretty often which i love but stays true to it’s roots, which is new southern with a twist of everything else. Great staff and perfect service. Glad I live close!

Writing this review a few weeks after eating here so …
Met some old college friends here for dinner at about 9 PM in the middle of some sort of street festival. Expected the place to be slammed, but it actually seemed a bit slow (the wait staff were perplexed as well — apparently in previous years they’d had a ton of business during the festival and this year was anomalous.
My wife and I arrived first and were seated immediately upstairs. No wait. Our waiter met us at the table immediately and got us water while we waited. Our other party got there about 10 minutes later and the waiter was over immediately, taking drink orders, explaining the provenience of the restaurant, chef and building, and selling us on his favorite appetizers and mains. Glen (one of our companions) asked him a ton of questions and he completely engaged throughout — great staff! (⁴⁄₅)
A bit on the building — they’ve taken two store fronts /​2^nd floor apartments and merged them together, keeping the original brickwork and raw wood work for the floors and ceilings. It’s gorgeous. It was a bit loud as the bar was in the front of the narrow area we were seated — drinkers get a bit rambunctious, especially when a game is playing (hey, it’s the south, HAVE to show football on a Saturday evening right?)_(4/5)
The food was scrumptious — strangely we each (as couples) wound up ordering the exact things, and sharing with our spouses — weird eh?
Based on our waiter’s recommendations (and frankly what made our mouths water) we ordered several appetizers that we shared family style and all were great (⁴⁄₅)
A gnocchi like appetizer with blue cheese — not on the online menu
Smoked burrata — a really different and tasty choice
I really can’t remember the third, but suspect it was the beef tartar.
We both got the same two mains to share —
Red Fish
Shrimp and Grits
Both were to die for
Drinks we really didn’t do too much — Glen had some sort of micro beer from the Good People Brewing Company in Birmingham Alabama and I limited myself to a single Manhattan.
Total tab for 4 people with drinks was about $ 200 before tip (gave a generous 30%) I think.
Definitely will go here when I’m back in Franklin.
A note on my rating schema
Rating system
1) I wouldn’t feed a dog I hated here
2) I’ll give it a miss
3) Good food — I’ll definitely go again
4) Really good — I’ll recommend to business colleagues and connoisseurs of this cuisine
5) Completely worth a trip — I’d book airplane and hotels to go there again.

Nice place in downtown Franklin, a very unique restaurant setting with couches in the bar which is in the middle of the restaurant. Food was great, had a pork chop which was pretty delicious. Service was good.

Called for a dinner reservation for 2 at 930 sat us right away. We wanted to sit at the bar but it was full. We then waited for about ¹⁵⁄₂₀ for the waitress to even take our order. Luckily she was very friendly so we couldn’t be that mad. She even gave us a little sampler for waiting so long.
Prices for drinks and food were about right well worth it for how unique the food is. :)
Ordered Moscow mule and wanderer very delightful.
For dinner we ordered appetizers just to snack on grilled lambs were phenomenal had an amazing green sauce to top it off. As for the pizza it was very unique we couldn’t pinpoint the sweetness that was apart of it. Again very good, had a good kick to it.
Lastly waiting for our check was another 15/​20min wait. Not sure why we kept having to wait so long. This is why I have them 3, BUT Food is a 5 for sure.

Oh my. Food is amazing! At these prices, you would expect no less than perfection. But they were stingy on the portions. I got the steak, she got the shrimp, and we left still hungry despite getting an appetizer and wine. Still great in every other way.

My wife and I went here for our anniversary this last weekend. Dishes are little unique which is what we like. We got the beef tenderloin, Sea Bass and then fried green tomatoes for the appetizer. The fried green tomatoes had a lobster/​seasoned concoction over the tomatoes that was tasty. We were disappointed with the portion for the purpose that it was just two small slices of tomatoes. $ 14 for for this appetizer was ridiculous. We had drinks, bread, an appetizer, our main dish and we still walked out hungry. We felt the menu was a bit overpriced for portion sizes but enjoyed the flavors that we had.
Service was great and our waiter took the time to know us and explain the menu were we had questions.

I researched a million places to eat while in town for work and stumbled upon Red Pony. It was amazing. Great vibe and friendly staff. I requested outside seating and they had a wonderful patio out back on the second level. Waiter (Adam I believe) was attentive, knowledgable about the menu and helpful without being over whelming. Compliments of the chef he brought out the gnocchi in a cheese sauce appetizer and it was delicious! For my entrée I had the Mediterranean Sea Bass. The dish had a side of vegetables in a beet and goat cheese purée. It was outstanding!
I wish I had room for dessert as they had quite the variety to satisfy all cravings. Chocolate chili cheesecake?!? Great wine list as well.
Will absolutely be coming back when I’m in town again and have already raved about this place to the locals who have never been.

I don’t know how to write this. Everything I say will be superlative and you won’t believe me since people don’t often believe in magic.
Can I say with certainty that this is the best food served in Tennessee? Of course not, I haven’t been to 90% of the restaurants here. But I can say that this was one of the top three meals of my life, thus far. If you find yourself ANYwhere near Franklin, TN — it would be considered a sin not to eat here. My friend and I went here for the first time tonight and our entire dinner conversation was based on what we ate. Is that normal? No. Is that what had to happen? No question.
We found ourselves thinking thoughts like, «How dare SHORTS be worn and allowed in the presence of this kind of food?» and «Umm, I think we’re eating rainbows» and «If there’s a witch in the kitchen right now stirring an enormous caldron full of potions, I would believe it» and «How are we supposed to eat anything else again?» and «There has to be drugs in here. What is happening.»
The menu changes seasonally and if you go this season, I beg you to get the sausage pizza as a main, the Nutella mousse panna cotta, the crème brulee, the beef tenderloin, the burrata bruchetta, THE BEEF DUMPLINGS.
It’s abnormal that people don’t cheer or give applause on their way out the door. It’s almost insulting that they don’t, to be honest.
Fuck your Goo Goo Clusters, Nashville. This is the only place you need to visit.

An absolutely perfect experience today, start to finish. The Old School Old Fashioned prepared expertly at the bar. Move over to a dining table. A small plate of homemade gnocchi as a welcome. Wow… Southerners aren’t supposed to make Italian food this good are they? I opted for one of the house salads and the Elk Sausage Pappardelle, with a side of seared diver scallops. Psst, not on the menu, but just ask. Every bite of everything I ate was spot on in preparation & flavor profile. Our server Ben, provided a stellar experience with recommendations, insight into the menu and true Southern hospitality, from hostess to bartender to waiter.
A complete dining experience.

So their food is great, their drinks are great, I just don’t know how to feel about this place! Kidding :) It’s honestly a great, Franklin-​vibed iconic sort of place. You definitely feel like you’re getting a unique and classy taste of Tennessee. I will say I have not had entrée level foods here yet but I do plan to come back, their Clint Eastwood hit the spot along with the some guacamole and crab tempura sushi. The sushi was a little oily, but it still was delicious.
Cannot wait to try some of those infamous meals! (And more custom cocktails.)

Had a great dinner at Red Pony. The atmosphere is modern country– very cute. The service was great! I wish he had told us his name so I could boost about him. The drinks were delicious — the Moscow mule had a bit too much lime for me but it was still good.
We started with the elk in a blanket and brussel sprouts. The elk in a blanket was good and had a kick of spice the brussel sprouts were awesome!
We then got the shrimps and grits and the beef tournedos. The grits were a bit too brothy for me. They had a great flavor and were so filling! The beef was very tender and the sauce was great.
We took dessert home because we were too full to have it there.
I highly recommend red pony. It’s on the pricy side but the meal is divine!

SO good! I came here with a group for dinner on a weekend and we were able to be seated right away. Our waiter was awesome, super friendly and knowledgeable of everything on the menu (also, he was hilarious). We ordered duck bacon and guacamole as an appetizer (YUMM!). The duck bacon was mouthwateringly delicious.
I ordered the chicken, a couple ordered elk, and someone else ordered a beef entrée. We also ordered brussel sprouts + mac and cheese. We also ordered the peppermint cheesecake and crème brûlée for dessert. Our bellies left the Red Pony in pain — but a good kind of pain. The pain you get from eating so many delicious things in one sitting and have every intention of returning to eat more of it. This is such a gem in Franklin!

We decided to try Red Pony during a trip to Nashville from Atlanta. There was a bluegrass festival in Franklin so we used Unilocal to help us find the perfect place to dine! Great job Unilocalers! We LOVED The Red Pony & definitely will be back as we are frequently in Nashville!
Rustic, charming, warn & inviting. My first impression! Our server was very knowledgeable & it was evident he was a big fan of the place! The special appetizer of fresh crab meat, fresh corn, tomatoes. Chipotle… Was incredible! Served with homemade Tortilla chips! Next an incredible, light & authentic Greek salad! Amaze!
I enjoyed the tuna with cucumber salsa & my b’friend said his elk was phenomenal!
We cannot wait to return! Enjoy!