Trattoria A

The very first time we went to Trattoria A, it was very enjoyable. We met the chef who was very pleasant. I liked it so much that I wanted to book the Chef’s table for my husbands retirement party with a few close friends. I tried to make reservations on line but couldn’t so I called the restaurant directly. (I called on May 17 th for June 24 reservations) They said the Chef’s table needs to be booked 3 months in advance. I told her it was to celebrate my husband’s retirement. She said let me look. She came back and said they just so happen to have the Chef’s table open for that evening. So I booked it. I gave her my name and phone number. We arrived on the 24 th and were told that they did not have our reservation and they were booked. I told them I spoke directly to the restaurant on the phone and booked it. The hostess said their reservations are only taken through open table. Sure wish I had the name of the girl I talked to on the phone. I learned a lesson to get persons name and to to double check back with them to confirm. We all were looking so forward to the evening and I had talked it up. So disappointed! Won’t be talking it up again. We took our party elsewhere and were treated very well.
I tried to give this a no star but had to rate at least one.

Perhaps the worst dining experience I can remember. Hot– no A/​C– cramped. Loud. Water was tepid and rationed. Bread stale. Portions HUGE — not a fine dining experience. Staff inexperienced. Did I say ‘hot’? Loud– very– tables too close together for large parties. Forget private conversation. Forget conversation for that matter. Food taste ‘ok’– but better at Denny’s or Waffle House. Do not go here– repeat, do not go here.

Very rustic. Bring your own wine. The caprese salad is a must try. Was very impressed with the sea bass. Will definitely visit again

Okay, there are a few things you need to know about this place. First, it’s in a small house a little outside of Downtown Franklin. The parking is across the street. It’s very cramped. There might’ve been 18 tables including the large outdoor section that was on the front lawn.
They sat at a table so close to the front door it was laughable. We practically became the nonexistent hostess stand. The room we were in was cramped with 5 tables. We were very close to everyone in the room. The employees were odd. All of them were dressed like dirty hipsters. A few of the boys seemed super spaced out and the girls were just snappy.
The prices are high. Appetizers are about $ 12, pasta is about $ 30, meats are $ 30 and up. The dessert was $ 8.
We declined an appetizer. The provided bread was bad. Like just unenjoyable.
You can bring your own wine but they’ll charge you $ 10. The tap water was bad.
I got a scallop pasta. It was delicious. Four large scallops in a creamy tomato sauce. I give this 5 stars. My boyfriends chicken wasn’t so good. The chicken was just average.
For dessert we got this cute butterscotch pudding with salted caramel toppings. It was good!
This place has some good qualities but I would be cautious with your time and money!

Horrible experience. We had made reservation 2 months prior to our dinner outing specifically because we were a party of 6 coming in from Nashville to sit at the Chef’s table. When we arrived at Trattoria A, we were told that the Chef had decided to give his Chef’s table to «more important guests». Yes that is what we were told. Regardless of the bad and rude service with no concessions to correct the error. We stayed siting in the general dining room as we were all starving. Very disappointed with this restaurant. They could have called me days before to inform me. Bad customer service. If you plan to go just know you reservation might be given away!

Had an amazing dinner at the chef’s table this evening. We started with some complementary appetizers that included an Italian meat plate and a vegetable sampler (roasted beets and goat cheese with lentils, farro and tomatoes, and vegetable jardinière). Four members of our party had the Sunday gravy special. The meatball that accompanied this dinner was baseball size, extremely tender, and packed with flavor. Two members had the straw and hay meal and it was rich, creamy, and delicious. I had the angry shrimp pasta. The red sauce was amazing and the shrimp were perfect! At the end of the meal we were surprised with fresh gelato (watermelon, lemon, pistachio/​caramel, and vanilla/​chocolate accompanied with a piece of biscotti in each. The lemon was my favorite but they were all very good. And then we shared a single budino. If you have not had an Italian budino you are missing out… it is sin on a spoon! One hell of an amazing meal!

This place deserves nothing less than 5 stars. I highly recommend reserving the chefs table. It will take a while to get a reservation, but it’s absolutely worth it. We sat at the chefs table, enjoyed a variety of wines (BYOB), caprese, deli plates with various meats, olives, and delicious sauces, freshly made breads with olive oil, and that was all before the main course. I ordered the lamb because it’s one of my absolute favorite dishes, so I like to try each restaurants take on it. It was delectable! It was comparable to the best lamb I’ve ever had, from a little place in East Boston called Rino’s.
Following the main course, we tried several different desserts and all three were divine!
But I have to say, the most incredible part of the evening was spending time with Chef Matt. He absolutely encompasses that personal touch that makes everyone at the table feel like family, and he’s a fabulous storyteller! I am truly grateful for such an amazing night in a small, intimate setting with amazing friends.
Now, for those of you who are reading the other reviews from patrons complaining about the size of the restaurant, or that the tables are «too close together», or that you can hear conversations from the kitchen, or that the restaurant looks like a house… please do yourself a favor and take a moment to look up the history of «trattorias». This is a longstanding Italian tradition, and Chef Matt does an incredible job at keeping this tradition alive. We will definitely be back, again and again.

This is a second review for Trattoria and though it was «good», the blinders were off. They do not serve wine yet charged a $ 10 corkage fee! We ate in the main room and heard every joke, fight and conversation from the kitchen (separated by a drape). The couple next to us left angry — said it was awful (they had spaghetti and swore it was canned sauce).
The small dish appetizer was again ²⁄₃ (quinoa was bad). Our entrees were delicious but WAY overpriced — $ 28 each for pasta without meat! (More than we paid in Rome). Ice cream was another hit & miss– pistachio was fine but the lemon was so sour it was nearly inedible. $ 8* each thank you. Good service but the cost, loud kitchen and hit or miss of a few of the fishes left a bad taste.

Not impressed. I’m fine with «cozy» seating arrangements but the tables were way too close and our party of 8 was crammed into a space suitable for no more than 6. They were out of several beverage options and our server wasn’t knowledgeable about the menu. Not one person in our party raved about their dish. I had the seafood stew and while it was quite good, it was definitely not worth $ 32. Also, our server couldn’t remember what to put on who’s bill because he didn’t write anything down. I think the most annoying part was towards the end of our meal we were the last table in the place (only 8:30) and the staff was being very loud in the kitchen. It’s such a tiny place, they really should be more cognizant of that — hearing their conversations really ruined the already-​lacking atmosphere.

We shared the caprese salad, a pasta dish, salmon & chicken Marsala. The dill sauce on the salmon was great! Brought a bottle of wine with us. Bread, olive oil & balsamic excellent. It was fun to share so many dishes –the flavor in all the dishes was excellent!

The food was very authentic but severely overpriced. No wine list. The inside is tiny. Get ready to rub elbows with people at the next table. They need to get realistic in the portions and price. The food was just okay but the service was good. They tried. Keep in mind this restaurant looks like somebody’s house.

We’re new in TN and was looking for a Italian place when we found this and went last night to check it out. I would give this place 5stars on every level, food was outstanding, service was on point and it’s located in Franklin in a small house with a genuine vibe. We met the chef who is passionate about the place and we had a great conversation. I can strongly recommend this place.

If this restaurant was in Russia during the Cold War and I was JFK, I would have negotiated a disarmament of our own nuclear weapons just for a chance to eat here again
Anyone who rates this anything less than 5 stars is doing a disservice
Highly recommend
Great portions, great food, great ambiance, great staff

You can trust this review… come here for a Romantic dinner made with Love and passion… !!!
Right now it’s bring your own Wine with a 10 dollar corking fee… but that will probably change in the future… The Chef is from New York and everything is fresh and
authentic and prepared with Love… All in a tiny home in Franklin TN… You’ll feel like
you wandered into a little place in Italy. We made a Memory tonight.

I found the food to be very average. For a chef who claims to have lived in Italy and cooked for presidents, he grossly under seasons his dishes, and served cold tomatoes on the caprese salad, which resulted in flavorless tomatoes. The house is so tiny, we had to wait outside in the pouring rain for several minutes while they prepared our table. Tables are extremely close together. We won’t be returning.

An amazing experience from the little house in Franklin! Great fresh food made with love and care and a great friendly staff! If you like Italian food like and something new and interesting this is a place for you!

Wonderful meal for my birthday on Dec. 30 with seven friends. Don’t skip the appetizers, particularly the cicchetti, or small plates! Perfect for sharing. Our entrees were also fabulous and the bundito dessert was the perfect finale!

Absolutely delightful. A wonderful approximation of an authentic Italian dining experience with a focus on seasonal food and the company you bring with you. The home made pasta was delicious and the service was excellent.
You have to bring your own wine, but that’s fine. Select a good well rounded Italian blend and it will pair perfectly with whatever you order. Plan to share and get something different from your dining partners so you can try everything on the menu. You’ll be glad you did.

Hmmmm. Where do I start?
1. Matt, I spoke to you on Monday ¹²⁄₂₈ to make my reservation for NYE and asked you specifically if the menu was gonna be the same that night as the posted December menu and you stated «yes it will be plus I will add a couple extra items».
Reality: we were told there were no specials. That would have been perfectly fine should the already limited December menu at least contained what it said. The two things my wife and I wanted (tortellini and Sunday Gravy) were not available. And let’s not forget our reservation was at 6:30 so it’s not like they ran out. The table that came in and sat next to us was also disappointed as I overheard one of them also try to order the tortellini. What’s the point of having a posted monthly menu but then saying «menu changes daily». I get the reasoning but it’s also somewhat of a contradiction. Better yet, don’t even have an online menu. That solves the problem. Or say, «this is what I might have… call the day of for specific menu».
2. When we were initially brought our bread I noticed that there wasn’t a third plate for which you typically mix your vinegar and oil on and dip your bread. No big deal right? Apparently so. I ask for a third plate and was rudely told «you already have one». This of course set the tone for the next 20 minutes until we left. My wife sensed me getting upset and just told her not to worry about it. Would you still not bring a third plate? Never got one.
3. Once we expressed our disappointment that the two things we wanted were both not available we asked for our check. Unfortunately we had to wait until our salumi app plate came that we already ordered. I will say that the salumi plate was good. After only being there 20 minutes and having one glass of wine we were shocked to see that they had the nerve to still charge us a $ 10 cork fee, a more than reasonable cork fee but we didn’t need to go 1 minute down the street to get our wine opened for $ 10. We questioned this and our waitress returned from the kitchen and said it would not be removed. Mind you this whole time nobody came out and apologized for the menu or tried one bit of damage control. JUST SOME SEMBLANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE STAYED.
This was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. It was New Years Eve and we were counting on a good experience. It’s not like there was anywhere else we could go, so the fact that we left says it was pretty disappointing. We live 2 blocks from the restaurant and were very excited to possibly have a nice neighborhood restaurant. We have a group of about 6 other houses with friends and family all within 3 blocks of the place that were anxious to also make this one of their regular spots. Needless to say, we will all just wait for Maffiozas to open.
Matt, your little place has a lot of potential but you gotta start with customer service and that begins with trained friendly waitstaff and at least an appearance of trying to make things right. In the 7 or so posts the restaurant has gotten I believe you will see this is the second post with the same message.

I had read about this restaurant in a local online magazine, so I wanted to give it a try. We made a reservation and as mentioned in other reviews, I would just call the restaurant to make the reservation. We met another family there, so there were 6 of us. While we waited for the other family to arrive we cracked open one of our wines (it’s BYOB), sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful December evening and wine. All of the wait staff and host were very friendly.
Once everyone arrived and we were seated, they brought us a basket of wonderful homemade crusty bread. Our table ordered the Caprese salad, Caesar salad & Cicchetti. The salads were large enough for 2 people to share and we passed the Cicchetti around the table. Our table ordered Guitar Strings, Straw & Hay and Al’ Arrabbiata Shrimp. The servings were just the right size for one person and everyone loved what they ordered! My husband was a little disappointed, because he saw on the December menu on their website that they had Sunday Gravy — fresh meatballs, but they actually weren’t serving it the night we were there. Their website does say «menu changes daily».
We wanted to order the Italian Gelato, which was Pistachio on the evening menu, but they were out of it, so again we were a little bummed. The only options for dessert that evening where Budino and Tira Misu. One couple did order the Tira Misu and said it was fabulous.
Overall, the restaurant is very charming, the staff is friendly and the food is delicious! We will be back!

Trattoria a gets an A, excited to see this place open close to the house, simple fresh food executed to perfection in a small intimate setting. Everyone loved the food, we will be back!

I am EXTREMELY disappointed. Had high expectations for dinner here tonight, celebrating a special event with another couple. I made my reservation through Unilocal a week in advance for Friday night at 7pm. This was a dinner we all had been highly anticipating all week and we bought special wines to celebrate our event.
We arrived and had to wait 10 minutes before talking to anyone (there were other parties waiting also). When we finally got to speak to the host and I gave him my name he did not have it on their list. Apparently the Unilocal reservation system was not notifying the restaurant??? Seriously??? I showed him my email confirmation but he said they were booked up and they would not be able to accommodate us at a table until 9 or 9:30, (like we wanted to wait two or more hours!). We said we wouldn’t wait and he just said sorry.
Now this is where my gripe is. I understand it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault if Unilocal truly failed in this case. However, being a service company, and a NEW RESTAURANT at that, you would think they would be hyper aware of service recovery, and immediately offer to see what they could do and check with the owner, to give us a free appetizer or something along those lines the next time we came back. He did not.
We then had to ask him ourselves if they would do anything for service recovery (hint hint)!!! Again, instead of saying of yes, let me see what we can do, he just asked us if we wanted him to talk to the owner.
We said no, don’t bother, and just left.
There are fundamental things new restaurants should know, and service recovery is one of them. In this regard, the restaurant failed miserably.
Friday night a little after 7 is not a good time to be without a reservation in downtown Franklin. We tried a number of restaurants but everything was booked until 9 or 9:30.
We eventually found another restaurant that was not in downtown Franklin.

So happy to finally have an authentic Italian restaurant in Franklin! Everything his fresh made daily by the owner. The bread is to die for. I highly recommend the caprese salad, salmon and straw and hay dish. Not for those who are in a hurry but for those who love a true authentic Italian dining experience. The owner came out to talk to us for a while which was really nice. We will be back:)