Monell’s at the Manor

This place is amazing! If ever my family wants to get breakfast on a weekend we automatically go to Monells! The food is delicious and since its family style we get to meet a bunch of new people! Would highly recomend

This place will clearly get you a TON of food and the building is old school, classic and pretty.
You sit with others family style and communal eating. Pass the food (that keeps on coming) down!
My favorite were the chicken and dumplings… man, I can’t get anything like that back in Milwaukee, WI!
I thought the fried chicken was a little dry. There were something interesting cold and warm corn bread salads. Like nothing I’ve ever tried before.
If you want to eat a lot, come here. You want home cookin’ also come here.

This morning Sunday jan9/​2016 we had the worst experience there… old boiled potatoes so called roasted potatoes… burned bacon. watery unsalted eggs, dry fried chicken… and horrendous cheap coffee. I complained and the waiter tried to convinced I was wrong! (I’M A REAL CHEF) I’m a latino… but honestly you cannot let a Mexican cook take care a kitchen of a very well known brand like monells… or a least train him better!!!

I have nothing bad to say about this place! What an experience! This restaurant is an old plantation home set just near the Nashville airport. I first noticed the grandeur of this magnificent home painted a soft yellow and surrounded by well kept grounds.
We walked in and we’re swept away with the lavish and we’ll preserved antiques. Although the restaurant is busy we were greeted within a few minutes as seated straight away. I was pleasantly surprised when we were seated at a 14 top table we shared with four other families.

Monell’s always serves up the best soul food ever. I don’t even know what else to say in this review. I can eat every meal at Monell’s when I visit Nashville. Everything is good, from the biscuits with peach preserves, to the fried chicken (to die for), to the corn pudding, to the lemonade.
The eat in style is a little different. Everything is served family style, so be prepared to be social with other patrons that will be sitting at your table with you. This caught me off guard the 1^st time I visited Monell’s, but I love it. It’s also all you can eat, so the food keeps coming, just ask for more of whatever you want.
This is a «must» stop if you’re visiting Nashville.

Although we like the setting of the Germantown location better, the food makes you forget where you are! The service was just as great and the same great tasting recipes grace this mansion. The cat fish is perfect – try to go on a cat fish day. The corn bread is moist and sweet and all the other sides are terrific. Amazing place!

It’s a neat house. The price is fine for weekdays dinner buffet/​all you can eat style, $ 16.
The restaurant is somewhat of an allusion. There are a lot of dishes and they all seem nice but individually they are mediocre.
The experience is unique because we shared a table with strangers. The house is very nice and well kept so you get a free tour of a historic house.

It took me three months to get into Monell’s for a sit down breakfast on Sunday (I’ve given up getting inside the one in Germantown — I can’t even find a parking place), but I’m glad I finally did. Had Sunday breakfast here with my family visiting from Texas. The Manor is now painted yellow on the front. The inside is charming, you feel like you are having dinner with family friends. It’s stately yet unpretentious. The staff are helpful but not worrisome. The food is over the top — a lot of it, very, very Southern and very, very good. We sat with strangers but they were not strangers for long — when you share a meal, you bond quickly. Breakfast was hot, soft, flavorful biscuits, fresh cinnamon rolls, cheese grits, sausage gravy, pear preserves, the best sausage patties you will ever eat in your life, delicious bacon, country ham, scrambled eggs, corn pudding, pancakes, washed down with good coffee, iced tea, and of course a basket of fresh fried chicken. We could not eat it all but tried really hard. You just can’t hold it all. There might have been more, I don’t even know. It was about $ 15 per person, well worth it. It’s the best southern breakfast I’ve had in Nashville. Get there early so you don’t have to wait. If you visit Nashville, you have to make at least one trip to Monell’s.
I should add that I’ve had a pickup dinner from the Monell’s at Berry Hill. It was meh, the food was not all that. The experience at the Manor was worlds apart.

Wonderful food. Service was great and didn’t have to sit with strangers because I was in a big party. I just wish they served as much dessert as the rest of the food. That’s the only thing that could make this better!

This is just as good as the Germantown location in case you’re wondering… I was. I showed up here because the other location was closed for a party and wasn’t disappointed. The mains the night we went were meatloaf, fried catfish and chicken and pulled pork. The usual sides and pecan pie for dessert. I love Monell’s. I do. I’m not sure what the fussing is about in the negative reviews. I’ve eaten this food across the South in dozens of places. Sure, I’ve had better here and there but this is really solidly prepared and tasty food. They miss on the desserts sometimes and some of the dishes aren’t great sometimes as well but there’s so much to choose from that it doesn’t matter if you don’t like everything. Their fried chicken is very very good. Try the corn pudding and butter beans. They let their ingredients shine. If you think it’s bland then dump a bunch of hot sauce, salt and pepper on it.

Driving over here we were super intimidated about the idea of eating with strangers. However the meal will only be as awkward as you make it. So I encourage you to relax and be ready for a great meal!
You drive in to this large lot with a mansion that shows up out of nowhere and park to the side. Walking in, there is a hostess that seats you to one of many tables all over the house. Once you sit, they bring the salads, then sides, then the mains and then desert. You are asked to pass everything to the left as you go. There is sweet tea and lemonade on the table for you to help yourself with. Everyone was super friendly and we had a nice time eating with random people we never met.
On the day that I went, these were the items on the menu.
Corn Bread
Biscuits
Cole Slaw
Broccoli Salad
Tomato Salad
Green Beans
Collard Greens
Creamed Corn
Creamed Squash
Vegetarian Pasta Shells
Beef Stew
Fried Chicken
Banana pudding
Everything was good and gives you food coma like no other. Don’t be afraid to try a little of everything first and get seconds on your favorites!

Interesting family-​style set up! You have to be comfortable sitting with random people. Each table holds about 12 people and they join you with other families. Family-​style with all the food. They have a set menu but plenty of choices and unlimited refills.

I think of Monell’s to be kind of a Nashville institution. This particular location right next to the airport is in an old house that gives it the feel of coming to your grandmothers for Sunday dinner. There is plenty of parking next to the restaurant.
When you enter you are seated in one of several rooms at a big table with other people who you don’t know. Your table is served dishes of food starting with salads then meats and vegetables and then desserts. There are usually 3 – 4 meat entrees available with at least that many veggie options. You serve yourself while seated passing the food bowls around the table. All of the food I ate would be rated at least a 3, 3.5 or 4. I enjoyed everything I ate. Pitchers of drinks are also left on the table for easy refills. While I don’t think this place is advertised as an all you can eat place it is pretty close to being that with the amount of food they put out on the table and their readiness to refill the food bowls.
One other benefit is that you will most likely be eating with other strangers at the table and that can be a pleasant experience talking with them. If you don’t want to socialize with the others that’s ok too.
After dessert your table waiter gives you the bill and then you go to the cashier and pay. The meal time doesn’t take any longer than eating at a regular table service restaurant.
I enjoyed my meal and would be happy to return when in town.

Located in the old New Orleans Manor, I was glad when they opened on this side of Nashville. Far more convenient than driving to Germantown or the café near Berry Hill.
I’ve always enjoyed the food, and there’s plenty of it! They usually serve fried chicken and a few other meats with several sides. Your meal includes iced tea, bread, and dessert.
The concept is very interesting sitting at a table full of strangers. Can’t say that I’m the biggest fan. When I go out to eat, especially a heavy meal like this one, I’m not super interested in chatting with people I don’t know.
You can’t come in and choose your seat. They will tell you which table to sit at, and they even prefer that you don’t leave an empty seat between you and the stranger beside you.
It all works out though. Everyone is pretty friendly, and we’ve met lots of people visiting Nashville that are eating at Monell’s for the first time.
It’s good for groups (I’ve been with family, friends, and coworkers for lunch.)
I recently went for breakfast for the very first time. Fried chicken for breakfast. Surprise, surprise!
Everything was yummy. You get full fast and they don’t allow you to take any away in to go containers. Eat until you’re about to pop and leave happy!

We stopped by here for dinner right after I picked up my boyfriend from the airport. I will say, they served us immediately, seating us at the first available long table where four others were enjoying a hearty serving of appetizers. The first round consisted of tomato slices, pickled carrots with cucumbers (not canned), and biscuits with their famous peach preserves. Try not to fill up too soon on carbs and this course, as the main course comes with its own fair share of sides. After only a few minutes, we were treated to fried chicken, ribs, and fried catfish with hush puppies for the main meal. The sides were plentiful, consisting of white beans, collard greens, corn pudding, green beans, and mashed potatoes among other buttery, steaming items. I really enjoyed the potatoes and ribs, which slipped right off the bone. Servers will refill any and all dishes, including the main proteins. I really enjoyed the banana pudding they served for dessert, a heady combination of vanilla wafers and some sort of thick custard perhaps whipped with condensed milk.
A great experience overall, though I do wish the service matched up with the steep price of $ 20 a person. People also kept recommending brunch at dinner, so it seems like that is the main meal Monell’s is known for. I wish they had more dessert options, but you do get to sample a ton of food during an hour-​long meal. I was full for 12 hours or more, nearly bursting at the seams. Definitely take a trip here if you’re famished.

This was my first time in Tennessee and I’m so glad my friends brought me here. Dinner is served family style and is passed around amongst everyone at the table. Feels like the holidays! When they seat you, you may be sat with others and they don’t leave spaces between guests so you most likely be sitting next to someone you don’t know and everyone becomes one happy family. I loved the concept. That night we were served cole slaw, biscuits, fried chicken, pot roast (okay IMO), sweet potato casserole (amazing), peach cobbler, and tea. Very cool place. Fun to explore afterwards upstairs.

I am at a loss for words, and that alone is saying something. To put it in the words of another Unilocaler, «Monell’s isn’t a restaurant – it’s an experience» Southern charm, hospitality, and food combine together with family-​style dining at this converted manor-​turned-​restaurant (dishes all passed to the left at the beginning of the meal, although seconds are a must in my book!).
A great place for Sunday Brunch, especially if you are in a small group, this is a great place to bring out-​of-​towners. You will be promptly paired with more people, sitting at large tables of 10 – 16: an opportunity to dine with strangers, make new friends, and experience fellowship in a whole new way (actually an old way, but few remember anymore).
Food-​wise: This may have been the best skillet-​fried chicken I have ever had, but the biscuits and peach preserves are not far behind in ranking as «best». The fried chicken was simple yet flavorful, super juicy, tender, and tasted like chicken (I know, chicken that tastes like chicken!!! In a day when so many hormone-​injected chickens taste anything but? Yes!)
The fruit tea and sweetened tea are also very fine, although I never like so much sugar and just took small sips. Nevertheless, it was popular at our table.
The food was plentiful and varied, with something for everyone. I suspect it is a rolling menu from reading other reviews, but on the Sunday I went we had: Fried chicken, corn pudding, pot roast (that tastes just like my grandma used to make), green beans, corn bread, cucumber salad, mashed potatoes, honey-​glazed carrots, biscuits, coleslaw, squash casserole. There was also mac&cheese made with Velveeta, which some Unilocalers slam them for, but now living in a home surrounded by soul food, this is how we do nachos and mac&cheese! Get over it!
Let’s talk dessert: These too rotate. I hear if you go on most other days the banana pudding is out of this world, although we had chocolate pie for dessert. Nothing special. Frankly the biscuit with peach preserves was the better dessert! ;)
The price was right too. Sunday brunch for four adults for $ 21 a person? A steal!

The Fried Chicken is mentioned in 49 reviews here… the meatloaf is mentioned in 6… That is a travesty! I am here to speak on behalf of the meatloaf…
I am by no means a southern food connoisseur. I will say though, that I can appreciate the fine cooking at Monell’s. If you want good old southern cooking, this is a great place to get it, and for a reasonable price… but I have digressed.
While the fried chicken is very good, as well as all of the sides, what I really fell in love with was the meatloaf.
They use a blend of beef and pork, and the flavor and consistency works. It’s just the right mix of dense, juicy and crumbly. It’s succulent meat loaf. The beef pork mix also gives is a lot of flavor… just an absolute winner on this menu!

Good, honest food at a good price. Our friday night menu was fried chicken, pulled pork, meat loaf and fried catfish. I was most impressed with the meat loaf and pulled pork. Both were delicious. Everything was very good.
It is a little uncomfortable for me to sit «family style»,/at the same table as strangers, but wasn’t as bad as I feared. We went on a Friday night and it only took us 30 minutes to get seated, which was great for his busy it was.
The beginning dishes included a great coleslaw, bean salad, a vinagarie salad, biscuits, and cornbread. The side dishes were onion rings, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn pudding. All were good, except the mashed potatoes were very thin.
The banana pudding desert was good, but would have liked to have something a little better to be end such a strong meal.
Overall, it was a great, unique experience and we’ll be back!

It has been a few days, and I have not stopped talking about this place yet. I keep telling this amazing story of how I was driving through Nashville and decided to stop and meet a friend for brunch/​early dinner before I got back on the road. He had the perfect spot in mind for me to try but it closed at 4pm so I had to push it a bit. We made it in plenty of time.
We pulled into a large gated private plantation looking place. Directly next door to the airport with planes taking off, is this large white house that sits about a football field away from the road. There is a shooting water fountain out in the yard and parking to the left of the residence. Once inside, there is a large foyer and 2 over sized dining halls, maybe 3 as I did not walk around the entire floor.
There is only 1 menu. Sunday Brunch. This is family style seating. Something I have not seen in years, if ever! You can come in with a party of 5, a couple, group of 20, by yourself… it does not matter you are all sitting at the same tables. Yes, with people you do not even know. Interesting. It gets better. They start bringing out the food. All of the food was eye rolling, look back at it type good. The catfish, which I have not had since I was a child, was the best! It was tender and perfectly, perfectly seasoned. OMG, my mouth is watering thinking about! Also on the menu this Sunday was cucumber salad, biscuits, roast, fried chicken, mac n cheese, green beans, BBQ ribs, coleslaw and more! If a bowl got low, the staff just refilled it.
If the food was not good, I would have a different opinion of this place. The food was so good that I want to go back to Nashville just to dine here again. I am not easy to impress, but rightfully so, I am impressed by Monell’s.
FYI: They have 3 locations, all with the same recipes but this is the biggest location. The meal ticket brought me to a real LOL. I have so much more to say but I think you get my drift.