Phat Bites

Went there for lunch before they moved locations and myself and husband were pretty impressed. Just think about how excited we were to hear that they were now open for breakfast at their new location!
We visited there on a Sunday morning for breakfast. Husband isn’t home that much due to work so we wanted to enjoy a sit down breakfast together before running our errands for the day and thought we would try out the new breakfast menu (Belgian waffle with side of bacon for me and Disco Ball for my husband). Walked in to no line at all and placed our order at the counter. Went around to pay, grab our fruit tea, and took a seat. We looked around and noticed what appeared to be a couple people (I’m assuming at this point) ordered food after their group did. Didn’t really think anything of it. After approx. 20 mins, my name is called. They put my Belgian waffle down (no sign of side of bacon) and tell us that my husband’s meal is right behind them. My husband didn’t want my food to get cold so told me to go ahead without him. I ate my ENTIRE waffle and he still didn’t have his food. Plates were slowly making their way from the kitchen to the other people’s tables. My husband still waiting for his. I finally go to the counter and ask about his plate. They hand me a plate that was sitting on the counter and says «Breakfast takes longer to cook.» Ummmmmmmmm… ok. They didn’t seem apologetic in the slightest even though I told them that I’ve already finished my breakfast. I took his plate to him and went back up for my side of bacon. He literally finished his food before my side of bacon was brought to the table. His food was cold and the look of the meat on his plate was questionable. The quiche was pretty good though!
Needless to say, our planned nice sit down breakfast together turned out to be far from our expectations which included a price tag of $ 30. If you go for breakfast and plan to eat TOGETHER… you may want to take a snack to eat while others in your party enjoy their plates one by one.

This was such a fun, funky stop along our Nashville travels! Everyone was incredibly pleasant and helpful. My friend and I split the turkey wrap and caprese sandwich, which were delicious! The thing that we really loved, however, was the Farmer’s Paradise coffee with honey and goats milk. We ordered it because we had never tried anything like it, but were so pleasantly surprised! Would recommend and go back.

I came here tonight for the first time and will be back as often as possible — at least a few times a week! Everything was GREAT, from the staff to the food/​drinks to the entertainment to the ambiance and more. No complaints and 3 thumbs up if’n I had 3!

Great food but… Constantly messing up orders and very slow during lunch. If you come here and need to be out the door quickly CALL AHEAD AND ACT LIKE THE PERSON ON THE PHONE IS HALF DEAF! Lol if you have the time and patients, this place is awesome!

I’m pretty sad to be writing this review. I expected better for a place that boasts having been on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives! It has been a few years since it has been on the show, and I feel like the quality has clearly gone downhill.
The look of the place was very Divey. Much like most of the places from the show I have been to eat at. We went while we were en route to the airport for our next flight thinking we would have some stellar food. We were looking over the menu already getting discouraged when we couldn’t find the menu items that we had wanted to try based on the clip from the show. Ok, rotating menu items, but no, we should have taken that as a sign.
The next thing that happened was a girl approached us from the counter to let us know they were having their grills replaced that day, and no hot food was available. This cut the menu down to about 10 items. We ended up getting Andy’s Orbit salad and Hummus Envy to split. I decided that I was annoyed that they acted like it was an inconvenience to make a hot drink for my friend who wanted one of their signature coffees.
I’m not really sure why we were asked if we were dining in or ordering takeout if the food was to be served in a plastic takeout box either way. The hummus might have been good by itself, but the amount of toppings in it really just eliminated the experience. There is a such thing as too much going on in one bite, and the bites were hard because their homemade pita chips were like rocks. I was seriously worried I was going to break my teeth on them. We asked for strictly kale/​arugula mix without the lettuce, and they didn’t serve that properly. Overall, it was pretty bland, and the dressing didn’t do it much help.
The saving grace here was their fresh fruit tea was pretty good, but not enough to earn them a better review. Rule of thumb. If you’re remodeling the kitchen, and it will kill 90% of your menu just close for the day.

Priced well. Good ambience and in a good location. What more could I ask for. The food is pretty good too and the atmosphere is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

90s COLLEGE STONER FOOD. That’s what Phat Bites is to me, and I’m completely fine with that. (There’s granola in the tuna sandwich dude) Huge portions, perfect when you want to munch on some serious grindage buh-​ddy. While your at it, weez the fresh squeezed juice. Staff is very friendly, food is made to order so be prepared to wait a little. Cuz I’m the wea… zel.

I love all the fresh foods. It’s like eating healthy without it feeling like it. The Caprese sandwich & Chicken Caesar on Pita are my favorites! Try some of the salads too. Everything is so tasty! They also have a military discount, which I think everyone should offer!

I thought the food was good. I was not however impressed with the staff. I thought their was way to many employees just standing around for how slow it was, also they weren’t willing to help out customers with questions and didn’t seem like they wanted to be there. Not impressed at all.

I would give them five stars if they didn’t lose my to-​go order two visits in a row. But their food is so damn good they deserve at least 4 stars. It seems they need to improve on somebody keeping up with to go orders a little better. It was a 35 minute wait once I finally got taken care of but one of the owners was there and nicely gave me a $ 20 credit so I can’t complain. The muffuletta is the bomb!!!

Pretty much everyone in my office had told me that this was one of the best places to get lunch near us and I finally found a friday to make the trip.
We took a group of about 10 and although it was crowded we were able to get a table and enjoy a meal together.
I ordered the Big Jerk Sandwich that was absolutely AMAZING. The Remoulade that came on the side was perfect for it and the meat was so good.
For a side I got the Spicy Noodles but also tried a couple other peoples foods and I dont think anything wasn’t good. This is probably the best sandwich place I have found in this part of the city and I can see myself heading back that way again soon.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Or, oh how I can see clearly now.
In any case, after eating at Phat Bites seven or eight times over the last year, I can say with confidence that we won’t be back. The last several times we’ve been it’s gotten worse and worse and when we went last weekend with four other friends, I was embarrassed. Nail in the coffin.
The staff is spacey, the space is dingy, the food is mediocre. The salads and hummus under the glass case always have that crusty film on top, looking like they’ve been sitting there too long. The tables and chairs are gross and falling apart. The food is disappointing.
Much could be improved. I wish they would!

If I were grading Phat Bites purely on food quality, I’d give it a solid 4, or maybe even a 4.5. These folks make great food –check out the Ninja Bomb wrap, the Yum Yum bars, and any of the chicken-​salad-​plus-​two-​sides options. They really do make some tasty stuff.
The problem, and it has been ongoing, is the service. I have stood in line waiting for my order to be taken, only to have the «server» (I use irony quotes, because what they provide isn’t service) ignore me and take the order of people behind me. I have waited more than an hour (not hyperbole, more than an hour as timed on my iphone) for a single Ninja Bomb wrap during lunch rush, because they forgot to make mine and then took an extremely long time to get it to me after being reminded.
With a line of customers waiting to place orders, I’ve regularly watched three or four «servers» bounce around chaotically without a game plan, sense of urgency, or any real concern for our wait. It can take a very long time to get your food here, even with only a few people in line.
I suspect this is a managerial problem, and they could benefit from having designated responsibilities for the folks behind the counter, instead of all of them bouncing around doing a little bit of every task. If you don’t mind waiting stupid amounts of time for your food, or can commit to only eating there during off hours, I recommend the place without reservation.

Phat bites has a cool vibe. Lots of graffiti, some Asian décor and all in a large garage-​like space.
A friendly waitress greets you upon entering and after perusing the boards on the wall, we placed our order with her. We ordered The Stoner (steak sandwich with goat cheese), Muffuletta (have to enjoy olives) and The Morphine wrap. We all agreed the Muffuletta was the best! I haven’t had a Muffuletta since the one I had in New Orleans. This one tastes different, but was still good. The Stoner had good flavors but the steak was a bit stringy.
We did have the sweet chili hummus to start and it was delicious! The menu selection is extensive and the sandwiches and wraps have creative names. I’d like to return and try other offerings!

Everything I have tried here has been delicious! My favorite is the Hummus envy! I love that there’s lots of ways I can eat vegan here! Wraps, sides, salads and an amazing Black Bean burger. Just be sure to ask about ingredients and ask to hold the cheese on vegetarian items.

One of friendliest, coolest environments Ive been in. Will go time and time again! Great beer selection!

As seen on TV (at their old location). The new place is huge & has a bar… what could be better?! The hummus dish is huge & pretty tasty but so is everything I’ve had there.

Phat Bites made me feel like I was leaving with Bug Bites. The restaurant was plain dirty. I guess it is supposed to provide a «laid back» vibe, but when tables literally have left over chunks of food on them, it seems like a good idea to ensure the tables are cleaned no matter how busy the restaurant is. Especially, when customers seat themselves.
The food was straight nasty. I made the mistake of ordering the vegetable quiche. I should have changed my mind as soon as I saw it was retrieved from the refrigerator and wrapped in plastic. I should have listened to my gut. Instead my gut and tastebuds had to pay severely for that error in judgement. Quiche warmed in the microwave meant a tough exterior and cold interior. The worst thing was when I complained about it being cold in the center, the response was to attempt putting it BACK in the microwave. I declined the offer and promptly left. If I want to microwave my food, I can do that at home.

Visiting some friends in TN and read about this place. Got the spinach feta hummus and the black bean hummus… so yummy but the balsamic reduction took it to another level. Also got the maple sage latte, also a win. My friend got the fat veggie which was good too. Then I moseyed over to the bar for my gin and tonic. Best way to end my night.

Friend recommended this place as I am new to the area and needed a quick bite and some decent coffee. They serve Bongo so thats a plus. Ordering is a bit weird, but Im sure when its busy it must make more sense. Ordered a latte, they were clear about the price of the almond milk option so that was nice. Wrap took a little longer than I would have expected with so few people eating and waiting. Wrap, the steak and portobello, was delicious. Fresh and big enough for the price. Latte was solid as well. The only thing a bit off was what I am assuming was a house made pickle that was still way too close to a cucumber to be edible.
The place has an eclectic setup, mismatched everything and a chill crew. Their style was different and unique. Lots of personality in a good way. I am interested to check out this place more, I saw a bar section and maybe a little stage?

This place was recommended to me by one of the hotel staff. What he described the place to be was spot on.
It is very eclectic with random décor and music.
The bartender was on point and the rest of the staff seemed friendly enough.
I ordered the Big Jerk sandwich and the Caprese, but asked to have that as a salad instead of a sandwich, which they had no problem doing. Both were good with the Caprese stealing the show.
The food:
The Big Jerk was flavorful and the meat was very tender (pork). It was a little on the dry side even tho it came with a dipping sauce. The caramelized onions were a little on the sweet side. The pickle spear that came with it was not your standard «dill spear». It is homemade and very fresh, just lacking a little zest, but still good.
The caprese rocked. The balsamic reduction, cubes of Moz, diced tomatoes and sunflower seeds was a winning combination. I will definitely get that again but next time I will ask them to scale back on the size. Way more than I needed.
Now for the good stuff: The house beer, «Phat Beer». I’m not big on IPA’s or local brews, but this one has won my heart. Somewhere twixt a Bud and Bud Light but with a lot more flavor and a little pinch on your tongue.
The only reason Phat’s didn’t get five stars was because of the Big Jerk. They need to freshen that up a little.
Footnote:
Phat’s needs to upgrade/​separate the restrooms. The women should not have to deal with what the men leave behind. They also need to upkeep it on a more regular basis.
They also definitely need to get an exhaust hood over the griddle.

I really liked this place, my wife thought it was just OK but I’m writing this review so I’m giving it 5 stars. I’m just visiting Nashville from California so I’m not sure if this type of place is common here but given the music scene I would assume it would be.
Vibe: a hipster/​alternative vibe, slightly grungy but clean. This is the type of place I would typically spend a lot of time in. Everyone who worked there was friendly and welcoming. They had a stage so I assume they have live music some times. I went for lunch on a weekday. The kitchen smoke haze kind of hangs over the place, which is not ideal but could be fixed with an open window and a fan.
Food: we had a large take out order for 8 people. I had the black bean burger, which was great. My father-​in-​law had the chicken Caesar wrap which he really liked. Everyone else had veggie sandwiches without hummus but realized that was a mistake and so added our side of hummus to their sandwiches which made them better. We ordered a random sample of sides, all of which were good. My favorite was the tomato and mozzarella salad but the black bean and corn salad was great also.
I’m probably going to eat here again tomorrow.

I was excited to try Phat Bites after reading the reviews. Everyone was spot on from the décor to the food. I chose the spicy Dijon turkey sandwich and my husband went with the Big Jerk. The spicy Dijon is no joke. I had to scrape some of the Dijon off, but still thoroughly enjoyed it. The Big Jerk was a crowd pleaser as well. We split the mozzarella and tomato salad… it was ok.
We got two iced coffees to go and the flavor was phenomenal. Chocolate rocket fuel is the only way I can describe this delicious cold brew beverage. I got a dab of almond milk in mine and my husband chose to wait and add some bourbon cream from his stash. Both were delicious. Highly recommend grabbing some iced coffee on your way out to keep you going.
Next time I will definitely try a wrap. somehow missed that menu board when ordering. Very friendly staff as well.

To be honest, I probably would have rated it highly before even trying the food just because it’s one of the few unique places in the Donelson area with a good atmosphere, live music, and nice bar with local brews on tap.
The good news is — the food is great! And even better, it’s really affordable! I’ve eaten here four times in the month I have lived in the neighborhood. I love coming here and everything I’d tried has been really fresh and tasty. I highly recommend the kale salad — with walnuts, raisins, craisins, sunflower seeds, black beans, and garbanzo beans — it’s the best mix of flavors and textures. I get it as a side every time. You can also get samples of the dishes behind the glass display, if you’re curious about something.
I’ve also had excellent, friendly service at each visit. And it’s fun to see who’s playing on a Friday night on their small stage in the corner.
Donelson really needs more places like this. For now, I’ll keep going back to Phat Bites!

Pretty cool little joint.
We knew this highly acclaimed spot relocated to our neck of the woods not too long ago, and finally stopped by this weekend for lunch.
Upon entering the warehouse/​garage-​reminiscent space, we waited in line for a bit. There was a «help wanted» sign on the door, so I wasn’t too surprised that they appeared to be short-​staffed. We finally had our order placed, and tried to figure out how to pay…
We asked, and were sort of gruffly told to walk to the end of the line. We pay, sit at the cleanest table we could find, and waited… finally got our food, which was the highlight of the stop. My chicken salad was fresh and perfectly seasoned. Boyfriend had the Big Jerk — a pork tenderloin situation on ciabatta — which he raved about (albeit, it was a bit small). He also enjoyed the potato salad well enough.
Glad we stopped by – I’m sure we’ll be back. They offer Bongo Java and have a bar that stays open late, so I’m interested to explore that.

Holy hipster! I enjoyed this little place in a strip mall off of Lebanon Pike but I would have to warn others to expect a hipster/​green atmosphere before heading here. It was cool and made me feel a little more edgy and healthy but I’m not sure it’s for everyone.
As far as the food, I came in and got a to-​go wrap and Kale Salad today. The Ninja Bomb was a surprise. I did not expect the bag to weigh as much as it did when I picked it up and was amazed at the size, freshness, and flavor of the wrap. It’s got chinese chicken salad, granola, carrots, lettuce, and raspberry vinaigrette for a crunchy, sweet wrap flavor. It’s so good!
The Kale Salad was also excellent as a side and had pecans, golden raisins, and couscous (I think) in it. It was just the right flavor and didn’t include any unwanted flavors that Whole Foods often puts in theirs like red onions.
Pros:
Serving size and flavor. I was able to split the wrap and have two full meals off of the side salad and wrap. It was really impressive. The staff was kind, approachable, and happy to serve their guests.
Cons:
The atmosphere isn’t very approachable for out of town guests so I’ll just have to get them to trust me about the food.
Overall:
I really like that this place is truly different in a Nashville restaurant atmosphere which is often too safe, atmosphere-​wise. The food was so good and was the perfect lunch hour break. It was also enough to feed me for two full meals!

Generous portions and very flavorful options. Renovated garage that is bright and airy. Good vibe and great staff.
Menu posted high right by door. Lots of options — especially for veg and non veg people. The hummus plate was awesome and easily shareable. Orbit bowl great but could only eat a third — so huge.
Real value — definitely recommend.

After stopping and absolutely loving it’s sister restaurant Ellendale’s, we decided to stop and check this place out.
Since we were completely stuffed we couldn’t eat any of the freshly prepared, yummy looking foods but we did take a tour of the place.
The place is very eclectic! Loved it. The colors were so vibrant.
Many places to sit and they have a stage for live music.
Workers were very friendly and didn’t seem to mind at all that we were just checking the place out.
Will def return and try out the food on our next trip to Nashville.

My wife and I thought that the food was great. My wrap was tasty and fresh, her sammich was a big hit. She never likes avacado but she liked theirs. The staff were friendly and nice. Never claim that those who are hip are not friendly. The place is mucho popular and for good reason, but here are a couple of gripes:
I like they have style, but I feel they should do more to improve the over-​all condition of their location. Looking like a garage is cool, actually being a garage… not so much. Nothing led me to be suspicious of my food over it, but still. Maybe I’m just too old.
I like chalk board menus. It means fresh and non-​perpetual. It does need to be legible. Their boards are too busy to read quickly. When you’re the only person in line (almost never) its ok to stare at the thing gaping until you can decide. Navigating it when busy just made me nervous.

My sister was visiting and wanted to try this place after seeing it on DD&D. I’m not phobic about cleanliness but this place needs a bath. The young lady who was taking orders for those of us in line was not helpful at all for a first timer. I mentioned that I couldn’t find their selection of sides on the chalkboards and she told me that was because they don’t list their sides on the menus. OK, could you tell me about your sides? She said she could and then asked me which side I was interested in. I asked her again what sides they have and she asked me again which one I wanted. Sigh.
I ended up ordering whatever was closest basically. The meat quiche of the day… a HUGE square of a more egg casserole than quiche with cheddar cheese melted on it. When it was handed to me I was warned that it was hot. Well, it wasn’t. In fact the middle was COLD. The broccoli salad side was the best part of my meal, it was pretty good. The potato salad was awful and tasteless and I only had one bite before deciding it was not worth the calories. I ate about ¼ of the quiche. Disappointing lunch. My sister had the Ninja Bomb wrap and it looked good. However, it took a really long time to get served. She inquired about it twice and the employees were not helpful at all. Finally it arrived. The Long Life or Live Long Salad (the reason she wanted to go here) was good. I’d never choose to come back here. Snarky help, questionable cleanliness and underwhelming food.

I was a bit bummed when Phat Bites moved to a new location, but I am pretty sure it’s the same distance away from me, so no big loss! However, I drove past it the first time I visited, so keep your eyes peeled. It shares the same space as some nondescript business.
I’m glad that the space is a lot bigger and they now have plenty of parking, even at peak times. The food, menu, and staff are the same. I came in for lunch a few times recently, and if you go early, you are golden. Anywhere between 11 – 12:00 you are fine. However, I stopped in around 12:30 and the line was long and order taking a bit annoying. I also waited about 15 minutes for my order, so it’s not the quickest lunch option out there. When ordering take out, I like for it to be pretty quick, but expect to be at Phat Bites for at least 30 minutes at peak times.
I still love the black bean burger that they offer. It’s the best one I’ve had. I also have ordered a few sides. The kale salad is always great, and the hummus is out of this world! Phat Bites is amazing, so check them out!

The food is awesome, huge side portions and wraps. My friend and I picked the first 2 wraps on the board to share. Forgot the names already, but one had pork, and the other had steak as the meat. Both had plenty of veggies, rice, and other goodies stuffed and rolled tight in their wraps. We picked 3 salads (the Greek, broccoli, and sweet potato) for sides to try. Each were good, but both of our favorites were the Greek.
Layout and where you have to go to pay is a little confusing, but the staff is nice and helped us new-​bees. Tall ceilings and open kitchen concept in a auto garage shell is fine with us. Walls were decorated in awesome graffiti art, and we enjoyed looking at the album covered tables, games, and local art. Staff had an eclectic look and were well trained– didn’t act like corporate robots. Which is always a plus. I didn’t see this place as «a wanna be hipster place», just a relaxed restaurant were anyone can come and enjoy good food. I’ve watched suit and tie guys, military in uniforms, hippies, college students, kids with parents and everyone in-​between come in and eat.
Bathroom was clean and had plenty of back up toilet paper and paper towels in a basket.
Overall great food, great atmosphere, good music, awesome staff. So glad we stopped at Phat Bites to eat. This area needed a place like this.

I’ve been here 3 times in the past week and a half.
Their food is exceptional, I’ve been eating the Turkey Wrap and Big Jerk Chicken sandwhich. They taste amazing while being very unique and different. Also, the amount of food you get is definitely worth the money. Literally twice as big as I expected for the price.
This will be my goto lunch spot for the future and can’t imagine going anywhere else when it is so close to me, so good and a great deal.

I have been coming here for years. I have always loved the food and the art. Went in today — this is the first time I went in at the new location as I don’t come to Donelson often. Still the same great sandwiches! I got the mufaletta today. The olive tapenade was wonderful. I really savored each fattening bite. I never have enough room to eat anything else. They have great looking salads too!
Lots of awesome art. Heard a rumor that they were scouting east Nashville locations!
EDIT: Lots of bad reviews here. For me, my sandwich only took about 7 minutes to make. And there were two people in front of me. The menu behind confused me at first, but it didn’t take long to figure it out.
Street signs I understand, would have been useful, but I found out about the new location via word of mouth. And I am ok with that. Its a local business that I am happy to support and will continue to give them my money!