Whitfield’s Restaurant & Bar

This was my 3^rd time visiting Whitfield’s and it was a bit disapointing. 3 of us out of 6 had one of the specials for the night… which was red snapper. Our fish was overcooked and dry with very little sides. At least it was $ 32! When the bill came… it was $ 174…which was overpriced for the quality. We did have several drinks which always brings the price up… but I was clearly bummed out. The last time I ate there was very good. The ambience is very nice and quiet and we were able to have a conversation… which is good because most restaurants you cannot! Loved the band… so please continue having these fine musicians.

Surprisingly delicious ribeye. Scallops were okay. Great martinis. Friendly, attentive service. We’ll be back.

Four of us ate dinner here last night. Fresh hot bread was brought out with a side of compounded butter of some flavor.
My wife and I shared the special, a 16 ounce pork chop. We also shared a spinach salad. Both were excellent. Our guests both had ribeye steaks. To me, the steaks looked like filets in terms of how they were cut. Both said the steaks were good.
We had 6pm reservations on a Tuesday night. The dining room was all setup but no one was seated there. We were taken to a booth in the bar area. There are 6 or 8 booths in the bar area and as many high-​top tables. The atmosphere was fine. Table was well lit. They have live music some evenings though nothing while we were there.
We felt the price was fair for the meals received. We paid $ 101 for 3 meals, a dinner salad and 2 soft drinks.
We’d eat here again when in the area.

The 4 stars are for the Roasted Chicken entrée. Best roasted chicken I’ve ever had (I normally wouldn’t order chicken… bor-​ing) but the sides that accompanied this dish enticed me to pursue it.
The large portion justified the $ 21 price tag. Most tender, perfectly cooked chicken ever along with baked mac & cheese that was anything but ordinary. I loved the brussel sprouts — it all went together perfectly.
The service was okay — I’d have to return again in order to solidify my opinion on this. Unique, relaxed atmosphere with a one or two man band playing in the corner (not too loud).

Visited on Friday night, ⁷⁄₁₉ and got a wonderful surprise on two counts. We sat in the room to the left and away from the music. It was just loud enough. We ordered the fried green tomato appetizer which was quite tasty. My husband ordered the pork chop which was good but my shrimp and grits were absolutely out of this world. Unlike previous reviews, these were incredible and it was the sauce that made it perfect. Our entrees were 25% off — some kind of special running which was the second surprise. We each ordered wine and our total tab was $ 68 including tip… a real bargain. We would do this again in a heartbeat.

If you are over 65 and took a bath in old lady cologne, this place is for you. The jazz is a nice touch, but the food is lackluster. Shrimp and grits were too buttery and oily. Scallops were nothing wonderful. Crab cake app was just ok. I was so ready to get out of there after the permeating smell of old lady cologne. Will not be back!

Bordeaux is better in my opinion!
We made a reservation here for my husband’s birthday. The lady that greeted and sat us was very nice and friendly. We were off to a great start. Our waiter came to the table and took our drink orders and went over the specials. He made a special point of letting us know they were pushing — yes he used the word pushing — a $ 120 bottle of wine for $ 60. He said they were trying to get rid of it. It was dry red which is what I like so I read the tasting notes. It didn’t sound like anything I would like so I looked at the wine list. There was a French Bordeaux on the list that I couldn’t wait to try. I know what I like.
When our waiter returned to our table we ordered the special which was a flat iron steak with risotto and carrots. I ordered the bottle of Bordeaux. He made a point to look at the price on the wine list and mumble some remark about it being cheaper. When he brought the wine to the table, he poured it for me and I smelled and tasted it. I loved it. He said it’s strong huh? I said it is perfect thank you. Really! Is he that upset that I didn’t care for the wine he suggested?
The food was good. The flat iron steak was cooked to perfection but I wasn’t a fan of the seasoning. I prefer my risotto cooked a little more but it was probably cooked correctly. I’m sure I over cook mine but I like mine a bit softer. The carrots were cooked perfectly. We had a good meal and a great bottle of wine!

It’s a bit of an older crowd, but isn’t that normally a sign of good food? It was. I got the salmon and my husband got the trout. Both were good, but the salmon was a tad salty. Even better, they were running a special, 25% off entrees in July. The atmosphere and layout are a little strange, but all and all, a good experience. A great place to take Grandma when she’s in town.

I was taken there by my sister who had been there before and liked it. The jazz singer there was excellent, but too loud.
We got fried green tomatoes appetizer and crabcakes. The green tomatoes were dismal and tasteless, and the crabcakes tasted of devilling seasoning. Very mediocre.
After seeing the absurdly high prices, I opted to pick an entrée more inexpensive, so I chose the grilled chicken salad. It arrived far faster than it takes to grill a chicken breast fresh. The chicken was pretty much inedible, very tough and terribly rubbery and somehow, tasted like fish (?) Apparently, they had cooked it at some other time, cut it up, and stored it in a not-​airtight container because it had dried out post-​cooking and raw fish was stored with it, which I could taste. The outside of the slices was dry and it was obvious it had been precut and then stored. I have no idea how you can wreck a chicken breast so badly but they sure did it. I’m not even sure if they cooked it onsite.
I would’ve told the waiter to send it back but I didn’t want to upset my sister so I said nothing at the time and didn’t eat it, opting to come on Unilocal and report this. In short, this was the worst meal I’ve had in remembrance. If I were Gordon Ramsay I would’ve sent everything back and screamed at the cook for this abomination.
And I don’t consider myself very picky either.

Haven’t been here for quite because we felt they were in a slump. But after tonight, they’re back on my dinner list. Everything was superb from start to finish. NICE PATIO.

As a foodie desperate to find a great place to eat that won’t empty the wallet, my beautiful girlfriend and son went to Whitfield’s
Jazz band was very cool although eating in the bar area makes it a tad tough to talk while enjoying eating.
Had the Lobster Roll for an appetizer. As a New Englander, I know what a lobster roll can taste like. Should I hold it against a Nashville eatery for not getting it right? Nope but I will say, the lobster was soft than what it needed to be and the brioche roll was mediocre at best.
Had the scallops for dinner. Too soft and undercooked. Wrapped with bacon. Who in the world wraps bacon around a scallop now a days. Quite honestly, I was completely turned off by a semi cooked piece of bacon on a undercooked scallop. Thank God the greens and risotto were done good.
Overall, for the price it was not worth it in the long run to have paid for this meal. Manager was OK, bartender was ok and food was ok.

My fiancé and I last came to Whitfield’s for a casual dinner this past Friday night. I’d been there in the past for happy hour and/​or drinks with colleagues and friends, but this was the first time I’d tried the dinner menu for myself. When I saw the promotion on Groupon, I thought I’d found the perfect opportunity to come and take full advantage of Whitfield’s seasonally-​changing menu.
Since we’d already sampled the cocktails during earlier visits (the blood orange martini I enjoyed on a previous visit was delicious, I must say) we decided to skip out on drinks and be boring with plain old water. We did, however, try the Grilled Flatbread as an appetizer. We asked to replace the bleu cheese with parmesan (we’re not bleu cheese people), but otherwise kept the dish as it was described. We thought the flatbread was okay, but nothing special. The country ham was especially salty and overpowered the other toppings on the flatbread. My fiancé, who is a pork fanatic, actually picked his ham off. We both decided the bread and butter, which came out at the beginning of the meal, was much more enjoyable than the flatbread.
Our entrees were both fair. He ordered the bacon wrapped scallops, and I had the shrimp and grits. The scallops were good, though he didn’t seem to think they were anything special. The risotto that came underneath the scallops was completely flavorless, even though it was drenched in butter. My shrimp and grits were good, though different than I expected – rather than the andouille sausage cut into chunks and mixed with the sauce, it came out of the casing, piled atop the shrimp and grits. The flavor of the sausage was hugely overpowering, particularly the saltiness. While the shrimp were cooked well and the grits were some of the best I’ve ever had, I probably wouldn’t order this dish again.
I’ll gladly return to Whitfield’s when I’m looking for a nice place to enjoy a cocktail and some live music, but will probably head elsewhere when dinnertime approaches.

The menu was different and refreshing. I had the pork chops and they were outstanding! The service was friendly and prompt.

Quite simply, where my child is not welcome, neither am I.
I have never experienced such a disdain for a child diner in my time as a parent. Yes, we were wooed by the Groupon and yes, we waited until the last day before it expired to go. Judging by Whitfield’s empty dining room on a Tuesday night, one would think they would be happy and congenial towards any patron, regardless of age. We were relegated to the farthest back corner (out of sight, out of mind).
When we inquired if they had a kids menu, the server all but said «me thinks not!» When we asked about a menu item they’ev had in the past and was kid-​friendly enough, steak frites, she reported with pride that they have since come to their senses and removed french fries from the menu. Okay… A few more questions were asked and she finally offered to «go ask the kitchen what they could possibly create for her.» The resulting answer was not appealing so my husband ran across the street to Krystal after he and I placed our order. This didn’t stop them from promptly delivering his soup.
He returned with a Krystal Kids Meal, ate his lukewarm soup and then our entrees arrived. I had a spinach salad and their flatbread appetizer for my meal. Both were good. My husband was talked into their étouffée, which he later regretted. ¾ through our entrees, the server came over in a whirl and said all pseudo-​apologetically and sorority girl at the same time, «umm, I’m sorry, but my manager said that it’s a health code violation for her to have, um, this food in here. She can finish eating but, um, I have to take the bag away…»
My answer was a curt, unamused «she’s done anyway.» Do not blame your snobiness on a fabricated health code.

Change is good
I recently went back to Whitfiels after a year and the difference was amazing. Whitfields has changed ownership as well as they have a new chef. The menu look amazing and the service was great. I had the filet with sour cream mash potatoes, and my wife had the salmon. These dishes made were spot on and absotuley delightful. The music change was great with a 3 piece jazz band and the service could not get any better. I was greeted at the door, the server was promptly there, and then the owner Dewayne Johnson came by the table to see how we were enjoying the dinner. I will definitely go back soon. Thanks for a great evening.

The food is always great, but finally a great live act in Belle Meade? Check Al Ward out Thursday or Friday nights there. Awesome —

After a year and a half of living in the area and passing by Whitfield’s almost daily, I finally jumped the gun when a Sharing Spree for Whitfield’s popped in my mailbox.
We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated on the patio, as requested. Our server, Christian, was very knowledgeable about the wine list and assisted me in choosing the right kind of oak-​ey chardonnay I was looking for to later compliment a fish entrée. He brought fresh bread to our table; a delightful crust surrounding a light chewy cloud of bread. The accompanying butter had a nice roasted red pepper flare but could have used a bit of salt.
For dinner, I was brought four never-​frozen (as I was told) perfectly seared U-​10 sea scallops. The sweetness of the scallops danced on my palate with the spicy apricot pan jus that glazed the top of each of each one – beautifully complimented with the crisp crunch of charred broccolini and a creamy balance of parmesan polenta.
My husband enjoyed the salmon, pan seared to a medium-​rare flaky perfection over delicious jasmine sticky rice. The long and crispy haricot verts were charred and seasoned with sesame, salt and pepper. The whole dish was brought together with an Asian glaze made of sweet mirin and chili. He and I thoroughly enjoyed swapping bites, as the two dishes were so different but equally satisfying and unique.
We did not enjoy an appetizer or a dessert but will be sure to next time. Whitfield’s service was wonderful, the food was beautifully prepared and executed, my husband and I have found a close-​to-​new-​favorite for fresh seafood in Nashville.
I typed this whole review after giving Whitfield’s a good solid 4 stars. When I got to the end of my review here, ready to justify why they didn’t receive a full 5 stars, I couldn’t think of a reason.

Crowd and ambiance: This is situated next to a country club, and I assume their regulars include country club members. There were quite a few «older» guests, but it was probably also due to us dining at 5:30. I heard about the piano bar, but it was rather «quiet» when we got there. It was also dark inside. I assume this is typical of a dinner restaurant, and they only open for dinner. You can choose to sit outside, but it was sweltering when we dined. We chose not to melt a la’ Tennessee.
A note on the «quietness» — I went to the restroom right before leaving, and when I came out, it was loud. Actually, there was just ONE loud guest at the bar. Nonetheless, it is louder in the bar area than the regular dining table area.
When: We were early birds and hit Whitfield’s on a Saturday night before sundown in order to make it to a country music concert, of course, in country music’s capital.
Parking: They offer valet parking, but we parked ourselves. You can opt for either, depending on your taste.
Price: The price is not bad, and you get what you pay for. Think Denny’s times two.
Food: It has been a couple weeks since my visit, so other than bread and oysters, the other items must have not been memorable. The one item I remember being superb was the Oysters. Order that. I highly recommend it. You won’t regret it… well, unless you don’t like seafood. The bread that they bring out is yummy, and it comes with this flavored butter. It has something like sundried tomatoes or something in it. I have no idea what it is, but it is buttery and yummy.
Would I recommend this place?
Yes
Would I return?
Yes
Why?
Oysters. Yum.

I went here to celebrate my mom’s birthday with 9 other people. The reason why I give this restaurant 2 stars because we had a horrible server (Kate with red curly hair). She brought out 2 plates of bread. (Come on! one plate for 2 people, 2 plates for 10 people???) We finished our bread quickly. She saw it and told us «Sorry we ran out of bread today. Do you guys want to order more appetizer?» even though we never asked her to bring us extra bread. The restaurant closed at 11 pm and we came around 8:30, there was no excuse! Don’t open a restaurant if you don’t have enough food to serve!
My friend jokingly told Kate she should run over to the Walgreens across from the street to get us bread. Kate told us «no…I don’t think they sell bread…» Took her a while to get the joke.
We started opening our second bottle of wine and our food came out. We ordered pretty much every single dish listed in the Specialty section. Surprisingly, three minutes later Kate came out with 2 more plates of bread without saying anything. REALLY KATE? I thought you guys ran out of bread! It seemed she thought we were just a bunch of foreigners who just came to order a few appetizers and eat all of their free bread or something. Racist much?
Okay let’s talk about the food. The fried oyster was exellent! I also loved my porkchop! It was the best pork chop I had so far! My mom ordered the scallop and I thought it was average. My friend ordered fillet mignon and it was dry… The chicken and the trout were average also. The cheesecake and brulee were okay. I didn’t enjoy the desert as much as the appetizer. Our bill came out to be $ 422 and we tipped $ 80 despite Kate’s horrible service.
I’d come back here for the fried oyster and the pork chop but I’ll specifically request Kate NOT to be my server.

Wood wine waltz
I went for warming bourbon and found I was stepping back in time. The piano man played Sinatra as graceful septuagenarians glide in each others arms around the small space between the tables and the bar. It does the heart good to see people that can wrap themselves in the moment and each other. I find it a refreshing contrast to the overly image conscience style drones of today.
The bar, the only section I graced in my short visit, was a tastefully decorated collection of wood and well placed light to give it a classy old feel with a hint of modern style.
The candle light on the piano top is kind to aging faces with eyes that the music seems to take to a kinder time than the here and now.
Drop by and check out how the old guard can still raise a glass with style and class.