Merchants

I love this Restaurant. We actually ate here twice for lunch while we were in Nashville. The food and service are great. Also it’s right on Broadway, so it was very convenient to our Hotel. The do take reservations, and I highly recommend them. (especially on a Saturday).
When you arrive, they bring you water and a cup of popcorn. The popcorn is tossed in a package of Ranch dressing. It’s very good and also the kernels are small.
There are a lot of items to choose from on the menu along with specials that they offer. It’s difficult to choose what to order. The first day I got Fried Chicken and Biscuit with Blueberry Jam… YUM! It was amazing.
The second day I got Fried Chicken and Chicken served with Mashed Yukon Potatoes and Spinach. It was also very good.
I’d love to try this place for dinner. My review is based only on the lunch menu. I’ll definitely be back next time I come to Nashville. Great food and Great Service!

We like Merchants, the food is reliably good, but the bathrooms and everything could use a freshening up… it’s been feeing shabby the last few visits.

3.5 stars.
Stopped by for a small bite at midnight on a Friday. My party of two opted to sit at the bar. Ordered the pulled pork sandwich and wings.
The pulled pork ($ 14) came with fried onions in the sandwich, and BBQ sauce and fries on the side. Was expecting a sandwich where the pulled pork was already in BBQ sauce, not a DIY pour-​the-​BBQ-​sauce on yourself. Decent sandwich nonetheless but nothing to write home about.
Wings ($ 9 for about 9 pieces) came with a trio of sauces – BBQ, chipotle, and blue cheese. Chicken was moist and as advertised – they were dry rubbed and flavorful.

Note: The upstairs menu and the downstairs menu are VASTLY DIFFERENT. Make sure you check their website for the differences. I didn’t realize this at the time of making a reservation and ended up on a supposedly-​swanky birthday outing enjoying Tots instead of T-​bones. That being said, the tots and the service were great! For what it is, the café downstairs is decent. We were in town during a particularly cold cold-​snap so our front door/​window table was nearly frozen, but other than that, the joint is charming. Our server was a delight and the food is solid. Just know what you’re in for and you’ll be fine.

I love the food here. Never had a bad meal or dish ever. It’s a busy place, fun scene for people watching and a good pulse both day and night.
Don’t miss the fried green tomatoes!
You will be right in the heart of Nashville, on the best part of Broadway. If your visiting Nashville this is a good way to get the feel for the awesome Nashville atmosphere.
The place has three floors, third floor is a good place to rent if you are throwing a bigger party. Elevator takes you all the way up if you don’t like to work out in the stairs.
Second floor is my favorite. A little fancier, a little better.
Fun fact: you can get your shoes shined wile eating dinner. If your comfortable eating in your socks that is.

This place has a weird table system. If you want to eat on the proper dinner menu, you need to go to the back of the restaurant to get service. Even though the tables are at the front as you walk in.
Anyway, after a great southern welcome I ordered the Duck fat tater tots and fried green tomatoes to start. Tater tots — AWESOME. I can see why they’re «famous» here. The fried green tomatoes were pretty average.
For entrée I got the fish tacos. If you’re a big fish fan, these are great. You can certainly taste the fish, which is good quality, and the filling is bursting at the seams (so much that I had to eat some of it out with a fork before wrapping it up — the sign of a good taco. If you’re not into fish (I’m borderline but fancied a change and needed to eat something dairy free), do not order this.
In all, great friendly vibe and service. Food is good. Get the Tater Tots!

I love the «diner-​style» counter and interiors. The place was very busy for Sunday dinner time and I’m glad that I made reservations way ahead of time. My boyfriend and I were seated right away as we got there just on time, although we had to wait for several minutes to wait for our server. We’ve already been looking at what we want from the menu and from the dishes that we have tried, my favorite is the Mac and Cheese. The white cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, and roasted poblano blended really well all together. It was delicious and very filling since the macaroni noodles were big:) The Chicken Fried Chicken was rich and crunchy and the garlic mashed potatoes underneath was also good. This was more of the really busy, casual part of the restaurant and I believe that the «upstairs» is the fine dining, more intimate area of The Merchants.

This place is amazing! We had to wait 40 min to get a table but the food was perfect and well worth the wait! I got the strawberry salad which was perfect, my boyfriend got the New York steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly, they give u popcorn before your meal, we also got the deviled eggs and tater tots appetizers, was splendid. I had the «Sean Minor» wine to drink, the waiter let me try two to start and decided on this one, it wasn’t as sweet as I wanted it to be but no complaints. Jehu was our waiter and he was hillarious and very accommodating. We came on Valentine’s Day and they gave free cake desserts to both of us shaped as hearts. A must try, but only if you want a perfectly cooked meal.

Merchants is a really cool eatery in downtown Nashville. Today there was a 45 minute wait for lunch. It’s worth it.
The building is very old and it’s been restored to capture the retro beauty of the space. Huge speakers hang over the bar area reminding you that this place is hip and modern. The 80s music is loud but actually adds a cool vibe unless you are especially persnickety about ambient noise levels. At first I thought the volume would be a problem, but soon I realized that the music actually isolated our table conversation and the playlist was excellent, providing fodder for reminiscing.
The servers at Merchants are knowledgeable and fun. We ordered the popular duck fried tater tots with three sauces — every bit as good as you might imagine. The trout was moist and flavorful, and the pulled pork was tender and juicy. The BBQ sauce was a little sweet, but that’s being really picky. Homemade chips are amazing. They may need additional salting at the table if you’re like me, and the sweet potato fries are very good, wedges of orangy goodness.
Iced tea was proper and delicious, as was the peach cobbler with three lovely scoops of butter pecan ice cream.
Merchants is definitely a go-​to place for Nashville hipsters. You’ll enjoy it!

If you don’t go here you’re really missing out. A perfect place to start your day exploring Nashville. Or, Nashvegas, as they say. The salads are larger than your head, but hey, at least it’s salad. Bloody Mary’s are a must. Fried green tomatoes were well worth it. Not sure there was ever something we didn’t enjoy.
Also, Michael our server was absolutely fantastic and a fun time. Request him or you’ll surely regret it.

Had the cheeseburger and sweet potato fries. They were really good! You get a small cup of popcorn when you sit down too. Service was good and they checked on me frequently. Great window seats for crowd watching. It’s a good place to sit and eat if you are off of Broadway and don’t want to stop in one of the bars.

Stopped in on a fluke for lunch. We were seated quickly at a bar counter and had amazing service. They have a great selection of Whiskeys for the adults and more than willing to accommodate he kids on and off the menu. The food arrived quickly and was cooked to perfection. The BBQ sandwich was out of this world and the MacNCheese was excellent. I would definitely recommend and would absolutely return.

Dined here on a Sunday night, made reservations ahead of time. When I made the reservations I was definitely confused and agreed to the second level, fine dining area. However when we arrived we realized we wanted the downstairs area as that was the menu we had reviewed, this was completely my mistake but the hostess staff was excellent and took care of us without missing a step. Awesome job!
We were sat immediately and brought truffle popcorn and water. We ordered a half order of the duck fat tater tots that came with 3 different dipping sauces; chipotle mayo, bernaise and ketchup. The crowd favorite was definitely the chipotle mayo, you could put that on anything and it would be delicious!
Drinks I had the Tennessee Mojito that was delicious! For my entrée I had the 12oz NY Strip with smashed yukons and jumbo mushrooms. The steak was great, I got a red wine reduction sauce instead, I asked for a horseradish sauce which they didn’t have so the waitress suggested that, it was a little too sweet for my liking. The mashed potatoes where nothing special, they honestly tasted like they started out in powder form! My husband got the Smoked Brisket with cornbread and slaw. The brisket was really, really good! The slaw however was plain and lacking flavor. Someone in our party got the Sweet Tea Pork Loin and oh my goodness that was the most tender piece of pork I have ever had!
All in all we all really enjoyed our meal and the service was fantastic!

Went to Merchants on a Friday night in July. A group we were with said they’ve been once and liked it there and reviews looked good so we tried it out.
Didn’t see anything special about this place besides the location being right in the middle of all the action on Broadway. Ordered a steak medium-​rare and it came out over cooked and cold. Girlfriend had some kind of pasta and it lacked any kind of flavor. The best part of the meal was the duck fat tater tots we ordered as an appetizer.
For what we paid, we were’t impressed. Only having one night in Nashville we wish we would’ve chose somewhere else.

Fish tacos and great beer. Friendly service and high class. Been to Nashville 4x and hit this place three of them. Always consistently good! Never as crowded as it should be which is a plus!

Came here late night to feed our liquor infused stomachs and got way more than we bargained for! Upon arriving we were told that downstairs was serving a more basic menu and upstairs serves a more fine dining atmosphere so naturally we chose to head upstairs.
To start I had a perfectly mixed whiskey drink although I can’t recall the name of it. Bread is served with the most unbelievable sweet butter. Now, I am no butter connoisseur but it was probably the best butter/​bread I’ve had at a restaurant and I do believe you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the quality of their bread and butter. For an entrée, my friend and I shared the salmon and the crispy fingerling sweet potatoes. The salmon was delicious and perfectly cooked but the shining star were those sweet potatoes. The potatoes came in a small cast iron skillet, were crispy and topped with a generous portion of that amazing sweet butter. I will have dreams about those potatoes possible until my next visit…

Was in town visiting and a local friend recommended this place. Upon arrival we were told it was a 20 minute wait, which was totally fine, but was notified 2 minutes later of an available table. Best 20 minute wait I’ve had! We were sat upstairs, which was nice because it was a little quieter. After looking at the menu, I felt like the ambiance of the place is a little nicer than what the menu had, but not a big deal at all. We started with the duck fat tater tots and they were delicious, almost wish we had gotten the bigger portion. For my meal I got the Jambalaya. It had good flavor and was pleased with my selection. Our service was great and drinks from the bar came quickly. Great local place!

We had an excellent dining experience at Merchants while visiting Nashville. It was nice to try a restaurant that had a menu that was different from most of its neighbors on Broadway which typically consists of BBQ and bar food. We walked in without a reservation but were promptly taken upstairs to a table. The place is very large and seating is on a few different floors.
It was a nice change of place to have a more upscale meal and a glass of wine. I ordered the salmon and my friend had a chicken dish. Everything was absolutely delicious and our server was really friendly and prompt. I would definitely come back.

We ordered a BBQ sandwich with fries and a bacon cheese burger with Coleslaw. The sandwich was great but the fries were a bit salty for my taste. (Better ask less salt next time). The sandwich came with fried small onion rings so you may want to ask your server beforehand if you don’t like onion rings.
The bacon cheese burger with Coleslaw was spot on. The meat was juicy and crispy on the outside and seasoned well.
The place has an incredible vibe. We sat next to the window across Broadway.
It is a great place to have lunch or dinner while visiting Broadway and American Food seems to be appetizing. Would definitely come here again.
P. S. If you plan on going during peak hours, I suggest calling ahead to reserve a seat. I had a 30 minutes wait time but there is plenty of things to do on Broadway while waiting.

Ate here on our first night in Nashville. The décor and vibe is pretty different from a lot of the surrounding places on Broadway-​it was a great way to start our night.
We arrived around 6:30 and sat immediately at the bar. (the wait for a table was 30minutes.)
We didn’t really browse the menu too extensively… I saw the tater tots and fish tacos and put my menu down. We planned on getting tater tots as an app and fish tacos to split, but since the tacos came with a side of fries or chips we paid 2 bucks to add tots as our side, with some spicy mayo on the side, and dropped the appetizer.
YES FISH TACOS. I’m not sure if it’s a southern thing, but we were pleasantly surprised to have guac on the tacs! There was plenty of fish, the radish was a nice touch, and the overall flavor was awesome. If I ever go back it’d be hard not to order them again!
The portions were large, we were full after each having a taco, splitting the tots, and drinking a beer. The service was fast and friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone!

Merchants is a decent option for food and drinks right on Broadway. Always popular and full. Interesting menu with the familiar and the fun.
We were seated in a window booth right away for Sunday lunch — perfect for people watching outside. Our waiter was good, present but not especially friendly or helpful.
We started with the Deviled Eggs. Good. I chose the pimento cheese burger. Good. Ken had the Chicken Fried Chicken. Good. Nothing was amazing, or even great. Just good.
Beer prices @ $ 5 are average. Alcoholic drinks @ $ 12-​ish are pricey for what you get.
I expected more.

We had a a group of 14 for Thanksgiving Dinner.
We had a very good time. Service was good, not amazing.
The Brussel Sprouts rocked! Pumpkin soup was ordered by only one of us – she was wise. It doesn’t taste like pumpkin pie – it was more savory.
Everyone enjoyed crab cakes and deviled eggs.
The group decided that pork chop was the best. My husband had a short rib almost 4 ounces and my daughters was over 6 ounces. Not a good move since my husband was paying the bill!
He was very, very happy with the wine list, hence the 5 stars!

This place is awesome! Menu is unique but small so you don’t feel overwhelmed with choices.
I ordered the sweet tea pork loin with pimento cheese grits and bourbon glazed green beans. It was delicious! I also ordered the duck fat tater tots which were fantastic with the spicy mayo. The Tennessee Mojito was perfect with not a ton of mint which is usually an issue when ordering a Mojito. Our waitress was extremely nice and had great suggestions for how we should spend our day in Nashville. Would definitely go back!

Start with the tots!
We grabbed dinner here with friends before a concert per our friend’s suggestion. I have heard great things about this place so I couldn’t wait to try it.
We started with the tater tots for our appetizer. I highly recommend them as they were the best tater tots ever! I could have eaten the whole thing myself but since one cannot live on tots alone I moved on to the entrees. There were many great choices but I was in a burger mood. I ordered the cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and they were delicious. They offer so many choices for their burgers so you can customize it with your favorite toppings. They even had guacamole.
The service was excellent. Our server was very friendly and checked on us frequently to be sure we had everything we needed. Our glasses were never empty.
We ate downstairs. It was casual with a party type bar atmosphere. What could be better for a pre-​concert dinner?

Working in Downtown Nashville, it is difficult to find a restaurant that isn’t filled with cowboy boots and bachelorette parties, and taking a client to Honky Tonk Central or P-​Park might be frowned upon. Merchants is a great place to grab a classier lunch if you are floating around downtown.
I loved the style of the building and the 50s upscale diner atmosphere. Unfortunately, the music is always too loud — especially for lunch.
The service is great, they are super friendly. Also, they give you popcorn which is delicious. I am a HUGE fan of their popcorn.
Portion sizes are pretty large, but nothing I have eaten has stood out to me. My favorite dish I have tried has been the soup and sammy — which is grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I have not been able to try their beverages yet, so I am unable to comment on that area.
Like I said, for a client lunch, this is a great spot. I don’t know if I would recommend this to tourists visiting and looking for a place to eat on Broadway because it does not have the «Nashville» or «Country» atmosphere.

I really liked this place. The food here was alittle bit of sophisticated country.
The duck fat tots were delicious, and the popcorn apps were so fun and delicious.
I think I was just starving but I definitely loved everything we got here.
Except the brisket. yeah not my favorite dish. Everything else was very good.
Décor is nice, wait staff is attentive and overall feel and vibe was very good.

I had read they had fantastic fried green tomatoes and this was on my list of places to stop in Nashville, so I gave it a try.
I only sat in the bar area. It is a beautiful older building with a really cool history. They have a great selection of wine, beer, whiskey, bourbon, cocktails, etc.
I ordered the aforementioned fried green tomatoes. They must prepare them in advance and keep them under a heat lamp because I think it was less than 4 minutes from the time I ordered them to the time I received them. And when I did receive them, they weren’t hot. While there was quite a few, I didn’t care for them at all. Extremely tough and the sauce they were served with was too sweet. I also didn’t quite understand the scoop of pimento cheese on the side. Was I supposed to spread that on the tomatoes? I hope so because I did. The cheese was good. Made the tomatoes tolerable.
While the service was good, the music was so loud in the restaurant I wouldn’t be able to carry a conversation on in front of the person sitting next me let alone when I got a telephone call. I had to step outside to get some quiet.
So, my first time at Merchant’s was kind of a bust, but given all the other reviews, I will give it another shot when I am back in Nashville. I just won’t get the fried green tomatoes…

I can only speak to the duck fat tots, which we shared as the first item of our Fat Tour through Nashville. We got a full order thinking a half would be too small — but a half is enough to share, especially if you’ll be ordering entrees too. The first few were really good, and one could taste the difference in the cooking, but after that they tasted like standard tater tots.
Service was great though, despite the tots being the only thing we got, our server kept stopping by to see how we were doing. Nice place right at the corner of 4^th and Broadway so you can stroll on one of the best streets in Nashville before or after.

We came here for lunch on the day we spent in Nashville. They weren’t able to seat us at a table due to reservations but suggested the bar, where we easily found two open stools. Our bartender/​server was attentive but not overly friendly.
We split an order of the duck fat tater tots. They were hot and crisp on the outside; hot and tender on the inside. They came with three sauces — ketchup, a chipotle mayonnaise, and a creamy bernaise. In hindsight, we should have ordered the half portion because the full portion was insane. And insanely delicious.
We also ordered the baked cheese, which was accompanied by tortilla chips. The cheese was creamy and strong flavored. It was also a huge portion.
We finished neither of the things we ordered.
My husband ordered a bourbon; they were out of his first choice. The bartender was extremely helpful in identifying other good options.
Overall, well-​worth the trip!

I ate upstairs and was severely disappointed after a 50 minute wait. The menu is beyond limited. It is insanely expensive and the food only lived up to about a quarter of the cost. I had the acorn squash (no cheese). It was presented cold (didn’t expect that) and the skin was still on the squash which was difficult to peel. The greens were substituted. It was very skimpy overall with a small skinny wedge of the squash. Then I got a side of the vegetables with the tomato jam. The veggies and onions were too crunchy and not cooked long enough. The tomato jam was good but that was the only thing.
Service was difficult and clumsy. Very disappointed.

A friend and I came here for the first meal of our Nashville trip. Merchants was a great place to go.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. I loved getting to try a taste of the Nashville BBQ. It was cooked perfectly and the sauce a little sweet.
My meal came with onion rings and these were perfection as well.
They had popcorn out for all their guests (like their chips and salsa or peanuts). It was nice to nosh on.
The selection of local brews was pretty good so it was nice to get a local craft beer to experience Nashville a little more.
The inside was beautiful! Despite being around 1 on a Saturday we found seats easily at the bar.
I would definitely return and recommended it to other travelers at our hotel.