Elliston Place Soda Shop

I kicked off Nashville Originals restaurant week here for lunch yesterday. This retro style diner is such a cool place to eat. Everyone is so friendly! They welcome you as you walk through the door and let you know that you can sit anywhere you like. You would think it would be an easy decision but it took me a minute to decide. Do I want to sit at the cool counter or a table or a booth? I went a table in the middle of the diner facing the counter. There were signs and autographed photos to look at while waiting on your food.
I love meat and vegetable plates. It was my lucky day because Monday was meatloaf day and I love meatloaf. You must have mashed potatoes with meatloaf so I got those and green beans. The meatloaf had a rich homemade tomato taste. Everything was delicious. I can’t wait to come back and try their burgers.

I was really excited to eat here and treat my out of town family to something with a soda shop atmosphere. It was honestly the worst service/​management I’ve ever experienced.
Our server was ok, but the owner/​manager (older lady with short blonde hair) rolled her eyes when we asked her for the cheese that was left off of my burger.
I went to their restroom which is very close to the kitchen and the blonde lady was arguing with a female employee, throwing hands up and yelling.
Fast forward to when we are just about finished with our food, this man and the blonde lady are SCREAMING at each other in front of the whole restaurant. The entire place was quiet, because we didn’t know if we should be scared or not… The man was yelling «If you want to see a scene, I’ll show you a scene! I’m calling 911!» He went to the phone and kept repeating himself. I honestly was scared.
I’m assuming both employees quit that day. I hope they get their act together. This could be a really neat place to eat. Food was 6 out of 10.
We will never go back there. When the customer feels like they are inconveniencing the restaurant by patronizing it, there is something really wrong. Don’t take your children here.

I think this place is overrated and if not for the «historical» reputation it wouldn’t survive. The burgers are small and overcooked (why ask how I want my burger?). The fries are good, but nothing special. The malted milkshake was delicious, but that’s hard to ruin. The service is very friendly.

Pretty decent burger, especially with pimento cheese, grilled onions, and all the fixings. The side of fries came in a generous portion and were perfectly crispy. Oh, but the star of the show was DEFINITELY the milkshakes. I recommend the peanut butter version. Creamy with just the perfect hint of nuttiness.
Service was quick, efficient, and accommodating. They even pulled up a table to a booth to help seat all 6 of us. Everyone in our party commented on the retro throwback décor, especially the jukebox in the back, the cute aluminum signs, and the colorful chalk drawings.

As Nashville grows and more and more people from outside (the city, state, region) move here, it’s nice to see some hallmarks of the pre-​Nashville Nashville are still alive and kicking. Elliston Place Soda Shop has been doing its thing since the ‘30s. That’s a big deal and something to celebrate. Plus, who doesn’t like ice cream?
The concept here is pretty simple: take an old school diner, through in some sassy waitresses, make sure the stools/​tables pass the ‘seems right’ test, and make sure there’s plenty of ice cream on the menu. In other cities, this may be called ‘Steak ‘n Shake.’ We’re lucky enough to have the real deal right here. One thing to know right off the bat: it’s popular. Whether it’s due to nostalgia, location or pr, if you try to eat here at lunch time on a Friday there will be a wait. You have to be keen on spotting a table and quick to rush to it (even before it’s bussed) if you want to sit and eat. But once you’ve done that, it’s smooth sailing. Much to my expectation and delight, our waitress had plenty of bon mots to throw around and a healthy amount of lip. It makes the experience. You know what else makes it: a burger, fries & shake. So, I ordered all three. My burger was a nicely-​griddled patty topped with pimento cheese, bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato. My fries were thin and plentiful. My shake was a thick libation of chocolate and peanut butter. I loved every bite, sip and slurp. Unfortunately, institutions like EPSS are dying breeds. With the rush for everything new new new (which tends to devolve to same same same), the classic American diner (that’s truly a classic and not a retread) seems to be going the way of the dodo bird. Take the time to support the old school establishments that paved the way for $ 283 plates of foam-​based shrimp & grits. 75 years doesn’t come easy or with anyone giving you anything. Nashville, show your support so the Soda Shop never becomes an Atlanta-​constructed high rise. You know… because we need another… or not.

Best malts, shakes anywhere. We were in town over the weekend and did not have time to enjoy a meal at Elliston Place, but we did have time to get a chocolate malt — for me – to go.
Hadn’t been to Elliston Place in quite some time. Completely different staff of course. Younger. I went ahead and ordered my malt at a cost of around $ 5.50, including tax. I wrote in another review that I would never get a malt that cost $ 5, but in the case of Elliston Place, we’ll make an exception!
Young girl around 20 years old started to make my malt. One thing I can’t stand is when people make chocolate shakes with chocolate ice cream. So I just wanted to make sure she was going to make it properly: vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, milk, malt powder. She said, «I know how to make a chocolate malt.» OK, fine. I watched her assemble it just the way you are supposed to. A chemist could not have assembled more correct proportions of each ingredient. I have chocolate malts everywhere, but this one is the best I’ve ever had. It was thick all the way to the bottom of the large cup. Worth every cent.
Anyhow, this is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. The milkshakes are the star here, made with Nashville’s Purity ice cream. However, I think the food is very good, too. Classic diner burger. I’ve tried the veggies and they are quite good. The atmosphere is just about without equal.

I am still trying to figure out what the HUB BUB about this place is.
We went here between doctor appointments at the hospital and Noël had never been here before.
We stopped in. Noël got a Dr. Pepper Float and Tony got a chocolate ice cream cone. I opted for some Sweet Southern Iced Tea. It was only three items and it cost over $ 15…that was outrageous!!!
The place was crowded and a little dirty for my taste…
But it is like stepping back in time, I will give them that !!!

The sticker on the front door said «best of the city in 2008.» Maybe that was the case then, but not anymore! The food was low-​quality, poor taste and over-​priced and the staff called our kids runts right when we walked in. I’ve been in shady gas station bathrooms that were nicer than theirs. There are a thousand other places you should go in Nashville before you go here.

Fun atmosphere and really good milkshakes! Though my burger was a little dry it still had good flavor and the tomatoes that came on it were good. The French fries were not good– tasted like the fryer. I was also hoping that the staff would be a little bit nicer.

it’s okay. If you work in the area or are a Vandy student, you will appreciate having an ice cream shop/​burger joint near by.
But my experience with the cheeseburger (2 visits) is that, while tasty, it’s not memorable.
It also does not have a huge dining area, so lunch hour can get crazy.

We’ve lived here seven years and just made it to Elliston Place Soda Shop. I had an appointment with the doctor and felt like I deserved ice cream. My husband agreed and there we were, right near Elliston. I love old school lunch spots and this one is no exception. I did remember all the hubbub when they almost lost their lease a few years back and there was an uproar. (They have a 10 year lease now.) Hubby took advantage of the «breakfast sandwiches all day» option and had egg/​cheese and. wait for it… fried bologna sandwich. He was in heaven. I had a ham/​cheese/​lettuce and newborn tomato sandwich which, when you’re feeling under the weather is comfort food. However, the best part was dessert! We each had a sundae, mine was caramel, his was hot fudge. Served in an old fashioned sundae glass with whipped cream, nuts and cherry. It wasn’t ridiculously oversized and it was perfect.
We really enjoy going out to places like Husk and Etch but sometimes you just want a ham and cheese and a sassy waitress. We like this place… glad it’s here for at least 10 more years.

It’s a neat place, but I was disappointed. I ordered a strawberry sundae expecting real strawberries, especially as I was there in berry season — well it was fake syrup WITHOUT A SINGLE STRAWBERRY in it! SAD.
Greens were pretty good, as was the mac ‘n cheese.

Ok so we see reviews for this place and finally decide to head over, looked like it had a quaint perfect soda place feel. Well we walk in around 1:00 and the place couldnt really accommodate our group of 6. We walk all the way to the back and they kind of alluded that the only tables we could put together were in the very front. Tables were dirty… which is understandable after a busy lunch. However service was outrageously bad. We ordered, my friend got her milkshake like 15 – 20 mins later. While our server was outside smoking. My other friend got ranch with the chessy fry app, they all seemed to really enjoy the fries. However she never got the ranch until she got her salad. Then server forgot about my friend who asked for worcestershire and A1. She got it roughly 5 – 8 minutes later. I ordered my sand at awkward time after everyone else ordered, i got it in a timly manner. After she set my sandwich down she never came back to the table. We never got a refill of water, ⁵⁄₆ of us had water. We had to get up and ask for togo boxes. Food: 3 ½
Cleanliness: 2
Server Attentiveness: –½
Lady up front who was trying to cash out and go home: 5
Price: 4
Maybe there is potential at this place, if we only had 4 or less people… or maybe a different server. Either way I will not be returning.

I’d give it 2.5 stars but apparently we round numbers up in this country. Both times I’ve been there the food as been completely underwhelming but the drinks were fantastic. The orange dreamsicle they have is delicious.
The food here is so bad, I can’t emphasize it enough. I had a lukewarm sandwich and a corn muffin that felt like a hockey puck. I’m never going to have dinner here again. Maybe a fountain drink every now and then but I can’t seem to eat at Elliston and not be disappointed.

This place is adorable. I love the booths and stools at the counter. We came for sweets :) milkshakes and pies… I got the coconut crème pie and chocolate milkshake and they are both heavenly… next time I’m in town I will deff be back here :)

Excellent shakes. Really as creamy and delicious as any milkshake you can find. real milk. real ice cream. real blenders. Real good.
Food — we had a chili-​cheese dog and a BLT. BLT was deemed good. Dog was ok for what it was: this is one of those deals where you are in no way intended to pick up and eat the dog — the chili has beans and chunks of tomatoes and completely melts and overwhelms the bun. If that’s your bag, you might love it but this is a knife-​and-​fork deal and that ain’t my thing.
But…
If I owned the joint I’d shut it down and remodel or at the very least replace the really grubby drop ceiling and clean the hell out of everything else. Our milkshake glasses didn’t look clean and the whole place wasn’t unclean so much as worn down and worn out. I’ve been to many a place where the dirt is part of the charm… here the dirt is just dirt. And the enormously overweight woman cradling a smartphone to her ear with her shoulder (um, earbuds? bluetooth? hello?!) while she tediously assembled someone else’s sundae was the most painful thing I have ever watched in a restaurant — and possibly anywhere.
I wanted to go someplace with been-​around-​forever-​because-​greatness kind of cred or authenticity or nostalgia or whatever it is. A classic joint. Timeless because greatness. The kind of place where you walk in and think that 2015 and 1965 are actually pretty much the same thing in regards to things like milkshakes and hot dogs and counters and stools (and happily in no way alike at all in uglier social aspects of that era) because place like this do them exactly the same way now as they did then.
But this ain’t that. When you walk in here, you know right away that it’s 2015 and this place somehow lost its way.

Quaint little diner/​soda shop.
Very busy at lunch time.
Chocolate milkshake was huge and quite tasty.
The menu is very average and unremarkable. Kids meals are overpriced.
Ordered chili-​cheese fries which were terrible. Had to be canned chili with a smattering of shredded cheddar. Avoid these.
Service was too slow to order anything else.
Cashier was extremely unfriendly.
I’d probably head to some of the other places in the area.

Four stars for an authentic, southern diner. Elliston is the real deal and seems the same as it would have been 50 years ago.
While many a tourist comes to visit, there is no added glitz or three star chef. Entrees are straightforward American fare.
Great place doe lunch and ice cream Sunday.

A work conference brought Sue to Nashville. Since I love to travel (probably the thing I love to do the most in life) and I hadn’t been to Nashville since 2000 I decided to tag along. I knew that there was good food to be had in this city and I brought along my Road Food book to see how many of those places were still in business. Elliston Place has been around since 1939 and I don’t imagine it is going anywhere anytime soon.
This establishment was literally around the corner from our hotel. I was so happy to find that out as soon as I checked in and took a look on Unilocal to see what was nearby to eat at. My decision was already made for me.
You will be greeted by «hon» or «sweety» or something southern as soon as you walk in. This is a vintage southern diner. The place was rather packed on a Wednesday around lunch so instead of a table, I decided to get a seat at the counter. Menu was presented, but I already knew I was going to have a milkshake because that is what you get when you come to a place like this. I saw bananas behind the counter so I ordered a banana shake. They give you the canister with the shake so you are getting almost 3 full servings when all is said and done.
Meat and 3 was on my mind. They have specials each day of the week. The 3 means you get 3 veggies along with your meat. I went with the chicken and dumplings along with turnip greens, fried okra and mashed squash. It also came with a buscuit (or cornbread) and butter.
The food came out before I knew it and I dove in. Hadn’t had chicken and dumplings in a long time. A good version here. The veggies were really good as well with the squash being the one that stood out most for me.
I ended up coming back here a few days later for another milkshake (chocolate) because I just wanted an afternoon treat.
A good experience for me and I look forward to my next trip to Nashville and another meal at Elliston Place.

Love it here. Greasy burgers and fries that make ya want to hate yourself after you eat here because it is just THAT sinful! You’ll need to go to church and ask for forgiveness!
This is the oldest restaurant in Nashville that has been here since 1939 and still going strong. It has gone through a few transitions from a grocery store to a pharmacy. You can still see where it says Elliston Pharmacy when you first walk in. They boast of healthy portion eating and some of the best damn soda fountain drinks and shakes you’ll have in your life time.
Prices has certainly increased over time. Quality has not been compromised in the process. All still totally worth a visit and makes you feel like you’re stepping back into time when things were simple and poodle skirts and penny loafers were the fashion trend.