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    Culinary Dropout

    4.4 (192 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

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    CULINARY DROPOUT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy

    Recommended Reviews - Culinary Dropout

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    36-Hour Pork Ribs
    William W.

    In September of 2025, Phoenix-based Culinary Dropout (founded in 2010) opened its 19th location on the southern periphery of Cool Springs. It's the first location in Tennessee, one of the best culinary choices in the McEwen Northside neighborhood. If you're unfamiliar, it's essentially a 45-acre miniature city that was carved out of a field in 2018. I remember that overgrown grassy area just 10 years ago, and even Culinary Dropout was still a vacant lot in 2023. We're lucky that this rapidly developing neighborhood now hosts this exemplary eatery! And what I'm about to say is something I've never said before. Lily is literally the greatest server we've ever had in 50 states, 82 counties, and over 2,500 restaurants spanning over half a century on this planet! Request her!! She is fabulously professional, highly knowledgeable, and perfectly sociable. There was a snafu in which our server never appeared. So Lily rushed over to take our table outside her section. She gave impeccable advice for menu items, kept water glasses full, and managed to be perfectly attentive to our every need without being bothersome in the least. So charming and helpful! So, as for the food, get the house-made pretzel balls with three-cheese fondue! Get the chicken katsu. The 36-hour ribs are also good. Pro tip: The coleslaw might be the best I've ever eaten at a restaurant!! And the ribs come with coleslaw. We haven't even tried the Wagyu pigs in a blanket, prime rib dip, and fish and chips yet! Thank heavens there's a spot in Williamson County that stays open to midnight on Friday/Saturday! Please don't ever change that! But best of all, the atmosphere and service are outstanding!

    Fried Chicken
    Jim

    Found myself at Cool Springs area at lunchtime and decided to try this spot. I got there right at 11 and was able to park on the street right beside the restaurant. Started the meal off with a local brew "Ted Loves Cerveza"recommended by the server. This was a light and refreshing Mexican style lager that was excellent. For the entree, I chose the fried chicken which came with coleslaw, mashed potatoes and a biscuit. The chicken consisted of a thigh, leg and half of a breast, so if you are into dark meat they hook you up. The chicken was crisp and seasoned. Overall, everything was pretty good but the beer was the star of this show.

    Whipped Feta!
    Mari B.

    Need a new brunch place? You found it! Stopped in on a Sat with friends for brunch and it was awesome! Wait staff is great and we sat in the patio (perfect day for it). Inside there is plenty of seating and they had a musician inside and his music was pipped throughout the building which was nice! During brunch hours they have select cocktails that are half off! Their Boozy Bellini is delicious and fun! We started with their Whipped Feta & Tahini and highly recommend. Good portion to share! For an entree had their Ham & Egg Grilled Cheese with a side salad. The dish was delicious and shareable too! Grilled cheese was perfect and had avocado and tomato in it! Bread was really good! Side salad was a good size and great balsamic dressing. Ended with their Giddy Up Espresso Martini which was a great way to end a meal!

    The parking garage is around the corner.
    Mike R.

    Culinary Dropout is an American Gastro Pub serving elevated comfort food and classic Cocktails. I love the interior of this restaurant. We went for for a weekend lunch, but they also have Brunch options on the weekends. My wife got a Breakfast Burrito, which is a huge Burrito and I got the 36 hour Pork Ribs and the Ribs are so tender the meat falls off of the bone. They sauce their Ribs but not a Dry Rub. There is some street parking and a free to park garage right beside the restaurant. This is a large restaurant that also offers Reserved Private Group Dining. The staff were friendly providing very good service. I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in to a solo artist playing guitar and singing. It was nice. I believe you can go to their website and see who and when will be playing Live music. They have a full Bar serving Beer, Wine, Cocktails and some Mocktails. They offer Apps, Antipasti, Sushi, Salads, Sandwiches, Entrees and Sides. I will finish the review by saying this is a Scratch Kitchen making all of their Sauces and Dressings in house and handcutting their Fries and marinating their Ribs for 36 hours just to name a few. This is a great Date Night place or just a place to enjoy some tasty food and drinks. It's about 20 minutes South of Nashville in the Cool Springs area.Enjoy!!!

    Pretzel bites
    Timorie B.

    Had lunch here on a Saturday. The food was very good and service at table was efficient. They also had live music which was nice - it wasn't too loud and easy to listen to for all. The thing that would have made it a 5 star rating for us would have been front desk staff. She was cold and not friendly. The young woman who sat us was friendly and very conscientious of the young ladies demeanor at the front desk and made great effort to make up for it. Our server was efficient - but indifferent . We had the pretzel bites to start which were a nice surprise. Ordered a dip sandwich and bowl - both of which were good. Easy parking which is a plus and you can walk around stores while you wait for a table.

    Kale salad
    Jen S.

    Came here for lunch with a coworker. It was nice enough we could sit outside with the patio heaters. Our waiter was crazy nice and helpful! He really made the experience great. Wish I had caught his name. I had a perfectly sized, delicious kale salad and my friend had the famous chicken sandwich. We were very satisfied and the presentation was on point. Would definitely come back. It is a little pricey because of the area but worth it for the ambience, staff, and food.

    Turkey pastrami with fries
    EDWARD W.

    My wife and I were in Franklin between Christmas and New Years for a family gathering and decided to try something new which was Culinary Dropout. The restaurant is located in a trendy, mixed use shopping center with apartments, shopping, and dining. The restaurant seemed to be a bit cool temperature wise despite being quite full. Luckily, we were seated on the enclosed patio which was a warmer and less noisy. I was quickly disappointed that they were out of the potato chips with onion dip as well as the nachos which were two of the things on my list to try. I opted to try the Nochebuena Margarita which was good but overpriced for what it was. I decided to order the turkey pastrami sandwich with French fries. My wife ordered a house salad and added grilled shrimp. Her salad was quite good and I really liked the shrimp. My sandwich was a big let down. The coleslaw on the sandwich made it soggy and there was so much salt on it that it crunched when you ate it. I will say that the fries were very good. Our sever was very attentive and took care of all our needs, but he kept touching me on the shoulder which really annoyed me. I may have picked a bad night, but the overpriced drinks and the food is enough to keep me from coming back.

    BBQ Pork Belly Nachos
    Lady C.

    Such a CUTE MOOD Early dinner date & it was a total scene. Made reservations & was smooth upon entering. Service was 10/10 from host to servers. Food was so good. Steak & frites 10/10: love my medium rare steak with a good sauce. Came with a horse radish dipping sauce. Was just ok (my opinion) Fries were just right in size & crunch. Nachos were 8/10 Cheese sauce was good but seemed like chips were over cooked. Super crunchy but not the worse. It was a good shareable serving. Highlight! Beer & a shot deal all day everyday 100/100 can't beat that duo. Would like to go when they have the live music & happy hour for sure next.

    Menu
    Ashley D.

    We were in the area for our anniversary and had other dinner plans but after a long day we just wanted something special, cozy and close by. Following a suggestion from my foodie sister we chose Culinary Dropout! There is some street parking if you're lucky but there's also a parking garage right behind the building that's easy to navigate with a short walking path to the restaurant. We waited for about 20 mins on a Tuesday night which wasn't too bad. The dining room is huge with multiple zones & even a stage for what I'm assuming live performances along with an open kitchen. They also had a full bar and patio enclosed by plastic walls for the winter. Our server was incredibly personable, helpful, attentive and was genuinely interested in our dining experience. We were debating between apps (so many to choose from that looked amazing) and he helped us go with the pretzels. I'm so glad we listened to this suggestion because it was indeed one of the best pretzels and cheese fondue I've ever had. Leftovers for days, everything was top notch! Can't go wrong with this spot!

    Bougie Pigs In A Blanket
    beth h.

    This place is exactly what Franklin needed! A menu with something for everyone & a nice atmosphere full of energy! My husband & I got lucky & scored few seats at the very busy bar. Service was prompt & friendly. I ordered the Espresso Martini & it was OUTSTANDING! My husband had an IPA & like it. We were in the mood to have few small bites. We ordered the Pigs in A Blanket they are such a treat and are so fresh & good. Love the poppy seed on the breading. We also split the Chopped Chicken Salad & will be sure ordering it again & again but next time I am not splitting . All & all it was a great experience so be sure to put Culinary Dropout on ur must experience list ( oh, & don't forget to order the Espresso Martini)! Cheers!

    Sierra B.

    What a wonderful find here in Nashville! There is a crazy amount of inside seating, with live music on the weekends that started at 5:30. There's also patio seating which of course we chose! The fondue with the pretzels was twenty out of five stars. Just order it, you'll be glad. The Brussels weren't bad either, our kids surprisingly loved them. We both ordered pasta and the sauce was to die for with both of them. Very rich, and very fulfilling. The menu had so many great choices to choose from, I feel like we have to go back! Our waitress was so great with my son who was trying to charm her. She did great and was very quick to refill drinks and such. Great experience overall!

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    14 days ago

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    1 month ago

    McKenzie was an excellent server! Best service we have had since we have been in the area. We will be back next year and will drop in!

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    BrickTop's

    BrickTop's

    4.1
    (430 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    We took our granddaughters here for brunch and had a great experience! A little tip, it's best to…read moremake reservations a couple days in advance because this place gets busy. We started off with the Mini Donuts with dipping sauces, and they were a huge hit! Unfortunately, I was off my game and forgot to take pictures of some of the appetizers before they disappeared. We also ordered the Spinach Dip with chips, and a definite must have, the Deviled Eggs with Candy Bacon. Wow... those were sooo good! For the entrees, I went with the Eggs Benedict with home fries, and it was perfection. Others at the table ordered the Chicken Fingers and Fries, great comfort food with amazing flavor. The fries are the thin-cut style, which makes them extra good. The granddaughters split a hamburger and absolutely loved it. The service is always great here, but this visit had a special touch. The granddaughters wanted a carrot to feed to their stuffed bunny, and the waitress actually brought one out for them! Little things like that make a big impression. Overall, a great brunch, great service, and a great experience. We'll definitely be back!

    A few updates - always start dinner with bacon and eggs. Well, it's referred to as "deviled eggs &…read moresugar bacon" on the menu. Perfectly sharable. Comes with jalapeno hot sauce - don't be shy, it's more slightly tangy than spicy and it perfects the delicious deviled eggs. Appreciate that they're generous with the glazed bacon. Wife loves the little gem salad. It's a bit light for dinner; she cleans her plate. Special of fish and chips - sounded wonderful, but they were out of the fish shortly after 5:30pm - what? It must have been a carry over from the previous evening is all I can imagine. Anyway, if it's on the daily specials, order as soon as you see it! Loud, bustling, it's a popular place, be sure to reserve ahead (of sit at the beautiful bar, that works for a lot of folks as well).

    Photos
    View of the bar from the entrance
    View of the bar from the entrance
    Kids Burger, they split it.
    Kids Burger, they split it.
    Deviled Eggs

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    Deviled Eggs
    Franklin Chop House

    Franklin Chop House

    4.0
    (240 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    We've been driving by this place for years (at least 25 years) and finally decided to stop in last…read morenight, and I'm glad we did. We were greeted right away by the owner and seated in a comfortable booth in the back. The space offers a nice mix of tables, booths, and bar seating. Our waitress was friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome from the start. After we ordered, she brought out a basket of biscuits, three for the two of us, which was a bit curious, but no complaints here. The second basket came soon after the first. They were light, slightly sweet, and really good. For my entrée, I went with the Louisiana Bayou Shrimp with Crawfish with a side of corn. Wow, great flavor with just the right amount of kick, and they didn't skimp on the shrimp or crawfish. Portion size was spot on. My wife kept it a bit more traditional with the Southern Fried Chicken Salad, which was fresh and very well done. Safe to say, we won't wait another 30 years to come back. I've already got my eye on the blueberry cobbler next time. If you live in Franklin, don't make the same mistake we did, give this place a try sooner rather than later. Cheers!

    Was in the area this past weekend. Did some research on this establishment and decided to try it…read moreout. So glad I did- The food is excellent and very tasty. The presentation and amount per serving was amazing. Would highly recommend either the pork chops or the apricot chicken. Highly recommend this establishment and our server (Ashlee) was courteous and super nice!

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    Table
    Table
    Side House Salad
    Side House Salad
    House Salad

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    House Salad
    J. Alexander's

    J. Alexander's

    4.0
    (488 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    Their hamburgers are outstanding. Skip the French fries and pair it with their lemon herb broccoli…read moreand beverage of your choice. You'll be back. The service and staff are welcoming and dining experience is above most other restaurants.

    This J. Alexander's is located on Galleria Boulevard across from the Costco and is your standard J…read more Alexander's location, which is nice as consistency is good with these chains! I recently gave my team the option of where they wanted to have lunch and J. Alexander's was the winning choice by far, so off we went on a Wednesday afternoon. This location is fairly large, well laid out, well kept and clean. The atmosphere, menu, vibes and service are elevated, but not pretentious. We had a reservation and were sat fairly quickly. From there, our server was quick to swing by and get us started with drinks and appetizers. We ordered a few appetizers including the Hong Kong Shrimp and a Spinach/Queso dip. Both were delightful and great starts to our meal. The pork chops were top priority for a few of my team, so a few went with the pork chops, another the burger and I went with the steak frites. None of us regretted our choices! Sadly between the appetizers and mains, we were a bit full to have dessert, but the menu sounded great. Service was friendly and helpful, but she was a bit tough to track down when we needed something. Did not detract from the meal, but was noticeable on at least two occasions. Overall, J. Alexander's is a good spot in a good location, and I will certainly be back at some point.

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    J. Alexander's
    J. Alexander's
    J. Alexander's

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    Culinary Dropout - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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