This place was awesome! The portions were huge and only for $14. I got the country fried steak with mac and cheese and creamy potatoes (mashed potatoes) The steak itself was alright- the gravy was good (I used it on my potatoes), the mac and cheese was tasty, and the mashed potatoes were alright but tasted much better with the gravy. My dad got the fried catfish (well seasoned but actually a fairly tiny portion), creamy potatoes, and cabbage (tasty). The banana bread pudding ($5) was alright. This place seemed so Southern- Authentic. The food was served cafeteria style. There were lots of signed pictures of people who have ate at this restaurant (open since 1954). You could tell by the crowd it is authentic and a timeless favorite place to eat. I'd definitely recommend coming here for some southern comfort! And it has a parking lot! read more

This is one of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. Although the place looks super outdated and the food is served like an IKEA cafeteria LoL, the food is unexpectedly tasty and the price is unbelievably reasonable! I will definitely come back again!! read more

Swett's Restaurant - Fried Chicken with creamed corn and squash casserole - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Was excited to try this place but it did not hit the spot. Found it salty and the fruit had spoiled. The cashier offered to refund us for the fruit. The servings were generous and there is a wide variety of options. Bert traditional soul food menu. Favorite thing we tried was the pecan pie. read more

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Great food! Excellent service! Each item was better than the other. For sure we will be back.

I stopped here after worship Sunday. First, I went to the to go side thinking it was the cafeteria side. There was only two people in front of me. I was thinking this can't be good for there to only be two people in line after worship. Then, I noticed there were only a few dishes on the line. While waiting, I noticed a lady use some shears to cut up the chicken. That turned me off no one else had a problem with it. I finally asked if there was another section and they informed me I was in the to go section. I made my way to the cafeteria section and the line was long. I thought this makes more sense. While in line, I looked at some of the pictures on the wall. I saw the some photos the Traveler's Green Book and Swett's was a part of it. How awesome is that!!! I finally, made it to the front of the line. I ordered the beef tips with greens, macaroni and cheese, fried cornbread, and a slice of sweet potato pie. The beef tips were tender and delicious. The macaroni and cheese was okay. I wished it had a piece of that baked cheese on top but I got the last of the macaroni and cheese out of the dish. I didn't like the greens at all. I wished I had tried the cabbage instead. I didn't eat the sweet potato pie until later that evening. That sweet potato pie was fantastic! I wished I had gotten two slices. It was so smooth and flavorful! read more

Swett's Restaurant - View of wall - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

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So unfortunately the meal only comes with the meat and 2 sides..I wanted 3, so I added on the yams. It came out to $18. All of the food was delicious but the cornbread was dry and my fiancé said his roll was as well (their complimentary with the meal). I enjoyed everything but next time will get my gravy in a separate container, they put only a little on top and then covered the meal in parchment paper..so it ran over onto my other food and I didn't have much left with the potatoes. The chicken and Mac was the best! read more

Swett's Restaurant - Candied yams,Fried Chicken, Cornbread, Mac and Cheese and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Stopped in on a Tuesday with my 92 year old Mom. She had just received her second Covid vaccination at St Thomas. There was no line when we arrived. Mom got meatloaf, yams, and green beans along with a roll, chow chow, and water. I got meatloaf, mashed potatoes, squash, a roll, and lemonade. The place was clean and bright. The cashier carried mom's tray for her It was all delicious and we had no room for dessert. Another great dining experience for Mom. The $30 was fair as the food was homemade, fresh, and authentic. read more

It was a'ight, my wife ate a pulled pork samich and was not impressed by it. So much so that she would not draft this review. However, it wasn't bad "it was average" are here words. I'm writing this because I paid $10 fo' a samich, for my wife in the airport, that was just "average". OK. you've been warned... it a'ight. read more

Great food. Very laid back atmosphere. Cafeteria style dining. The smothered pork chops and yellow rice were great. Catfish can be cooked to order. Really great service. Highly recommend. read more

Visiting the Nashville area and looking for soul food on a Sunday after 4pm was kind of hard but we lucked up on this gem that's opened till 8pm. We ordered several plates for our family and was so happy we did. I called in our order and my husband said the restaurant even smelled good when he walked in. Our food was delicious!! They messed up one order by giving the wrong veggies but it was okay because the greens were just as delicious as I'm sure the green beans would've been. We will definitely be visiting again on our next visit. read more

Swett's Restaurant - Beef tips, cabbage and pinto beans. The tips were very tender. - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

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This is a Staple meat and three cafeteria! Servings were huge and very well seasoned.

Loved the Fried chicken. The chicken was temperature hoot and a little spicy. My wife liked turkey and side. Homemade pies were delicious. Will be back. read more

Swett's is no frills comfort home cooking. I ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, and tried the cabbage and green beans as well. Everything was so fantastic, cheap, and quick service. read more

This place is awesome! Being from Oregon, we have no good southern food and so I was stoked to try this place. Set up like a lunch line, the service was fast and the staff were so sweet! Our food was hot and taste so good!! Fair prices and we had way more food than we could eat. Highly recommend! read more

Swett's Restaurant - Ribs, greens, Macaroni & Cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Amazing!!!! Talk about grama's soul food!' I had the fried chicken Mac and cheese and cabbage. Delicious. My dad had smothered liver and rice and greens. He kept talking about how good and tender it was. Actually could stop talking about it. Highly recommend. Btw.. the peach cobbler put me in a food coma. It was worth every bite. read more

Swett's Restaurant - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Very good chicken and overall foods the side were meh but service was good and don't know what ambiance means but overall great

A cure for your hunger with good healthy food! Delicious BBQ and nice clean environment! Kind and friendly staff make it fun!!

A visit home isn't complete until I go to Swett's!Service is always friendly and fast. I typically switch up what I get from time to time because usually everything is always good. But my goto is definitely the fried chicken, mac n cheese, & berry cobbler as the dessert. This time I added greens as my 2nd side. Everything was pretty good. The mac n cheese was nice and creamy ! The chicken was fried well and the flavor was so good it had like a pepper taste to it. If you're a fan of Mrs. Winners it gives me that vibe a little bit. I Love it! I wasn't a big fan of the greens though as Im not much of a vinegar based lover, so those weren't the best to me but they were still okay! The cornbread was also a no for me it was a bit too dry. I should've stuck with my usual which is the roll. Lastly, I was kind of sad about my cobbler it wasn't as flavorful as I remember it. It was lacking in sweetness. Definitely could've been caused by the lack of sweetness in the berries themselves but some added sweetness would have been nice. Overall this is still one of my goto soul food spots in Nashville. read more

The wife was very hungry and our plane landed for our first day in Nashville. Swett's did not disappoint. The service was so friendly the food could have been bad and we would have been happy. The wife had the fried porkchop and I had the country fried steak. Down in Texas we call it a smothered steak though. This was an unbelievable quality restaurant. The food was off the chain. The collard greens and green beans, the two types of cornbread of which we've never had fried cornbread before was good. The wife had a strawberry cake and we both had water. We got out of there for about $40 but it was worth every penny! read more

Swett's came highly recommended by friends and I thought I would give it a try after I read some of the reviews. Well, today I went and ordered collard greens, macaroni and cheese, banana pudding and ribs. My friend ordered the cabbage, mac and cheese and smother pork chops. The food was just OK. My friend and I both concurred that the mac and cheese tasted like it came out of a box, and the meats were really salty. The banana pudding was just OK. Thinking about the $45 we spent for both meals, it was a little disappointing. read more

4 stars are for the effort they put in. Porkchop was tender and gravy was flavorful. Mac & cheese and cabbage was eh, corn bread was not impressive, but apples were great. While I may return, I will order other items. I was told fried chicken was juicy and delicious. read more

This place has been the first thing that comes to mind when I think of meat and three. For almost 15 years, some of my fondest food memories had been finishing church down on Broadway, and making our way over to the farmers market, where Swett's once had an established food hall spot. I would only ever get the mac and cheese and creamed corn and mix it all together, soaked up by the roll. Recently, I went back to Nashville having relocated almost a decade ago and craved the food. The nostalgia and taste had not changed since the location change. This time I got the fried chicken and nonetheless, mac and cheese and creamed corn, with a roll. It was like no time had passed and that is why I always recommend this place to anyone who has never had a meat and three experience. Swett's isn't a gimmick and that is what makes it the most sincere Nashville way! read more

The food here is wonderful! Truly, southern comfort food. About once every two months we make a trip from Mount Juliet. Since Arnold's closed, this is the best meat and three in Nashville bar none. read more

Being a northerner we had no idea where to get great local food. Swett's Fine Food was highly recommended. Far surpassed our expectations. Not a fancy place but so often fancy restaurant's food falls short of being worth the cost. Loved the local vibe read more

Nashville's best Meat n 3!! Was cool to eat here before Nashville got cool. A Nashville institution!! Southern comfort food at its finest.

I thought the food was wonderful!! The service and atmosphere were great, as well. I had fried chicken, loaded potato casserole, and cabbage. I would definitely have that again, but there are other delicious options I still want to try. I'll be back very soon! read more

The food is awesome!! I had the bbq chicken, so good. My wife had the spaghetti and said it may be the best she ever had.

I can't wait to return! Food tastes great, wide variety, get their early! Definitely will be back!

My friend from Murphreesboro, and I from Brentwood, Love finding outstanding meat & 3's. Today was a special treat! Not only did we have a beautiful selection of amazing food to choose from... But we were blessed by a wonderful young man actually carrying our trays to a table for us. The green beans were so delicately seasoned and actually tasted like green beans! Unfortunately, the turnup greens were still cooking, so we did not get to try those, but everything we had, from the chicken to the barbecue to the macaroni & cheese and corn was delectable! Of course, I had to eat dessert & The blackberry cobbler with ice cream was amazing! Everyone was so friendly and the restaurant was tidy. We will definitely be back! read more

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Enjoyed the food. You go through a cafeteria line so it was good to be able to see the food. But seeing the food made me get extra - like the blackberry cobbler. Which was well worth it! read more

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Food use to be great........nasty as heck for the past couple of years. Will be spending my money elsewhere in the future. Apparently owner does not care about his business any longer. My granddaughter picked up my food and she said the staff is also rude. read more

This is truly a soul food establishment! From the first greeting of ,"hi baby" to what else will you have, this place is a gem. The fried chicken was cooked to perfection, the potato salad made just right, the greens were prepared by a seasoned food veteran and the buttermilk cornbread muffin was on point. I could only imagine what their fish and oxtails would taste like. The tea was brewed and sweetened like grandmas. My friend had the banana pudding and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. The bus boy was nice and cordial. Another must when you're in Nashville! Kudos to the Swett team! read more

I will say the food is pretty good. The issue I have is with the pricing. Meatloaf, 2 sides, small sweet tea and a side of cobbler was $22! On top of that, I placed an order for a Thanksgiving meal. I bring it home and the portions were way too small for the price. Spent over $150 and wasn't nearly enough. read more

The food is delicious! I mean all of it! It's a cafeteria style restaurant and the food is so amazing! Start by grabbing your homemade desert selection first. Then pick your meat. The choices are endless and ALL delicious! The sides are even better! All kinds of choices! Needless to say they are all scrumptious I can't tell you enough... don't drive past this classic that is still wonderful! read more

Food was great down home cooking. Got there 30 min before close. Loved the pockchop and the sides.

Wow! I can't believe that this place is just down the street from my apartment. Beef tips and rice, white beans and yams the way my great-grandmother made them . I couldn't decide between blackberry or peach cobbler so she says why not a half and half of both? Great suggestion! Everything was just delicious. read more

Swett's Restaurant - Oh yum - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Well, I have to admit, when we walked into Swetts the first time, I thought we had made a mistake. The cafeteria style ordering is totally foreign to a San Francisco foodie. Also half of the place appears shut down and makes it look like a failing business at first. Also, we got there pretty close to closing so the selection was looking limited and like it had been on the warming plates for too long to be tasty by then. But we ordered our fried chicken and fried catfish, and we got some macaroni and cheese, turnip greens, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. And it was all really good. The portions were really generous too. We were stuffed. I know the other review says it was pricey, and I don't mean to argue, but in San Francisco, anytime you can get two full meals with a main course (meat), two sides, cornbread, and a glass of iced tea for $20 including tax and tip, we consider it a bargain. But we are used to having to pay an arm and a leg for decent food. The mashed potatoes have a super buttermilk tang in them. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted like butta'. Anyway, we liked Swetts so much that we went back again (2 of our 4 dinners out in Nashville) and got some chicken fried steak and pork chops. They were equally delicious. If we lived in Nashville, we would be regulars at this place and probably weigh about 100 pounds more each too. read more

Swett's Restaurant - Fried Chicken and Catfish - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I used to live in Nashville. I used to come to Swett's ALL the time. Now I live in Chicago. I miss my southern soul food. Can I tell you how excited I was to be driving through Nashville during lunch? I knew I had to stop at Swett's. A lot can happen in seven years... that is how long I have been gone, and so much has changed! Swetts has grown, and I'm not sure that is such a good thing. Maybe you can never go home again, but the food was just ok. Mac and cheese and cornbread were still standout, but everything else was either too greasy, too salty, or tasted canned. They were doing a great turnover, and I wonder if feeding the masses has decreased the quality that they once had. Wondering if it was just me, I asked a friend still living in the NashVegas area if Swetts was just sweeter in my memory....nope. No longer a destination for my local buddies for the same reason. Happy for them that they have experienced such great success, but sad that their food became the casualty of their growth. WIsh I had made that call before I stopped. Oh well. The mac and cheese still rocked. read more

Swett's Restaurant - Soul Food Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Maybe because I went there a hour before they closed, but I wasn't impressed with the food that much. I did like the Meatloaf though. No frills to this place, as it is cafeteria style. Grab a tray and point out your order behind the glass plate. My choice, the mac n' cheese and the greens, apparently turnip greens. Both were ok. Cornbread was dry. I usually don't put salt on my food, but I felt the need this time. Food was warm, not hot. Staff was ok. It was quite roomy though and all genre's of people were there. If you looking for a late night spot, this will due. Will give it another chance if I head out to Nashville again. read more

Swett's is an upscale cafeteria that is very good. Listed as a soul food restaurant, I find that the food is not really soul food, but it is very good. There were no soul food delicacies like fish, chitterlings, pigs feet or brain. After getting your tray, you go down the line to pick out your food which is served with a very friendly person. Offerings the day I was there included three types of chicken (rotisserie, baked and fried), beef tips in gravy, ribs, meatloaf and a bunch others I don't recall. About 12-15 offerings of side dishes followed. Included were mashed potatoes, cream corn, beans, macaroni and cheese, and some more things I've forgotten. Good home style food preparation was obvious from appearance. I had her dish out the beef tips, but by-passed her suggestion to have them over rice. Due to my diabetes, I wanted to hold down on the carbs. The beef was tender and I loved the nice thick gravy it was in. A bit too salty for my taste, but I still enjoyed it. Side dishes I tried were the creamed corn and macaroni and cheese. On sight, the creamed corn was obviously home made. Different hued kernels and the appearance of real cream in the sauce said that this did not come out of a can. Many places are into gourmet cheese sauces, but this was just an honest to goodness orange cheese sauce. It was just the right consistency, not too runny, and not so thick you felt you were eating a block of cheese with some pasta stuck in the middle. Checking out, I noticed little plastic tubs so I asked what they were. Instead of what I thought were pickles was actually a cucumber salad and it was great. Chow-chow was in the other and I loved that, too. Nicely decorated and clean, I can see why this place could be a popular hangout, especially with the value. You get a lot of food for your money. Usually in cafeterias, you expect to bus your own tray. After eating, I picked up my tray and tried to figure out what to do with it. A man told me to just leave it on the table. He looked like the picture of the owner, but since the restaurant has been around for 65 years, he was either a son, or a well preserved spry individual. read more