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Watch the Talk of the Town video from the July 5th show: Top 6 Nashville Food Finds Under $6
(3rd segment on the video)
Are you joining me after seeing my segment on my Top 6 Nashville Food Finds under $6 on Talk of the Town today?
Don’t worry if you missed any of the tips. I’ve got all the details for you right here! And while you’re here, make sure you enter my Birthday Giveaway a Day – a giveaway everyday during July until my birthday! You can win the necklace you saw me wear on tv today!
One of the most popular questions I get asked (other than how to save money!) is how to save on eating out…and where the best places are to get unique Nashville food on a budget! So for all of you planning a visit to Music City, or those of you Nashvillians who haven’t tasted all your backyard has to offer, this is for you!
Here they are, my Top 6 Nashville Food Finds Under $6:
1. The Cupcake Collection – Historic Germantown & Clarksville
I’ve heard about The Cupcake Collection for awhile now, but just recently made it over to Germantown to taste these delicious, and frugal, treats! Run with joy by Mignon and the entire Francois family out of their home-turned-bakery, these cupcakes are made with LOVE! I’m not a huge cupcake person, simply because they usually taste overly sweet and artificial, but these are the REAL DEAL. These cupcakes have the perfect cake/frosting ratio and are made with all natural ingredients, without any artificial colors or flavors added.
She’s even perfected a gluten-free variety…and you’d never be able to tell the difference. Her top 3 sellers are the Red Velvet, Sweet Potato (believe me, you have to try it) & Strawberry (my personal favorite!) – and at only $1.50 per cupcake, you can afford to taste them all!
2. Elliston Place Soda Shop – Nashville
This Nashville institution has been around since the 1930’s, but I didn’t get to visit it first hand until the Farm Bureau Insurance commercial I was in shot there. Though the soda shop was closed to outside customers, they asked Charlie the Farmer (his name really is Charlie!) and I during a break in filming if we wanted a milkshake….uh, YEAH!!! Honestly, it’s one of the few things I CRAVE (well that, and most of the other things on this list…which is why they’re on here!)
I went with the classic vanilla and it brought back so many childhood memories. Rich & thick, it didn’t need any add-ins…though I hear they’ve got a lot of great flavors to choose from. The milkshake is only $3.95, but you can also choose a malt for only $4.14. But don’t just settle for desert: this soda shop is also a Meat & Three, as well as making a dynamite Cheeseburger & fries!
3. The Pfunky Griddle – Berry Hill
Located close to Hundred Oaks Mall in the charming Berry Hill area of Nashville, The Pfunky Griddle is more than just a restaurant, it’s an experience! Every table has a griddle at it’s center, allowing patrons to cook their own food. Famous for their pancakes and French Toast, they also offer a wide variety of breakfast and lunch dishes, including many gluten-free options.
Perhaps most popular (& the item on my top 6) is their all-you-can-eat pancakes for only $5.99. This includes one topping (anything from candy to fruit or nuts) and you can try either their traditional batter or their 5 grain. Kids 4 & up are only $3.99. I don’t even like traditional pancakes (I’m more of a crepe girl myself), but I really love these…especially when topped with peanut butter and chocolate chips 🙂
4. Las Palmas – 10 Nashville locations
I honestly think Las Palmas was the reason my husband wanted to move back to Nashville from Florida (…don’t think I’m joking). This was the first place we stopped to eat as soon as we drove in to town and have been back countless times since. I’m not a fan of red sauce, but LOVE cheese sauce, so I’m always on the quest to find the perfect burrito that has one without the other at a low price…and I finally did: the Burrito Jalisco!
This burrito (that you can get with beef, chicken or ground beef – my preference) is wrapped with a flour tortilla, has cheese sauce poured over it and then is topped with shredded lettuce, pico de gailo, sour cream & radishes. I personally forego the sour cream and steal the extra pico from my daughter’s (yes, our entire family orders them). And for only $5.95 (coupled with the coupons we always get in the mail), this is a real deal…and I’m not even including the free chips and salsa they keep bringing to your table!
5. Sam’s Kebab Gyros – Bellevue
Being from Chicago, I consider myself a Greek food aficionado. Every time I find a Gyros place, I always try it, but am typically disappointed. Not Sam’s. We have a location right by our house in Bellevue and they pretty much know what we want from the minute we step in.
If you visit between 11a-1p, you can get their lunch special: a Gyros sandwich, fries & a drink for $5.99! And this isn’t any Gyros. They artfully create a pita pocket full of heaven, including homemade Tabouleh, feta cheese, tatziki sauce and all the fixings perfectly mixed together so you get all that goodness in each bite. And don’t even get me started on the hummus. I used to think hummus was just ok, but now I CRAVE their hummus (make sure to ask for extra olive oil on top…it’s so good too!)
6. Jim N Nick’s BBQ – West Nashville, Smyrna, Murfreesboro & Memphis
Ok, my final crave-worthy mention isn’t under $6, but it’s so delicious, I had to include it! (And it’s only $6.49, so I thought it could make the cut 🙂 It’s the “Pig in the Potato Patch” from Jim N Nick’s Bar-B-Q. I’ve had bbq before, but never before coming to Nashville did I have bbq on a baked potato.
This “gracious plenty” portion features a baked potato (that’s truly big enough for 2 people to share, but why would you?) topped with your choice of their famous bbq meat (my fav is the brisket), butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese & chives. I wish I had words to describe how good this is, but believe me when I say I’m drooling on my keyboard even as I type this.
I also love their chips & queso that comes with homemade pico, but any mention of Jim ‘N Nicks would be remiss if I didn’t talk about their famous cheese biscuits. I don’t know how they’re so good, but they’ve even made it to Saveur Magazine’s top 100 list (and their close slaw was just mentioned in Bon Appetit!) – not too shabby for a scratch-made Southern Kitchen, don’t ya think?
*****
I know there are many more great food finds in Nashville under $6 – I’d love to hear your favorites! Leave me a comment below with which restaurant you’d like me to check out next!
Special thanks to Fresh Produce for my dress today (and for all my readers voting on which one I should wear!) & Robyn Rhodes for my beautiful “Amber” necklace.
Watch my other Talk of the Town segments to find some other great tips too!