4. Restaurants

Cool Cafe

1110 Hillsboro Rd,Ste B200, Franklin, TN, 37064
  • (615) 599-0338
  • Store is closed

Cool Cafe Menu

  • Main
  • Meats & Casseroles
  • Hot Veggies
  • Cool Salads
  • Eggs
  • Desserts

Healthy Meal suggestions for Cool Cafe

  • Main
  • Meats & Casseroles
  • Hot Veggies
  • Cool Salads
  • Eggs
  • Desserts

  • Aj W.

    Amazing place! If you haven't tried it you must! Great food!!

    (5)

  • Denny K.

    Size doesn't matter. How many permutations of that phrase do we hear each day? In the case of Cool Cafe, it rings true inasmuch as big portions do not equal big flavors or delectable delights. The Good: really generous portions. Congenial and friendly counter staff. This is a traditional meat and three (1-2-or-3 as you like) so no restaurant-style wait staff; carry your own tray and bus your own table. Ample lot parking. Large selection of daily specials and regular sides. Friendly atmosphere all around. Low-Down: Very good Fried Chicken, simple crispy flour coating, lightly seasoned with a very tender and very moist interior. Well-flavored Broccoli Salad with broccoli florets, raisins, onions, and a rather runny, sweet dressing. Darn good Creamed Spinach with a slight hint of heat for a back of the throat finish. Just okay Creamy Mac and (not very) Cheese(y). Bottom Rung: Run-of-the-mill Baked Tilapia with no discernible flavor profile...just a tad muddy. Cucumber and Onion Salad with a hint of cinnamon? (Not for my tastes.) Out of Bounds for a Southern Restaurant (and not Guy Fieri's kinda OOB)...a half-inch slab of something the color of over-baked cornbread: Dry, Greasy, and ... well, it ain't my Grandma's cornbread by a long stretch. As noted earlier, there are a lot of offerings and on the serving line and they look very appetizing. I'd love to go back and try the Deviled Eggs and a few of the other Cold Salads or perhaps the Fried Okra, Lemon-Basil Pasta, Beer Boiled Cabbage, or Turnip Greens. But am feeling a little shy about a return trip. The desserts looked very appealing...but I didn't try. Maybe I'll go for salad and dessert sometime. All-in-all a bit of a disappointment.

    (2)

  • Aubrey W.

    This is a great local Meat & Three in the Franklin area. I actually like it better than Bishop's in Cool Springs. The portions are hefty, and it tastes like home cooking. They have more side dish options than most similar restaurants. When I went in today, I had to choose from almost a dozen! I chose the meatloaf, mac 'n' cheese, and apple cobbler dessert. All were tasty. Fiance chose fried chicken (he loves their chicken), corn, and mashed potatoes. They give you a roll too. With drinks, our total came to about $22. Not bad at all! The place was packed, but we found a table. I'd definitely come back, though that heavy lunch put me in a big of a food coma afterwards!

    (4)

  • Lisa T.

    Great family restaurant...good value! The menu is online and they have standards for each day which is great if you feel like meatloaf on Monday or pot roast on Thursday's. Their fried chicken is fantastic and consistently hot and fresh. Definitely true southern style food. Try the banana pudding....you won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Jim Z.

    Been lunching here for several years. Cool Cafe is the very best meat & three I have ever experienced - all fresh, home-made, excellent choises and owner told me he goes through about 72 lbs. of butter a week - the real deal ! Any day I've been there has been excellent, but if you have limited occasions, go on Hub-CapTuesday (the pork chops are as big as hub-caps) or Friday for the fried catfish... or any day - the fried chicken is outstanding.

    (5)

  • Shelly S.

    I really want to like Cool Cafe as a Franklin local but as a vegetarian I am in a bind. Sometimes, a vegetarian can go to a meat n three and be able to order veggies but most of the CC greens and beans are cooked with pork. They have delicious and spicy creamed spinach. My kids like the Mac n cheese and cornbread and mashed potatoes. I think my main problem is the copious amounts of styrofoam that they use for packaging takeout. Don't we all know by now that it isn't biodegradable? If the owners read this, please consider another takeout method. P.S. you should offer kids portions at lower pricing. I went in with my two children under 5 and paid $17 for 3 waters, 2 macs, 2 green beans and pinto beans with 3 cornbread.

    (2)

  • Monica N.

    I can't believe how long it took me to try this place, but I live on the "other side of town". It is amazing how that little bit of a drive can make a difference. I am sure if I lived near here, I would eat here often. Great comfort Southern food. Friendly staff. I loved the Fried Chicken and the Broccoli salad. Meat and One would have been enough food for me. If you want something easy, fast and delicious, this is your place. Convenient location. We saw some friends there, which is always a good draw - if my friends like it, I am glad to be there too.

    (4)

  • Jennifer J.

    So here's the thing, I really don't get the Meat and Three Concept. I came here on a Sunday afternoon, after most of the after church crowd has left. The choices were Meatloaf, Fried Chicken and a pasta dish. The vegetable choice, yes singular, was horribly overcooked frozen green beans. The other sides were mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. There were cold salad choices as well, but they all had a TON of mayo in them. If you can't tell by they way I listed everything, there is NOTHING healthy on this menu. I had the meatloaf, mashed potatoes & green beans. I was really hoping that they had their corn that I kept hearing about or some greens because I really do like southern greens. There was nothing, I mean nothing special about this meal. The meatloaf was just like every other meatloaf I have had in the Nashville area, but it was moist at least. The potatoes were mashed potatoes, really hard to mess those up, and I already told you what I thought of the green beans. I did have some of my daughters mac and cheese which was pretty good, and everyone ate up their banana pudding before I could taste it, so I assume that was good as well. I won't head back there on my own, but I won't run away screaming if someone suggests it again. So all in all it's just A-OK!

    (3)

  • glenn s.

    Nice enough atmosphere. Portions plentiful, staff was pushy but nice enough. I think it was the owner that came around checking on the guest, I always appreciate that. The food was ok but nothing fantastic. Price was a bit high in my opinion. Wont make it a point to go back based on the price and quality of the food but everything else was great.

    (3)

  • Craig L.

    Avoid the hot chicken until they can figure out the right spice combination. It taste like a spice combination more for fish than hot chicken. Besides as long as you Big Shakes in Franklin I'm not sure why anyone would eat hot chicken anywhere else. Other than that, Cool Cafe is usually good quality southern meat and three with generous portions. Unfortunately is pretty much the only meat and three in Franklin anymore anyway.

    (3)

  • Terry J.

    excellent food, terrific service, and fair prices. Can't say enough good things about this great find.

    (5)

  • Anna H.

    Cool cafe has delicious food made with love! Every time I go in I am greeted with a smile and quickly served my food. Lunch is always busy, but even the customers are just happy to be there which gives it a homey atmosphere. My favorite day is Tuesday because they do the southern fried pork chop, and oh my god, it's awesome! I always pair it with the homemade mashed potatoes, fried corn, and green beans which ends up being about three meals for me. They have a little bucket of sliced white onions next to the drink station, which I love and makes me feel right at home. Give it a try, and I am sure you'll be glad you did!

    (5)

  • Darrell P.

    Meat and 3 type restaurant. Food was fresh and delicious. Ample food provided for the dollar. Will definitely visit again. I had fried catfish with hush puppies, green beans, and fried corn (meat and 2), with a hot roll. Excellent all the way around.

    (5)

  • John R.

    Best Meat and three in Franklin and the surrounding Nashville area. Super good food! Very large portions, so go hungry.

    (5)

  • Laura H.

    Good food in good portions. Seating is packed and it's noisy due to all the people who love to eat here. I would grab it to go in the future if I am going during the lunch rush. Tables did need to be wiped off and the trash needed to be emptied. The line started getting pretty long as we ate. I think they were just short staffed that day. The owner was out there cleaning up the dining room as we were finishing our meal. I would absolutely go back Try the broccoli salad it's awesome!

    (4)

  • Carmen P.

    one of the better meat and three places in the brentwood/franklin area. get like a bazillion of the deviled eggs--they are glorious! i'm giving 4 stars as an "in comparison to" thing related to the other meat and threes. the bbq chicken was really tender and moist, the macaroni was creamy and delicious (not too thick), and...well, that's all i had, but the banana pudding looked life-changing.

    (4)

  • Travis A.

    A great meat and 3! While the fried chicken is great, I put the Nashville twist on it and have the hot chicken. The medium heat has great flavor, then have them add some of the medium sauce to the potatoes and Mac and cheese, that is what puts it over the top. The owners are very nice and courteous.

    (5)

  • Foodie T.

    Stop by on a Monday afternoon bout 5 had their meatloaf and 3 sides, will be back soon for their Fried Chicken, friendly people ta boot'

    (4)

  • Ryan P.

    Brought my wife here for lunch and we. Both had the hot chicken. I asked for mild, but I have to assume they gave me medium because if it was mild, holy moly! It was very tasty even still, and the sides were amazing. We will come here again for lunch and I aim to try the pork chop next time.

    (4)

  • Jennifer M.

    Enjoyed this local stop on August 12 for the first time and it was fantastic! I had fried chicken, potato salad, mac and cheese and, for dessert, cherry cobbler. I also tried a bite of the banana pudding from my friend's plate and it was completely fabulous. Portions are really large - could not finish everything on our plates. They also had hot chicken sauce for the fried chicken and the additional meats for the day were a mexican chicken casserole and a lightly fried pork chop, both of which looked great. My friends raved about the brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes too. The restaurant is much larger than it appears from the outside, but it was very loud and PACKED full of people. We will definitely be back for more!

    (5)

  • Gresham H.

    This place could be so much better with a little help. I'd even be willing to try it again. I had the fried chicken which was good but not warm enough. The fact that it was sitting under warming lights made me wonder just how long it had been sitting out. The veggies were just okay. They tasted canned. The portions were huge though. Actually ridiculously big. But my advice is to decrease the portion size and focus on a unique and delicious southern taste. Taste is always going to trump portion size.

    (3)

  • Brandon L.

    Meat and 3? That's what I said when I moved from Cali to Tennessee... I had no clue what that was. The locals quickly ushered me into an establishment that taught me what it was all about. Cool Cafe was something I had heard about for quite some time from the locals. They told me that they were known for low prices and large food portions. I had to find out for myself! I went to the location and found that it was nothing like I had pictured. It was very "Cool" looking inside. It kinda reminded me of a high school cafeteria line. You walk up to the person who asks what Vegi, Meat, and Side you want. Its a very interesting place to grab some grub! They have a different selection each day. They have meats, veggies, deserts and many other offerings on a daily basis. I found myself with the fried chicken, macaroni, and fried okra. They serve it to you on a paper plate on a plastic tray. The price was not that cheep. Nothing like what people were ranting about. The portions were fine. Nothing to huge. I found myself heading for a snack when I got back home. The food quality was not bad. Pretty tasty. It was definitely southern food. If you are into meat and 3 types of places then this is your spot! I am not the biggest fan of places like this but it was pretty good overall. Check it out!

    (3)

  • Chris S.

    Takes AMEX. If you like Arnold's, you'll like this place. Country cooking that I generally found to be a little better though - particularly the meats and portions. Same overall menu and concept as Arnold's, but much shorter lines even in the middle of the lunch hour.

    (3)

  • Jack W.

    Cool Cafe has the best fried chicken in Franklin and maybe the whole Nashville area. They use really good chickens to begin with that are tender and plump. It is fried to the just right amount and not cooked tough like a lot of places. Maybe it is because it seems to be fresh as well. I also do a veggie plate every once in a while because they are seasoned well and give good portions. The choices are always good including at least one choice of white or pinto beans each day. The only inconsistent food they have is the corn bread which on a good day is still lacking. Nice folks, nice place.

    (4)

  • William K.

    I love this place. The staff are friendly and the food is good. It is clear as a customer that this is a place where the employees are happy working there. I am especially fond of the fried chicken. The only suggestion i have is bring a sweater they don't mess around when they say cool. They also great customers, odd to say but I have wound up having great conversation with random strangers on several occasions.

    (5)

  • Lauren B.

    I ate there once and won't go back bc my tongue was burnt from all the salt they used to cook with. Sodium = high cholesterol & heart beat. Not cool.

    (1)

  • Shannon B.

    This place is a wig splitter! You know it's good eats when you go back and see the same customers there time after time. The food is great but the options are limited to what's on the line. I did drive by here the other day and not stop because I didn't want my clothes to smell like grease, which they always seem to after a meal here. Also, forget about this place if you are on a diet. They serve a great Tilapia sometimes but this isn't the place to eat healthy or low carb.

    (4)

Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.

Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.

Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :10:30 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Brunch, Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : No
    Caters : Yes

Cool Cafe

Share with your social network

WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES

Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online

Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.

© 2024 Restaurant Listings. All rights reserved.