There are so many fun things to do in Frankin, Tennessee. One of the best parts is the food!
I’m sharing the best restaurants to try in Franklin, Tennessee along with great places to grab a drink during your visit.
Breakfast at Biscuit Love
132 3rd Ave S, Franklin, TN
What’s not to love about biscuits?!!!
Especially a restaurant dedicated to their love of them. Follow the hearts on the sidewalk to a wonderful restaurant option for breakfast or lunch.
I would recommend trying more than one menu item there. This is why it’s nice to travel with a food sharer.
I highly recommend trying the “bonuts” made with fried biscuit dough, tossed in sugar, topped with lemon mascarpone, and served over blueberry compote.
The house-made chai at Biscuit Love is also a must. You can purchase their chai mix in the retail store if you want to bring some home.
Biscuit Love is housed in the historic Corn House building offering a variety of rooms for dining inside and a large outdoor seating space too.
We also split the “princess” made with a buttermilk biscuit topped with fried boneless chicken thigh, aged cheddar, sausage gravy and a fried egg.
I was really glad that we split both dishes for the perfect breakfast of sweet and savory.
Enjoy Dinner at 1799 Kitchen and Cocktails inside The Harpeth Hotel
130 2nd Ave N, Franklin, TN
During a visit to Franklin, I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation at 1799 Kitchen and Cocktails.
I loved the whiskey barrel inspired design and the additional cozy dining spaces along the edges of the room.
If you are staying at the hotel, you are only a few steps away from an amazing meal.
A few of our favorites were the burrata, grilled pork chop (this entree is a MUST try), and the shrimp and grits.
The bar has a large selection of handcrafted cocktails, fortified wines, and local craft beers.
The Coffee House at Second and Bridge
144 2nd Ave N, Franklin, TN
Located a short walk from our stay at the Harpeth Hotel, The Coffee House at Second and Bridge was a nice breakfast stop in the morning.
You’ll find an assortment of pastries, hot breakfast menu items, sandwiches, salads, coffee, and teas.
We tried the blueberry muffin and the banana Nutella muffin along with a honey lavender latte.
There are seating areas both inside and outside with picnic tables and high-top options.
The Factory at Franklin
230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN
The Factory is composed of 12 buildings creating a fusion of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and businesses in a former stove factory dating back to 1929.
Coffee Stop at Honest Coffee
“Wherever you are, be a good one.”- Abe Lincoln
You’ll want to make a coffee stop at Honest Coffee while you are at The Factory.
You can witness the coffee beans being roasted by hand inside the shop using a 100-year old coffee recipe.
There is plenty of seating inside or take it to go while you visit the other shops at The Factory.
I ordered the Roosevelt, a latte made with their house cinnamon simple syrup. It’s one of their signature drinks and I highly recommend it.
Sweet Treat at Five Daughters Bakery
This popular bakery had me at “100 layer donut.”
Of course I had to sample a few of them in the name of research.
The most challenging part was narrowing down all of the options.
The 100 layer staples are croissant-style Hundred Layer Doughnuts with popular flavors that are hand-crafted fresh every day.
There are also 100 layer seasonal flavors, mini 100 layer seasonal flavors, paleo seasonal flavors, yeast-raised seasonal flavors, cookies, and other pastry staples.
This is another time where I would recommend cutting the donuts into fourths so that you can sample several without as much guilt.
We tried the Huckleberry, Quinn, Vanilla creme, maple bacon, and saved the sprinkle one for a kid at home.
The vanilla creme was WAY better than we anticipated but I honestly don’t think that you can make a bad selection.
Sweet Stop at Merridee’s Breadbasket
110 4th Ave S, Franklin, TN
At Merridee’s Breadbasket, the bakers and cooks take pride in the old-fashioned, from scratch approach to making wonderful loaves of bread, pies, pastries, and cookies.
You can even watch the bakers in action from the viewing windows in the dining area.
In addition to all of the wonderful carbs, you’ll find homemade soups, salads, and quiches.
But of course, we had to narrow down the great choices and decided to try their wonderful Molasses cookie. This is a great option for a sweet stop or for a breakfast or lunch stop.
A BBQ Stop at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
7223 Nolensville Rd Suite C, Nolensville, TN
Of course, you need to try great bbq while you are in the area and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint does not disappoint!
Great bbq takes time which is why the staff get their work day started at 5 am, every day, seven days a week.
Founded in 2006, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has expanded to 10 locations across several state lines and has been featured on the Travel Channel, Food Network, and more.
You’ll find plenty of seating in a fast casual environment. The giant garage style doors provide plenty of fresh air during a nice day.
We tried the notorious Redneck Taco made with a cornbread hoecake with pulled pork, slaw, and Jack’s Creek Sauce (classic sweet and spicy vinegar sauce.)
We also tried the sliced brisket, mac and cheese, and hushpuppies.
You can also order Alabama White sauce to try.
What’s in Alabama White Sauce?
Alabama White sauce is a barbecue sauce primarily made of vinegar, mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and brown sugar as the base with other ingredients added to it.
Masters and Makers Trail
Enjoy local stops for wine, beer, and spirits at the following locations.
- Arrington Vineyards
- Curio Brewing Company
- H Clark Distillery
- Leiper’s Fork Distillery
- Mill Creek Brewing Co.
Grab a Drink at Mill Creek Brewing Co.
2008 B, Johnson Industrial Blvd, Nolensville, TN
Before or after eating at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, check out the closest local brewery, Mill Creek Brewing.
Mill Creek Brewing offers outdoor seating, has plenty of space inside with large seating areas, and an event space area.
You’ll find a variety of flavorful beers & seltzers along with non-alcoholic options too.
The most popular one is “Lil Darling” citrus wheat for light beer lovers.
I typically don’t like beer, but I really liked their Gose, a salted wheat sour.
There is a food menu with appetizers, burgers, and wraps.
I was told that Thursday Night Trivia is a very popular weekly event in addition to other specials and events.
Where to Eat and Drink at Leiper’s Fork
Located 15 minutes from downtown Franklin, Leiper’s Fork is another MUST during your visit to Franklin, Tennesssee.
1892 Restaurant in Leiper’s Fork
in Leiper’s Fork
(4150 Old Hillsboro Rd, Franklin, TN)
You’ll find fantastic food for lunch or dinner at 1892 offering seasonal farm to table menu items.
1892 is the first restaurant of Leiper’s Fork local, owner, and chef, Dylan Morrison, who wanted to return to his roots.
The inside of the restaurant is charming and cozy.
There is also plenty of space for outside dining if you prefer to enjoy your meal outside.
Their pork belly lettuce wrap is a MUST! Seriously, if you see it on the menu get it!!!
We also tried the Salmon toast that was wonderful too.
Before or after your meal, you may notice this couch sculpture nearby. It looks soft BUT it isn’t.
This is valuable information in case you feel the urge to try to plop on in like a regular couch… and then discover that it’s rock solid.
Dine at Puckett’s of Leiper‘s Fork During Thursday Night Open Mic Night
Home of the original Puckett’s, a combination of a grocery store, music venue, and restaurant. Thursday night open mic night at Puckett’s is a rite of passage during your visit to Franklin.
Open mic night is where many artists are discovered by record label scouts and also where local talent has been known to stop by and play.
During open mic night, each performer can perform two songs. I did witness a rare instance when an artist was requested to give an encore performance.
Make sure that you make a reservation for Thursday night in advance. You can enjoy a meal while you are enjoying the music.
This appetizer just showed up at our table and we didn’t mind at all. It tasted like a pita chip that was both soft and crispy served with a green chili sauce.
We tried the GIANT cheeseburger with bacon, baked beans, fried oyster Po Boy sandwich, and fried okra.
If you can’t make it for open mic night it’s still worth stopping by for breakfast, lunch, or dinner for their slow-cooked bbq or comfort foods.
Get Your Tennessee Whiskey Passport Stamped
Enjoy learning about the distilling process along with the BEST part, the tasting.
*Make sure that you make a reservation for your desired day in advance.
There are two local distilleries on the Whiskey Trail to visit while you are in the area.
Leiper’s Fork Distillery Tour & Tasting
3381 Southall Rd., Franklin, TN
Don’t leave Leiper’s Fork without a tour and tasting from Leiper’s Fork Distillery.
A tour and tasting with whiskey ninja and tour guide “Pops” at Leiper’s Fork Distillery is sure to put a smile on your face between his stories and jokes along the way.
The tour finishes up with the best part, the tasting of course.
The tour lasts 50 minutes and the last tour & tasting of the day is at 4 pm.
A Tour and Tasting at Company Distilling at Thompson’s Station (Formerly H Clark Distillery)
1557 Thompson’s Station Rd W, Thompson’s Station, TN
Another wonderful local stop on the Whiskey Trail is H Clark Distillery.
This is a smaller facility but it still has a really interesting origin story that you will learn about on the tour… and of course, great tastings!
Learn why a hydrometer is used during your tasting and tour and if you are really lucky, you might even meet Earl the cat.
Make sure that you try the gin at H Clark Distillery in addition to samples of their newest bourbon, and original black and tan whiskey. I love that you can see a barn within the label of the bottle.
Don’t forget to get your passport stamped and your special poker chip.
Drink Coffee or Beer at Curio Brewing
216 Noah Dr Suite 140, Franklin, TN
This is a unique option for both coffee and beer lovers. I’ve visited a lot of breweries over the years in my travels but this was a first of its kind for me.
Why limit your passion when you can brew both coffee and beer!
Curio Brewing can produce their cold brew coffee in the same brewing systems as their beer.
If you don’t like coffee or beer, I’m sorry. I LOVE coffee and I still enjoyed sampling the beers even though it’s not my preferred drink of choice.
You will still find non-coffee and beer, alcoholic and non-alcoholic options there too.
Curio Brewing is also very family-friendly with a dedicated area just for kids.
There is also a larger section in the back with bigger games and picnic tables perfect for friends and family.
Enjoy Wine With a View at Arrington Vineyards
6211 Patton Rd., Arrington, TN
Don’t worry wine drinkers, you haven’t been left out.
As the 2nd largest vineyard in Tennessee, Arrington Vineyards is a popular destination for locals and travelers alike.
The beautiful 100+ acre vineyard is co-owned by country music star Kix Brooks from the duo Brooks & Dunn.
We opted to try both the Red Wine Flight and the Mixed Wine Flight for a range of options from the award-winning winery.
Once you discover your favorite wines you will want to bring a few bottles home.
Looking for More Things to Do in Franklin?
Check out my article with more things to do in Franklin while you are in the area.
This article was written in partnership with Visit Franklin.
