Dotson's Restaurant

Absolute BEST Fried Chicken Livers! FANTASTIC Coconut Pie. Really good veggies. Great place for Good Ol' Southern food. Rates up there with Arnolds and Sylvan Park imho. more

An overpriced greasy spoon place. I was not impressed. I had never had crunchy banana pudding before with under ripe bland bananas! Yuk! I will not be back. more

We went to Dotson's for my mom's birthday - Sunday at lunch time. It's been 5-6 years since my last visit but I remember it being a pretty good place. We were a party of 5 and there was no wait but it took 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us and take us to a table. Then, once we were seated it was another 20 minutes before anyone took our drink orders - our waitress was really nice and very frazzled, not sure what was going on but it seemed that she was making the best out of a bad situation. Now, onto the food - three of us ordered breakfast and our grits were cold, and my eggs were cold as well. No hint of warmth. My cousin had the fried chicken with his breakfast and said it was hot and very good. My son had a hamburger and baked beans that he thought were good, and my mom enjoyed her country fried steak. She also had sweet potato casserole that she loved - I had a bite and it was delicious. It didn't seem that anything other than the fried chicken and sweet potato casserole were actually ""homemade"". So - not all bad on the food but overall a disappointment. Our waitress very kindly brought us more grits, but the second batch was only slightly warmer than the first. However, the worst part of all was when we went up front to pay and the cashier treated us very rudely when we tried to pay with a debit card. Apparently they only take cash/checks. How archaic! Fortunately, my mom had cash with her, but I was thoroughly embarrassed by how rude the cashier was. Cold eggs and grits, rude staff - I won't be back. Please, please if you have friends/family in town and want to take them to a local place - don't choose Dotson's. Loveless Cafe, Millers Grocery, Pancake Pantry, Puckett's are all much better choices! more

Went to Dotson's a couple weekends ago for breakfast and it was very good. The place isn't much to look at from the outside, and the inside has a simple, down-home feel to it. We found a table and were served quickly. The service was friendly and our waitress made sure that we got re-fills on coffee before we even had to ask. I had a breakfast platter of eggs, bacon, and biscuits with country gravy which were all quite good. One of my friends got the breakfast with a fried chicken breast. He thought it was really good and he is a big fried chicken fan. For as much food as you get the price is really quite small. I think the breakfast platter and coffee that I got came out to a total of $6.50. For good, simple, country food in a relaxed, friendly environment, you can't do a whole lot better that Dotson's. more

I have heard this was a good place to eat..... but after reading so many bad reviews I won't try it. more

Over the years as I traveled through the area and this was a place I would always go but in the last year the quality of food has gone down. Have they sold to new owners? The first couple of times I passed it off because we all have bad days. But this last time was not only a disappointment but confusing. I don't know what you would have to do to make food that bad. The cornbread was burned and microwaved within an inch of its life. Needless to say it was hard as a brick and cold to boot. The chicken was cold and greasy and if I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't have believed it but the waitress put it in the microwave which over cooked it and made gave it a rubber texture. \r \r Burned, cold and greasy. I left hungry and went to eat somewhere else. \r \r By the way I have never written a bad review because I have been in the business and understand how hard it is but nobody should leave a restaurant hungy!!! more

I have been to Dotson's about a dozen times, always at lunch during my work week. It is always the same, and occassionally the owner will come by, humbly bragging (if that is possibe) about the care that goes into the food at his restaurant. Let me tell you, this place is the real deal.\r \r I have had fried chicken, meatloaf, and pork chops at this place. The fried chicken is absolutely amazing - the crust falls apart in your mouth. The owner has told me on more than one occasion how he washes his chicken twice before frying it. The meatloaf is hearty, but too heavy like many meatloaves I have eaten. Pork chops? To die for!\r \r The sweet potato casserole has a creamy and light texture. The owner tells me he orders real sweet potatoes year-round to make this delectable dish- none of that canned stuff for him, thank you very much. I do not like sweet potato casserole, but I love it at Dotson's. And if you leave without trying the mashed potatoes with gravy and the creamed corn, you have committed a crime against your taste buds. The only thing I am not sure about is whether or not they have a child's menu- I will need to find out about that.\r \r The wait staff is friendly, and they do say ""honey"" and ""sweetie"" at times, but it is real, and not a marketing ploy. I have read some reviews compaining that they had to stand around for ten minutes only to seat themselves. That may be so, but the people here expect their guest to make themselves at home. Just ask someone to help you if you aren't seated, and they will take care of you. Pros: Authentic Southern Cuisine, Amazing Pies Cons: None, unless unpretentious country style is a con more

Most welcoming, good southern cooking, great atmosphere. If you don't like country cooking, great people and enjoy life. Don't go, I am sure you'll have something to complain about. Wish I was there right now. Pros: Welcoming Southern Hospitality Cons: Can never stay in Franklin long enough more

How absolutely embarrassing. I had out of town guest visiting me a week ago and I wanted to take them some place unique. I hear Dotson's was suppose to be a friendly place to eat, with lots of good Southern home cooking and Southern hospitiality. So I took my friends there on a Sunday afternoon. \r \r We stood in at the door for at least 10 minutes - NO ONE came over to us. FINALLY I asked the sour puss at the cash register if we were going to be seated. She grumbled that we should just go sit down. \r \r We picked an empty booth -then waited, and waited, and waited. FINALLY a slow moving unenthused waitress came over and took our order. I'll tell you - the food was not at all that great. The service was God awful .. \r \r At least I got to take my friends to The Loveless Cafe before they headed back home. Loveless was a much better experience. Pros: There are none Cons: Unfriendly, slow service, food mediocre more

I've lived here now for 2 years, we go to Dotsons all the time. It's packed on the weekends and for good reason. The food is great and the service, albeit not always so fast because of the crowd, is very friendly! We've even run into a few of the country music stars there and if they're eating there, you know it's good. It may look like ""a hole in the wall"", but it really is a great place to go. You'll be treated like family every time and the food is pretty darn good! For people that gave it a bad review, there isn't a restaurant on the planet that hasn't screwed something up one time or another. This one's worth the trip. Pros: Friendly staff and good food Cons: Not fancy more

Dotson's Restaurant is all about a down home country atmosphere! If you're looking for something out of Emeril's kitchen, you won't find it at Dotson's. Breakfast is wonderful...Yes... it's greasy, that's what a REAL breakfast is all about! Lunch/Dinner menu advice ... don't order the dumplin's unless you like dough and some of the veggies are a bit bland for my taste, but the fried chicken is awesome! I basically go there because I know that alot of locals go there ...so that makes it good place to eat for me... you know what they say about the locals, right? AND the mashed taters are YUMMMY! Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Some bland foods more

First, service was horrible, my waitress was a real ding bat and screwed my order up 3 times!! When the order did come (an omelet) my eggs were laden in artery clogging oil. Plus, my daughter?s breakfast was just as bad. Pancakes had to been a box mix, they were awful. If you truly want a good breakfast, go try J. Christopher?s (in Franklin too). It?s a few more miles away, but so worth the drive. \r \r Cons: depressing atmosphere, food is awful, service is just as awful more

I really don't understand all the positive reviews about this place! First off, it's a trailer, and not a trendy contemporary clean trailer. It's a dirty, old trailer!!!!! Next, to think that they are actually trying to pass their food off as good down home country cookin' is enough to make my grandmother roll over in her grave! The atmosphere is below average, although the wait staff was friendly and congenial. And if you're used to GOOD southern food, the food will surely disappoint. Pros: Surprisingly, they do have indoor plumbing. Cons: Everything else. more

Swing by Dotson's the next time you feel that you can throw all thoughts of calories and fat grams out the door. Dotson's atmosphere, employees and food make your booth feel a little closer to mom or grandma's cooking. \r \r I highly encourage anything but breakfast - but only because you can get eggs anywhere. Go for Lunch or Dinner and feast on everything from fish to chicken, roast to turkey. Once your lunch or dinner cravings have been met - please don't forget to order a piece of homemade cake or pie. One should leave Dotson's totally full and ready to come back for more! \r Another perk of Dotson's is that you never know who you will be dining with. There are a bevy of well known music, political, tv, movie and general entertainers that also count Dotson's as a favorite. Enjoy! Pros: Anything you order is bound to be excellent Cons: Closes early on weekends due to volume - GO BEFORE 2PM! more

my family was here about a year ago for breakfast and i'll never forget our waitress. she was so sweet the way she was calling us ""honey"" she was so genuine & warm. and when my mom inquired about the famous fried chicken although it wasn't lunch time, she went back and had the cook make some for us to try! got to admit i've had better breakfast but never had chicken as good as that! going back in june just for that fried chicken :) Pros: friendly, fast service, inexpensive more

Right when we walked in the door we noticed they were slightly busy but a server still greeted us at the door. The server seated us and then introduced her self. She gave us a minute for our drink orders and came back to get our orders. The food wasn't the best I'd ever had but it was a little better than average. When we told the server our names they made sure to remember them and called us by them for the rest of our stay. It was great. Pros: Good Service, Great hospitality, Above average food. Cons: Not great country ham more

My husband and I went to Dotson's a few Sundays ago for a nice breakfast. We got nothing (literally): after waiting for almost an HOUR after ordering to get our food, we finally got up and left. (We watched larger groups of patrons come in, sit, and order after us get their food.) Walking out may be a tacky thing to do, but it is nothing compared to the utter lack of service we received. I used to like Dotson's, but I will now go out of my way to discourage anyone from going there. more

We went to Dotson's on a recent visit to Nashville as part of a NCAA football game in Chattanooga. Trust us (even if we're Yankees), the breakfast here is great! We stopped by and had a hearty and delicious breakfast including pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The biscuits were heavenly and so good that we ordered extra for our trip home to take along. The restaurant itself is like stepping back in time, and the staff (especially the friendly ex-Navy host) were so friendly and welcoming that we will go out of our way to return. They also have a wide selection of pies that we will have to try on our next visit. more

We went to Dotson's with great expectations, after all they were recomended by Naomi Judd on her My Nashville special. The host, who I assume must be Mr. Dotson, was highly entertaining and yes the coconut cream pie was tasty but those are really the only high points. The fried chicken was like deep fried jerky, the mashed potatoes obviously from a box, the corn bread was dry as a bone, and I'll be merciful and stop there. Perhaps we caught them on an off day, but we will not be returning to give them a second chance. Pros: Fun host, good tea Cons: , poor waitstaff more

No one seems to be a stranger at Dotson's, the out of towners are treated as old friends and everyone is willing to stand and chat if it is slow. You dont feel rushed to finish and get out. So you can actually sit and enjoy the wonderful down home food and hospitality. They do not make light of the fans that come to franklin to see their favorite stars and are willing to chat with you about them. If you are luck you may even see a star or two enjoying dotson's! I eat here every time Im in Franklin. Pros: comfy, friendly servers, good coca cola cake more