Eating in Nashville: Budget

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• Monell's, 1235 6th Ave North Nashville, TN 37208, ☎ +1-615-248-4747. Lunch: Monday - Friday 10:30AM - 2:00PM; Dinner: Tuesday -Saturday 5:00PM - 8:30PM; Country Breakfast: Saturday 8:30AM - 1:00PM, Sunday 8:30AM - 11:00AM; Sunday Meal: 11:00AM - 4:00PM. Located in historic Germantown, Monell's is a Nashville tradition. They serve different meals every day and the good ol' home cookin' is sure not to disappoint! Seating and serving are done family style, 13-14 per table. More than likely you will sit with people you don't know. It is expected that you enjoy the company and meet new friends. First come, first serve. No reservations and no cell phones allowed.

• Hermitage Cafe, 71 Hermitage Ave Nashville, TN 37210 (Just south of downtown on Hermitage Ave), ☎ +1-615-254-8871. Open 24 hours. This diner-coffeeshop is divey, friendly, cheap, greasy, and as southern as white gravy on fried chicken. Perfect if you're drunk or a night owl, which most of the other customers here are (except at breakfast, which draws a mix of polite older couples and hungover kids). An ancient cigarette machine and a well-stocked jukebox.

• Bobbie's Dairy Dip, 5301 Charlotte Ave Nashville, TN 37209, ☎ +1-615-292-2112. An endearingly dingy 50s ice cream stand on Charlotte Ave., recently revived into a popular summer mainstay that's popular with every demographic. Their hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries are some of Nashville's favorites, and the strawberry shortcake's great.

• Las Palmas. A pretty good Mexican place. You can get a nice filling meal here for under ten bucks. There are several locations: 2615 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN +1-615-292-1902, 1905 Hayes St, Nashville, TN +1-615-322-9588, 15560 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN +1615-831-0432‎, Ste 105, 6688 Nolensville Rd, Brentwood, TN +1615-941-4756, 5511 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN +1-615-352-0313

• Las Paletas, 2907 12th Ave S Nashville, TN 37204 (On Kirkwood, in the Cypress Building), ☎ +1-615-386-2101. Tue-Sat 12PM-7PM. Save room after your Mexican meal for Las Paletas' homemade popsicles in exotic flavors! The Paz sisters ate them often when growing up in Mexico and have now brought us their own take on the treats. Hibiscus, basil, chocolate jalapeno, and rose petal are all delicious; so are the tamer versions, like mango, raspberry, chai tea, chocolate chip cookie, and Mexican caramel.

• Taste of India, 1805 Church St, Nashville, TN 37203, ☎ +1-616-327-5400. Mon-Fri 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-10PM, Sat-Sun 11AM-3PM, 5PM-10PM. If you're in midtown at midday, check out this little Indian place. Its $6 lunch buffet is cheaper than that at Sitar down the block, and is more varied. Sitar's buffet is slightly more expensive but has a better reputation in the community and has won numerous awards.

• Swagruha, 900 Rosa L Parks Ave, Nashville, TN 37208 (Just north of the Capital Building in the Farmer's Market), ☎ +1-615-736-7001. Same Hours as Farmer's Market. They have a basic menu that would satisfy most any Indian food craving and at $6.49 for a plate FULL of food, you won't go wrong.

• La Hacienda Taqueria, 2615 Nolensville Rd. Nashville Tn 37211, ☎ +1-615-256-6142, www.lahaciendainc.com. Mon-Thurs 10AM-9PM, Fri 10AM-10PM, Sat 9AM-10PM, Sun 9AM-9PM. This popular restaurant serves some of Nashville's most authentic Mexican food. The tacos and shrimp cocktail are very popular. They also offer two local Mexican supermarkets in the area if you prefer to cook.

• Rotier's, 2413 Elliston Place Nashville, TN (near F.Y.E.), ☎ +1-615-327-9892, www.rotiers.com. Mon-Fri 10:30AM-10PM Sat 9AM-10PM Closed Sunday. An old, friendly neighborhood joint whose hamburger and milkshake are consistently voted the best in Nashville. Get the grilled version of the cheeseburger -- basically a grilled cheese with a hamburger in it.

• Pizza Perfect, ☎ +1-615-329-2757 (21st Ave) and +1-615-646-7877 (Bellevue), www.pizzaperfectonline.com. Fabulous pizza, quite simply. Nashville isn't much of a town for pizza, but this place more than makes up for it. The plain slices are great, but even the fancier ones (like the Fantasy) don't gild the lily. Free liva jazz Thursday nights at the 21st Ave. location (between Vandy and Hillsboro Village); there's another smaller shop on Granny White/12th Ave. across from Lipscomb.

• The Arcade. It's an open-air 2-level arcade that runs between 4th Avenue North and 5th Avenue North. The Arcade primarily caters to the local downtown workers during the work week, but many great lunch restaurants can be found here, including Manny's House of Pizza, Phillip's Deli, and others. There are also several hairstylists, jewelers, florists, and other businesses. Be sure to visit the historic Peanut Shop.

• Woodlands Indian Vegetarian, 3415 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 (On West End between the exits from I-440 W and I-440 E. It's in a condo building and almost obscured by trees.), ☎ +1-615-463-3005. Amazing southern Indian food. Very long menu, but the servers are helpful. The specials are a good sampler.

• www.lahaciendainc.com
• www.rotiers.com
• www.pizzaperfectonline.com