M.L.Rose Neighborhood Pub - Melrose — Restaurant in Berry Hill

And so it was that we found ourselves again on the old avenue where the lights never fully went out, only dimmed long enough to remember the dark, the place called Melrose where the past sat still and sweating in its glass and the present, charred and peppered, arrived on a bun. We went because we needed a place that could hold us without asking too much, a place where the beer ran cold and the burgers ran hot and nothing was taken too seriously except the flavor.

ML Rose. It doesn’t even sound like a place, not really. It sounds like someone you once knew—sweet and sharp and unapologetically local, someone who could flip a table over in joy or sorrow and still make you laugh as she did it. That’s what the place is. Brick and wood and the hum of long conversations layered like the rings inside a fallen tree, music from the back half of your life, and servers who move like they’ve been here longer than the floor has.

We ordered like pilgrims who’d finally reached the tavern of their imagining—sweet potato waffle fries so crisp they could have echoed, burgers stacked tall like monuments to indecision, dripping with memory and sauce, and a flight of something cold and hoppy that tasted like someone had canned the idea of a Nashville summer. The table was crowded with baskets and tin cups and ketchup bottles that had seen better days, and none of it mattered because everything tasted like the first time you ever knew bar food could be holy.

There’s a rhythm to ML Rose, the Melrose one—the original, the pulse. You don’t go there to be seen, you go there to remember what it feels like to be full, to be simple, to sit with your people while the TVs blink out half-watched games and the windows sweat. It’s loud and it’s lived-in and it’s perfect in that crooked way that only local places ever manage to be.

And as we left—bellied and a little buzzed, brushing salt from our fingers like ancient grains—we said nothing, because nothing needed saying. We’d been there. We’d eaten....

On a recent trip to Nashville it turned out that a friend that I served in the U.S. Army with was going to be in the area, so we decided to meet at M.L.Rose to catch up after 34 years.

Being Friday around dinner time I thought the place would be packed, but it wasn't. It was just...busy. My wife and I arrived first and chatted with the hostess while we waited for our friends to arrive, which was about 5 minutes.

Interesting parking, because it's actually next to the building in what, I assume, was one the first floor to the building above.

M.L.Rose is your typical tap house (they don't actually have their own beers, they bring in kegs from all over the place) and has a pretty comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.

Our server was Mitch, and Mitch was awesome. Great suggestions when my friend and I were trying to build our custom flights. (To be honest, I don't remember what my flight was, I was just too happy to catch up with my buddy Marvin.)

I chose the Sgt. Pepper burger (rather appropriate, given I was meeting with an Army friend) and it was SUE-PERB. It consisted of two smashed patties, habanero jack, serrano pepper-bleu cheese, grilled jalapeños, onion, tomato, chipotle ranch. Their fries were, hands down, some of the best fries I've had In My Life.

There were a number of screens and quite a bit of local sports/news/brewery memorabilia around the place, and the music was up-temp but not so loud you couldn't have a conversation.

And so we sat for probably an hour-and-a-half, catching up and telling stories, not feeling rushed at all. Mitch checked on us now and again and didn't mind us occupying the table.

If I find myself in the area again I'll definitely visit again. This seems like a great place...

I visited on a Sunday afternoon. It was busy but not packed. The food here was good. The service; not so much. Of our group’s 7 orders, 6 were correct. One ordered a turkey burger but got a beef patty. It took a long time to get our food so we didn’t bother sending it back. We couldn’t find our waiter most of the time and sat with empty cups until I figured out how to use the bar soda gun to refill them myself (a first for me and I gave him at least 10 minutes). The place was a little loud for conversation. I did like the atmosphere and the the sort of retro decor. I didn’t notice the outdoor seating until we had finished eating. It was warm enough that option probably would’ve improved my experience by being a little quieter and getting a more attentive waiter. For the plus side: The waiter was friendly I learned to use a soda gun I learned what a soda gun is called (to write this review lol) The food was quite good The restaurant and restrooms were clean The place has neat decor and a fun casual feel My group was visiting from Chattanooga and ML Rose was highly recommended by a local friend. I can tell by other reviews that my experience was the exception but it’s a fair and honest description of my only visit. I’ll probably give them another shot next time in in Nashville. If I have a better experience I’ll update...