Serrato's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Franklin

After reading all the reviews and hearing from friends, I selected Serrato’s for my husband's birthday dinner. I set up our reservation on Open Table without incident, but that’s where the easy stopped. First: when I made the reservation, they asked if it was a special occasion and I said yes, we were celebrating a birthday. Every other 4-star restaurant we’ve been to has at least made mention of whatever occasion we would be celebrating. Not a peep here. Second: we were running behind for our 6:30 reservation so I called the restaurant to let them know. They tell you they have a 15 minute grace period, and we arrived within that window. Our friends who were joining us got there maybe 5 minutes after our reservation time and were ignored for several minutes while the hostess checked in other parties who had arrived after they had. I’ll also mention that their waiting area is a 4 foot long bench next to the hostess stand, and on a busy Friday night, it was ridiculously crowded. I tried to get one of the hostesses’ attention, only to be ignored while she seated parties who had arrived after we had. We were finally seated after 7:00 in a very small booth. Third: our friends had brought a bottle of bourbon for my husband’s gift and had asked if they allowed outside drinks were allowed in after paying a corkage fee. They were assured that it was fine and the fee would vary depending on whether they had the brand in stock. Once we were seated, our server balked when she saw the bourbon on the table. She informed us that the outside bottles were only allowed to be wine. Our friend said he had specifically asked if bourbon was okay and was told yes. She went to get the manager, who never came by. She said something to do with their license wouldn’t allow bourbon. The manager spent several minutes chatting to the folks in the booth next to ours, didn’t so much as acknowledge us, and went back to whatever else he was doing. Even after we saw our server talk to him and point us out. All of the back and forth with her and eventually the manager took probably 20 minutes. We were able to reach a solution but we were seriously annoyed by this time. We hadn’t been asked for appetizer orders or anything, and one of our friends had ordered a cocktail which took another 20 minutes to appear, and only after we reminded her that it had been ordered. Fourth: the food was delicious. Steaks were perfectly seasoned and prepared. Our friend, whose drink had been forgotten, had her salad show up wrong. She asked for no cheese and the house dressing. It arrived with cheese and no dressing. The problem we had was that our table was minuscule and there wasn’t room for our plates and glasses. I requested the wine list and it never came. I asked again and the server brought the dessert menu and asked if I wanted a box for my meal, which I’d barely gotten to touch. I ordered a glass which never materialized, so when I asked, another server brought it, only to be followed by another glass brought by our server. Fifth: again, we were there to celebrate my husband’s birthday, had mentioned to the manager and our server that it was his birthday, and nothing happened. We watched as other tables received birthday desserts, but nothing for him. He ordered the cheesecake, which was good, but when it’s advertised as a raspberry cheesecake with a chocolate crust, and it’s served with a drizzle of raspberry sauce and a graham cracker crust, it’s a bit disappointing. Even more disappointing was the fact that when we received our checks, we were charged the corkage fee and for the dessert.

TL;DR: good food, not...

Date of Visit: August 16th - mid-afternoon - I gave two stars overall because the cocktails and desserts were good.

Our party started with cocktails and shared two appetizers: calamari & shrimp, and garlic bread. The garlic bread was a highlight, while the calamari and shrimp were overly breaded and greasy. The French onion soup was enjoyable with nice flavor. For main courses, we ordered: Filet duo (medium rare) with garlic mashed potatoes Ribeye (medium rare) & Maine lobster tail with truffle mac and cheese Halibut/scallop special with Brussels sprouts Chicken piccata with asparagus and mashed potatoes Unfortunately, the ribeye was served rare instead of medium rare. After sending it back, the steak returned properly colored but oily, with an odd flavor. The lobster was cold and rubbery by the time the steak was fixed. The manager offered a 25% discount on that specific meal, which felt inadequate given the issues with the meal. The filet duo was decent but overly seasoned with black pepper. The scallops were good, but the halibut lacked flavor, and there were only a couple of Brussels sprouts. The chicken piccata was acceptable but also had a scant serving of asparagus. Desserts redeemed the meal slightly as they were both enjoyable. However, considering the total cost and the overall experience, we felt it did not meet our expectations based on our regular visits to quality restaurants like Sperry’s and 360 Bistro. Unfortunately, we will not be returning to Serrano’s or recommending it to others due to the issues experienced and the way they...

What a marvelous experience we had at Serrato's! The restaurant is quietly tucked away at the far end of Parkway Commons. (I hope they'll do outdoor dining once weather permits!) The indoor seating is a combination of booths and tables, spaced far enough apart so dining felt intimate and cozy. Our waitress was attentive but unobtrusive which was appreciated, as we were returning from a funeral when we stopped in.

The dining was simply wonderful. We had the calamari as an appetizer which came to our table beautifully plated, was crispy, seasoned, and the dipping sauces were a delicious compliment. We both ordered the specials - mine was an absolutely scrumptious seafood (clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops) linguine with a light, lemony sauce, and fresh garlic bread, yum! My husband had the grouper over pearl couscous. When I looked up from my own dish his plate was nearly scraped clean and he didn't even offer me a bite, so I assume it was good. 😂

The dining is on the more expensive side, but totally worth it! It might not be the best option to take young diners whose palates run more towards burgers and nuggets, in my opinion, though an older child/adolescent would find several menu offerings to thier liking.

The food, service, and atmosphere was a perfect dining trifecta, and to have such a restaurant close to my neighborhood without going into the more crowded downtown Franklin or Cool Springs is a win/win. We will definitely be back to see what Chef Serrato has on his...