Five on Black Kitchen and Spirit House — Restaurant in Murfreesboro

Very enjoyable evening.

The restaurant is in a nice block-style gray building in a relatively quiet and quaint neighborhood. We were able to find parking right outside, as our reservation was on the earlier side.

The lower floor of the restaurant is mostly a large bar with some tables, while the second floor seems dedicated to dining customers. We were greeted immediately and taken upstairs to our table. The ambiance was nice - simple, yet classy. I would have preferred the music be a bit lower in volume, but they had a tasteful play list going. The restrooms were clean and nicer than most.

Our guest of honor had a lovely view from her window seat. The server was efficient, sweet, and personable. Our party of three was able to sit and chat for hours without ever feeling rushed.

The cocktails and beer selections were excellent. I particularly liked the One Eyed Jack with Jalapeno Tequila and Mezcal. It was perfectly mixed and a thing of beauty to behold.

We ordered three "small plates" as appetizers (calamari, chicken wings, and Brussels & bacon). The servings were generous! Everything was cooked perfectly and remarkably delicious.

For our main courses, I ordered the blackened shrimp, which was definitely cooked absolutely perfectly (tender), although there was nothing "blackened" about it. I was fine with that, but it was cold by the time it got to me. I asked to have it "warmed up for 30 seconds," but I didn't get it back for another 15 minutes and they only gave me back about half of my original serving in a much smaller dish (I hadn't eaten any of it.) Even so, it was very tasty.

My son ordered the Pit Boss burger. He was pleased because the pork belly in it "wasn't all fat." The burger was beautifully presented under a smoky dome. His fiance ordered the Pan Con Bistec "steak sandwich." She kept commenting on how good it was.

I do recommend Five on Black. All in all, it's a...

Visited Five on Black Kitchen & Spirit House with my daughter. This is Mitchell Murphree's third spot in Murfreesboro, and he did an exceptional job with this place.

First off...the ambiance PLUS the upper and patio outdoor seating make for a wonderful evening if the weather is right. We sat out on the patio, and it was a beautiful night. They have an extensive bar, wine, beer, and specialty drink list along with flights of different spirits should you want to sample bourbons or tequilas. The evening started with Potato Taco's...this dish is a home run!!! You get three tacos filled with seasoned mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, Crema, Cabbage, Pico, Salsa Verde and Queso Fresco. Now while there is a lot going on, this dish is awesome and makes you yearn for a second helping! The menu is not overwhelming but covers pretty much everything you might want...just not in 50 different varieties. I went with the Pan Con Bistec Cuban Steak Sandwich with fries, and my daughter went with the Black Bean Burger with fries. The steak sandwich is flavorful, tender, and the Cubano style roll with the crusty exterior really put this sandwich over the top. While I'm not a bean burger person I did try a bite, and it was tasty. My daughter enjoyed it and liked it was not spicy and the garlic aioli on the side was a great compliment. My daughter loved the fries, for me not so much as they were too salty for me. Our server Emma was awesome and took great care of us. This spot offers great food and service in a...

Fernet-friendly establishment, with a great selection of modifiers, including nonino and Applejack bonded, Montenegro, for example(the Applejack is a base, admittedly). Basically, a great place for actual real cocktails.

I got a last word, because I thought the cocktails on the menu were a little "much" for me to be honest, like one or two more ingredients than they actually need (in my opinion... And I can't stress that enough that it's just my opinion). I'm sure they're good, but I want to taste the stuff individually and as a collection at the same time, and for me it will be to muddling and confusing for myself personally. I almost got dem apples, but the banana threw me off. But yeah they really like their bonded Lairds Applejack there which is pretty bangin'.

It looks like and tasted like the correct ratios are used on the last word. Some places try to change it by increasing the gin and dropping the other ingredients, but I don't think they did that here which was nice. They definitely used green chartreuse and maraschino liqueur. And the cherry was a good kind of cherry. No labeling to verify, but it wasn't a neon red.

I would recommend a longer shake time and a double strain to eliminate ice shards. (It was like 5sec and only a single strain, though the throw of the shake was quality)

Bartender was friendly and helpful, though I didn't catch their name.

Hopefully this sounds plain and level-headed, and not too critical. When I'm in Murfreesboro again, I will...