Dozen Bakery — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

We have been going to Dozen Bakery for a handful of years with no issue. After being quarantined for a few months, we decided to drive the half an hour to one of our favorite bakeries, excited for a little bit of carb heaven bread. I ordered a chicken salad on a baguette with avocado and bacon. My significant other ordered an egg sandwich with avocado and bacon as well with coffee. Making sure we had everything before we drove back home, I noticed my sandwich was just an avocado toast sandwich. They did give me my chicken salad sandwich eventually. As we were hungry, we decided to eat in the car.

They put the bacon that was supposed to be part of the egg sandwich, by itself in a box, swimming in it’s own abundant grease. As I took a bite of my sandwich and my SO took a bite of his, we were both stunned by the amount of salt in this bacon. I don’t know if anyone has had a taste of the bacon that came out of Dozen today but it was inedible. It tasted like it was brined. It was so salty and hit the back of my throat so intensely that it prompted me to salivate automatically, in what I can guess is my body’s natural response to neutralize it.

As for the egg salad, even though we took out the bacon, the leftover salt was still too much for us. We wanted something simple, an egg sandwich and chicken salad - ubiquitous, every day American fare. After the salty taste subsided, my palate was hit with what tasted like fennel which I don’t mind, I eat a lot of Southeast Asian fare. However as I kept eating, I couldn’t help but notice that there was so much difference between what I’m eating - just a regular chicken salad. There was a note of cinnamon. It was off putting. It hit me! There’s chinese five spice in here, which contains star anise, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. Normally Chinese five spice is used for more complex or heavier dishes. It does NOT go well with what I, or other people, would expect from chicken salad. I ended up putting it away and taking it home to add a bit of balsamic glaze to temper it. Alas, it didn’t help one bit.

We understand experimenting with food and that’s okay. However, what we had today tasted like a hodge podge of things thrown together with no thought whatsoever. Maybe there was a change in crew or management from the few months ago we were here. Maybe it just an off day. However, from the missed sandwich, the extremely salty bacon and the off putting chicken salad, it may be another few months before we give Dozen Bakery...

Dozen Bakery is one of the few local bakeries left in Nashville, and their products are exceptional. The quality of the breads and pastries are very good. They are also much healthier for you than the breads sold at grocery stores. This very tight packed operation, shines as a buzzing symbol of what small businesses should be about: quality.

I'm often looking for traditional sourdough bread from local bakers, and this place has it! So far I've tried their French Country Sourdough and their Umami sourdough. I have to admit the quality of their breads has vastly improved in the time I've been living in Nashville, and I'm continually impressed at how this business continues to grow.

I was very pleased with the traditional size macchiato. Many of my uncultured countrymen are used to Starbucks lattes being labeled as macchiato when in reality Italian macchiatos are very small servings. I also had an iced Americano from here last summer, it had a sour but fruity profile to it. I know they aren't coffee roasters, but Dozen Bakery has better espresso than they have drip coffee, and it's about as good as what you'd get at Starbucks for the same price. The baked goods are where it's at here.

The thing that hit me walking into Dozen Bakery for the first time was the vibrant atmosphere. On my second visit I made the observation that their countertops are real marble. Details like this matter more than you think. It's a testament to their attention to detail. Overall visiting here is always a good experience with a wonderful atmosphere.

The place has been packed every time I've been here. It is very popular and sometimes difficult to find seating. It is so popular that they were completely out of bread loaves the first time I came in. Which led to an awkward experience with the barista pointing to the empty shelves, not grasping that I had never been to the location before. I left empty handed, and I didn't let this experience define the business for me. My most recent visit was on Christmas Eve, and the line stretched out the door as it sometimes does here, but they still had the perfect Apple Cranberry pie ready for my holiday get together with coworkers!

I've decided, to update my review to 5 stars. In my opinion the customer service here has improved significantly, and I enjoy all the products they bake. They're making real sourdough, not the enriched scrap loaves they put on the shelves at Kroger. As far as I'm concerned they're doing the...

There is a LOT to like about Dozen. While you stand in line you can peruse the shelves in front of the register which house various books, tools, and ingredients. I make my own matcha at home every day so I go through chasens pretty quickly. I have found a chasen and bought it from the shelf which was awesome because chasens are pretty cheap but you have to pay for shipping if you buy online. I’ve made other purchases in the past just because I’ve seen something noteworthy in the items on these shelves. They always have good stuff! The pastry case also always has good stuff. The pastry selection is expansive and equal opportunity delicious. If you’re looking for savory, the food especially their soups and sandwiches are fantastic and hearty and the seasonal offerings never miss. My only issue and it’s kind of a big one honestly is the drinks. The matcha is awful. There is way too much milk in the drink and not enough matcha and the matcha that is in there can be found clumped at the bottom of the cup…So the recipe/ratio is problematic but also the preparation so overall a recipe for disaster. I also worry about the quality of the matcha itself but again I can’t really taste…I will say the baristas took it in stride when I brought it back so shoutout to them! However the coffee they gave me instead…was also bad. I don’t get any sweetener in my lattes so the espresso, whether bad or good, is on full display and this one was—you guessed it—the former. I couldn’t even finish it…Flash forward to today: I got in around 3pm and found out the kitchen was closed. Apparently it closed at 3pm. Considering it was only a few minutes after 3 and I battled intense traffic, I was a little annoyed but I was willing to look past it. I have worked food service before so my go to reaction is understanding regardless of how I feel. But then I receive the drink I ordered. An Arnold Palmer. Not too complicated right? Wrong! It was not good. The black tea didn’t taste good and the lemonade was also not good. Those are the only two ingredients in an Arnold Palmer. I waited until I got home to take a sip which was a mistake because I couldn’t finish it and had to dump it out. Only saving grace this trip was the kimchi I bought from the RTD case. In conclusion, the food at Dozen SLAPS. There’s a reason you will taste good bread at a local restaurant and find out it’s from Dozen. But don’t waste your money on the drinks...