Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

I started this journey back in February 2025 when I booked my wife's 50 birthday party, for 18 people, though thier VIP service. From March to August I tried to contact anyone at this establishment via ,text, emails, phone calls , leaving messages with no response. A week before the party even our hotel manager attempted to contact someone with no luck. When we arrived in Nashville, the day before the party, I went to the establishment to confirm everything was ok with my reservations. To my surprise they did get my messages and documented my request to bring cake and balloons to the party. The host took me to the second floor to see the table arrangement. All was good. On the evening of the party several of us went ahead with the cake and balloons to get things set up. Upon arrival we were met by security to which I explained we have reservations at 7pm for a party of 18 on the second floor. We were escorted to the second floor to my surprise our tables were taken. The security person contacted the manager then shortly after attempted to set us up in the corner of the building which I would not accept. Then a waitress by the name of Haley arrived to which I explained that I reserved 2 tables for 18 back in February, in the center over looking the stage and that I was in last evening to confirm. Thanks to Haley she managed to get two tables near the center over looking the stage all before the others arrived. Now we can relax and let the party begin, not yet. After enjoying food and drinks we were informed at 9pm by security that the second floor is closing at 9:30pm and we will have to go downstairs or the roof top, both of which were packed. The waitress, Haley the life saver, said she will speak with the manager and try to get us in a VIP section on the lower level near the band. Haley reported back to me that the manager would not move us to the VIP section without a $500 minimum even though we just spent more than a $1000. Haley again went back to the manager to express our disapointment with this situation. Shortly after Haley returned to say she will put in 2 booths on the first floor. The service here was terrible, if you wanted a drink you had to get it yourself or do without. Thanks to Haley my wife's 50th birthday party was a success. I don't understand how a establishment like FILP could be so mismanaged. The fact that nobody would not return my calls,text or emails is shamefull. I would not recommend organizing any type of event at this establishment!!!! I wonder if Garth Brooks would approve of this mismanagement.We are huge fans of Garth Brooks and I choose this bar after watching the documentary on this place being built.The one star i gave was...

This review is for the owner. I'm a Nashville native and business consultant for 30 years, and I never thought that I would have to write such a bad review on a bar owned by such a good man (I'm not a crazy fan of his music but I am of the man bc I know first hand how he treats his employees and gives back to others in our community). He is someone to admire bc of the love he shows others in a world full of hate.

However, this business is in need of some serious management help. You may be making good money now, but it will not last. You have some serious management problems that need to be immediately resolved. Last week, I walked in on a Thursday night (slow night) and had no issues getting in as they didn't look at my ID, I walked past the stage and noticed the floor was so sticky it made me sick after 10 steps into the bar (& a very strong odor of vomit in the air) and then noticed bottles and cups laying all over the floor. I proceeded to the back of the bar near the sound booth and stood to take a look around the bar. The music was fine (nothing great), but I noticed very little staff and no one cleaning anything. We did not go to the roof as I realized the bar was not managed well and very unsafe. My wife and friends did not like anything about the bar, and we left after a few minutes. Later, I spoke to my friends, and they were surprised at how nasty this "new bar" looked and smelled inside.

If you are not aware of why cleanliness is the most important thing about running a bar, then watch a few episodes of Bar Rescue and find out! Obviously, there are many more issues going on in this bar beyond cleanliness, but this is one of the signs of much bigger issues at play. This place will be in the red or out of business within a year if you don't get a handle on these issues. If you want to see a great example of how to run a bar, (as well as how the entire bldg was engineered perfectly for sound, services and traffic mgmt), then go next door (JBJ).

I really hope you do well and turn this bar into a place that reflects the great artist and man that you truly are... Good...

My wife and I went to Nashville with a friend couple. We spent three days over a weekend in town. We wanted to experience the music scene in town, as well as the food and some cocktail bars. We expected to be impressed by the Honky Tonks in town. And we were hoping that the Speakeasy bars and regular cocktail bars in town were same calibre as other towns/cities. We love country music - and of course we like Garth Brooks!! So we went to his Honky Tonk on the first day of our visit. With the hopes high. But what a disappointment. The place has three levels. A band played live on the first floor - but not country - it was a miks of styles. Second floor was closed off. And on the third floor a DJ played house/techno… so not really any country vibe at all. There are a lot of TVs all over - making it more a sports bar than a Honky Tonk.

The band at the fist level was playing well, so we decided to sit at the bar, get a drink and listen a bit on the music. The beverage choices are not great - just a very few selections beside your regular mixed drinks. We ordered a “The thunder rolls” at 15 USD per cocktail. The waitress/bartender mixed all four in under 20 seconds and served us. It tasted like base water with a lot of lime in it. Undrinkable. So we mentioned this to another bartender. He mixed us new drinks - and now they tasted properly. So nice of him to fix it - but why have a waitress/bartender in the bar that cannot mix a simple cocktail? After that first cocktail we skipped the place rather disappointed.?

By the way - the food menu is not big at all.

I wonder if Garth Brooks knows what his Honky Tonk had turned in to….

If looking for a good Honky Tonk, I would go to Jason Aldean’s down the street. Excellent food, cocktails and food - and rowdy country music upstairs where they only serve...