Liberty Common — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

I think most can appreciate when an establishment participates in holiday festivities. Ripped, cottony cords of string stretched across corners with fuzzy spiders hanging about, paper cut outs of bats taped to walls as if bellowing out of a cave, workers dressed in cute, toned down costumes all evoke a feeling of community, care, and friendliness. NOT at Liberty Commons though. Never have I been so truly fearful for my life and the well being of others than I was at this glorified Applebees knock-off of a “restaurant.” I opened the door to the devil’s playhouse, and gazed into the abyss of restaurant hell.

Let me start by saying, a few months ago, this place was fantastic. Friendly - and incredibly attractive - staff made you feel welcome, as if at Thanksgiving dinner with your sweet Nana and Pop-Pops, but young and sexy Nana and Pop-Pops that you wanna french. The food felt original, brave, VIVACIOUS by God! But a Judas laid waiting amongst the comfort and trust of my people, the friendly staff. That Judas? THE OWNER HIMSELF. Cloaked in a greasy film of betrayal, I could tell from my first visit he was a God-Defier. A Sinner. I believe one night after a few drinks, as I left feeling buzzed from both wonderful libations and conversation, I spied him skittering across the floor like a rat, biting at the ankles of his workers. He has seemingly run off any decent, God fearing worker, giving the establishment an air of devilry - and not in a lighthearted, Halloween way.

The new management that has since come on feels… unnatural? I have no way to put words to the shambling bodies and horrid, uncanny faces of what now is considered management (but i of course shall try - for I feel compelled by God). Their eyes are devoid of any humanity. When they speak, the sound alone holds a timbre so evil I shudder, but to watch their mouths gnash and sputter as they try to speak any sense causes a feeling of dizzy nausea. They are unexplainable, and Evil. Do not look them in the eye, and do NOT gaze into their mouths.

The food - while not striking fear like the shambling zombies that pretend to be management - is legitimately just the Applebee’s menu. Do not be fooled by the fanciful descriptions they use for their dishes. The last time I went, the menus were beginning to rip and peel, and beneath the laminated cracks, I spied the Apple-tizers so familiar to all true blooded Americans who frequent the patriotic, homely Applebees. The owner saw my peeking eyes and hissed as he ripped the menu from my hands. I have third degree burns from where his fingers grazed mine. I was able to peek in the back though, and the poor, emaciated, shackled kitchen crew had no actual restaurant equipment. They were all crowded, shivering, around a single plastic microwave from 1989, waiting for the “Neighborhood Nacho Plate,” to emerge, breathing in the passing warmth that emanated from the fresh-from-the-freezer Apple-tizer plate. I fear for the kitchen staffs’ lives.

Pray for this place. An evil has taken hold, squeezing out any goodness from this place like the cheese oozing out of an order of mozzarella sticks from Applebees. Only God can...

In my opinion, Liberty Common is one of the best new restaurants in Nashville. It has a unique decor to Nashville, an amazing and caring staff, phenomenal food, and a fantastic location. My girlfriend and I have been here 3 times in 2 months. This place can become very busy so I would recommend making a reservation. If you do, you MUST ask if JP is serving and request to be sat with him (check The Service portion of the review for more details). Overall, Liberty Common surpassed all of our expectations and is now one of our new favorite go-to restaurants in Nashville.

THE ATMOSPHERE: The decor, colors, layout, and ceilings (yes, the ceilings) combined offer a unique experience in Nashville. Combine a french cafe with an art deco twist and that is Liberty Common. The layout is completely open so you can see the entire restaurant from virtually anywhere you sit (unless you're in the party room in the back, but even that is mostly open). The vaulted ceilings stood out to me because you typically do not get to experience ceilings that high in downtown, so that was very nice to see. They also have a great patio area for the summer which has plenty of cafe tables and even multiple garage doors for you to walk up to the bar; you don't even have to go back inside! Even though they are typically busy, the restaurant is not very loud and they have soft french music playing in the background.

THE FOOD: The menu at Liberty Common is French inspired while also acknowledging the Nashville food scene. You'll see oysters, pickled duck eggs, as well as a burger and fried chicken with biscuits on the menu, just to give you an idea. I've sampled multiple dishes and they were all FANTASTIC. My personal favorites are the Fried Chicken and the French Onion Soup, but the Liberty Burger and Pickled Duck Eggs are a close second. The chef actually used to own a food truck and has his own secret recipe he uses for the fried chicken; he doesn't even share it with the staff. And let me tell you, it is absolutely delicious and the crunch of the batter is incredibly satisfying.

THE SERVICE: The staff at Liberty Common is second-to-none. You are greeted with a smile when you walk in, and the wait staff is always on top of orders, refills, explaining the menu, etc. We've sat with JP 2 out of the 3 times we visited (so far) and we will be asking for him every single time from now on much to his dismay lol. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the menu, how dishes are made, what is in them, as well as the history behind some of the dishes. He is also very easy to get a long with and is always prompt with any requests we made. If you go to Liberty Common, I highly recommend seeing if you can be...

So I am giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 because the ambience was amazing. We went for Sunday Funday brunch. My partner ordered a drink and I ordered a mocktail. Both were subpar and overpriced. My partner is vegan and ordered the cauliflower wings which I tried one and was decent. He asked for no dairy which included the ranch and they brought it anyway......not too bothered by that. I ordered steak and eggs and a pancake. Our waitress came back and said they were out of steak. Out of steak; at brunch around 11 am?!?!?!? Who dropped that ball? Then I ordered the shrimp and grits. Maybe my mouth was watering for that steak they were out of but the shrimp and grits weren't good. Then they bring ONE pancake that is less than regular size. Eight dollars for one little pankake?!?!? My partner ordered the eggplant lettuce tomato (ELT) sandwich. I am allergic to eggplant so I didn't try but he said it was okay. Now when he says okay, it means it usually wasn't good or it wasn't the best. He never complains or says anything bad. So I thought long and hard because I really didn't want to leave a bad review because the place really is nice. But it seems you are paying for them to be in the space rather than the food and drinks. For food in Nashville, it was DEFINITELY below average and right out awful. Fire the chef and get a new one because this place is too nice to go under! The service was decent although our waitress paid more attention to the party of 8 next to us (probably because she knew the tip was already included which I totally get). But in conclusion, if you are looking for good, tasty food, PLEASE keep driving past...