The Finch — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

The Finch was a spot I stumbled upon during a visit to Nashville while searching for a lunch place. What initially caught my attention was the "Royale with Cheese," a playful nod to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The location has the vibe of an old rail yard, and sure enough, there’s an actual rail car as you descend a ramp into what feels like a dried-out gully leading to the parking lot. There's an elevator and staircase to bring you back to street level, and while I can’t speak to the safety of that setup at night, I do hope there's adequate lighting and security given how far it is from the main road.

It was a late afternoon lunch for me, and most of the diners seemed to be finishing up their meals. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected to be acknowledged by my server—so much so that the hostess noticed and filled my water glass. Depending on the day, service can be a big deal for me, but this was relatively minor. Once my server finally engaged, that’s when things got interesting.

He asked if I’d looked at the menu, but before I could answer, he declared about the honey-glazed salmon: “It’s the best thing on the menu!” Before I could respond, he jumped to, “Or the shrimp and grits!” He sounded like a game show contestant. It was comical. Of course, he couldn’t have known I have a shellfish allergy, but I started wondering if he thought I wasn't familiar with the whole ordering-from-a-menu thing.

Don’t get me wrong—he wasn’t bad. He referenced Samuel L. Jackson when we discussed the burger, but ultimately dropped character when I passed on the salmon and settled on calling it a cheeseburger.

There was more of a wait than seemed necessary given the time of day, but when the soup arrived, it was served at a perfect temperature and was pretty good. It had almost all the components of a great French Onion Soup—except the cheese. While the char and melt were fine, the Swiss and Havarti lacked the distinct sharpness of Gruyère. I understand the use of Swiss, but it didn’t have the punchiness of an aged variety. Havarti, while creamy, was too mild and got lost in the broth and bread. All in all, it was a solid attempt.

The Royale was good—not great, and maybe that's a "me" problem. It was a solid burger, but it was undermined by timing or a lack of communication. My burger and fries arrived almost immediately after my soup, even though I’d barely taken a single spoonful. While I may be exaggerating a bit, it felt like my plate was practically thrown on the table.

So, there it sat—dying on the plate—while I tried to enjoy my soup. It’s tough to savor anything when your burger is staring at you, cooling off, and silently begging to be eaten. Oddly, my server seemed eager to hear my thoughts on the soup but showed no concern for my untouched burger and fries. By the time I got to it, the fresh-from-the-kitchen feel I love was gone. At that point, I was ready to wrap up my experience and leave. As a visitor to Nashville, I’ve had much better dining experiences in less likely places (like Shotgun Willie’s BBQ—I'll save that review for another time).

As for the burger, it checked the boxes it needed to. It was beefy, though not the advertised "smash burger," and had a nice balance of shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onions, pickles, a thick slice of tomato, American cheese, and a burger sauce with a bit of personality. All served on a nicely toasted bun that seemed like they could've been baked in-house (though I didn’t ask). The fries, like the burger, would’ve been better hot, but they weren’t anything special—just decent fries.

Which brings me back to my possible "me" problem: not everything has to be great. Things can be good or very good, and I can still enjoy them. But when servers oversell menu items, it sets unrealistic expectations. I appreciate servers who are honest—tell me what's not so great, admit if they haven't tried something, and share what's popular with diners. Saying everything is amazing doesn’t help.

I'd visit this place again, but I'd need a better experience to give it a...

Ten stars, hands down!!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ *Great location! *Time sensitive parking validated! *Great ramp for handicap accessible. *Great ambience and atmosphere. *Great place to socialize. *Servers are attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly! *Variety of items for everyone. *There's a drop off area in front that's covered, which is super nice to have. *The entire staff was phenomenal! *The Chefs and kitchen staff put out phenomenal food!!!! Everything we had was cooked to perfection and tasted so good!!

Recommendations: Starters: (Volcano Shrimp) You absolutely MUST at all cost have the Volcano Shrimp!!!! It's AMAZING!!!!! I could just have that with a drink and be happy! It was so flavorful, and delicious!!!! These were so good, we got them again on our second trip there. (Korean Chicken Bao Buns) This was a first for me and they did not disappoint!!! They were delicious and the buns steamed to perfection!!!! (Caesar Salad) Delicious! The grill flavor was good!! *(Szechuan Chicken) These were tender and flavorful. We enjoyed them and they were something different. The scallion aioli was delicious.

Entrées: (Shrimp and Grits) The sauce, was fabulous and the seasoning on the shrimp was so good! The dish was delicious! (Red Fish Tacos) These should be the new Taco Tuesday! They were so flavorful and packed full of goodness!! Delicious and easy to grab and eat! (Steak and Frites) This was cooked to the perfection of what we asked for; medium. With the L'Entrecote sauce, I thought I was back at a restaurant in Bourdeaux France; it was so good. The sauce was packed full of flavor and couldn't have been any more perfect!! The frites had a batter which made them even better! *(Cajun Chicken) Very flavorful with a kick. The chicken was cooked perfect and seasoned well. Very good. *(Short Rib) I put my fork and knife in to cut it and it just fell apart. It was cooked to perfection and tasted good. The Poblano Mac and Cheese with the Short Rib pulled it all together. I really liked it a lot.

Dessert: (Banana Bread Pudding Cake) This was super moist and so flavorful. It was delicious and not heavy at all. The house custard was oh so good! (Peanut Butter Cake) Very sweet and rich. Flavorful and definitely enough to eat a little there and take the rest home! Definitely had flavor.

Drinks: *(Early Bird Espresso Martini) I'm not even a martini drinker but I felt like I was keeping the server by being indecisive on what I wanted so I just blurted out the Early Bird Espresso Martini. I don't like martinis BUT.....this one was so darn good!!!! The flavor was rich and delicious! *(Visas in My Name) This drink was suggested by our server and it did not disappoint. It was so refreshing and light. The flavors all came together and I absolutely loved this drink.

We have gone to The Finch twice now and my review is based on both visits. Our server on first visit was Makayla and she was fabulous! She was very knowledgeable of the menu, which helped a lot! Our server on the second visit was Ivy (Ivey?) and she was perfection as well. She made sure we were taken care of, was super friendly and also very knowledgeable of menu. In my opinion, both Makayla and Ivy are great assets to this establishment!

We had a zero wait time for our table either visit. We made reservations through the OpenTable app. Super easy! Our food came out in a timely fashion and was the perfect temperature! Everyone that came to our table to drop off drinks, deliver food, fill out glasses with water, etc was so, so friendly!!! I truly enjoyed my experience from the minute I walked in to the minute I left. I also have to comment on the crew working the host desk up front; they were all so welcoming, cheery and friendly. They made you feel like you made the right choice by coming there. I also thought the prices were very reasonable for area and the quality of food excellent quality...

First, let me start by saying: I have an Atlanta bias and find most of the restaurants in Nashville to be underwhelming. (Trust me, I googled for DAYS)

But I really want to give the team at Finch their deserved recognition along with some notes that I think improve the experience.

Positives: -Rock Shrimp is a no-brainer app. Clearly for the firecracker shrimp-lovers, but good food is good food. -drinks were lovely, albeit slightly sweeter than I'd like at a $15 price point -general intention behind the food is thoughtful and crafty

Negatives: -The craftiness is also part of their problem. Less is more for dishes like the Trout Dip. The dip is salty as is, and the only appropriate accouterment were the stunning waffle potatoes. Saltines are cute but way too salty even on its own and is a bit too "home chef" to be served next to what I thought was a lovely dip. The "naan bread" (should just call it naan on the menu) was obviously store bought and really cheapened what was otherwise an astutely priced dish. -The strip was tasty and tender with a lovely sauce, but the accompanying salad (which was dressed!!! A rarity it seems...) still could do without chunks of shallot. You need to either mandolin or grate the shallot, otherwise this is a recipe for bad breath. -Shrimp and grits were also tasty, and while I may prefer blackened shrimp over butter-sauteed shrimp, I have almost no notes EXCEPT that the size of the bowl dwarfs the entree and looks a tad awkward. I would consider a different bowl/vessel to make the dish visually pop. -The most eggregious problem was with the sides that we ordered- brussels and broccolini. The broccolini was cooked as if a hunter-gatherer who just discovered broccolini would cook it. This has no business being on the menu- spit this one out into my napkin. The brussles were better but still a mess of fat and salt. No sweet or tangy notes came through and most of the sprouts had the base of the stem left on. These are big NOs for me. You at least need lemon on the broccolini if not also parmesan.

All said, I appreciate the intention behind this restaurant. While the areas that they upcharge are quite obvious, I don't feel it to be predatory like the other restaurants in the area.

I get that it's a hard time to be a restaurant, and it seems they only opened recently, but kudos to the staff (Christian was a great waitor), and the chefs for putting this together.

P.S. to the designer- maybe move some of those fake trees around. They're nice but too obviously fake when the same ones are...