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Elliston Place Soda Shop is back and still affordable




Thanks to Joslin Sign Co., the familiar Elliston Place Soda Shop neon sign outside has been reworked with LED lights but is still the “beacon of goodness” it has always been.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Thanks to Joslin Sign Co., the familiar Elliston Place Soda Shop neon sign outside has been reworked with LED lights but is still the “beacon of goodness” it has always been.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

When I first started my Ms. Cheap column, I relished highlighting independent eateries where we could enjoy a good lunch for $5 or less.

Now we are lucky to find places to eat for around $10.

So I was thrilled to learn that the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop’s menu has lots of options at that price point, including a Southern plate lunch featuring a meat-and-three-veggie plate for $9.99, or a “build-your-own” burger including your choice of side for $9.99.

The Soda Shop has been re-created in a turn-of-the- century building next door to its original spot on Elliston Place. The new space incorporates the 1950ish tile floor and walls, familiar red bar stools and four-top dinette sets, as well as many of the original menu items like the milkshakes, homemade pies, burgers and home cooking that made it a popular destination for generations of Nashvillians.

And the owners have made a point of keeping prices affordable.

“The pricing was a conscious decision,” said Jim Myers, a restaurant industry expert who has been part of the team rebuilding the Soda Shop brand. (He says his title is “minister of culture.”)

Ashley Seitt enjoys one of the famous milkshakes at the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Ashley Seitt enjoys one of the famous milkshakes at the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

“We recognize that people are hurting after the tornado and COVID, and we also want to dispel the notion that since we have renovated and expanded that we will be doubling the prices. We really want to keep it affordable. Where else can you get a meat-and-three for $9.99?” he asked.

He added that in order to offer the down-home prices, “volume is the key,” he said.

The reopening has been in the works for months for owners Tony and Lisa Giarratana, and their team, which also includes restaurateur and consultant Randy Rayburn.

“Moving an iconic restaurant like Elliston Place Soda Shop required a great deal of care, attention and passion to get it right,” Myers said. “Being right next door helped, and moving into another historic building that was actually older than the old Elliston Pharmacy gave us a lot of soul to work with. Then waiting for the pandemic to subside added more time, so it’s been a long 18 months. We’re ready to see the joy in people’s faces when we serve them a milkshake and a big plate of fried chicken.”

A bacon cheeseburger with fries is served at Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

A bacon cheeseburger with fries is served at Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Some of the changes include the size of the restaurant, which is now 2½ times as big as the original and can accommodate as many as 160 diners.

The team has also included a small stage for singer-songwriter events, and there is an out of sight (literally) bar that serves alcohol.

“It is really three concepts under one roof: a soda fountain, a Southern diner with a grill and a meat-and-three, oh and a music venue, too,” Myers said.

A few things to know:

The restaurant is open seven days a week, and breakfast is served all day — or, as the menu says, “all dadgum day.” Breakfast options include eggs, pancakes, French toast, biscuits, biscuit sandwiches, and omelets and fruit.

The $3.99 Kids Korner menu for the 12-and-under crowd offers menu items like grilled cheese, a mini hamburger, pancakes and chicken tenders, and all are served with a side dish.

Customers find the surroundings familiar even if the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop is in a different building.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Customers find the surroundings familiar even if the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop is in a different building.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Milkshakes are king here, with 14 flavors offered. The price is $4.95, but the shakes are huge and definitely shareable. Other old-fashioned ice cream treats include floats and malts and a banana split.

The 1950ish tableside jukeboxes are mounted on the wall in the booths. They are authentic but are just for looks. However, there is a big colorful Wurlitzer jukebox that is filled with tunes and is free.

If you want to hear some Soda Shop lore or if you need ordering advice, check with Linda Melton, who has worked at the Soda Shop since 1993 and is credited with “holding this place together” ever since.

Check out the homemade pies, which are Melton’s creations, most made from her grandmother’s recipe. Lemon ice box, chess and pecan, and banana pudding are available every day, but there is also a “pie of the day” to ask about. A slice of pie is $4.99, or you can purchase a whole pie for $19.39.

Andrea K. serves a milkshake at the counter at Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack

Andrea K. serves a milkshake at the counter at Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack

The meat-and-three menu offers meatloaf, pot roast, turkey and dressing, and fried chicken every day, and there are additional daily specials like fried catfish and a pork chop. There is a wide assortment of sides to choose from, including turnip greens, mashed potatoes, french fries and fried okra.

The shop will offer live music by singer-songwriters on Friday and Saturday nights and at Sunday brunch.

The bar is tucked in next to the soda fountain. It offers beers, wines, cocktails and “boozy shakes” such as “The Elvis” and the Soda Shop’s version of a Bushwacker.

The shop has 15 free parking sites adjacent to it, and parking is also available after 6 p.m. in the neighboring Krispy Kreme parking lot.

If you want to keep up with special events and promotions, go to the website and sign up for the emails.

P.S. I’m bucking for the Soda Shop to feature a “Ms. Cheap Special” menu item once a week where patrons could enjoy a Soda Shop sampler lunch featuring a small burger, a few fries and one or two onion rings and a mini milkshake for $10. All my favorites for one good price!

New tile work welcomes patrons to the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

New tile work welcomes patrons to the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

We’ll see if they bite.

Stay cheap!

Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on “Talk of the Town” on NewsChannel 5. Reach her at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap.

What: Elliston Place Soda Shop

Where: 2105 Elliston Place

History: The soda shop was started in 1939 by Lynn Chandler in the Elliston Place Pharmacy. The American Fountain Exchange Co. in Chicago completely restored the soda fountain, which was manufactured in 1947 by the Bastian-Blessing Co.

Customers find the surroundings familiar even if the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop is in a different building.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Customers find the surroundings familiar even if the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop is in a different building.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Thanks to Joslin Sign Co., the familiar Soda Shop neon sign outside has been reworked with LED lights but is still the “beacon of goodness” it has always been, touting “Food, Soda, Air Conditioning Restaurant.”

Contact: ellistonplacesodashop.com or 615-327-1090

Please let me know your favorite Middle Tennessee places to eat for about $10. I would love to write about them. Just shoot me an email at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com.

Andrea K. pours a milkshake at the new Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Andrea K. pours a milkshake at the new Elliston Place Soda Shop on Tuesday.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Milkshakes are king at Elliston Place Soda Shop, with 14 flavors offered.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Milkshakes are king at Elliston Place Soda Shop, with 14 flavors offered.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

open for BusinESSLarry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

open for BusinESSLarry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Lots of comfort food, from fried chicken to cornbread and macaroni and cheese, is available at the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Lots of comfort food, from fried chicken to cornbread and macaroni and cheese, is available at the newly reopened Elliston Place Soda Shop.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Meat-and-threes are available at Elliston Place Soda Shop.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

Meat-and-threes are available at Elliston Place Soda Shop.Larry McCormack / Main Street Nashville

 

 

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