Nashville Reviews: Phat Bites

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Phat Bites is a rather unassuming sandwich and salad spot that’s been a staple of the Donelson food scene for years now. If ya ain’t lookin’ for it, you might not find it. But, once you do, you’ll certainly be glad you did.

Saturday morning, I was itching for something out of my usual breakfast rotation. It was a rare Saturday that didn’t have something occupying the calendar, so the girlfriend and I had time to spare. I mentioned Phat Bites to her, and she said, “sure.” That simple.

We pulled up on a hot August Saturday morning, and I had absolutely no intention of working. Just wanted some coffee, wanted some breakfast, and wanted to sit and decompress for a bit. I’m not telling you this because it’s vital information to this review. I’m telling you this because that’s my excuse for only taking three pictures.

This wasn’t a planned installment of Nashville Reviews. But, you can see from the photos below just how profound an affect that one bite of my Bennies had. I took one bite and thought, “holy shit – I have to write about this…”

That’s why in both pictures of my entree, there’s a bite missing. But, I do plan on adding to this review once I visit for lunch.

For more on Phat Bites, check ’em out here.

PICS

Part of the charm of Phat Bites is undoubtedly the setting.
The Guiltless Pleasure Bennies

Ratings

Food: 8.5/10 – I had the ‘Guiltless Pleasure’ Bennies (black bean sweet potato patty, wilted spinach, scrambled eggs, cumin hollandaise, and fresh pico – from the menu), and the girlfriend had the Big Banana (banana bread french toast with fresh whipped cream, and bacon).

Who the hell thinks of making French toast out of banana bread? I mean, my goodness – I’m not typically a sweets-for-breakfast type of guy, but even I loved it. I ate an entire slice of it because my girlfriend couldn’t finish it. The star of the show for me though was the Guiltless Pleasure. I can’t remember a time I’ve had eggs benedict that burst with such flavor. Cooked to perfection, the cumin hollandaise tied the fresh ingredients together.

Booze: n/a – I’m not passing out a booze grade because I didn’t have any and didn’t even look at a drink menu. I just wanted to mention it here because I did poke my head in and look at the bar and was filled with excitement. It felt like a bar Hunter S. Thompson would describe in The Rum Diary. I look forward to plopping my happy ass down there one evening.

Value: 5/10 – Not gonna lie, $35 bucks for two entrees and two coffee drinks makes it hard for Phat Bites to squeeze into the regular brunch rotation (considering I’m usually the ‘just grab some Chick-Fil-A’ type). But, if I have $35 to spend on brunch, it’s either this or Nectar if I’m out in Donelson. What you get is well worth the money, and compared to brunches downtown, it’s a solid value.

Atmosphere: 7/10 – Walking into Phat Bites feels like walking into an active art display, a flea market, and a relaxed coffee shop all in the same. It instantly became one of my favorite spots in town. I could just picture it alive with music and vibing with Friday night energy.

Overall: 6.83/10 – The girlfriend and I both came away with two raging thumbs up for Phat Bites. It’s a fun setting, for sure, but this breakfast proved to be one of the heavy hitters in town. An excellent start to the day – I’d put it up there with Nectar and Nadeen’s on the Mount Rushmore of brunch in the area. Can’t wait to try one of those sammiches.

CURRENT NASHVILLE RESTAURANT RANKINGS

  1. Butcher & Bee (8.5/10)
  2. Nectar: Urban Cantina (8.44/10)
  3. Von Elrod’s (8.17/10)
  4. Catch 22 (Mount Juliet) (7.125/10)
  5. Phat Bites (6.83/10)

*Keep in mind, we’re just starting out. This list is only 18 deep at this point. Stay tuned as we continue to build our anthology of Nashville reviews.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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