Raffertys Restaurant & Bar

I think this place has gone way downhill over the years. I found the menu limited and uninspiring. Limited choices on the kids’ menu as well. Half of our party of 6 found floaters in our water glasses. 3 of us had potato soup which came out lukewarm and not the texture we remembered. Almost like lumpy mashed potatoes. Our service was excellent but the food was just so-​so or less. They need to spend some money on a major overhaul. I think the only thing keeping this place alive is its proximity to the movie theater.

Had a ribeye and it was cooked perfect, along with a good baked potato. I also think they have the best garden salad in town.

Been going for years, this evening will be the last. Re-​arranged the menu to actually offer absolutely nothing of interest. Went for the prime rib sandwich, the kids like it. They have removed it from the menu the reason: we offer it sometimes, it is still popular, but when people didn’t order it it just sat there, huh? Sat outside with two children, beautiful evening. Did the hostesses mention that it was a smoking porch, no. Other families arrived, approximately 9 kids on the deck and smokers, constantly. After perusing the menu to find something to consume, getting late, kids are hungry, we order, loose the waitress for an obscene duration, no refills on beverages, food arrives, minus one entrée, which finally arrived as we getting ready to leave. Need to re-​work the menu, evidently again, work in some customer satisfaction and learn to get food out, simultaneously. Time to re-​engineer the whole operation.

Better then I expected. From the outside I thought it was another run down steakhouse chain which it may be, however the food was good and inexpensive lunch stop. With easy access from I-​65 the kids NEEDED to stop. Décor was wood/​brick and rustic, plenty of seating. That being said it’s terribly outdated. Seats, tables and carpet? Ick! Service, excellent, food was clean well prepared.

We came here as a group of 5 for lunch which included two kids. The kids meals were great and they had broccoli as an option! Our waiter was on top of our refills which is always nice.

Made a Unilocal account just to write this review.
Hostess wouldn’t seat our table of 7 until the 2 other people in our group arrived at the restaurant. We had to stand outside and wait for half an hour. If they would have allowed us to sit down we probably would have spent $ 100 on drinks.
Service absolutely horrible. Have 3 of my friends French fries when the asked for broccoli and when they made the correction they TOOK THEIR FRIES BACK. Also charged us for our extra dressing for our plates and salad.
Overall guys, rude and unnecessary treatment towards our entire group. And it seems they do this for everyone. I can confidently say our entire group will never set foot in Rafferty’s again

I was blown away by the cheeseburger at this place. One of the best I’ve had in Nashville. Our server, Jack, was also impressive. For a chain, I had better service and a better burger than in some higher end establishments.

Good food at what is essentially a sports bar. Two major drawbacks though. First if you go at night and sit near the windows IT IS DARK. I literally had to turn the flashlight on my phone on so I could read both the menu and the check. Second, if you order a sandwich, the sides are À la carte. I was frustrated by what was basically «French Fry Gravel» but the waitress didn’t charge me for it after I pointed it out.
I absolutely enjoyed my sandwich though and i would come back, but I will make sure its in the light of day.

Today, was my day out with my daughter,…Mommy and daughter day… we get this every now and then… so today, was also pay day.
Noël and I went to several different stores and we built up our appetite so we went to Rafferty’s.
It is located near her job so we opted to try it. She ordered the Cowboy steak with seasoned fries and a soda. I opted for ½ club sandwich with veggie soup with hamburger. It was really good. The sandwich was very large even for a ½ of one but it was very good. I got so full I couldn’t eat everything and the soda was watered down. ugh…
We didn’t have to wait too long for our food, but the place was extremely packed for a friday afternoon around 12:30pm. So, we had to eat in the bar area. which was so very packed… not a good thing when you are in a shopping frenzy.
I liked our waitress, she was so nice. I left her a $ 5 tip for a $ 23 check.
There are too many restaurants to have to settle for adequate, so I will not be eating here again, but hey… you may enjoy it… so check them out. The food wasn’t terrible, it just wasnt um umm good !!!

Kind of like Applebee’s, maybe a little better. I had the chicken ranch wrap, which was pretty good. The server was great and very attentive, even though it was during lunch rush. I would go here for a quick sit down work lunch, but not really great for date night.

The Cowboy 10-​oz Sirloin was excellent. It was tender, juicy, and not heavily marbled. And the baked tater was just right with the exception that there wasn’t enough butter and sour cream to accommodate its large size. So be sure to ask for extra when you order! My girlfriend had the potato soup. It was nothing short of addictive! Unfortunately my Coke seemed a bit on the weak side.

We definitely like this Rafferty’s better than the Rivergate restaurant. The noise level wasn’t overwhelming, so we could have an actual conversation. I had the chicken finger salad, and it was very good.

Stopped in here with some friends to get some dinner before a movie. The inside was nice, dim and cozy, and their TV set seemed great when games were going. Our server was fine, took our orders and got our food all dandy. There were some drink specials, $ 1 off draft beers and house wines (which there were only three options…). I ordered the chicken salad and soup combo. The best part were the croissants that came with it, they were so soft and nice and hot, really yummy. The chicken salad had a good flavor, it had walnuts and grapes in it, which I like, but it was absolutely swimming in the mayo/​whatever they make it with. It was drowning in it, which I didn’t like. I had the cheesy potato soup which was good. Husband ordered a burger and fries, nothing special, the chicken wrap a friend ordered was nothing special. The food was fine, but like I said, nothing special. We did order some mozzarella sticks as an appetizer and they were pretty good. We asked for a side a ranch to eat with them and that’s where I am confused… the ranch, what the heck is up with their ranch. Our waiter saw the confused look on our faces after trying it and explained that it is made with eggs and onions. It tasted so weird, I’m not sure why they don’t refer to this as some sort of special ranch or Rafferty’s special sauce and also serve a much more normal tasting ranch as well. Meh

Good food, fair prices, and alright service.
Food was pretty good, I had the 10oz sirloin steak with chicken tenders with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Was pleased with the big portions.
Prices were average, people shouldn’t go out of there way to eat if they want a good cheap meal fast at a restaurant. This isn’t mcdonalds. You pay for what you get.
As for service, we came in with a group of 5. Kinda took them long to seat us, but our waiter was very nice and attentive.
Oh! & give the fried pickles a try! It’s pretty good

I have been here many times and I always get the classic ribeye. This is the best steak in Rivergate which is kind of sad given that we have a Longbranch, Outback, and Woody’s in the neighborhood that are supposed to be actual steakhouses.

A solid fast casual restaurant, but I think about 10−20% over priced. If the prices were slightly lower … or the food and service were a notch better… i would say it was a 4 star. I do grade on a curve.
The croissants are very nice. Not sure what’s up with the *new* option of pecans sprinkled on top. When I saw pecan on the menu, I imagined they would be candied… Or at least integrated into the honey. but no, dusty dry pecans pieces, like out of the bag in the baking aisle. Weird. Just sayin’.

This was my first time at a Raffertys, and the experience was rather unpleasant.
I went here with a rather large group from work for a casual lunch meeting. We were told we’d be seated in fifteen minutes or so and ended up waiting an hour. Now I totally understand that it can often take a while to seat large parties, but just be honest about it. If it’s going to take an hour, say it’s going to take an hour. People have schedules to keep.
We had an appetizer of fried pickles and they were decently good. The sauce they were served with was tasty, and the breading was nicely done. In fact, these pickles were the only positive thing about my experience, and the only reason I’m giving this place two stars instead of one.
My actual lunch left much to be desired. I ordered the french dip sandwich, which is usually a safe bet at restaurants because they’re simple, delicious (usually) and hard to screw up. Unfortunately, the prime rib they used was rather awful. It was a rather unattractive grey color, there were way too many big globs of fat (it seemed to compose about half the sandwich), and the parts that weren’t pure fat were tough. At least the bread it was served on was good; I ended up pulling most of the meat out and having the bread for lunch. Several of my coworkers ordered this sandwich as well, and they were all equally as disappointed. I’m a big french dip fan; I love good ones and I even enjoy mediocre ones. For me to think that one is bad, it has to be *really* bad.
The fries that accompanied the sandwich weren’t much better; limp and soft. Their menu actually goes as far as to have a sidebar bragging about how their fries are cut just before cooking to make them extra-​super-​tasty and whatnot, so one would think that they’d be more particular about the quality. I tried a couple and didn’t really touch them beyond that.
One of my coworkers ordered a bowl of the potato soup and remarked that it was completely devoid of potatoes. It was just a bowl of creamy soup base with some cheese and a bit of bacon on top.
Now I’ve been told by multiple people that there is good food to be had here, so maybe they were having an off day or perhaps they just make lousy french dips. Either way, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and try the restaurant again sometime, and update my review accordingly if I’m actually able to eat what I’m served.

Hungry for steak… good value, portion size and service. Steak good too. Ambiance. so so. A nice lunch or casual dinner spot.

I’m giving 4 stars… even though I wouldn’t qualify myself as a «fan». 3.5 is prolly where it falls.
People poo-​poo Rafferty’s all the time, but it’s pretty consistent (consistently good).
the list —
*They make almost everything in house.
*Their beer selection is pathetic.
*Fried pickle chips are pretty awesome, so is the sauce.
*They make a damn good burger, and will cook it to your preference.
*The croissants are decadent and yummmm.
*There is nothing fancy about any of it. But you do get a real napkin…
*They make a great caesar salad — add (blackened) chicken or perfectly-​done salmon. It comes in a chilled bowl. They’ll dress it to your taste.
*The waitstaff is mostly hits with a few misses. The last server I had was one of the nicest combinations of laid-​back and professional I’ve experienced in recent history (including several trips to some nashville $$$ faves).
*Never. Ever. Order take out. Ever. Never.
It’s no destination restaurant, but when you are hungry and especially when you find yourself in the situation of making other diners happy with a chain choice… I would choose Rafferty’s over any other chain in town.

Cocktail Hour on the outside patio was a Blast with a few televisions sprinkled around, people smoking & drinking their after work stresses away.
Our server was pleasant, always around for refills, eager to please, knowledgeable about the menu, cocktails and even Baseball Stats, she also knew when to walk away and give us space.
Even the occasional Bumble Bee couldn’t disturb my Zen this afternoon.
On this visit I didn’t eat, I will return to have a meal and update the rate of Stars.