Soda Shops of Nashville

Bobbie's, Elliston, and Rotier's -
The best milkshakes in town!

Elliston Place Soda Shop opened in 1939, and is the longest continuously running restaurant in the same location in Nashville. It is an institution in Nashville, and with a few other old time soda shops closing in Nashville (making way for mega-chains), Elliston Place Soda Shop is TRULY A TREASURE! Here is the deal, food is cheap, it is traditional southern cooking, and you will be served by a diner waitress that doesn't get better than these diner waitresses. BUT there is so much more than the food, there is the SHAKE made the traditional way with REAL ice cream, REAL whole milk, and swirled up at a REAL milk shake machine. We had a chocolate malted shake that was absolutely devine, along with a cheese burger, fries, and a southern fried chicken with turnip greens, pole beans, and mac&cheese. Leave your diet at the door, and spring for a shake, made while you wait! These shakes are the best in town.


Bobbie’s Dairy Dip has been in this location for over 50 years, but owned by Claire Mullally for 7 yrs. Bobbie’s is a drive up hut with a few picnic tables, and serves soft serve ice cream, and hot dogs, hamburgers and the best fries and onion rings for miles around. Ms Mullally studied soft serve ice cream, hamburger, and Belgian fries making with the best in NYC and Europe, so it is an insult to call Bobbie’s food “fast food” and lump it in with other Mc-food places. This place uses all the best old world cooking techniques to create a burger and fries, and it is an honor for me to be able to have such workmanship in my town. To mention the ice cream, it is Ms Mullally’s special recipe with only the best high milk fat content to give the excellent smooth texture that melts in the mouth in a way that no other ice cream can. Be warned, Bobbie’s is closed during the winter, and when spring hits, Bobbie’s is packed with joyous patrons screaming for ice cream!

Update on Bobbie's Dairy Dip fries for 2006. So, I have tried the fries 3 times this year, and I do not believe that the new cook is following the directions to cooking the Belgian Fries. The fries are salt-less, soggy, chewy, and pasty, all indicating that the cook is NOT frying the poatoes twice, the oil is too cool or less than 325 degrees F, and the cook is lazy as to not toss the fries with salt flakes. Ms Mullally, early on in the spring, indicated that she was had a complete over-turn in kitchen staff, and her new cook was not catching on. I suggest skipping the fries all year, and just go for the hot dog and a shake, as those a still top notch.

Rotier’s is kitchy without knowing it is kitchy. The interior walls are wood paneling, there is a bar as you walk into the door, and the chairs and booth seats are the original retro. The menu has all the typical retro bar food and lunch counter fare such as burgers, fried cheese sticks, fries, onion rings, iceberg lettuce salad, chicken fingers, soda, coffee, bottled beer, etc. Much of the fried items, like fries, onion rings, cheese sticks are pre-made frozen food service items. The best part are the handmade burgers that are real beef, not those “soybean food service patties” that a food distributor tries to pass off as beef. One thing that is missing from the menu is the MILKSHAKE. Only those in the know will know that you can order a milkshake, thick and creamy. So, now you know, as with the rest of the world reading this blog: you can order a fabulous thick shake made to order at Rotier’s!