Eighteen58 - Sewanee

My wife and I stayed at the Swanee Inn for a getaway from Nashville. We thought we might as well eat there as well. There are not that many choices to eat in the area. We were there on a Thursday night so there was no problem getting a table. The service was great and the food was good. Highlights were the fried spicey brussel sprouts and the skillet desert. They were wonderful.i got the hamburger and my wife got the chicken. They were good but not great. We would go back if we return.

A group of 8 of us stayed at the Sewanee Inn during on trip to some of the distilleries in the area. We knew we were getting to the hotel late so we made a reservation to eat in the hotel. First off the service was slow. We waited at least 20 minutes before anyone came over to get our drink order. During the meal the waitress just sort of ignored us. Never was asked for a drink refill or if we needed anything. The food was just so-so. Some in the group thought their food was ok, but nothing great. I had a burger which wasn't bad but the fries were awful. Limp and greasy and basically uneatable. We were tired after a long day on the trail so no of us complained but we all agreed we wouldn't eat there again. The problem is there isn't much in the area. If you eat there just don't have high hopes like we did! Its mediocre or below at best!

Having eaten here too many times to count, I can say that this is often of the best breakfast spots in the Franklin County, TN area. The restaurant and bar are located in the Sewanee Inn. We have never had a reason to stay at the inn but it has an elegant foyer that one passes through to enter the breakfast area. On weekends, there is a buffet. We normally eat there during the week. Prices are higher than other breakfast spots in Winchester, which is fairly close by, but the food is a higher quality. Service is generally very good. In the past year, there has occasionally been a problem. There are times we have spent more than 1.5 hours eating breakfast because of service issues. There is another large group that is being served in the inn; an employee does not show up for work; there are not enough servers due to more people in the restaurant, etc. The servers work hard and are very good. They can only do so much and, if there are not enough of them, the service suffers. At the same time, the cook sometimes gets in a hurry. The toast may be cold when it is served with the meal or the eggs may be burned. There has also been a change in the servings. There used to be a larger serving of grits but, in recent trips, it has gotten smaller. The bread used for toast used to come from the bakery in Tracy City and was outstanding. Often now, the toast is more like Wonder Bread and much lower quality. There has been one or more changes in restaurant managers and that may have made a difference. The breakfast may be outstanding or it may take a very long time and the food may be burned or cold. It is like the lottery. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Usually it is very good and the good nature and hard work of the servers usually makes this a good bet for breakfast

The service was adequate and mediocre. The food was above average. The 1st time I was there in March for a dinner and breakfast was fantastic.

Turn the lighting DOWN a notch or two, the ambiance would increase 5-800%!!!! And we will add two s. The present lighting is brighter than a Shoney's big Boy!!!!! The service has been always been superb and when the Chef is on his game the prep is equal to the service. Menu is interesting and prices fair for the wanna be dining experience. This place has the potential to DOMINATE THE FINE DINING SCENE IN THIS area , albeit, bucolic at best despite Sewanee (The U of the South). On a bad night it outshines any competition within 59 miles!!!!! The bar is a nice plus! with dimmed lighting