Website: https://ellistonplacesodashop.com/
Elliston Place Soda Shop is a classic diner and soda fountain located in Nashville, Tennessee. The establishment serves traditional diner fare, meat-and-three plates, and soda shop specials in a retro setting, and according to its website it has been operating for more than 85 years. The shop offers breakfast, lunch, and dessert service alongside its fountain drinks and milkshakes, presenting itself as a long-running neighborhood eatery on Elliston Place.
Menu
The menu spans breakfast, lunch, and dessert items. Featured breakfast offerings include French toast, omelets, and avocado toast. Lunch and plate items highlighted on the site include the patty melt and the cheeseburger, in keeping with the shop’s meat-and-three tradition. The founder is quoted on the site saying, “I guess I’m the king of the meat-and-three. I was the first to increase the vegetables from two selections to three.”
The soda fountain and dessert selection is a defining part of the menu. Featured items include the banana split, milkshakes (including chocolate/peanut butter and Oreo-peppermint varieties), banana pudding, and coconut meringue pie. Pies are a signature, crafted from family recipes.
About
According to the website, Elliston Place Soda Shop was founded in 1939 by Lynn Chandler at age 23, after he purchased the soda fountain business from Elliston Pharmacy. The site recounts that Chandler worked his way up from the family farm, pedaling to Nashville pharmacies as a youth. The business built its reputation on treating customers like family and serving comfort food.
The site notes that the shop faced an uncertain future in 2019 and was purchased that year by Tony and Lisa Giarratana, who committed to preserving the establishment’s essential character. Among the notable staff is Linda Melton, referred to as “The Pie Lady,” who the site says has crafted pies for over 30 years using family recipes inspired by her grandmother. The website also shares a customer story noting that Mary and Jack Mills met at the soda shop and married in 1956.
Location & Contact
Elliston Place Soda Shop is located at 2105 Elliston Place, Nashville, TN 37203. The phone number listed is (615) 327-1090, and the email address provided is [email protected]. Hours listed on the site are Monday through Saturday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Additional Information
Beyond dine-in service, the shop lists online ordering, private parties and events, catering, a food truck, gift cards, and a loyalty program referred to as the Gold Rush program. The website also includes a jobs section for those interested in employment. The site groups its offerings under navigation sections that include Menu, Drinks, Specials, About, Parties, Catering, Jobs, and Food Truck, reflecting both the food service and event sides of the business.
The shop frames itself around its long history as a Nashville institution, marking more than 85 years of continuous operation under the same retro soda-fountain identity. Its featured offerings span casual breakfast and lunch fare alongside the fountain and dessert specialties that have defined it since 1939, including its signature milkshakes, banana split, banana pudding, and house-made pies. The combination of dine-in, online ordering, catering, and the food truck gives the business multiple ways to reach customers beyond its Elliston Place storefront.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (ellistonplacesodashop.com).