Commodore Grille

Great selection of specialty drinks. Food is step above regular bar food. Always tasty. Singer/songwriter's entertainment on many nights is always great to listen to. No cover music here. All original music. Easy parking. Validate at the desk. Staff is always friendly and service is quick.

We went on a night tour of Nashville and our guide recommended Commodore Grill because of the live music, easier parking (Holiday Inn's parking lot), and that several musicians were discovered here. The restaurant is to the left as soon as you enter the hotel, and it is clean and well maintained. The lighting is intimate which enhances the lighting for the stage. You seat yourself, and menus/silverware are next to the sign. We heard three live bands here, and they each had great performances. We got the fried pickles as an appetizer, and they were pretty good. For entrees, we got the chicken and the Commodore burger with sweet potato fries. The Commodore burger and fries were delicious and the chicken was ok. My only hangup with this place is the horrible service. Our server made it VERY obvious she didn't want a table, even actively ignoring us at times. The cook in the back was nice enough to bring our food to us and any request towards our waitress ("management charge" for extra ranch, and water refills in plastic cups despite having regular ones) either took quite a while or didn't happen at all. We were treated as if we came in 10 minutes before closing when the restaurant was still open for 2 more hours. I'd like to come back for the music and food, but the garbage customer service gives me second thoughts.

Seated myself (as sign suggested) Waiter finally approached and advised that the kitchen was on a stoppage, meaning it was so backed up they couldn't submit any orders and he wasn't sure he'd remember to put my order in when the kitchen resumed taking orders. Waiter brought my draft beer after about 10 minutes. I drank my beer and 40 minutes later I threw a ten on the table and walked out. Oh, and all I ordered was an appetizer: nachos. Holiday Inn needs to do better.

We already had dinner, but wanted to meet the $10 minimum, so we got peanut butter pie and a cup of coffee. It was decaf, but it was Bongo Java, so it was really good. But the real reason to go here is writers night, which was fabulous.

Cyndi. Oh boy! The only reason I'm giving a 3 is due to our server. Food was great. So We came over here invited by the Manager Jena and our waitress was nothing but rude and annoyed by the fact she had to server us. She forgot to bring the drinks and hoof and puff when we asked her to do anything for us. We were outside and the only table there but after not long more people got a seat outside. It was a nice night, a little windy but nice. We ordered different items from the menu. I ordered the sirloin steak salad and it was delicious. The steak surprised me on flavor and texture. It came with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing that just mixed well. My table also ordered the chicken gyro, the burger and chicken plate with mash potatoes and green beans. They have live music every night and it was a writers night type of music. They have plenty of seating and a bar area too. They are inside the Holiday Inn hotel. Parking is on the back of the hotel with a door at the back too. Overall, we enjoyed our time but Cyndi disappointed us.

Close your eyes and imagine a place where you could eat Golden Corral, listen to Nashville's best up and coming artists, and also not have to drive to find a bed. Now open your eyes. Welcome to Commodore Grill*

Commodore Grille is found inside the Holiday Inn that features live local musical talents each night. While staying at the Holiday Inn, my husband and I came to this restaurant twice and ordered a meal to go once. With each time we interacted with this restaurant, I had 3 different experiences. With the first time, I made a to go order for dinner and got: Bourbon Glazed Salmon, $18 prior to tax ($19.67 after tax)- This salmon meal came with rice pilaf, a large side of green beans and a side of toasted bread. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the bourbon glazed sauce was sweet but excellent with the fish. The portion size of this meal is excellent for one person. I really enjoyed my meal, but it was rather pricey. But being that this is salmon, I expected it. The second time we came to this restaurant, we decided to stop by for some drinks (a beer for my husband and a glass of dessert wine for myself) while listening to live music. The service was friendly and I liked that our server always checked up on us and never pushed us to purchase anything else. The third time we came, we ended up getting: Side order of fries, $4.50 prior to tax- Served hot and crisp, a pretty nice portion. Nachos, $12 prior to tax- Major disappointment and would not order these again. Glass of wine, $8 prior to tax- My husband opted for a glass of red wine and he seemed fine with his choice. ------------------- (Total= $26.03 after tax, prior to tip) I wish we had the server from the previous night. But instead, we had Cyndi (at least that is what it says on our receipt). She was not friendly and just seemed annoyed when I only ordered fries. She had said "just fries" with a judge-y look. I decided to also order nachos too since we did have a late lunch and a no much of a dinner earlier. I think she was a little better with service later on but her attitude really could have been better. With the live music overall, most of the artists were great. There was one that was just really odd and a few that were okay. But I think it was nice to hear music from the area (we are in Music City after all). I really would only come here for the music. Please note that parking is self parking (not free) and valet only (also not free). But because I was staying in the hotel, my parking was included (in which I paid $25 prior to tax, each night. And yes parking is taxed here..) so not sure how much you would pay if you came.

Attached to the hotel and great for an easy night to listen to live music. They rotate singers after a couple of songs and it's worth giving it a try if you are looking for something simple. The kitchen was being remodeled unfortunately so they were currently only offering a buffet so we opted to grab something else local after having a few drinks. The staff was friendly and would recommend others to give it a try for simple live music and some drinks. The spicy Bloody Mary was on point.

I was pretty impressed with this place, A local that works at a boot shop told us to go here because we were looking for a low-key, live music, dinner spot. And this is exactly what we found. This is a lobby bar inside a Holiday Inn, but the food was great and our service was fabulous. Shout out to Chuck he has a new server here and we really enjoyed his company. The set up was for Singer-songwriters played acoustic music. They take turns-in about an hour later they all swapped out to new Singer-songwriters. We were told a lot of these Singer songwriters might later become famous or you might hear the songs on the radio.

Fantastic food and staff. Stayed at the HI for 2 days. Intentionally came back here the second night for dinner. The staff was absolutely fantastic for my family. Everyone was very nice to all of us, the food was really good and prices were great. Live music was a great bonus. Breakfast was your standard hotel buffet but still great staff that went above and beyond to take care of us.

Country music and good drinks . I had the Lynchburg lemonade ( Jack Daniels TN whiskey,orange liqueur, sprite and lemon juice ). My meal was the glazed salmon with wild rice and green beans; very bland, the most soul-less meal and dry salmon I've had. definitely need some seasoning and a sister in the kitchen. For dessert I had the Yazoo Hefeweizen beer and pecan pie, that was good . Overall, for a hotel Restaurant the food was decent, fresh made and a good option if you don't want to leave the property. The musicians were really good, seemed many were writers for known and unknown artist; up and coming artist themselves and/or people who just really love to sing.

We were looking for a place to eat that was good and had air conditioning and entertainment. Our food was great. We ordered Hot chicken and chicken tenders. We had a wonderful server.

Food is okay for bar and grille. Entertainment was average for a week night. Service was good. Lemon drops weren't great.

This is a great little venue! Showcases writers music every night. You might not expect it but everything on the menu we've had coming two years in a row has been delicious. Ashley is an awesome server. Don't miss out if you're in Nashville!

Favorite place in Nashville. Food is cheap and good. Music is awesome. If you are a singer songwriter or just love music, you should be here every day

With three stars, you probably think our experience was average. Not hardly. We'd arrived at the accompanying hotel rather late, so popped into CG for a beer and a bite. A gentleman approached our table and asked what we'd like. Told him we'd like to see menus, which he hadn't brought, and asked his draft selection. He told us, we ordered a couple beers, and off he went. Returned a few minutes later with menus, no beers. 20-25 minutes later, still nothing. We'd occasionally see him at other tables, and wave to no avail. Finally saw him at front desk and went up and asked. He looked stunned. Finally said, "I'll check with the bartender." I returned to table; another 10 minutes passed. My wife, really PO'ed by now, noticed a couple young women servers hustling around elsewhere, and went to ask one for help. She came over, EXTREMELY nice, and very apologetic. Her name, I'm pretty sure, was "Alex." Took our order, including a couple bottled beers. Which came right away, along with menus. As we were ordering, other guys shows up with our two drafts. I'll add that one was full to the brim, spilling onto the sides, the other maybe 2/3 full, as if someone had taken a few swigs. And off he went without a word. From Alex, more apologies, and a promise of speed and service, which was delivered in spades, along with a bill adjustment. She a couple times had even mouthed to us as she served other tables, "Almost here!" As you'd imagine, at the end I gushed with praise over her, only to find it was her third day. The guy actually struck me as being in some sort of management position. If so, their structure is upside-down. She should be running the joint. Maybe she is by now. P.S. The food was surprisingly good!

We were unsure of where to eat in Nashville as we have been here many times and wanted to try something new. As we were checking in Leon, one of chefs, was cooking up samples of the dinner menu in the lobby of our hotel. It was delicious and we decided to look no further especially since they do nightly live music with local songwriters. Everything was great, we couldn't have asked for a better dinner.

Great place to hear live music from singer songwriters in the area! My family came here to hear some music while we were in Nashville. Most live music venues in Nashville are full bars and are 21+, so it was really nice to get to see live music in a more casual environment (all ages). Tons of seating which was a plus, and a really casual vibe. We were there early in the night (6pm-8pm), and it was definitely really family friendly, not sure about how it would get later in the night though since there is a bar attached. The food was okay, but we just ordered appetizers and it was in a hotel so overall pretty good.

They didn't have sweet potato fries unfortunately but their side house salad was really good! Their regular fries were average, a little lackluster. I enjoyed the atmosphere. They have live music and if you go on Sundays at 8 you get to see Marc Allan Barnette and he is amazing! Highly recommend going to watch him. My husband got the brisket on biscuits which were cute and the biscuits were nice and flaky. He said it tasted good too. It's very dimly lit in there and the servers seems to be really busy. The other food on the menu looked really good too!

Ashley, Kerry and Chuck are the most welcoming servers!! Great service and excellent advice for visitors to Nashville!!

Great bar food! We loved the french fries and wings. This is a great place to hear music nightly. My husband got to play here as well.

Sadly, a disappointment. Went to a bar across street which was packed with opposing football team's fans so headed over to commodore grille for some Vandy camaraderie, 1-hr pregame. Plenty clean, nice/fast servers, and convenient ladies room...but overpriced cocktails in sad little plastic cups. And the place had two groups of mizzou fans and one group of Vandy fans -- empty! Maybe coming during a radio sports broadcast would be good but don't expect to get your pregame hype on here!

Basic place. Convenient being in our hotel. Service was mediocre and the food was fair. I did like the live music, especially the songwriter nights. Good place to grab some drinks and listen to some music if you want a relaxing night at your hotel.

Awesome spot to check out some local talent. Plenty of seating and nice service. I liked how 4 different musicians shared an hour time slot. On a good night you could see 16 different musicians.

This place is hit & miss! Breakfast can be a challenge, staff is nice the food is good when the want it to be. Had the meat lovers omelette had no bacon even though its was advertised with it. Very little meat, when I showed them the comment was I should've ask for extra meat, thought the name said it all, guess not. Also it wasn't a true omelette it was folded over unscrambled eggs. Had the country skillet the next morning ask for no peppers of course it came loaded with them. Morons!!

I went for a late dinner at 9:30 pm on a Tuesday night after checking into the Holiday Inn. I was alone, for a business trip and did not want to wander out for food. The grill was a pleasant surprise with a great vegetarian pesto penne. The grilled ciabatta was really good. There was a group of college students jamming at the mike. Though good, they were really loud and I was tired so asked the waitress to get my food to go. She was very obliging. As she got the food, the jam session ended. There was a very good and very unexpected solo piano encore by a visually impaired college student. He was so good that I sat down till he was done. The MC was very encouraging as he should be with such talent in house. So four stars for good food, reasonable price for quality and quantity of food, good service and for encouragement of young local talent.

So first of all, let me say I feel cheated. When I went to Commodore Grille there was no music. Apparently they have music all the time, except the one time I come in. Fine. Personal disappointments aside, the place was still pretty alright. It was in all aspects exactly what you might expect from a hotel bar/restaurant only it maintained a more local feel. It feels a little apart from the main hotel traffic which is a good thing. I had a great-tasting and indulgent plate of nachos which I would definitely eat again. It's nice to know that people traveling to Nashville can get a taste of the local music scene without even having to leave the hotel. Plus, my Vandy pride gets me excited whenever stuff is named after our Dores.

In town and staying at the Holiday Inn, I wanted to get a quick bite to eat before heading out for the famous Nashville music scene so stopped at the hotel restaurant to eat. It was the Commodore Grill on a Wednesday night. The food was good, service was good, but the music was great! Groups of three singer/songwriters took the stage for three songs each then left for another group of three. Found out it was "Songwriters Night". When I asked what was the gig, (really, Holiday Inn?), was told, "welcome to Nashville" in a smooth Tennessee drawl. Awesome experience ended up parking at the Commodore for the rest of the night and am looking forward to a return visit. I'm not a country music fan but these live performances were great. For anyone looking for a real Nashville experience by performers who really put it out there, check out the Commodore Grill.

Live music was good service was trash drinks were just as bad. Don't know if it has to do with being the only Spanish and black person in the restaurant but our service looked at us for a good 20min before come over asking us if we were good and walked away before we could answer. Then when she comes back to take our order finally she starts taking the order of the table next to us at the same time pretty much ignoring us. Folks who sat down 20mins after us get their drink while we wait. When drink finally come they taste horrible and she brings the wrong beer. That one star is for the singers they were great. The server was Cindi and we was also extremely rude

So I ordered buffalo wings and I got 6 wings, I'm from buffalo and if you got 6 wings in buffalo we would say forget it. They were good but 6 wings for the price of 10, forget about it don't buy wings from here it's a RIP off.

Most people seem to be reviewing this place for dinner and live music, but I came here for the breakfast buffet. At $11.99 for a slightly upscale continental breakfast, I wasn't impressed. Compared to the East Coast, food in Nashville is so cheap. I can get a massive dinner for $10 in Nashville so the price for a mediocre buffet was too high. I had a bagel, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and an apple pastry. The bagel and eggs were on par with what a Quality Inn would serve on a continental breakfast. The bacon was actually quite good as were the pancakes. The apple pastry was pretty good too. But if you stay somewhere like a Hyatt Place, you will get a better breakfast, and it will be included in the room cost. The saving grace of this place was the wait staff. I ate at the bar, and the guy taking care of me was really friendly. The whole staff was dressed up for Halloween, which was cute. I wouldn't come back here for anything other than the live music, personally.

Hidden Gem (at least to tourists although locals know that this is a great place for singer songwriters!) In the holiday Inn so I was a little reluctant to order salmon but I took a chance. Salmon BLT was excellent! Fresh and large piece of salmon on a soft roll - so good! Cesar was also pretty good. Music was amazing and staff service very friendly

Inside the Holiday Inn, not a bad little spot. Dinner and / or drinks while listening to some singer / songwriters. The menu is actually pretty nice. I went with the spicy chicken Alfredo and it was good! It does have a little kick to it. The chicken was grilled to perfection. My friend had the Mediterranean chicken and she said it was really good. The service is kinda slow. Overall, a pretty good experience!

A go-to place for one evening when we are in Nashville. Food is good, entertainment is good, staff is good, atmosphere is OK as it's just a hotel dining room but that's easy to ignore. It's the entertainment that your there for and some are great and some are not so and that's what makes it fun. Always on my list of places to go when asked by friends going to Nashville.

The food wasn't bad for a hotel restaurant, but the truly amazing thing was the music! I know it shouldn't be a surprise being in Nashville, but the music was great from a group of writers and great singers! Great ambiance, and getting to see one of the great country music writers Will Rambeaux and Co play was a treat and a pretty spectacular welcome to Nashville for a first time visitor!

Came down for a quick bite and a few drinks around dinner time. Food was OK, drinks surprisingly expensive. $10 for a not very generous Malibu and pineapple juice. Manager, Todd, wasn't friendly at all. Do yourself a favor and walk a block for food/drinks.

Great place for food and music. My husband is a musician so we went to play at the open mic. The songwriters featured are always great. We will be back for him to be featured in Dec! The drinks are great and the spinach and artichoke dip is amazing. Debbie, the MC, is fantastic!

Hard to believe that this is the Resturant for the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt. Great service- our server recommended the spicy chicken strips with mini waffles. It was awesome. Apparently he thought it took too long and included a yummy brownie dessert on the house. Food and drinks were excellent and if you can head over on a Wednesday night- open mic for songwriters. Some better than others, but the spirit of Nashville was alive!

This place is definitely much cooler than you'd expect for a hotel bar in a Holiday Inn Select. Why I like this place: 1. This is a GREAT place for up and coming songwriters. If you are new in town they are very welcoming and if you just came to listen to music you might be hearing the next big thing. Its an eclectic bunch that hangs out here so it makes even more fun. They have writer's nights here 7 nights a week from 7-11PM. On rare occasions something else is going on and takes over but you've pretty much have good acoustic live music almost every night. 2. They have pretty good bar food. Sandwiches and salads have been good and they make some delicious sweet potato fries. 3. Its smoke free inside. They have a nice patio area for smokers to enjoy though. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars: Drinks. I've ordered margaritas a few times and had a mystery drink delivered to my table that tasted like watered down orange juice...and with no salt. It all really depends on the bartender that is there that night. If you're in the area and like listening to singer/songwriters singing their original tunes then you should definitely check this place out.

Convenient, casual and clean. Plenty of parking. Our team had a casual corporate after hours dinner. Service was slow and not overly attentive. Food was typical Bar n Grill offerings. Live music was a nice touch.

Let me start off by saying I love performing regularly at and supporting this venue. I often recommend it because they have been helpful in supplying a place for the music community to call a home, so this stinks that I have to post a negative opinion. Unfortunately, I just can't stand by and be silent at this point. I'm very disappointed that the $40/car parking fee (for the U2 concert) kept so many friends Saturday night from attending a recording of a live performance. Many people who were coming to support the songwriters and or perform, themselves, were turned away at the parking lot entrance. The guys charging for parking spaces claimed they didn't know...to me that's irrelevant...THE HOLIDAY INN SELECT knew (they were charging over $300/night for a room that night) and did not seem to care. Who ever is in charge of the Commodore and the Holiday Inn seems to be out of touch. I was also told that the guys collecting the parking fees did it on their own and got to keep the money...it didn't even go to the people at the hotel (or the other songwriters who played). Sounds like a ripoff to me. On top of all of that, the Commodore Grille did not appear to be prepared to handle the business before and after the U2 concert at Vandy. This was all a repeat of the problem they had handling the business for the trombone player convention that had two shows there the week before. I'll be they didn't realize at least 5 to 7 thousand extra dollars in business between those three nights in total and it won't even show up in their computer printouts--they don't even realize it. I'm personally friendly with all the servers and bartenders there...they got screwed with the early closing and lack of preparation...clearly a management problem. Kudos and thanks to songwriter night hosts Rick & Tammy Stewart, Debi Champion, the staff of servers, bartenders and songwriters who persevered and endured these crazy nights, despite lack of support from the management at the Commodore Grille or the Holiday Inn Select.

I came to The Commodore to play a round (May 7,2015). I was not expecting what happened! This well-trained wait staff was awesome! Our food was not only delicious (everyone agreed, and there must have been 20 of us!) but even plated like a high end restaurant! The prices were reasonable. Staff is excellent and friendly. And the entertainment is great, too! (Nod to Debi Champion!) I will be back! Thank you!

I went to hear a Facebook friend (and others) sing. Everyone was very talented and/or funny. I ordered the Commodore Grille Steak that came with mashed potatoes. Both were delicious. When the waitress came to take my plate, I slapped her hand (or at least pretended to)... as I was hoping for some bread to sop up the gravy -- ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I am going back in a couple of days and will order the same. Just hope I get the same waitress! The very chocolaty dessert was mighty fine, too! I got a glimpse of a potential buffet around a corner - wonder how that thing is.... Update: I have been back twice to see the same and MORE friends perform -- and order the Commodore Grille Steak every time! Always mighty, might fine! And servers are always sweet and friendly and helpful. Updated 01/10/14: Had just headed some soup at home as I planned to stay in and get some work done. Around 5:00, my sister called from Nashville and told me my singer/songwriter friends (and another new friend) were performing at the Commodore again... so I ate my soup and jumped in the car. About two hours later, I only ordered a drink and warned the waitress I'd be ordering a "CGS" to go eventually. A few minutes later, she brought out a chicken quesadilla for someone else at our table - I was suddenly hungry and just had to order one; not the frontrunner on my search for "the world's best chicken quesadilla" but sitll, mighty good. Of course, I now have CGS waiting for me in the fridge for lunch tomorrow! Good food + good friends + good service = a mighty great time (well worth the four-hour drive!)

I was pretty surprised by this place. It's the bar/grill for the Holiday Inn where we are staying and they have a ton of live music at night starting at like 7pm to about 10/11. The musicians are pretty impressive because, well, NASHVILLE!! Everyone here is super nice and friendly. The drinks are okay... as expected at a hotel like this. The food is pretty good. I like their buffet for breakfast.

We had nice dinner while watching up and coming singers and song writers, great entertainment. I would recommend.

This place has been the go-to songwriter hangout for over a decade, stop in and you'll know why. Easily dismissed as a Holiday Inn restaurant, the Commodore Grille is so much more. Great food reasonably priced, wonderful staff with little turnover so you know they are treated well. Great to get to know them whether you are an out of town guest or a regular like me. Tom is hands down my favorite bartender in Nashville, always remembers my drink. And the music...I play here often and it is one of my favorite rooms. Great sound system masterfully handled by the legendary writers night host, Debi Champion. Whether I am going there to play, to listen, or just to hang and have a couple of drinks, this is the place.

I'm a huge fan of Black Bean Burgers...not a vegetarian just love them. This is by far the best one I have ever had!!! Absolutely delicious...so flavorful. A must try even for a meat lover.

What can I say..the Commodore is the first place I came to when I first visited Nashville. The friendly, warm people I met convinced me to drop what I was doing and move here. Literally graduated high school and moved here at 18 after a songwriting camp held at Commodore/Holiday Inn. The food is a little pricey, but it is always DELICIOUS. Last time we all went as a big group and I was playing a show that night. Anyone who ordered a cocktail felt it was very weak, so we all decided to just drink wine or straight liquor. Best place to bring someone to experience good local and acoustic musicians/songwriters. Parking can be validated now which is a pain but there's ample space which I love. Always recommend:)

I've been to the Commodore Grille a bunch of times for writers nights or open mics, but each time I find myself a little disappointed. The quality of the music is usually pretty great but I get distracted and frustrated by the noise coming from the bar at the end of the room. There are TV's on with games playing and people talking which makes listening to the writers a stressed experience. I understand that this is a general bar and dining room for the hotel but the writers night brings in a good amount of business and I think they (the hotel staff) could make more of an effort to build up the music and the musicians who play for free and bring people into the restaurant.

You don't go to the Commodore Grill for the food. You go for the music. The menu is okay and the servers are friendly, but there's never enough of them. But it's your standard bar food, and not a very extensive list, so just be prepared for that. But one of the top places to hear songwriters in Nashville.