The Alley on Main

After a long morning of travel, my husband and I wanted to stop somewhere for a real meal. Found this place online and decided to go for lunch- and boy were we amazed! Quick service, pleasant atmosphere, good prices, and awesome food. Though their lunch menu is simple, it’s perfect for a quick bite. My husband got the hot chicken sandwich (pictured) and was so impressed. We’re definitely coming back! 10/10!

Another great recommendation to me! We got here just before dinner rush and was able to get a table right away. The food was delicious, great service (Thanks Jacob!), and even met the owner who was bussing tables and doing whatever the staff needed help with! Highly recommend this restaurant and when we come back to Murfreesboro we will return!

Went here on a Saturday night with three other people. This is a small restaurant so small that at the time we were there which was about 5:00. They were already on a way. If you're looking for something quiet, this is not a place to go due to the volume. But it tells you something about this restaurant. The food quality, the server staff and the customer service was superb. I ordered the ribeye steak and I always get it with no seasoning or no steak butter just to tell whether they have great steaks or steak just covered up because it's poor with some seasoning. I can tell you that this is one of the better cuts that have had. I had a side dish of broccoli that was bigger than most babies heads and it was bland and needed a little bit of salt but I understand that because it was steamed tender it falls apart like a good rack of ribs. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant. But be prepared to wait and it'll be worth it

I can't say enough good things about this restaurant, its owners, its staff or its food. This past Monday I arrived early to meet my son for lunch. It was 10 minutes before they opened and I had found a parking place right in front of the restaurant. It was still cold outside, in the mid-thirties. A lady and her daughter walked over to the door, realized it was still locked 5 minutes before opening. One of the staff saw the two outside, immediately invited them to come inside out of the cold advising that they would start service in another 5 minutes. That was exactly the way to endear a customer to a business. And this day, the blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream also had that endearing effect.

The food was Amazing and the drinks were sooooo good! Great location too!

Just off the square in Murfreesboro, I finally ate here and was pleasantly surprised to see how good the food is and it’s reputation of excellence is well deserved

We had a good experience there, waiting time was about 30 min and we decided to wait because of the good reviews on the place, also sometimes "waiting" means the food is worth the wait, so we did. In general food was good, flavor was awesome and the ambience was accordingly. Place was packed, family oriented, so if you are there for hanging out this might not be the place, at least not at dinner time ☺because is people waiting for you to emptied the table. Also the staff there keep an eye on you for whatever you need, not just your waiter but everyone else, I thought that was pretty cool, they help each other. If you are near Murfreesboro or passing through Nashville, go there is worth the wait.

We came to family dinner on a Thursday night. We had Mel as our server she was training Jake. Overall they were wonderful , very friendly and helpful when it came to meal suggestions. I order the salmon (blacked). My dad order the pork chops (blacked) the grill cook Jeremy cooked the best salmon I have ever tasted in my life it’s was perfectly cooked and seasoned. 1000/10 recommended the service of the entire restaurant.

Food was delicious. Yes it took awhile but it was worth the wait. The drinks here are also good.

We love Alley on Main!! Hometown, welcoming feeling with a beautiful bar area. Food is fantastic. I had red snapper at my last visit and it did not disappoint. And don’t for get the Birthday Cake for dessert!!

Shawn and his crew catered for my wedding and were absolutely amazing to work with throughout the whole planning process. The crew did make a minor mistake on my big day, but it was how they responded to that mistake that drove me to want to leave a 5-star review. Vendors like The Alley Catering stand out due to their love for their clients. Shawn went above and beyond to make up for his minor mistake (even though the mistake was not noticed until after the wedding) by funding us money back and also throwing a phenomenal gathering for some friends, and my husband and I. They truly care about their clients, and provide only the best tasting food I have ever had! I am blown away by Shawn and the rest of The Alley on Main staff. I highly recommend them for any gathering or catering needs you may have.

If you want scratch-made food in Murfreesboro this is the place to go. Servers are engaging, the ribeye and brussels sprouts are excellent, and the prices are fair. Also, if the PEI mussels are on the menu, order them!

February 2024: Sometimes restaurants make life difficult, especially when they post pictures of dishes I’ve never had or heard of. The Alley on Main is guilty, and I was there early to be sure I was able to try the new offerings.

Sat at the bar and Kailee got me set up with a water and an Einstok Icelandic White Ale…this is an exceptional beer and goes well with most any dish. I went for the new appetizer…Crab Coquille - Lump Crab. If you are a fan of crab cakes, this will BLOW YOU AWAY!!! This dish is loaded with tender crab meat, a creamy bechamel sauce, and topped with Panko bread crumbs. Just take your fork and dig in…you don’t need anything else.

The Shrimp Bucco Pasta arrived and the initial smell was incredible. The components of this dish…perfectly al dente pasta, sweet red bell peppers, small asparagus sprouts, and a light wine/butter/lemon sauce merged a lot of different flavors together but adding the breaded shrimp was the crown jewel to this dish. The seasoning/coating on the shrimp really pulled together the combination of pasta, sauce, and shrimp causing one of those “OMG” moments on my palate. This pasta dish would rank in the top three pasta dishes I have enjoyed…ever. They say it took them awhile to get these dishes ready for the menu, all I can say is “well done Chef”! The service here is always exceptional and Kailee took marvelous care of me.

Bottom line…this is the BEST meal I have enjoyed here at The Alley!!!

Updated to 5-Stars

August 1, 2018: I am a huge fan of raw oysters…LOVE EM!!! Now don’t for a minute believe that all oysters are the same…au contraire!!! While Gulf oysters are good there is a plethora of oysters out there to tempt and challenge your palate. One of my favorite restaurants…The Alley on Main has been touting some oyster offerings lately and I couldn’t resist. Sampled a half-dozen Rainier oysters and they were delicious. These are the type of oyster that go extremely well with a cocktail sauce heavy on the horseradish (here you add your own). To get the full flavor of these oysters putting a dollop of sauce on the oyster in the shell and slurping it all up… liquor and all…YUM!!! Honestly…a half-dozen wasn’t enough but these aren’t cheap…LOL

The many times I have dined at this place I have never tried the pasta, so I rectified that today. Went with the “The Meatball” which is a HUGE meatball that is a mixture of beef, pork, garlic, and cheese. The sauce has a solid tomato “bite” but still smooth and slightly sweet, with some chunks of tomatoes throughout the dish. What really impressed me was the pasta…perfectly “al dente” and no puddle of pasta water in the bottom of the dish. For a restaurant that touts their steaks and grill items, the pasta is a hidden gem in their menu.

January 2017: Arrived at 8pm for a late night dinner and they were still pretty busy. Had a very nice dinner here and was very impressed with the food and service. You can enjoy quality food and drink in a casual atmosphere here. When the weather is warmer they have outside seating along with music. The place can get a bit loud based on the configuration of the restaurant and can be difficult to hear at times. Enjoyed an appetizer of Shrimp Cocktail – six very large shrimp with a good cocktail sauce with a nice horseradish kick. For dinner we ordered two T-Bone and one Bone-In Ribeye steaks. They were cooked to order and were very flavorful. The sides ordered were Cabernet Mushrooms, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli. Have to say all of the sides, ESPECIALLY the Broccoli was sharing size. You could have served four-people on one Broccoli side…LOL They had some good cocktail choices and the beer options were varied.

I will come back…they have a varied menu and want to try some of their other offerings.

Decided to try this place on a whim and drove over 100 miles to get there. The atmosphere is completely down home and we felt comfortable and welcome from the moment we walked through the door. The place was full and we got the last open table, but service was great and very knowledgeable of the menu. We both had the ribeye, one with fries and mine with brussel sprouts. The steak was cooked medium, and perfect, and the brussel sprouts were awesome! We tried the blackberry cobbler and carrot cake for dessert. Both were great! I'll definitely come back when I'm down this way again and I highly recommend you try it was well!

I had a seafood, chicken, and sausage gumbo with a unique grilled cheese made of cheaper cheese, mozzarella, and cream cheese. I also had a side salad with their creamy vinaigrette. It was all good. Kitchen was quick and they were busy. If I lived in Murfreesboro TN I would visit often.

A clean laid back place with all fresh ingredients, 100% made from scratch, and with a solid bourbon selection whats not to like. We are potentially using them for our wedding that's why we stopped in to try their regular menu. They have a wide selection on the menu and this place isn't over the top and it's decently priced. Staff was kind and service was on point. We had lunch there so idk what dinner looks like but im sure service is the same. Check this place out you won't be upset. Thans for yhe great lunch.

I was in town for a job and stopped by here to have lunch/dinner before my event. It had good ratings so I gave it a shot. This was a good decision.

My server Hailey was so nice and suggested the meatball pasta dish, which was delicious.

But the brussel sprouts were top 3 I’ve had in a restaurant. They were so tasty!

They had a rich and flavorful stout which is always my go to on draft.

I hope to come here again when I’m in town. I would highly recommend!

It is obvious that this restaurant takes great pride in family heritage for their love of cooking. The decor shows this love, as does their family's story, included on the menu and website. They inform new customers that their recipes are made fresh on site.

And this restaurant is popular. We chose an early Saturday afternoon after the busy lunch hour had passed. Were we lucky! The crowds were light, but by the time we were done, there was a waiting list.

All facilities are very clean, and it is a family-friendly place! Little ones are most welcomed!

We ordered chicken - one fried and one blackened! Oh my! Both were great! If you like crispy Brussels, these are really nice and light! Gravy and garlic mashed potatoes are good, too! The side salad is so fresh and is served in a chilled bowl. The homemade dressings are great, especially the Creamy Italian!

The house wine was amazing! And the bourbon salted caramel homemade ice cream  was nice, too! The price for all this was really quite reasonable!

We will be back, next time visiting Murfreesboro!

Simply incredible food and the service is top notch too! It’s a must try!

First time and very impressed. Clean restaurant, great customer service, and everyone in our group was very happy with the food. Food arrived quickly with everything hot and fresh. We will definitely be back.