Frothy Monkey in Franklin, More than Coffee

The Frothy Monkey recently opened its second location in Franklin, Tennessee, giving the barristas in town a new standard to live up to.

The atmosphere is just right for me. I’m a vintage meets modern kind of person. I love to sit in an old house drinking cappuccino and enjoying the benefits of a modern espresso machine and technology. Of all the places I’ve lived, I was most comforted by the feel of Long Beach.  It had funky coffee houses because it has the architecture already in place. When I moved to  Franklin,  I longed for my old neighborhood coffee house with exposed brick walls and lots of character,  not decor designed in a board room.

I finally got my wish, but with a bonus. The Frothy Monkey has come to Franklin, Tennessee. The folks over on 12 Avenue South in Nashville,  have long enjoyed the great coffee and food, and now we are so happy to see them in our neighborhood.  Of course the coffee has to be great and it is. It’s not just looks and fancy artwork in the cup.  The Frothy Monkey may be more than coffee, but for me it begins with the coffee and they get it right.  They have a Rancilio  espresso machine, which has set the standard for many years. We know, because we have a home version, the Rancilio Silvia and we would have nothing else.

The Frothy Monkey is not just a coffee house. They serve food all day and the dinners are quite impressive, much more than I expected. The house is divided into several rooms, expanding two floors. Like all coffee houses, you stand in line to place your order, pick up your coffee and get a number for your table in which food will be delivered. The tables in the immediate entrance area are crowded together and in my many visits, fairly full. However, there is another room in the back, and a large upstairs that is very bright, sunny, and open and the preferred area for geeky bloggers.

Great breakfasts. While you can architect your own omelette with a meat, a cheese and two veggies for $8,  I’ve loved the fried eggs a few different ways.  The Californian hits the spot with avocado, sprouts, toast and fried eggs perfectly runny.  The bagel sandwich is a great value at $5, but the wholegrain pancakes and buckwheat waffles come with two sides, each for $8, which is beyond reasonable, and everything is made to order.

The Lunch. Served all day include an assortment of sandwiches and salads. Good ingredients and you won’t go away hungry. Standouts are the Larry, roast beef, provolone, lettuce, tomato, dill dijon sauce, warm on toasted sourdough for $8. You can customize your salad with ingredients such as quinoa, tofu or my favorite, their chicken salad.  

Dinner is the big surprise. Have a glass of wine or bring your own bottle. The dinners are hearty, Southern, modern and delicious.

The pork dish is so tasty and more than generous. Half of this dish went home for lunch the next day. This is one of the most soulful dishes I’ve had in a long time. There isn’t a single bite in this dish that isn’t fantastically flavorful.

The Shrimp and grits are delicious, but be warned, these are not corn grits. Barley grits give this dish a whole new identity and we loved it.

The good news is you can have lunch for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, and lunch anytime. Dinner starts at 5:00, and you can enjoy it with a glass of wine. But, if you only want a snack, they serve house made muffins, croissants, cookies and more all day long.

The upstairs which also has an outdoor patio,  has a party room, as the Frothy Monkey rents out space for corporate functions or party celebrations, and they are set up for live music.

But what’s a place without friendly servers? I watch reruns of Fraser remember how he would give his order to a server in the coffee house? Well, they don’t exactly do that. Ordering is at the front desk. However, if you’re upstairs and don’t want to leave your computer to go place an order when you decide to eat, they will run the iPad upstairs,  take your order and then deliver the food. In fact, I’ve been to the Frothy Monkey multiple times and the staff seems to want to go out of the way for its customers.

Located right off Main Street in Downtown Franklin, it’s a charmed location and a place to call home anytime of day. The menu is gluten free and vegan friendly and has a menu for the little monkeys too.

Good Coffee. Good Food. Good People. Good Atmosphere. Oh and in the winter, there’s Hot Chocolate.

Note: There is a Franklin Frothy Monkey craft beer dinner planned for March 21, as Frothy Monkey has teamed up with Cool Spring Brewery for Nashville Craft Beer Week. Details here.