Al Rasoul Restaurant & Market in Nashville

On our quest to try a new ethnic restaurant every month, we tried an Iraqi restaurant just a bit down from the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show.  We had seen it a while back when we were shopping at some international grocery stores.

It's definitely a 'hole-in-the-wall' sort of place.  But don't let that scare you away!  Inside is some of the best food I've had from any sort of restaurant.

There's no menu, whatever they felt like cooking that day is what is served cafeteria style.  And the portions are huge.  The day we visited there was 4 types of rice to chose from, 3 soup, about 6 meat entrees (beef, chicken, lamb), 4 or 5 veggies.  The cook is also the server and he's quite happy to answer your questions (and he gives samples too!!).

Himself had lamb shank, two kinds of rice, and salad.

I sampled the lamb and it was very tender.

I had a beef and potato entree, eggplant & tomato dish, THREE kinds of rice (he gave me large 'samples' of the other 2 flavored types), and salad.

My beef was perfect.  Juicy and the flavor went all the way through the meat as it does with a long slow cook.  The eggplant and tomatoes... let's just say I could eat them every single day.  'Nuf said.

We both had the brothy lentil soup... in fact, Himself went back for a second bowl.  I think it had turmeric in it because of the mild heat and beautiful color.  Just delicious.

We'll be back our next trip to Nashville!

Al Rasoul Restaurant

367 Elysian Fields Rd.

Nashville, TN  37211

Getting there:  It is right off Nolensville Road, on the left as you head south.  Go past the Nashville Zoo entrance and just a bit down you'll see a U Haul place on a corner on the left and "Fresh & Fresh Market" (which is great too!) on the right.  That corner is Elysian Fields Rd.