I will open this piece with this: pulled pork mixed with pimento cheese and bacon rolled together, then breaded, flash-fried and served with pepper jelly.
That is the Puckett’s BBQ pimento cheese bite. Wonderful.
Since the Middle Tennessee-based chain Puckett’s Grocery took over its Church Street restaurant space in 2016, it has been a draw to downtown Murfreesboro as it quickly became a popular spot for smoked barbecue, breakfast, Southern-inspired lunch and dinners, music, drinks and weekend brunch, as well as for ice cream at the affiliated Hattie Jane’s Creamery onsite.
The smell of smoked meats invites guests into the Puckett’s Grocery dining room; the restaurant features a lineup of cherry wood-smoked meats—pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, wings and even smoked meatloaf—along with steaks, fried chicken, salmon, burgers and other sandwiches.
Puckett’s Pulled Pork
The Piggy Mac makes a filling meal in a skillet, featuring pulled pork topped with white cheddar mac and cheese and biscuit crumbs.
The restaurant opens at 7 a.m. daily and serves all of the breakfast standards, along with some custom breakfast skillets such as the Southern Stack, which includes two sweet potato pancakes layered with pulled pork, fried apples and a sunny-side-up egg on a bed of home fries.
During the midday hours, those who work near and visit the Murfreesboro Public Square can stop in for a salad, sandwich or meat and veggie plate for lunch.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Many evenings, the Puckett’s stage will host live music, generally of the country variety. The establishment offers a full bar with lots of beer varieties, and other food options include shrimp and grits, and the Redneck Burrito, stuffed with pulled pork, baked beans and slaw. Many platters come with a flavorful corn cake, containing just a hint of spicy pepper.
One area diner described Puckett’s as “the hipster’s Cracker Barrel.”
Some still prefer Murfreesboro’s legendary City Cafe right around the corner for the meat-and-3 type plates for lunch, although the Puckett’s menu offers much more and City Cafe closes at 2 p.m., so for food after that time, drinks from the bar or the aforementioned BBQ pimento cheese bites or fried pickles, fried green tomatoes or fried green beans, head to Puckett’s.
Blackberry Bramble
One recent Puckett’s patron said the food was just as good, if not better, than the consistently reliable Southern fare at Cracker Barrel—the Puckett’s green beans, seasoned with both bacon and pork barbecue are spot on, and the mashed sweet potatoes are great for those who don’t want to do the work of undressing and smashing up a baked sweet potato—though the prices are a bit higher than Cracker Barrel.
The Puckett’s team put a lot of work into the building at 114. N. Church St., the home to Bluesboro, 3 Brothers, Social, Big Bang and Blue Rooster in years past, and the walls now feature an assortment of vintage signs and items.
Breakfast Skillet ~ photo by Lauren Alexis
Caite Kendrick recommend Puckett’s after a recent visit, saying it has a “delicious brunch and a great atmosphere.”
The breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays has gained many local fans.
Another recent diner reported that she really enjoyed her BLT with fried green tomato, along with a side of sweet potato fries, but next time she would go with the option to add pimento cheese to the BLT.
Chicken Fried Chicken with green beans and sweet potatoes
While most customers seem to find the food delicious, quite a few will say they found a dish, particularly some of the side dishes, to be bland or dry. Some say that the saltiness or freshness of a particular menu item can vary from day to day, while others just prefer a little more flavor or spice to their food.
Still, Puckett’s holds its own in the mix of meat-and-3 establishments in Murfreesboro, and with the assortment of other offerings—fried appetizers, the weekend breakfast buffet, the beer and mixed drinks, live entertainment and the ice cream shop next door, virtually anyone can find something to suit their taste at Puckett’s Grocery.
The Dish
Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant
114. N. Church St.
Mon.–Thurs.: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri.–Sat. 7 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun. 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
629-201-6916
BBQ platter (pork, chicken or brisket): $14.99; Hot chicken sandwich with fries: $10.99; Piggy mac: $14.59; Chicken fried chicken: $14.29; Shrimp and grits: $24.99; Meat and 3: $10.99; Brisket taco salad: $12.99; Breakfast burrito: $9.29
puckettsgro.com
