Cafe Rakka Mediterranean Grill

If you are looking for a healthy place to eat out, Cafe Rakka fits the bill. There are great organic salads and tasty soups. The Rakka salad is huge and has unique toppings like dried cherries, an ancient family dressing and homemade cheese. Their house water has the refreshing flavor of lemon and cucumber and the best part – it’s free. The place is charming down to the fresh flowers on the table. It’s a great place for a carryout also – the presentation is just as carefully prepared.

If you haven’t tried Cafe Rakka off New Shackle Island Road, you are missing an incredible dining experience. Don’t let the small restaurant and location fool you. It’s located where September’s used to be. Lunch and dinner service are truly extraordinary. Inside the place is very cute and cozy, but the food is the main attraction. They don’t pull it out of the freezer and stick in the microwave like the many chain restaurants around here do. They make their food fresh every day. I recommend getting one of their entrees or sandwiches and having a sampler portion of their unbelievable $2.99 appetizers. Their specials are great for dinner including lamb, salmon and seared tuna. For lunch I enjoy their Tandoori chicken pita or falafel sandwich. Save room for dessert – rice pudding, baklava or stuffed dates. Expand your palate you meat-and-three loving Southerners and do your waistline a favor with delicious and healthy Mediterranean cuisine like none other only at Café Rakka.

This little restaurant is the hidden jewel of Nashville and Sumner County. They have the freshest, most delicious food in town. Their appetizers are wonderful – hummus, falafel and tabbouleh – the best anywhere. The grilled Eggplant and Cheese pita is my favorite along with their Rakka Mediterranean Salad. Don’t leave without trying their Rice Pudding with chopped pistachios and their delicious Red Tea – so healing. The chef is a fifth generation cheese and yogurt maker. Everything is made fresh daily including their pita bread. Many of their secret recipes are generations old. His wife Linda is a Hendersonville local. They make a great team. Everything is clean, fresh, and the food presentation is beautiful. It’s great for both vegetarians and meat eaters. You have to check out this Hendersonville hot spot – Cafe Rakka most definitely rocks!!

Wonderful food, prepared fresh and made to order. We discovered this place several months ago and try to eat there once a week. I love the Kabob Halabi anad the Chicken Shish Tawook, but my husband and I have had about everything on the menu and everything is delicious. The owners are very helpful, and even offer some dishes that are not on the menu from time to time – ask!

Waited more than 1 hour and 20 minutes for our food. When we told them we were leaving then they brought the food. We had only five minutes to eat as we had movie tickets. They gave us two cookies to make for our wait. Thirty minutes into waiting they told us what we ordered might take a few extra minutes. The couple next to us got there kids orders and completely fed them and was still waiting for their food. When they threaten to leave they finally brought out their food……1 hour and 45 minutes after placing their order. They also got two free cookies. Can’t say how the food was as I only able to eat a few bites before we had to go.

Want your taste buds to tango? Just about anything on the menu will fill the bill!
You MUST try the hummus bar. The thick creamy hummus is topped with a vast array of offerings. I opted for the roasted garlic and spicey cilantro drizzled liberally with olive oil, served with your choice of white or whole wheat pita.
The romain must be grown in the kitchen to be that fresh and crisp! The Mediterrahian Salad platter was filled to the brim with fresh greens, tomatos, red onion, dried cherries, walnuts, fresh chef made cheese, tossed in a house dressing that leaves the tongue screaming MORE… MORE… .
To finish off this splendiferous meal the server brings out the crowning jewel of the evening…. rice pudding. Don’t be fooled by it’s common name! It is anything but! A creamy, smooth, sweet concoction with a hint of chai spices, covered in ground pistashios. A perfect combo served with the Turkish coffee I’m sure.
This was a five star meal and a great value to boot.
Rakka is to be my new favorite for a long time to come I’m sure.

This is a baby diamond in the rough! Very authentic, right down to the beverages. (no liquor served here)
Build your own hummus plate, combos and much more. Here’s a good tip. Order one app and one entree for 2 people. The portions are HUGE!