Cheesecake Factory In Green Hills: A Review

We’ve been to the Cheesecake Factory in Atlanta (Buckhead) a few times. And it’s left a lasting impression each time.

So we were thrilled to see a Cheesecake Factory open up here in Nashville (Green Hills, to be exact, in the Green Hills Mall).

The Mall at Green Hills
2133 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 463-2400We went for the first time last weekend.

Here’s our review (…and a tip that will get you faster service!).

Cheesecake Factory In Nashville

First and foremost, it looks big on the outside, but it’s relatively small on the inside.

In fact, when I phoned them for an accurate seating capacity, they couldn’t tell me for sure. But the girl who answered the phone said “maximum occupancy” is 600! When I said there was no way 600 people could eat in that restaurant, she said that’s not seated at tables… that includes all the standing areas to accommodate people waiting inside or at the bar.

The good thing (for them) is it’s decorated in such a way on the inside that you can’t really tell how small it is. In fact, it’s decorated with fake Disney-esque fixtures and wall decor that looks so real, but you just know it’s not.

Oddball architecture–curving surfaces and colorful light fixtures–and thick-as-a-book menus distinguish this restaurant from other eateries. The encyclopedic menu spans the globe with enormous American interpretations of dishes like pad thai, shrimp tacos, miso salmon, pasta Milanese and a slate of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and desserts too extensive to list. — CitySearch

Then again, maybe it only seems small to me, because the one in Atlanta is 2 stories, and this one isn’t.

 

How Long Is The Wait?

At the Cheesecake Factory, they do not take reservations.

There’s almost always a wait list. And a long one, too.

The fact of the matter is… you can bet you’re going to have to wait an hour or more no matter what time of the day you go.

When I asked them at the Cheesecake Factory about their typical wait times, I was told Thursday through Sunday, you can expect to wait 2-1/2 hours! (We went on a Friday night at 7pm, and we can attest to this.)

As for lunchtime, you can expect to wait about 1 hour, regardless of the day.

Must be good food, huh????

 

A Review Of The Food

Yep, the food is pretty darned good.

We ordered very light on this night. We opted for salads and (of course) cheesecake for dessert.

Mine was the BLT salad — an unusual “slice” of lettuce (about 1/4th of an entire head of lettuce sliced right down the side) topped with bacon bits, cheese, and yummy creamy ranch dressing all over it. It was much bigger and better than it sounds.

Jim’s was the Cobb salad — your basic salad with eggs, cheese, carrots, etc. What made it unique: the lettuce had been sent through the shredder and was chopped into tiny, fine pieces. (I don’t particularly care for lettuce that way in salads.) Same with the eggs… and the other toppings, too. In fact, everything was so well mixed and minutely shredded together that you could barely tell what you were eating. Every bite was just the same as the last. Jim liked it… didn’t love it, but liked it. I’m not sure I would’ve cared for it.

Check out the menu at the Cheesecake Factory.

 

The Country’s Finest Cheesecake

The Cheesecake Factory has, without a doubt, the best cheesecake in the world!

I got Oreo. Jim got Caramel Pecan Turtle. A friend that was with us got Strawberry, and our other friend got Lemon Raspberry Cream.

First, the serving size… HUMONGOUS! Each piece of cheesecake would suffice as an entire meal at the Cheesecake Factory! It’s just so rich… and creamy… absolutely to die for.

Oh, and to top it all off, they add one huge, heaping pile of fresh whipped cream on top of the cheesecake itself, and another huge, heaping pile of fresh whipped cream next to the slice of cheesecake on your place. The whipped cream is also to die for!

 

How To Get Faster Service

This is what we did… and it worked!

We arrived at 7pm on a Friday. There were 4 in our party. We were told the wait was about 2 hours. So we put our name on the list.

The catch: You don’t get a beeper at that point. Nope. They tell you that you have to come back in 45 minutes to pick up your beeper. (This keeps people from putting their name on the list & leaving.)

Instead, we went to the movies right next door (which started at 7pm). After the movie, we went right back to the Cheesecake Factory and said we were on the list, but forgot to come back to get our beeper.

They were able to verify this, so they moved us up the list, but not first priority. We waited about 15 or 20 minutes before we were seated. We know for a fact that we got seated before people who already had their beepers in hand before we had arrived.

So that’s my little tip for ya… 2-1/2 hours is just too long to stand around twiddling your thumbs!!! Make the most of it by taking in a movie, then see if you can get the beeper girl to be your friend and move you up the list like we did.

 

 

More About The Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory Timeline: An Interesting History

More About The Only Cheesecake Factory In Tennessee

The Cheesecake Factory Delivers Volume And Nashville Is Eating It Up

Order Cheesecake From The Cheesecake Factory Online

 

We went back again! Check out our review of the Cheesecake Factory the second time around. Plus, our search for tasty cheesecake in local grocery stores.