Cafe Rakka on New Shackle Island Road in Hendersonville has been bringing authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking to suburban Nashville since it opened, serving house-made hummus, falafel, shawarma, and the scratch-made Lebanese and Mediterranean dishes that are genuinely difficult to find in Nashville’s surrounding communities. It appeared in Season 10, Episode 6 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Sauced and Spiced,” which aired October 4, 2010. Guy Fieri found a Mediterranean kitchen doing everything from scratch — grinding the falafel mix fresh, making hummus to order, building shawarma from whole cuts — in a community that had never had access to this kind of food before Cafe Rakka opened.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Cafe Rakka
City: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Cuisine: Mediterranean / Middle Eastern
DDD Season: 10
DDD Episode: 6
Episode Title: Sauced and Spiced
Original Air Date: October 4, 2010
Address: 71A New Shackle Island Rd., Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone: 615-824-6264
Website: https://www.caferakka.com
Status: Open
What to Eat
The Hummus, made fresh to order with tahini, lemon, and garlic, is the starting point — smoother and fresher than anything from a container, and worth ordering before anything else arrives. The Falafel, ground fresh and fried to order with a crispy exterior and herb-flecked interior, are the other appetizer most regulars lead with. The Chicken Shawarma, marinated and slow-roasted on the vertical spit, is the sandwich or plate that defines what the kitchen does best. The Lamb Gyro with tzatziki, tomato, and onion on warm pita is the other protein centerpiece worth ordering. The Baklava and Knafeh are the Middle Eastern desserts that close a proper meal here. Find a Nashville area hotel on Booking.com.
Plan Your Visit
Check the website for current hours.
Address: 71A New Shackle Island Rd., Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone: 615-824-6264
Website: https://www.caferakka.com
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Stream the Sauced and Spiced episode on Amazon.
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Cafe Rakka appeared in Season 10, Episode 6 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Sauced and Spiced,” originally aired October 4, 2010.