The suburban municipality southeast of Memphis with the city's best taco shop, a long-running BBQ commissary and quiet upscale rooms.
Jose Magallanes's family Memphis-area taqueria in Germantown has run tortas, al pastor and braised meats from a strip-mall counter since 2002.
Signature: Tacos al pastor, Tortas
Order: Tacos al pastor with house guacamole; add the cochinita pibil torta if available.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Poplar Avenue East Memphis branch at 6300 Poplar runs the same menu if Germantown is full.
Germantown Commissary on South Germantown Road has slow-smoked Memphis BBQ from a converted general store east of the city since 1981. A long porch out front.
Signature: Pulled pork plate, Smoked chicken
Order: Pulled pork plate with the smoked chicken and slaw.
Tip: Open daily; the porch fills first. Drive from downtown takes 20 minutes via Poplar Avenue.
Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza in Cordova runs Memphis-born fast-casual pizza, blistered in 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven with build-your-own toppings east of Memphis.
Signature: Build-your-own pizza, Wood-fired Margherita
Order: Wood-fired Margherita with house red sauce and fresh basil.
Tip: Counter service; ready in under five minutes. The Collierville branch on Houston Levee runs the same menu.
Ugly Mug Coffee Roasters is a wholesale-leaning specialty roaster founded in Memphis in 2008, now headquartered in Olive Branch and supplying local cafes.
Tip: No retail cafe; buy whole beans online or pick up from cafes like Otherlands and Java Cabana.
Sources from: Honduras, Ethiopia, Colombia
How they serve: Whole bean retail, Subscription
Williams-Sonoma Saddle Creek in Germantown runs free in-store technique sessions on Saturday mornings, alongside paid hands-on Italian, BBQ and baking classes throughout the year.
Tip: Saturday 10:00 in-store sessions are free with no reservation. Paid classes book online.