Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Memphis for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Memphis for grown-ups.
Earnestine and Hazel's on South Main downtown Memphis is the city's defining dive, a former brothel and pharmacy with a jukebox, Soul Burgers and ghost lore.
DrinkSoul Burger and a beer
FoodSoul burgers
TipThe Soul Burger is the bar food order. The upstairs is where the ghosts are said to live.
Bardog Tavern on Monroe Avenue downtown Memphis is a long, dark dive with red-brick walls, sliders and subs, and downtown's earliest weekday breakfast.
DrinkBardog sliders and a beer
FoodItalian sandwiches, sliders
TipLate kitchen until 02:00 most nights. The Tuesday night $5 Soup of the Day is a Memphis classic.
The Cove on Broad Avenue in Memphis is a pirate-themed oyster bar with a Sazerac on the menu, a wood pirate-ship bar and live music on weekends in the back.
DrinkSazerac
FoodOysters and small plates
TipOyster happy hour kicks off at 17:00. The patio fills first on warm nights; the back has live music.
Hu. Roof sits on the 17th floor of the Hu. Hotel on Madison Avenue downtown Memphis with panoramic Mississippi River views and the city's only all-season.
DrinkWhiskey and ginger
FoodBar snacks
TipSunset views west of the Mississippi River are the draw. Reserve a window seat in advance.
Lamplighter Lounge on Madison Avenue in midtown Memphis is the city's defining smoke-stained dive bar, with cheap beer, a pool table and a relentlessly local.
DrinkBeer and a shot
FoodNone
TipCash preferred. No food. The 03:00 close pulls everyone in midtown when other bars shut.
Loflin Yard on West Carolina Avenue in downtown Memphis is a two-acre beer garden with three outdoor bars, fire pits, a creek and house-smoked BBQ on long.
DrinkMojito on draft
FoodHouse-smoked BBQ and small plates
TipThe yard runs live music weekends. Game nights and big groups fill the firepit seats first.
Bar Hustle on South Main inside Arrive Hotel Memphis is an intimate cocktail bar with a wall of vinyl, seasonal drinks like the Riverfront Spritz.
DrinkRiverfront Spritz
FoodRoman-Detroit sourdough pizza and sandwiches from Hustle and Dough
TipHappy hour runs 16:00-18:00 daily. The kitchen pulls Roman-Detroit hybrid pizza from a sourdough that ferments at Hustle and Dough across the lobby.
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs over 100 beers, a deep tap list with 30-plus drafts, deli sandwiches and a live-music back room since 1995.
DrinkWiseacre Tiny Bomb on draft
FoodDeli sandwiches
TipThe patio is the seat in spring. Live music most weekends; check the calendar online.
B.B. King's Blues Club at 143 Beale Street in Memphis is the flagship of the B.B. Located in Downtown. Order the beer and pulled-pork sandwich.
DrinkBeer and pulled-pork sandwich
FoodSouthern menu
TipCover charge after 19:00 most nights. Sit upstairs for an easier view of the bandstand.
Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street in Memphis has run live blues seven nights a week since 1985, with over 200 autographed guitars hanging from the ceiling.
DrinkBeer and ribs
FoodCajun-Southern
TipLive blues from 19:00 nightly. The Beale Street Flippers usually take a stage break at 22:00.
Mr. Handy's Blues Hall on Beale Street in Memphis is the only original juke joint left on the strip, a tiny no-frills room with live blues and Beale's rawest.
DrinkBeer
FoodNone
TipTipping the band keeps the music going. The room holds maybe 40 people. Get there early.
Old Dominick Distillery on South Front Street downtown Memphis runs tours, cocktails and a tasting room from a restored 50,000-square-foot industrial space.
DrinkMemphis Toddy
FoodLight bar plates
TipBook the tour and tasting on the website; walk-ins welcome at the cocktail bar.
Guided tour · 3.5 hours
VIP behind the scenes access to local craft breweries, up to 12 beer samples, a fresh baked snack, and round trip transportation. Led by a Beer Guide who will educate ...
Guided tour · 1 hour
Explore "America's Most Iconic Street" on a one-hour guided walking tour. Learn about the colorful characters and stories that have made Beale Street the "Home of the Blues."
Multi-day trip · 6 days
Picture it, a journey from Nashville to Memphis to New Orleans, recording tracks in iconic studios, walking in Elvis’ footsteps and diving into the food, music and cul...