Cocktail barDive bar$$$downtownMon-Fri 07:30-03:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-03:00
Bardog Tavern on Monroe Avenue downtown Memphis is a long, dark dive with red-brick walls, sliders and subs, and downtown's earliest weekday breakfast.
Signature drink: Bardog sliders and a beer
Food: Italian sandwiches, sliders
Tip: Late kitchen until 02:00 most nights. The Tuesday night $5 Soup of the Day is a Memphis classic.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$broad-avenueTue-Sun 17:00-late
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.
Signature drink: Sazerac
Food: Oysters and small plates
Tip: Oyster happy hour kicks off at 17:00. The patio fills first on warm nights; the back has live music.
Cocktail barRooftop cocktail bar$$$downtownMon-Thu 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-24:00
Hu. Roof sits on the 17th floor of the Hu. Hotel on Madison Avenue downtown Memphis with panoramic Mississippi River views and the city's only all-season.
Signature drink: Whiskey and ginger
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Sunset views west of the Mississippi River are the draw. Reserve a window seat in advance.
Cocktail barDive bar$$$midtownDaily 18:00-03:00
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.
Signature drink: Beer and a shot
Food: None
Tip: Cash preferred. No food. The 03:00 close pulls everyone in midtown when other bars shut.
Cocktail barBeer garden$$$south-mainWed-Sun, lunch and dinner
Loflin Yard on West Carolina Avenue in downtown Memphis is a two-acre beer garden with three outdoor bars, fire pits, a creek and house-smoked BBQ on long.
Signature drink: Mojito on draft
Food: House-smoked BBQ and small plates
Tip: The yard runs live music weekends. Game nights and big groups fill the firepit seats first.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$south-mainSun-Thu 16:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 16:00-23:00
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.
Signature drink: Riverfront Spritz
Food: Roman-Detroit sourdough pizza and sandwiches from Hustle and Dough
Tip: Happy 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.