Where to brunch in Memphis: morning rooms worth the queue.
Where to brunch in Memphis. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Sunrise Memphis on Jefferson Avenue downtown is a quick-serve diner running Southern breakfast and a full bar daily 07:00 to 14:00. The local Memphis brunch standby.
Order: Breakfast Po' Boy with side of grits.
Tip: Lines from 09:00 on weekends. The breakfast Po' Boy is the regular order.
Brother Juniper's near the University of Memphis on Walker Avenue runs a tiny breakfast house with omelettes, biscuits and 30-year regulars queuing at the door.
Order: Omelette with side biscuit and gravy.
Tip: Tuesday to Sunday, closes 13:00 weekdays. Get there by 08:30.
Magnolia and May on Mount Moriah in East Memphis runs the city's Thursday-to-Sunday brunch since 2020 with fried chicken, French toast and bottomless mimosas.
Order: Fried chicken and French toast with mimosa.
Tip: The Williamsburg Village patio is the Sunday seat. Brunch After Dark on Saturdays.
Arcade Restaurant on South Main downtown Memphis is the city's oldest diner since 1919, with sweet potato pancakes, fried PB and banana sandwiches and Elvis's booth.
Order: Sweet potato pancakes with bacon.
Tip: No reservations. Sit at Elvis's marked booth for the photo; weekday mornings are quietest.
The Beauty Shop in Cooper-Young Memphis runs Saturday and Sunday brunch in a 1940s salon space where Priscilla Presley once had her hair done, with global plates.
Order: Watermelon wings with feta and waffles.
Tip: Reserve weekends on OpenTable. The dryer-hood seats are the photo seat.
Hog and Hominy on Brookhaven Circle in East Memphis runs Sunday brunch with bacon-fat doughnuts, biscuits with ricotta and wood-fired plates from a covered patio.
Order: Bacon-fat doughnuts and biscuit with ricotta.
Tip: Reserve on Resy for the patio. Brunch runs Sundays only; arrive at 11:00 for the easier seat.
Char Restaurant in East Memphis on Highland Street runs Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30 with crab cake Benedict, prime cuts and a piano in the corner.
Order: Crab cake Benedict with grits.
Tip: The piano starts at 11:00 on weekends. Reserve via OpenTable.
Belle Meade Social on Perkins Extended in East Memphis runs Sunday brunch with modern American plates, steak and eggs and craft cocktails at Williamsburg Village.
Order: Steak and eggs with biscuits and gravy.
Tip: Patio seats face the village green. Walk-ins fine on Sunday brunch.
Trolley Stop Market on Madison Avenue downtown Memphis runs farm-to-table brunch with house-baked biscuits, breakfast sandwiches and a small grocery wall.
Order: Pesto eggs with house-baked biscuits.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The patio faces the trolley line.
Peak food season in Memphis is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Memphis rewards trust.