Eat well in Memphis for under €15 a plate: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Memphis for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Payne's chopped pork sandwich with mustard slaw on Lamar Avenue in South Memphis stays under $10, the Memphis cheap-BBQ defining order for over 50 years.
Try: Chopped pork sandwich
Order: Chopped pork sandwich, mustard slaw, fizzy red drink.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday lunch only, 11:00 to 17:30. Cash preferred. The line moves fast.
Arcade Restaurant on South Main downtown Memphis runs the city's oldest diner since 1919 with sweet potato pancakes and the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Try: Sweet potato pancakes
Order: Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich; sit at Elvis's marked booth.
Tip: Counter service from 07:00 to 15:00 daily; cash and card fine.
Tops Bar-B-Q on Summer Avenue is the Memphis BBQ chain since 1952 with chopped pork, onion rings and a complete BBQ plate for under $10 at a drive-thru.
Try: Chopped pork sandwich and onion rings
Order: Chopped pork sandwich, onion rings, sweet tea.
Tip: Drive-thru only at some locations; no dining room. Ten city outposts.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on South Front Street downtown Memphis runs the city's cheap fried chicken plate, three-piece dark with sides under $15.
Try: Three-piece dark meat plate
Order: Three-piece dark meat plate with fried pickles and slaw.
Tip: Lunch line moves fast; dinner can run an hour. No reservations.
Alcenia's in the Pinch District of Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food plates under $15: fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door.
Try: Fried chicken plate
Order: Fried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.
Tip: Counter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.
Maciel's Tortas and Tacos on South Main downtown Memphis runs handmade tortas with telera bread and tacos al pastor under $13 from a quick counter-service room.
Try: Tacos and tortas
Order: Cubana torta and tacos al pastor with aguas frescas.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Midtown branch at 820 Cooper runs the same menu.
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs deli sandwiches under $13, with the Deli Club on sourdough and a cold pint of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb as the regular order.
Try: Deli Club sandwich
Order: Deli Club on sourdough with a cold pint of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb.
Tip: Counter service for food, table for drinks. Patio is the spring seat.
Central BBQ in midtown Memphis runs the city's most reliable pulled pork sandwich under $13, plus BBQ nachos and a half slab combo that splits between two.
Try: Pulled pork sandwich
Order: Pulled pork sandwich with BBQ nachos to share.
Tip: Order online to skip the lunch line at the Midtown branch on Central Avenue or use the app.
Soul Fish Cafe in Cooper-Young Memphis on South Cooper runs catfish baskets, hush puppies and Mississippi-style po'boys under $15, the city's cheap-catfish standby.
Try: Catfish plate
Order: Catfish basket with hush puppies and turnip greens.
Tip: Counter service. The shrimp po'boy is the dark-horse order. Patio in spring is the seat.
The Four Way on Mississippi Boulevard in South Memphis runs a soul food lunch plate around $15 with two sides, the Black-owned Memphis room that fed MLK in 1946.
Try: Soul food lunch plate
Order: Smothered turkey wings, collards, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie.
Tip: Lunch only Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00 to 17:00. Cash and card both fine; sit at a counter.
Earnestine and Hazel's Soul Burger on South Main downtown Memphis is the city's $8 late-night bar burger, griddled with onions, pickles and Soul Sauce.
Try: Soul Burger
Order: Soul Burger with a cold beer; sit at the bar.
Tip: Cash works fastest. The kitchen runs late, food until 02:00.
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.