Young Avenue Deli has anchored the Cooper-Young Memphis corner since 1995 with cold beer, deli sandwiches and the city's deepest tap lists, plus live music.
Signature dishes: Deli Club, Philly cheesesteak
Must order: Deli Club on sourdough with a cold pint of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb.
Tip: Counter service for food, table service for drinks. The patio fills first on game days.
Address: 2119 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Babalu in Overton Square Memphis runs Southern cooking with Latin flair from a Madison Avenue patio, with tableside guacamole, tacos and craft cocktails since 2014.
Signature: Tableside guacamole, Tacos
Order: Tableside guacamole, then the carnitas tacos.
Tip: The patio is the seat in spring; Sunday brunch is the easier seat than weekend dinner.
Mosa Asian Bistro on White Station Road in East Memphis runs a Chinese, Thai, Korean and Vietnamese menu from a strip-mall favoured by chefs on their nights off.
Signature: Beef pho, Spicy Korean noodles
Order: Beef pho and spicy Korean noodles.
Tip: Lunch is the easier seat; the room fills with regulars after 18:00. Closed Mondays.
Sage Restaurant is a soul fusion room on South Main in Memphis from Chef Eli Townsend, with globally influenced Southern comfort food and a downtown rooftop bar.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Catfish
Order: Chicken and waffles; the catfish if it is on the night's menu.
Tip: Wednesday to Sunday dinner; the rooftop opens earlier than the dining room on weekends.
Hen House on South Mendenhall in East Memphis runs country fried chicken, chicken and waffles and Southern comfort dishes from a converted house with a side patio.
Signature: Country fried chicken, Chicken and waffles
Order: Country fried chicken plate with biscuits and gravy.
Tip: Open daily; the small patio fills first on warm days and the wait can be 45 minutes at brunch.
Mahogany Memphis is a Black-owned, women-owned Cajun-Creole room in Chickasaw Oaks Village on Poplar Avenue with crawfish étouffée and blackened catfish.
Signature: Crawfish étouffée, Blackened catfish
Order: Crawfish étouffée and blackened catfish, with a glass of red.
Tip: Reserve on the website for dinner; Sundays book up first for the Cajun brunch.
Memphis Pizza Cafe's Madison Avenue midtown room has run thin-crust by the slice and house specialty pies since 1991, a casual midtown standby with a side patio.
Signature: Pizza by the slice, The Hippie
Order: The Hippie pizza with feta and pesto.
Tip: Open daily for lunch and dinner; the patio is the seat in spring. Multiple locations across Memphis run the same menu.
