Memphis street food is rooted in barbecue, hot tamales and walk-up counters rather than a formal vendor scene. Downtown, Maciel's Tortas and Tacos plates Mexican street fare, while the city's hot tamale tradition runs through South Memphis. Hand-held barbecue defines much of the rest, from the Central BBQ nachos in Midtown to the Cozy Corner Cornish hen in the Pinch District and Payne's chopped pork in South Memphis.
Street Food restaurants in Memphis
10 street food places in Memphis we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Memphis · Street Food across every city.
-
Maciel's Tortas and Tacos
- ★ 4.4
- $
- Downtown
Try Tacos and tortas
Maciel's Tortas and Tacos on South Main downtown Memphis runs handmade tortas with telera bread, tacos al pastor and house aguas frescas.
-
Las Tortugas Poplar
- ★ 4.4
- $
- East Memphis
Try Tortas and tacos al pastor
Las Tortugas Poplar in East Memphis runs Jose Magallanes's Germantown taqueria menu from a Poplar Avenue branch, with tortas and tacos al pastor at counter.
-
Central BBQ BBQ Nachos
- ★ 4.3
- $
- Midtown
Try BBQ nachos
Central BBQ in midtown Memphis runs the city's standard BBQ nachos: tortilla chips with pulled pork, sauce, sour cream and jalapeños.
-
The Rendezvous cheese and sausage plate
- ★ 4.2
- $
- Downtown
Try Cheese and sausage plate
The Rendezvous downtown Memphis serves a cheese and sausage starter that locals order before the dry-rub ribs.
-
Memphis hot tamales
- ★ 4.4
- $
- South Memphis
Try Hot tamales
Memphis hot tamales are a Delta street-food tradition: cornmeal-wrapped beef tied with twine, simmered in spicy broth.
-
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken walkup
- ★ 4.4
- $
- Downtown
Try Spicy fried chicken plate
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on South Front Street is the city's defining counter-service fried chicken, a Mason-born spice-crusted bird on butcher paper.
-
Earnestine and Hazel's Soul Burger
- ★ 4.5
- $
- South Main
Try Soul Burger
The Soul Burger at Earnestine and Hazel's on South Main is a griddled patty with caramelised onions, pickles and the bar's mysterious Soul Sauce on a soft.
-
Payne's Bar-B-Que chopped pork
- ★ 4.7
- $
- South Memphis
Try Chopped pork sandwich
Payne's chopped pork sandwich on Lamar Avenue South Memphis is wrapped in mustard slaw and a white-bread bun, the city's defining cheap BBQ sandwich.
-
Cozy Corner Cornish hen
- ★ 4.7
- $
- The Pinch District
Try Smoked Cornish hen
The smoked Cornish hen at Cozy Corner on North Parkway Memphis is the city's most singular BBQ plate, hickory-smoked whole and mahogany-skinned in sauce.
-
Bar-B-Q Shop BBQ spaghetti
- ★ 4.5
- $
- Midtown
Try BBQ spaghetti
The Bar-B-Q Shop on Madison Avenue in Memphis invented BBQ spaghetti: pulled pork and BBQ sauce tossed over noodles.