Tasting menus, Michelin stars and the chefs redefining Memphis.
Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Memphis.
Chez Philippe is the modern American fine-dining room inside the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, with white tablecloths, formality and weekend afternoon tea.
Order: Afternoon tea at 13:00; the prix fixe at dinner.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday for dinner; afternoon tea Wednesday to Sunday. Reserve on OpenTable two weeks out.
Erling Jensen's eponymous East Memphis fine-dining room runs Danish-trained, French-leaning tasting plates from a Yates Road bungalow. Open in Memphis since 1996.
Order: Rack of lamb with the daily seasonal tasting starter.
Tip: Reserve on Tock; the bar takes walk-ins. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen in East Memphis runs Italian rooted in Southern ingredients from Brookhaven Circle since 2008.
Order: Maw Maw's potato gnocchi with red sugo.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on Resy two weeks out.
Catherine and Mary's is Ticer and Hudman's downtown Memphis room pairing Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother cooking with Southern produce in the Chisca on Main.
Order: Whatever pasta they are rolling that night plus the wood-roasted whole fish.
Tip: Walk-in seats at the bar most weeknights; the dining room books on Resy two weeks out.
Folk's Folly is Memphis's original prime steakhouse on South Mendenhall since 1977, with USDA prime cuts, white tablecloths and a piano bar in the back.
Order: Filet mignon with the prime ribeye to share at the table.
Tip: The piano bar is the relaxed seat; the main dining room is jacket-friendly. Open seven nights for dinner.
The Capital Grille's East Memphis Poplar Avenue dining room dry-ages prime steaks 18 to 24 days and hand-cuts them. A reliable Memphis steakhouse choice.
Order: Bone-in dry-aged ribeye with the lobster mac.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins and runs a full menu.
Acre Restaurant in East Memphis on Perkins runs seasonal New American cooking from chefs Wally Joe and Andrew Adams, plus one of the city's best wine lists.
Order: Whatever the seasonal tasting menu is featuring; the wine pairing is worth it.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The patio under string lights is the best seat in spring.
Dory is Dave and Amanda Krog's intimate Brookhaven Circle Memphis room, formerly tasting-only, now running a la carte New American with weekly chef's-counter seats.
Order: Whatever the chef sends as the catch of the day.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner only; reservations on the site fill weeks ahead for Saturdays.
Chef Kelly English's Restaurant Iris in East Memphis moved to Laurelwood on Poplar Avenue in 2022 with a tighter menu of New Orleans Creole on Mississippi seafood.
Order: Crawfish and grits; the four-course tasting menu at dinner.
Tip: Lunch service since the 2022 move; the four-course tasting at dinner is the steady bet.
Curfew is Fabio Viviani's Union Avenue Memphis restaurant inside Canopy Downtown, with wood-fired steaks, house pastas and one of downtown's later kitchens.
Order: Wood-fired bone-in ribeye with whatever pasta is on the daily list.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on OpenTable.
Char Restaurant in East Memphis on Highland Street runs USDA prime steaks, fresh Gulf seafood and crab cakes in a modern Southern steakhouse with nightly piano.
Order: Prime filet with the crab cake starter.
Tip: Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30; the piano bar runs on most weeknight evenings.
Coastal Fish Company sits on Hyde Lake in Shelby Farms Park in Memphis with day-boat oysters, grilled snapper and a long sunset patio over the water. Opened 2019.
Order: Half-dozen oysters and the whole grilled snapper.
Tip: Sunset tables face the lake; reserve a week out on OpenTable for Saturday dinner.
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.