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.
Must 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.
Address: 551 S Mendenhall Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
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.
