Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Memphis.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Memphis, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
B.B. King's Blues Club at 143 Beale Street in Memphis is the flagship of the B.B. King chain, with the Beale Street Allstars in residence and live blues seven nights a week.
Tip: Cover charge after 19:00 most nights. Sit upstairs for an easier view of the bandstand.
Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street in Memphis runs live blues seven nights since 1985, with over 200 autographed guitars hanging from the ceiling and Cajun-Southern food.
Tip: Live blues from 19:00 nightly. The Beale Street Flippers usually take a stage break at 22:00.
Mr. Handy's Blues Hall on Beale Street in Memphis is the only original juke joint left on the strip, a tiny no-frills room with live blues and the rawest sound on Beale.
Tip: Tipping the band keeps the music going. The room holds maybe 40 people; get there early.
Lafayette's Music Room in Overton Square Memphis runs diverse live bands seven nights a week plus Southern food, in a vintage indoor-outdoor music club reopened in 2013.
Tip: Reservations on Resy or OpenTable. Patio seats face the Overton Square plaza.
Hi Tone Cafe in midtown Memphis on Cleveland Street is the city's premier live music venue since 1999, with shows in a 400-capacity room and a 21-plus downstairs lounge.
Tip: Open seven days from 17:00. The downstairs lounge runs comedy and DJ nights.
South Main Sounds at 550 S Main in downtown Memphis is an intimate listening room for singer-songwriters and acoustic acts, established in 2015 in the South Main district.
Tip: Small room, book ahead. Reservations through the website; show schedule online.
Alfred's on Beale at 197 Beale St in Memphis is a 35-year music venue and bar with rooftop patio, live blues and bands and a kitchen that runs late.
Tip: Cover charge on weekend nights. The rooftop patio is the seat on warm evenings; live music from 21:00.
Growlers on Poplar Avenue in midtown Memphis runs live music seven nights a week from local rock, blues and soul acts, a midtown alternative to Beale Street's tourist run.
Tip: Open daily from 17:00. Tickets at the door; check the calendar for touring acts.
Purple Haze Nightclub in downtown Memphis on Lt George W Lee Avenue runs the city's largest dance floor, with DJ nights, hip-hop and R&B until 03:00.
Tip: Friday and Saturday peak. Bottle service on the upper levels.
Paula and Raiford's Disco at 14 S 2nd St in downtown Memphis is the city's most-loved 1970s-style disco, mirror balls, vinyl and the Raiford family hosting.
Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday. Cash bar; arrive after 23:00 for the right crowd.
Club Spectrum on Whitten Road in East Memphis is a long-running dance club with electronic and Latin nights, two dance floors and bottle service in the back.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday. Cover charge varies by event night.
Hu. Roof on the 17th floor of the Hu. Hotel downtown Memphis runs Friday and Saturday DJ nights with Mississippi River views and a small dance floor for hotel-bar dancing.
Tip: Friday and Saturday DJ sets from 22:00. Cover charge sometimes on big-name DJ nights.
Hu. Roof sits on the 17th floor of the Hu. Hotel on Madison Avenue downtown Memphis with panoramic Mississippi River views, the city's only all-season rooftop bar.
Tip: Sunset views west of the Mississippi River are the draw. Reserve a window seat ahead.
The rooftop bar at the Hyatt Centric Memphis on South Main has Mississippi River sunset views and a small cocktail menu, popular with hotel guests and South Main visitors.
Tip: Book a sunset table on OpenTable for prime hour. Light bar menu, cocktails by reputation.
The Westin Memphis Beale Street Rooftop on Lt George W Lee Avenue downtown runs a hotel rooftop bar with a Mississippi River view and a small cocktail menu in summer.
Tip: Open seasonally May to September. Hotel guests get priority access; walk-ins fine when not full.
Memphis Whistle is a small cocktail program tucked downtown that runs themed nights and pop-up bars, the city's quietest insider cocktail run by mixologist Brent Brouwer.
Tip: Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations; bookings are limited and run private.
Old Dominick Distillery on South Front Street downtown Memphis runs distillery tours, cocktails and a dimly-lit tasting room in a restored 50,000-square-foot industrial space.
Tip: Book the tour and tasting in advance. Cocktail bar walk-ins fine.
The Green's Room is a small private cocktail room inside Catherine and Mary's downtown Memphis, with reservation-only seating, classic cocktails and an off-menu Italian snack run.
Tip: Reservation only through the restaurant. Six seats; book a week ahead for Saturday.
Mollie Fontaine Lounge in the Victorian Village in downtown Memphis is a small craft cocktail bar in an 1886 mansion with red velvet walls, jazz piano nights and a candlelit upstairs.
Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday. Jazz piano runs from 20:00 most weekends.
The Pumping Station on Poplar Avenue in midtown Memphis is the city's longest-running LGBTQ+ bar, with a leather and bear focus, weekend drag nights and a back patio.
Tip: Open daily. The back patio is the seat in summer; drag nights run Friday and Saturday.
Dru's Place on Madison Avenue in midtown Memphis is a long-running LGBTQ+ neighbourhood bar, with karaoke nights, drag brunches and an inclusive midtown crowd.
Tip: Karaoke runs Thursday and Sunday. The kitchen runs a small bar menu.
Metro Memphis on Madison Avenue in midtown Memphis is a long-running gay nightclub with drag shows, dance floor and a leather bar in the back, open Thursday to Sunday.
Tip: Drag shows Friday and Saturday at 23:00. Cover charge on drag nights.
South Main Sounds at 550 S Main downtown Memphis is the city's defining listening room for singer-songwriters, with intimate acoustic shows in a 60-seat venue.
Tip: Small room; reserve through the website. Sets usually one hour.
Railgarten on Central Avenue in midtown Memphis is an outdoor entertainment complex with three bars, live music stages, ping pong tables and a beer garden by the rail line.
Tip: Live music most weekends. The Central Avenue patio fills at 18:00; covered seats with a roof.
Art Bar at Crosstown Arts in Memphis runs occasional listening nights with curated vinyl and live acoustic sets, paired with natural wine and small plates in the Crosstown space.
Tip: Listening nights are scheduled; check the Crosstown Arts calendar. Closed Sundays.
Loflin Yard on West Carolina Avenue in South Main runs an outdoor stage in the beer garden with acoustic music sets on weekends, a covered terrace and creek-side seating.
Tip: Live music most Saturdays from 20:00. Free to enter; check the calendar online.
Earnestine and Hazel's on South Main downtown Memphis runs Soul Burgers and a jukebox until 03:00 daily, a former brothel and pharmacy and the city's defining late-night dive.
Tip: Cash works fastest. Upstairs the old brothel rooms run quiet most nights.
Bardog Tavern on Monroe Avenue downtown Memphis is a long, dark dive with red-brick walls, sliders and Italian subs, plus downtown's earliest weekday breakfast at 07:30.
Tip: Kitchen runs late most nights. Tuesday $5 soup of the day is a local rite.
Lamplighter Lounge on Madison Avenue in midtown Memphis is the city's defining smoke-stained dive bar, with cheap beer, a pool table and a relentlessly local crowd.
Tip: Cash preferred. No food; the 03:00 close draws midtown when other bars shut.
The Cove on Broad Avenue in Memphis is a pirate-themed late-night oyster bar with a wood pirate-ship bar and live music in the back, open Tuesday to Sunday until late.
Tip: Oyster happy hour 17:00. Live music most weekends. Closed Mondays.
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs cold beer, deli sandwiches and live music until 03:00 daily, the city's defining late-night beer and sandwich room.
Tip: Late kitchen until 02:00 most nights. Live music in the back room weekends.
Itta Bena is a hidden upstairs late-night room above B.B. King's on Beale Street in Memphis, named for the Mississippi town B.B. King was born in, with Southern dishes.
Tip: Open daily 17:00 to 22:00. The unmarked Second Street door is the easy entrance.
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.