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.
Address: 2119 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
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.
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.