Soul Fish Cafe's Cooper-Young Memphis original on South Cooper runs fried Mississippi catfish, hush puppies and Gambino-bread po'boys daily.
Signature dishes: Fried catfish, Po'boys
Must order: Catfish basket with hush puppies and turnip greens.
Tip: Counter service. The shrimp po'boy is the second-best order; sit on the patio when it cools.
Address: 862 S Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104
Itta Bena is a hidden upstairs Memphis dining room above B.B. King's on Beale Street, named for the Mississippi town King was born in. Southern, white tablecloths.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Catfish
Order: Mississippi catfish with shrimp and grits.
Tip: Enter through the unmarked Second Street door or a private hall inside B.B. King's. Reservations open on OpenTable.
Char Restaurant in East Memphis on Highland Street runs USDA prime steaks, crab cakes and a piano bar in a polished modern Southern steakhouse format.
Signature: Prime steaks, Crab cakes
Order: Char's prime filet with the crab cake starter.
Tip: Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30; the piano bar starts at 18:30 most weekday nights.
Mortimer's East Memphis neighbourhood room near Walnut Grove has run pub burgers, Greek salads and bread pudding since 1985 at Perkins and Walnut Grove.
Signature: Cheeseburger, Bread pudding
Order: Cheeseburger with onion rings; bread pudding for dessert.
Tip: Open weekdays from 11:00; the bar fills with regulars at 17:00 and the back patio is the seat to grab.
Tug's Casual Grill anchors the Harbor Town neighbourhood on Mud Island in Memphis with a wide riverside patio, burgers and Mississippi catfish dinners.
Signature: Catfish dinner, Burgers
Order: Catfish dinner with hush puppies; sit on the patio at sunset.
Tip: Wednesday is half-price burger night. The walk from downtown across the Auction Avenue bridge takes 15 minutes.
Coastal Fish Company sits on Hyde Lake in Shelby Farms Park in Memphis with day-boat oysters, grilled fish and a long sunset patio over the water. Opened 2019.
Signature: Day-boat oysters, Grilled snapper
Order: Half-dozen oysters and the whole grilled snapper.
Tip: Sunset tables face the lake; reserve at least a week out for Saturday dinner on OpenTable.
Jose Magallanes's family Memphis-area taqueria in Germantown has run tortas, al pastor and braised meats from a strip-mall counter since 2002.
Signature: Tacos al pastor, Tortas
Order: Tacos al pastor with house guacamole; add the cochinita pibil torta if available.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Poplar Avenue East Memphis branch at 6300 Poplar runs the same menu if Germantown is full.
