27 editor picks in Memphis.
27 upscale places in Memphis, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Memphis: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Memphis food.
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen runs Italian cooking rooted in Southern ingredients from East Memphis since 2008.
OrderMaw Maw's potato gnocchi with red sugo, a recipe from Hudman's grandmother.
TipOpen Monday through Saturday for dinner from 16:30. Reserve on Resy two weeks out; the bar takes walk-ins.
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's downtown Memphis room pairs Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother cooking with Southern ingredients in the Chisca on Main building.
OrderWhatever pasta they are rolling that night, plus the wood-roasted whole fish.
TipBooth seats in the bar mean walk-in dinner on most weeknights; the dining room books two weeks out on Resy.
Chef Kelly English's Restaurant Iris in Memphis moved to Poplar Avenue in 2022 with a tighter menu of New Orleans Creole built on Mississippi seafood.
OrderCrawfish and grits with andouille; a Sazerac to start.
TipLunch service was added with the move; the four-course tasting menu is the steady bet at dinner.
Earnestine and Hazel's on South Main downtown Memphis is the city's defining dive, a former brothel and pharmacy with a jukebox, Soul Burgers and ghost lore.
TipThe Soul Burger is the bar food order. The upstairs is where the ghosts are said to live.
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen on Brookhaven Circle runs a deep Italian cellar with rare regional bottles, alongside Ticer and Hudman's Southern-Italian menu.
TipThe bar takes walk-ins and lets you order from the full menu; somm-guided pairings come on request.
Acre Restaurant in East Memphis on Perkins runs one of Memphis's deepest wine lists alongside seasonal small plates, with the bar pouring growers and rare.
TipSkip the dining room for the bar's snack menu; same wine list, faster service.
Loflin Yard on West Carolina Avenue in downtown Memphis is a two-acre beer garden with three outdoor bars, fire pits, a creek and house-smoked BBQ on long.
TipThe yard runs live music weekends. Game nights and big groups fill the firepit seats first.
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 Beale's rawest.
TipTipping the band keeps the music going. The room holds maybe 40 people. Get there early.
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.
OrderChar's prime filet with the crab cake starter.
TipSaturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30; the piano bar starts at 18:30 most weekday nights.
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.
OrderHalf-dozen oysters and the whole grilled snapper.
TipSunset tables face the lake; reserve at least a week out for Saturday dinner on OpenTable.
The Cove on Broad Avenue in Memphis is a pirate-themed oyster bar with a Sazerac on the menu, a wood pirate-ship bar and live music on weekends in the back.
TipOyster happy hour kicks off at 17:00. The patio fills first on warm nights; the back has live music.
Hu. Roof sits on the 17th floor of the Hu. Hotel on Madison Avenue downtown Memphis with panoramic Mississippi River views and the city's only all-season.
TipSunset views west of the Mississippi River are the draw. Reserve a window seat in advance.
Bar Hustle on South Main inside Arrive Hotel Memphis is an intimate cocktail bar with a wall of vinyl, seasonal drinks like the Riverfront Spritz.
TipHappy hour runs 16:00-18:00 daily. The kitchen pulls Roman-Detroit hybrid pizza from a sourdough that ferments at Hustle and Dough across the lobby.
Old Dominick Distillery on South Front Street downtown Memphis runs tours, cocktails and a tasting room from a restored 50,000-square-foot industrial space.
TipBook the tour and tasting on the website; walk-ins welcome at the cocktail bar.
Belle Meade Social on Perkins Extended in East Memphis runs craft cocktails, a smart American-leaning wine list and modern Southern plates from Williamsburg.
TipThe bar takes walk-ins; weeknight half-priced wine bottle deals run on Tuesdays.
Hog and Hominy on Brookhaven Circle in East Memphis pours Italian and Southern growers' wines by the glass alongside wood-fired pizza and house salumi.
TipSunday brunch runs a sparkling-focused list. Bar seats first.
Chez Philippe inside the Peabody Hotel in Memphis runs a French-classics-led wine list, Champagne flights and a formal pre-dinner pour program at the bar.
TipThe lobby Peabody Bar is the easy seat for a Champagne flight before dinner upstairs.
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.
OrderMississippi catfish with shrimp and grits.
TipEnter through the unmarked Second Street door or a private hall inside B.B. King's. Reservations open on OpenTable.
Belle Meade Social is a Perkins Extended East Memphis bar and restaurant pouring craft cocktails and serving modern American steaks and salads, opened 2023.
OrderBone-in ribeye, dry martini, the seasonal salad.
TipSunday brunch starts at 11:00; the bar takes walk-ins on weeknights and the patio is the seat in spring.
Bardog Tavern on Monroe Avenue downtown Memphis is a long, dark dive with red-brick walls, sliders and subs, and downtown's earliest weekday breakfast.
TipLate kitchen until 02:00 most nights. The Tuesday night $5 Soup of the Day is a Memphis classic.
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs over 100 beers, a deep tap list with 30-plus drafts, deli sandwiches and a live-music back room since 1995.
TipThe patio is the seat in spring. Live music most weekends; check the calendar online.
Art Bar at Crosstown Arts in Memphis runs a natural-leaning wine list alongside cheese boards and snacks, doubling as a cafe by day and wine bar evenings.
TipFree gallery visits at Crosstown Arts pair with a glass at the bar. Closed Sundays.
Curfew is Fabio Viviani's Union Avenue Memphis room on the ground floor of Canopy Downtown, with wood-fired steaks and house pastas served until late.
OrderWood-fired bone-in ribeye with whatever pasta is on the daily list.
TipKitchen runs late by Memphis standards (until 23:00 Fri-Sat). The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on OpenTable.
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.
TipCash preferred. No food. The 03:00 close pulls everyone in midtown when other bars shut.
Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street in Memphis has run live blues seven nights a week since 1985, with over 200 autographed guitars hanging from the ceiling.
TipLive blues from 19:00 nightly. The Beale Street Flippers usually take a stage break at 22:00.
Hen House on South Mendenhall in East Memphis runs a wine bar with a Southern-leaning by-the-glass program, small plates and a calm, low-lit room.
TipWalk-in friendly weeknights; reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday.
B.B. King's Blues Club at 143 Beale Street in Memphis is the flagship of the B.B. Located in Downtown. Order the beer and pulled-pork sandwich.
TipCover charge after 19:00 most nights. Sit upstairs for an easier view of the bandstand.
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