Memphis isn’t just about blues and Graceland – it’s a food lover’s paradise with flavors as rich as its history. From smoky barbecue joints that’ll make your taste buds dance to soul food spots serving comfort on a plate, this city knows how to feed you right.
Grab your appetite and let’s explore the 16 restaurants that define Memphis cuisine in all its finger-licking glory.
1. Central BBQ
Holy smoke signals! The moment you walk in, that hickory-filled air wraps around you like a warm, meaty hug. Locals will literally fight you if you claim any other BBQ joint tops this Memphis institution.
Their dry-rubbed ribs achieve that perfect bark-to-meat ratio – crispy outside, fall-off-the-bone tender inside. The pulled pork nachos? A beautiful mess of tortilla chips smothered in cheese, jalapeños, and meat that’s been smoking longer than some folks have been alive.
2. Corky’s Ribs & BBQ
Time-travel happens the second you slide into a Corky’s booth, surrounded by vintage Memphis memorabilia and the symphony of sizzling meat. Since 1984, this joint has been converting BBQ skeptics into believers with its slow-cooked, fall-apart tender pork ribs.
What makes Corky’s special isn’t just the food – it’s the experience. Servers who’ve been there for decades tell stories between refilling your sweet tea. The tangy-sweet sauce (available in mild or hot) deserves its own fan club.
3. Cozy Corner
Barbecued Cornish game hen. Read that again. While most BBQ joints stick to the usual suspects, Cozy Corner boldly goes where few pitmasters dare – creating the most unexpectedly delicious smoked bird you’ll ever devour.
Founded by matriarch Desiree Robinson (now in her 80s and still occasionally overseeing operations), this family-run spot feels exactly like its name suggests. The no-frills interior might not win design awards, but who cares when the food makes you want to hug the cook?
4. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous
Tucked away in a downtown alley, you’ll follow your nose down a flight of stairs into BBQ history. Since 1948, Rendezvous has been serving their distinctive “dry ribs” – charcoal-grilled instead of slow-smoked, with a secret spice blend that’s sparked countless imitation attempts.
The walls are plastered with decades of memorabilia, from celebrity photos to vintage signs. Every server rocks the same bow tie and serving style they’ve used for generations. The experience feels like a time capsule with exceptional food.
5. Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
CRUNCH! That first bite through Gus’s peppery, crispy crust is a religious experience that’s converted fried chicken atheists since 1953. The secret recipe – guarded like Fort Knox – creates a thin, spicy coating that seals in juices so perfectly it should be studied by scientists.
Don’t let the casual diner vibe fool you. Presidents, celebrities, and food critics make pilgrimages here, happily waiting in line while eyeing others’ plates with barely disguised envy. The heat level hits that magical sweet spot – enough to make you notice, not enough to overwhelm.
6. The Beauty Shop
Quirky doesn’t begin to describe dining where Elvis’s girlfriend once got her hair done! This former 1950s beauty parlor still rocks vintage hair dryer chairs at some tables, creating Memphis’s most Instagram-worthy dining spot.
Chef Karen Carrier’s menu is as bold as the decor – watermelon and wings with sweet-hot chile sauce, coffee-cured duck breast, and citrus-soy grilled salmon that would make any food critic swoon. The cocktail menu is equally adventurous, featuring concoctions with names as creative as their ingredients.
7. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House
Butter-soft filets that practically dissolve on contact. That’s the Folk’s Folly promise since 1977, when founder Humphrey Folk Jr. transformed a small home into Memphis’s premier steakhouse. The dimly-lit, wood-paneled rooms ooze old-school luxury without pretension.
Every steak is USDA Prime, aged to perfection, and prepared with surgical precision. The tableside Caesar salad preparation is dinner theater at its finest – anchovies optional but highly recommended. Piano music drifts through the rooms, setting the perfect backdrop for serious meat consumption.
8. Arcade Restaurant
Memphis’s oldest cafe (1919!) still rocks its vintage neon sign and authentic 1950s diner vibes like it’s no big deal. Elvis had his own booth here – now marked for starstruck visitors – where he’d demolish peanut butter and banana sandwiches between recording sessions.
Morning means fluffy sweet potato pancakes stacked high and drowning in syrup or their famous breakfast pizza loaded with eggs, bacon, and cheese. The lunch crowd piles in for old-school burgers that haven’t changed in decades – because perfection doesn’t need updating.
9. Alcenia’s
B.J. Chester-Tamayo will literally hug you when you walk in – that’s the kind of place Alcenia’s is. Named after B.J.’s mother, this soul food sanctuary serves the kind of cooking that makes you want to call your grandma and thank her for existing.
The fried chicken arrives with a crust so perfectly seasoned and crisp it should be illegal. Sides aren’t afterthoughts here – they’re co-stars. The candied yams, swimming in buttery sweet goodness, and turnip greens cooked with enough love to convert vegetable-haters on the spot.
10. Global Cafe
Refugee women cooking their homeland specialties under one roof? Genius! This immigrant-run food hall inside Crosstown Concourse features three distinct kitchens – Sudanese, Syrian, and Venezuelan – each operated by women who brought their family recipes across oceans.
The Sudanese sambusas (crispy pastries stuffed with spiced beef) will make you question why you’ve lived without them. From the Syrian station, grab the fatayer (meat pies) that taste of za’atar and nostalgia. The Venezuelan arepas – griddled corn cakes split and stuffed with savory fillings – demand to be experienced.
11. Huey’s
Look up! Those toothpicks stuck in the ceiling aren’t a cleaning oversight – they’re a beloved tradition. For decades, patrons have been blowing toothpicks through straws, attempting to lodge them in the acoustic tiles overhead, creating the world’s most unusual ceiling decor.
The burgers are the real stars though – juicy, hand-formed patties cooked to perfection and topped with everything from blue cheese to guacamole. The “World Famous Huey Burger” comes loaded with mushrooms, Swiss, and onions that’ll make you momentarily forget your table manners.
12. Itta Bena
Shhh! This secret spot hides above B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street – accessed via an unmarked staircase that feels like entering a speakeasy. Blue-tinted windows cast a moody glow across white tablecloths while the sounds of blues legends drift up from below.
Named after B.B. King’s Mississippi birthplace, Itta Bena fuses Southern and Creole cuisines into dishes that hit all the right notes. The duck and waffles with bourbon maple syrup create flavor harmonies worthy of King himself. Their shrimp and grits, loaded with andouille sausage and creamy cheese, redefine comfort food.
13. Ching’s
Forget buffalo sauce – Honey Gold is Memphis’s wing contribution to humanity! Ching’s unassuming strip mall location hides wing greatness that locals guard jealously from tourists. The signature sauce – a sweet-hot-tangy miracle – clings to perfectly fried wings like they were made for each other.
Call ahead or prepare to wait. These wings are worth planning your day around, and regulars know it. The fries, seasoned with the same magical dust as the wings, have their own devoted following.
14. Good Fortune Co.
Ramen that would make a Japanese grandmother nod in approval – in the heart of BBQ country! This Asian fusion hotspot, tucked into downtown’s South Main Arts District, proves Memphis isn’t just about meat and blues.
Hand-pulled noodles dance in broths so rich they could fund a small country. The Tantanmen ramen, with its spicy sesame broth and tender pork belly, creates flavor dimensions you didn’t know existed. Their dumplings – particularly the pork and chive – achieve that perfect balance between delicate wrapper and savory filling.
15. Sunrise Memphis
Breakfast tacos that could make a Texan weep with joy! This bright, airy morning spot has revolutionized Memphis breakfast with dishes that somehow manage to be both innovative and deeply comforting.
The biscuits deserve their own ZIP code – massive, buttery clouds that arrive either smothered in pepper gravy or as the foundation for epic breakfast sandwiches. Their “Kitchen Sink” – loaded with eggs, cheese, bacon, avocado, and hot sauce – requires both hands and possibly a nap afterward.
16. The Bar‑B‑Q Shop
Texas Toast BBQ Sandwich. Those four words changed Memphis sandwich history when the Brady family created this masterpiece decades ago. Thick-cut toast replaces boring buns, creating the perfect vehicle for smoky pulled pork and their award-winning Dancing Pigs sauce.
Family-owned since forever, this Midtown institution feels like dining in someone’s (very smoky) home. The ribs come in both “wet” and “dry” varieties – get a half-and-half rack to experience both Memphis styles without choosing sides in the eternal BBQ debate.