Home Tennessee Memphis, TN: Best Restaurants (That We Went To)

Memphis, TN: Best Restaurants (That We Went To)

Interestingly, as Sash and I rode further east, the Mexican food got worse while the BBQ got better.

Memphis, TN never conjured up thoughts of chile rellenos, tandoori chicken, or spicy tuna hand rolls. It was always baby back pork ribs, fried catfish, and southern fried chicken that danced in my head. And any thoughts of going healthy in a town known for its soul food and barbecue would only blow my cover at fitting in with the locals and "doing as the Romans do".

Sash and I didn't visit all the best eats that were recommended to us, but we did find some great places (and average places too)...

Johnny G's Creole Kitchen on Beale Street is a "must try" for authentic southern-style cooking. The breading on the deep fried shrimp had such a spice and savory flavor, that you had try a couple of them without dipping them into sauce, just to enjoy the work that went into it.

You'd never think potato salad could be that awesome, but their's made believers in us. Being so creamy and thick, I didn't want to ask what they put into it, just in case they said "lard". And the turnip greens! There was some kind of savory seasoning that went into it, because I couldn't get enough of it.

But Johnny G's had the nicest staff, very accommodating, even the cook came out to speak with Sash. But then again, if you know Sash, and if you know how social she can be, little surprises me anymore.

B.B. King's Blues Club is to Beale Street as the Empire State Building is to Manhattan, it's right there, you can't miss it, and everyone has to go in it. And being this is Memphis, I ordered up the baby back ribs, dry rubbed (which is Memphis style). Yet somehow, it came out with a heaping slather of BBQ sauce. No big deal, because I was hungry enough that there was no way I sending these babies back.

Still one of the better set of BBQ pork ribs I've had on this entire road trip, I found a spicy, saucy, smoky flavor through the meat that turned this shy, polite Southern California boy into a meat-mongering bone-sucking machine. Sash had the 1/2 barbecued chicken, which was equal to the hickory-smoked task, particularly when dipped into a cup of B.B. King's Blues Club's barbecue sauce.

Live music plays all day long and well into the night, and if you get there before the sun sets, there's no cover charge.

Young Avenue Deli in the heart of the Cooper Young District, looks as if the owners took a run-down historic building and threw a restaurant & bar into it without fixing it up. It looks old inside, as if the place had no concern but to die with an infestation of 20-somethings adorned with scruffy beards and gauges in their lobes.

But the Young Avenue Deli is probably your best bet if you want wide selection of small, eclectic craft beer. It's thus far the only establishment I've found west of the Rockies that serves Stone Brewing on tap (Cali Belgique and Double Bastard). Sash and I ordered up a basket of fried mozzarella sticks. They cut their own sticks of mozzarella, make their own breading, throw in some parmesan cheese, then they fry them, and then bake them.

But we had the burgers, based on recommendation from the bartender, and were not disappointed. 1/2 pound patties sandwiched between two soft, semi-moist buns, complete with juice running down my arm. I asked for extra jalapenos and yellow peppers, because I needed it "haut".

Elwood's Shack has to be Memphis' best kept secret. For one, it's hard to find. It's there on Summer Avenue, in the Berclair District, next to Lowe's, but hiding behind another building so that it's not visible from the Avenue. Having been open for barely over a year, the place already has a line out the door as lunch opens up at 11:00am.

Sash had the Memphis Style Nachos while I stuffed my grill with the pulled pork sandwich. Talk about juicy, smoky, tender shreds of pork! I added on the jalapeno coleslaw to light up my taste buds, and then squeezed on more of Elwood's BBQ sauce in a vain attempt to get my face and hands as sticky and gooey as possible. Sash's Memphis Nachos were just tortilla chips layered with the same saucy sweet pulled pork, but with cheese sauce. Yeah, cheese sauce? Well, I guess that's Memphis.

Nonetheless, it was nothing short of decadent. The line of guys waiting to put in their orders doesn't lie. The sound of lips sucking sauce off of fingers can't be denied. And if the sight of waitresses hauling of plates of pulled pork and beef brisket doesn't get your appetite going, the smell of wood burning on the smoker out front will. This is just straight up southern-style BBQ made from scratch.

Gus' Fried Chicken is one of those restaurants where it wouldn't be a complete visit to Memphis if you didn't try it out. Originally starting in 1950, in the town of Mason, TN, Gus' Fried Chicken has grown to become a local icon in Memphis, a brand and tradition some folks may even swear by.

The breading is crispy, yet still light. There's a touch of cayenne pepper, just enough to let you know it's spicy but not enough to light you up. Inside, the meat is full of juice and piping hot with a light bit of brine. And in the southern style, they give you a slice of white bread to go with it, which somehow tastes great when wrapping up chunks of breast meat into a taco.

Get the 1/2 chicken, and just never mind the sides, or get whatever that comes with it, because at Gus' it's all about the fried chicken. And guess what? You're in Memphis! The capital of deep fried, brimming with fat and salt, the way they used to do it a hundred years ago, type of cooking. If you're looking for healthy, light fare, go to Portland.

Other Recommendations

The Green Beetle bills itself as the oldest tavern in Memphis. Sash and I had a couple of burgers, which we found good, though not spectacular. But you can enjoy some local brews on tap, and if you get there in the evening, listen to some live music.

Boscos Squared is a craft brewer that operates a few different locations in Tennessee. Mostly known for its "Flaming Stone Beer", it's Memphis location is packed at night with more of that geeky, young urban professional type. Sash and I didn't eat there, but I did drink a few of their brews. If you want friendly folks at the bar and some decent beer on tap, give Boscos a try.