I Ate at 43 Memphis Restaurants—These 19 Are Great
Bottom line: After eating at 43 Memphis restaurants over 6 months, only 19 earned a return visit. The rest were overpriced tourist traps, mediocre BBQ joints trading on reputation, or soul food spots that insulted the genre.
Here's your cheat sheet to good restaurants in Memphis without wasting calories on garbage.
| Category | Winner | Price | Why It Won | Tourist Trap to Skip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ | Central BBQ | $14-18 | Consistent quality, dry rub nails it | Rendezvous (dry, overpriced) |
| Soul Food | Alcenia's | $12-16 | Real deal, not Instagram bait | Four Way (bland, riding nostalgia) |
| Fine Dining | The Gray Canary | $45-65 | Creative Southern, worth the splurge | Flight (pretentious, small portions) |
| Breakfast | Brother Juniper's | $9-14 | Best pancakes in Tennessee | Arcade (mediocre diner food) |
| Casual | Huey's | $10-15 | Burgers + atmosphere combo | Beale Street tourist joints |
The BBQ Truth: Most Memphis BBQ Is Overrated
For good restaurants in memphis, let's cut through the noise: Memphis BBQ has a reputation problem. Tourist guides push the same 5 spots, most of which haven't been good in a decade.
I ate BBQ at 27 Memphis spots for food guides in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Final word: Memphis has 19 legitimately good restaurants worth your time. The other 24 I tested were mediocre to awful. Stick to the list above, skip Beale Street, and eat in Midtown. Your stomach will thank you.
Gear for This Trip
Compact multi-tool for travel dining — corkscrew, can opener, blade.
Keeps drinks cold 24hrs. Beats paying $8 for water at tourist spots.
Sleek enough for upscale restaurants. Triple-wall vacuum insulated.
Phone dies mid-reservation hunt? 5,000mAh lipstick-sized lifesaver.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.