Our readers know the best places to eat, drink, and have a great evening — from the freshest places to those well-seasoned.
If you like to eat, and especially if you enjoy variety on your plate, Memphis is your kind of place. And if you like to talk about what you like to eat, Memphis might be even more your kind of place. In recent years, this city – never a dull dining town – has gotten fresher, spicier, more creative, more welcoming. We play with our food more these days, and that’s worth celebrating. And we enjoy more options than ever when it comes to where to go and what to order.
That’s where Memphis magazine annual Readers Restaurant Poll comes in. For the 35th year running, we have compiled an extensive list of the best places to eat and drink in the Bluff City. To ensure the results pass muster, we installed online voting safeguards to prevent more than one entry per person, making these results the definitive resource for Memphis restaurant-goers.
Here you’ll find the top three restaurants in each category, with the first-place option listed in bold type. Ties are indicated where they occurred.
Long-time readers of Memphis magazine will notice a new designation this year for what we’re calling, a little cheesily (but this is a food poll, so: pass the cheese), Super Stars. These Super Stars are first-place winners who received a third or more of the total votes in their categories. When Memphians like a place, we really, really like it. Ever read a social-media comment thread about sandwiches in this city? We take this stuff seriously.
If you’re a Memphian or a frequent visitor, you’ll spot plenty of familiar haunts on this list, from the white-tablecloth establishment where you book a reservation on your anniversary to the checkered-tablecloth joint you sink into with the family on tired Friday evenings. But be sure to scan the list for your next favorite discovery, too: Chances are, your fellow eaters will point you in the direction of delicious.
Our hearty congratulations to all the restaurants, cafes, diners, bars, breweries, and food trucks on this list. And our heartfelt thanks to you, our readers, for sharing your good taste.
Note: Super Stars (🌟) indicate first-place winners who received at least a third of the total votes in their category.
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PHOTO COURTESY FLIGHT RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR
Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar
Best Restaurant
Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar
Folk's Folly
Bounty on Broad
Best Chef
[tie] Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen / Hog & Hominy / Catherine & Mary's / Gray Canary / Bishop and Kelly English, Restaurant Iris / The Second Line
Russell Casey, Bounty on Broad
Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant
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PHOTO BY JUSTIN FOX BURKS
The lobster roll at Moondance Grill
Best New Restaurant
Moondance Grill
Ronnie Grisanti’s
El Mero Taco
Inspire Community Cafe
3rd & Court Diner
Saltwater Crab
Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza
Mahogany Memphis
Sage Restaurant
Zopita's on the Square
Best Chain Restaurant
🌟Houston's
Seasons 52
[tie] Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris Steak House
Best Date Night
🌟Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar
Restaurant Iris
Southern Social
Best Kid Friendly
🌟Huey's
Memphis Pizza Cafe
Railgarten Diner
Best Late-Night Dining
Huey's
Bardog Tavern
Slider Inn
Best Outdoor Dining
The Second Line
Loflin Yard
[tie] Bhan Thai and Slider Inn
Best People-Watching
Peabody Lobby Bar
[tie] Loflin Yard and Lafayette's Music Room
Flying Saucer
Best Place to Impress Out-of-Towners
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Itta Bena
Folk's Folly
Best Asian Fusion
Mulan
Lucky Cat Ramen
Mosa Asian Bistro
Best Barbecue Ribs
Central BBQ
Charles Vergos' Rendezvous
The Bar-B-Q Shop
Best Barbecue Sandwich
🌟Central BBQ
Payne's Bar-B-Que
The Bar-B-Q Shop
Best Breakfast
Brother Juniper's
Sunrise Memphis
Bryant's Breakfast
Best Brunch
Owen Brennan's
The Beauty Shop
Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar
Best Burger
Huey's
Top's Bar-B-Q
[tie] Belmont Grill and Alex's Tavern
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PHOTO COURTESY JUSTIN FOX BURKS
Shrimp at the Second Line
Best Cajun/Creole
The Second Line
Owen Brennan's
Bayou Bar & Grill
Best Chinese
Wang's Mandarin House
Formosa Chinese Restaurant
Wok'n in Memphis
Best Coffeehouse (non-chain)
Otherlands Coffee Bar
[tie] Cafe Eclectic and Ugly Mug Coffee
[tie] Muddy's Grind House and City & State
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PHOTO BY JUSTIN FOX BURKS
House-smoked salmon with avocado at Elwood's Shack
Best Deli
Elwood's Shack
Lucchesi's
Bogie's Delicatessen
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PHOTO BY JUSTIN FOX BURKS
Best Dessert Shop
Muddy's Bake Shop
Frost Bake Shop
[tie] Cheesecake Corner and La Baguette
Best Food Truck
Say Cheese
Cousins Maine Lobster
Central BBQ
Best Fried Chicken
Gus's Fried Chicken
Joes' Restaurant
[tie] Superlo Foods and Jack Pirtle's
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PHOTO BY JACK KENNER
Jerry's Sno Cones
Best Frozen Treat
Jerry's Sno Cones
La Michoacana
Mempops
Best Indian
🌟India Palace
Golden India
Bombay House
Best Italian
🌟Pete & Sam's
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen
Ciao Bella Italian Grill
Best Japanese
Sekisui
Sekisui Pacific Rim
[tie] Sakura and Osaka
Best Mediterranean
Casablanca Restaurant
Taziki Mediterranean Cafe
Petra Café
Best Mexican
Las Delicias
Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana
Molly's La Casita
Best Pizza
Memphis Pizza Cafe
Aldo's Pizza Pies
Hog & Hominy
Best Plate Lunch
Soul Fish
Cupboard Restaurant
[tie] Patrick's and Little Tea Shop
Best Seafood (non-fast food)
🌟The Half Shell
Tsunami
Pearl's Oyster House
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The duck duo with spinach madeleine at Bounty on Broad
Best Shared Plates
Bounty on Broad
Babalu Tapas & Tacos
Hog & Hominy
Best Steak
Folk's Folly
Buckley's Restaurant
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Best Taco
Las Delicias
Maciel's Taco Shop
Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana
Best Thai
Bhan Thai
Bangkok Alley
Pho Binh
Best Vegetarian/Vegan
[tie] Raw Girls and City Silo & Pantry
Global Cafe
Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen
Best Vietnamese
Pho Binh
Pho Saigon
Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant
Best Beer Selection
Flying Saucer
Young Avenue Deli
Boscos Squared
Best Craft Cocktails
Alchemy
Peabody Lobby Bar
Art Bar at Crosstown
Best Dive Bar
The Cove
[tie] Alex's Tavern and Earnestine & Hazel's
Silky O'Sullivan's
Best Happy Hour
Huey's
Alchemy
Brookhaven Pub
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Best Local Brewery
🌟Wiseacre Brewing Company
Ghost River Brewery & Tap Room
[tie] Memphis Made Brewing Co. and Crosstown Brewing Company
Best Place to Watch the Game
Huey's
Brookhaven Pub
Bayou Bar & Grill
Best Wine List
🌟Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar
Folk's Folly
Napa Café
Worth the Drive
City Grocery (Oxford, MS)
Como Steakhouse (Como, MS)
Bozo's Hot Pit Bar-B-Q (Mason, TN)
Restaurant We Miss the Most
Jim's Place East
Anderton's
Justine's
Best Category We Left Out
Best Bar
Best Server
Best Service