If you haven't been to Memphis in the last ten years, you might be quite surprised by the changes in the range and type of dining available. A boom in immigration, especially from south of the border, combined with a surge in downtown development, has resulted in an exciting breadth in Memphis cuisine. No longer is Memphis home to only wet and dry barbecue ribs: it now boasts Asian, Mexican and other ethnic restaurants in virtually every area of the city. The nightlife scene, which has always centered around the high quality of musical talented developed in and attracted by the region, continues to be more suitable for those who want to sit and listen than those who want to dance and party.

Downtown

Downtown restaurants tend to fall into two categories: those catering to the business-lunch crowd, and those catering to tourists. In the former category visit restaurants like The Cupboard with its traditional Southern plate lunches. In the second category, the standout is Chez Phillippe in the Peabody Hotel, with award-winning chef Gutierrez serving up innovative Continental cuisine to society folks and the expense-account crowd. The Rendezvous, on the other hand, attracts tourists looking for good barbecue in a decidedly low-key environment. Next door, locally-owned Sekisui serves up authentic sushi and tempura for those looking for something lighter. Around the corner, Automatic Slims makes powerful martinis and a wicked Voodoo Stew for the adventurous.

A few restaurants are starting to take advantage of the view over the Mississippi River. Landrys serves seafood (not local) and drinks on a patio facing the river and the River Club has itself been transformed from a private dining club to a public restaurant.

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Beale Street

Beale Street is a place where people go for music, dancing and people watching. Excellent gumbo is served at the Kings Palace Café and the Rum Boogie Café. Elvis Presleys restaurant, in addition to the Kings favorite fried peanut butter sandwiches, makes an awesome pecan-crusted catfish. The Blues City Café is notable mostly for appearing in the Tom Cruise movie The Firm, and the food is just as exciting.

Harbor Town

The only restaurant currently open in Harbor Town is the River Terrace. The breathtaking views of the river from the floor-to-ceiling windows of this former private club dare to steal the spotlight from the sparkling seafood dishes and lush desserts. A joint enterprise of Memphis' most successful restauranteurs, River Terrace is quickly becoming the standard for dining excellence.

Midtown/Central

Midtown is where locals go when they're in the mood for innovative cooking or for the perfect place for a special celebration. A dinner here can be combined with an evening of theater or a visit to the Overton Square Entertainment District. Some nights you may be in the mood for Continental cuisine in the formal settings of La Tourelle or Paulettes (also a favorite spot for after-theater dessert and coffee). Other nights you may be feeling adventurous, see what Pacific Rim dishes Tsunami is serving or try a noodle dish at Saigon Le. For light appetites, theres Lillys Dim Sum & Then Some with its small plates of steamed dumplings and other delicacies. When you're feeling ravenous, head for the all-you-can-eat buffet at India Palace. Whatever your mood, you'll find a place to eat in Midtown.

1495 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central

+1 901 276 8015

The eggplant casserole is reason enough to come here for lunch. On offer are plate lunches with an emphasis on vegetable choices. Theres a popular selection of desserts, as well, all served efficiently by the long-tenured wait staff. Theres always a wait here during lunch time. But, the
"community" table makes this a good dining spot for parties of one. Also try out the downtown location: The Cupboard II, 149 Madison Ave., +1 901 527 9111.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 8.00 USD

11am-8pm Mon-Fri; 11am-3pm Sun; Closed Sat

Chez Phillippe

Peabody Hotel
149 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38102

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 529 4188
www.peabodymemphis.com/asp/din_chezPhilippe.asp?sec=bgu&sub=din

Jose Gutierrez is the award-winning chef at this flagship restaurant of the Peabody Hotel. He creates imaginative dishes, grounded in traditional French cooking techniques, but with Pacific Rim and Southern influences.

Decor:

The setting is possibly the most elegant in Memphis—velvet curtains, fresh roses on the tables, and gilded mirrors on the walls. Jackets are required for men. The diners are often the expense account crowd and couples celebrating anniversaries.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 50.00 USD

6pm-10pm Mon-Sat

Reservations are recommended

Rendezvous

52 S Second St
(At Union)
Memphis, TN 38102

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 523 2746

If you're in downtown Memphis and you ask anyones advice on what restaurant to go to, the answer is likely to be The Rendezvous. Its a favorite with Memphians, and where they take visitors for fun atmosphere and food.

Decor:

Antique implements, signs, and artifacts of the old South fill the warehouse-like space. The tables are close together, but the noise and crowds are part of the fun.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 15.00 USD

4:30pm-11:30pm Tue-Thu; 11:30am-midnight Fri-Sat

Reservations are recommended

50 Humphreys Blvd
Memphis, TN 38138

Neighborhood: East

+1 901 747 0001

The East location of this restaurant offers a peaceful dining atmosphere with bridges and waterfalls, where guests may dine as the Japanese (on the floor) or Western-style, if they prefer.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 22.00 USD

Takeaway is available.

11:30am-2pm & 5pm-9pm daily

Reservations are recommended

83 S Second St
(At Union)
Memphis, TN 38103

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 525 7948

Hip décor and great food. Don't let the funky name put you off-this restaurant serves up a tasty array of Caribbean and Southwestern dishes. Have one of the many flavors of martinis available at the bar before you eat. The location-across the street from the Peabody Hotel and just two blocks from Beale Street-makes this a great choice for an evening on the town.

Decor:

Casual and funky. The best seats are in the window with a view of the Peabody, and on the mezzanine, looking out over the young crowd that frequents this restaurant.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 20.00 USD

11am-9pm Mon-Fri; Closed for lunch Sat; Closed Sun

Reservations are recommended

162 Beale St
(Between 2nd and 3rd)
Memphis, TN 38103

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 521 1851

Kings Palace Cafe is one of the best places on Beale to have a pre-blues club dinner or a late night restorative bowl of chili.

Decor:

Bare wood floors contrast with the velvet wall coverings. The brick walls and pressed-tin ceiling make for a fairly high noise level. A back room, separated from the main dining room only by some pillars, features live bands on weekends. The crowd, and the service, is casual.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 15.00 USD

11am-10:30pm Sun-Thu; 11am-late Fri-Sat

182 Beale St
(At Third)
Memphis, TN 38103

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 528 0150
+1 901 526 5887
.rumboogie.com

The wrap-around windows on the red brick building at the corner of Beale and Third let you see the dancers bopping and jiving inside, or, if you're in the Rum Boogie, let you watch the street scene on Beale.

Besides having the typical more-or-less authentic 1930s-40s decor of the restored clubs on Beale, this bar and restaurant is noted for its collection of autographed guitars hanging from the ceiling, proof that musicians such as Carl Perkins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Walsh and others have hung out here.

The place has its own house band, James Govan and the Boogie Blues Band, which performs when there isn't a visiting artist. Shows are usually from 9pm-1am on Friday and Saturday, 8:30pm-12:30am Sundays and weeknights.

The kitchen serves several dinner and snack items, but the Rum Boogie is especially famous for its red beans and rice, a spicy New Orleans specialty. There is a full bar.

Disabled access is available.

$3-$5 cover charge after 9pm

Average cost per person: $ 15.00 USD

11am-2am daily

138 Beale St
(At 2nd St)
Memphis, TN 38103

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 526 3637

The atmosphere is this diner-style café is so authentic, it was used virtually unchanged in the Tom Cruise movie about a Memphis law firm. Try some real Southern food, then walk up and down Beale Street to see the interesting mix of tourists and locals who come out on a warm evening.

Decor:

The décor is intentionally weathered, with corrugated iron and glass blocks. Diner-style seating offers a great view of the crowds on Beale.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 15.00 USD

11am-9pm Tue-Sun

280 North Mud Island Rd
Memphis, TN 38103

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 528 0001

The most spectacular view in Memphis is unquestionably, the Mississippi River, especially when the M-shaped bridge is lit up at night. River Terrace makes the most of this view, with huge windows and an outside terrace for dining in good weather. The restaurant once was a private club, but two of Memphis' best restaurateurs, Erling Jensen and Jimmy Ishii of the Sekisui group converted it into a public restaurant.

Decor:

The interior decor is really irrelevant, since the view of the river is everyones focal point, but the rest of the room still reflects its private club origins, with a romantic, elegant flair. Diners are mostly well-dressed professionals and the socially elite of Memphis.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 50.00 USD

11am-2pm Tues-Fri; 5pm-10pm Tues-Sat

Reservations are recommended

Cooper St & Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central


This is the perfect place for an evening or afternoon out. A lively neighborhood with theaters, bars, restaurants and interesting shops-there is something for everyone here. Spend the day antique shopping, dine in an international restaurant and then catch a film or play. During holidays the square hosts parties with live music, drinks and dancing outside.'

Disabled access is available.

2146 Monroe Ave
(North of Poplar)
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central

+1 901 726 5771

Long considered one of Memphis' best French restaurants, La Tourelle is also one of the most romantic spots to dine.

Decor:

The restauran occupies a lovely Victorian house built around the beginning of the 1900s in Midtown Memphis. The atmosphere is formal and romantic, a perfect place for an anniversary celebration or a proposal. The service matches the décor: polished and gracious.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 50.00 USD

6pm-10pm daily; 11am-2pm Sun

Reservations are recommended

928 S Cooper
(At Young)
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central

+1 901 274 2556

Tsunami is possibly the most exciting restaurant in Memphis, serving up innovative Pacific Rim, fusion cuisine. Its location in the historic Cooper-Young area of Midtown makes it easily accessible from all parts of the city.

In the relatively short time Tsunami has been on the Memphis scene, it has developed a reputation for consistently delivering quality food in a slightly eccentric atmosphere.

Decor:

The restaurant occupies one fairly small room and an attached bar. The decor is fun and colorful, filled with eclectic and somewhat offbeat works of art, appropriate for the location in the middle of the art and theater district.

The casually-dressed clientele clearly comes for the wonderful food, rather than for power business meetings or a desire to see and be seen.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 40.00 USD

5pm-11pm Mon-Sat

Reservations are recommended

51 N Cleveland Ave
(At N Watkins)
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Downtown

+1 901 276 5326

The atmosphere is nothing special, but the food is sensational at this tiny restaurant just off the theater district in midtown.

Decor:

The interior looks like it was quickly converted from an old fast food place, with a mixture of plastic covered booths and square tables in one small room. All the better to people-watch the eclectic crowd drawn to Saigon Le—a mixture of college students and faculty, local residents and the few tourists lucky enough to find this outstanding restaurant.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 12.00 USD

11am-9pm Mon-Fri; 5pm-9pm Sat

903 South Cooper
(At Young Ave)
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central

+1 901 276 9300

Now you don't have to wait until the weekend for Dim Sum. Lillys serves a good selection of the usual, bite-size delicacies all day.

Decor:

This small, homey restaurant, located in a refurbished house, fits right in the Cooper-Young district. The decorations are sparse but tasteful with a few Chinese paintings and statues hung on the wall. The service is friendly and the wait staff is happy to answer questions about their food.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 10.00 USD

11am-9pm Mon-Thu; 11am-10pm Fri & Sat

1720 Poplar Ave
Memphis, TN 38104

Neighborhood: Midtown/Central

+1 901 278 1199

This Midtown restaurant is especially popular at lunch, when the inexpensive buffet draws in the locals. On Fridays, get there early or be prepared to hunt for a parking space.

Decor:

The pleasant room is divided in two parts by a set of steps. Tasteful Indian art, including a spectacular elephant mural, adorns the walls.

On weekdays, this popular place is filled with customers from the University and local businesses. The Indian videos on the TV screens add to the ambiance.

Disabled access is available.

Average cost per person: $ 10.00 USD

11am-9pm Mon-Sat

Reservations are recommended