After asking for suggestions for things to do in Tennessee, quite a lot of the suggestions we received in the comments on that post and on Facebook were for places to eat, none more so than in Memphis.
We were therefore excited to try some of those restaurants and we weren’t disappointed. Here’s a list of 5 places to eat in Memphis that were recommended to us and that we loved.
1) Gibson’s Donuts
Several people recommended Gibson’s Donuts and it’s easy to see why. Shae and I visited on our final morning in Memphis and happened to mention to the guy serving us that we’d never tried Gibson’s Donuts before.
With a chorus of “Oh snap” from several people working there, the person serving us disappeared out back. It turns out he was on the hunt for plain glazed donuts for us to try, but they were still working on the next batch.
Instead, he grabbed a couple of glazed buttermilk donuts, heated them quickly in the microwave and handed one to each of us to try for free. Shae and I aren’t normally fans of cake donuts, but these were incredible as they were so light and fluffy – like a cross between cake donuts and pound cake.
They had a bunch of tasty-looking donuts, so we ordered two each. Shae got a chocolate glazed and a peppermint one…
…while I got an apple fritter and maple bacon donut.
All of these were delicious and the staff members were all fantastic, so we’d highly recommend visiting Gibson’s Donuts.
Address
Gibson’s Donuts, 760 Mt Moriah Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
2) The Bar-B-Q Shop
The Bar-B-Q Shop wasn’t originally on our list, but we met up with a couple we’d met in Vermont earlier this year and they recommended it, mentioning that they offer BBQ spaghetti. BBQ spaghetti sounded a little weird, but we love trying random foods, so we figured we’d give it a try.
It wasn’t a mistake.
We got a platter with several different meats and a serving of the BBQ spaghetti and it was all excellent. The BBQ spaghetti in particular was far more tasty than we’d been expecting and seemed like it’d be excellent comfort food.
Truffles agreed, as she spent our entire lunch staring longingly up at our food. Don’t worry, she got to sample a lot of it 😉
Address
The Bar-B-Q Shop, 1782 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
3) Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
A few doors down from Gibson’s Donuts is Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. I can see why it’s world famous as their fried chicken is great and was very spicy – something we weren’t expecting.
I completely forgot to get photos of our meal though, so here’s a photo of their restaurant instead! It’s cute inside and it was a good indication of how good the food was going to be when I arrived to pick up our order and the entire restaurant was full.
Address
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, 730 S Mendenhall Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
4) Central BBQ
The Bar-B-Q Shop wasn’t the only place we ate BBQ, as we also ate at Central BBQ after visiting the National Civil Rights Museum. A friend had recommended it, specifically noting that it was worth trying their BBQ nachos.
Shae and I were both interested in trying that out, so we got an order of that and an order of beef brisket and shared them.
I really enjoyed the BBQ nachos, while the brisket was nice and tender. We also ordered banana pudding which was equally tasty.
Address
Central BBQ, 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
5) Huey’s
There are several Huey’s locations around Memphis and they’re known for their burgers. We met up there for lunch with the friend who’d suggested Central BBQ and she didn’t steer us wrong with Huey’s either.
Shae ordered a side of fried pickles and I decided to try one even though I’m not normally a fan. I’m glad I did as they were the best fried pickles I’ve ever had. There was a nice thick, crunchy coating on them and they tasted lovely, so much so that I ended up helping Shae by eating about half of them. I was so preoccupied with eating them that I didn’t remember to take a photo until there were only a few left.
For my entree I ordered a Bluff City Burger which comes topped with BBQ sauce, onion straws and bacon with a side of onion rings. The onion rings were enormous and very onion-y; the entire meal was so filling that I couldn’t finish my last onion ring.
Address
Huey’s Poplar, 4872 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38117
Question
Those were 5 places we ate in Memphis that we loved, but is there anywhere else you’d recommend to eat in Memphis in case we ever return? Let us know in the comments below.
Cyndy Storm says
Charlie Vergoes Rendez Vous is really good. I went there years ago on a work related trip and the company took us there for a fabulous dinner. A few years later, my husband and I were in Memphis for two nights but woudn’t you know, the place is closed on Sundays and Mondays…. as are many restaurants. I was glad to see they are still around, so we need to go back and plan better.
stephen says
That’s the worst when you miss out on stuff like that due to them being closed. I’ve added that restaurant to our list in case we ever return.
Cathy says
I second the Rendez Vous. It IS a tourist draw, but it’s a true “rib joint” (I was born in Memphis some 51 years ago!). You get the real experience, and a lot of the servers have been there since they were teenagers. The sausage and cheese plate is a MUST. And buy the dry rub to make your own later!
stephen says
Now you’re both wanting me to go back!
Gina says
The Grille
Chef Tam’s Underground
Mahogany
Are great places to visit as well
stephen says
Thanks – we’ll add those to our list for if & when we return to Memphis 🙂
Scott Dean says
Uncle Lou’s fried chicken with sweet spicy love sauce
stephen says
Thank you – I’ve added that to our list too 🙂
Joe Euell says
KC’S Southern fried rice I gurantee you’re never had rice this good before.
stephen says
I love fried rice, so I’ll have to give it a try the next time we’re in Memphis – thanks for the suggestion!
Kc Wise says
Broadway Pizza on Broad..
Order the Broadway special.
Its not really a pizza its like 5 meat and cheeses on a square crust…
Dont expect what you think a pizza should be
stephen says
Lots of meat on a pizza always sounds good.
Trena says
Try Cozy Corner’s bbq ribs, you won’t regret it!
stephen says
Another one to add to our list when we return – thanks!
John V. Dowtin IV says
Elwood’s Shack
The Cupboard
Fat Larry’s
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue
Bryant’s Breakfast
Dino’s Grill
Flight
Tsunami
Chef Tam’s Underground
Neely’s Interstate Barbecue
The Commissary
Aldo’s
Little Italy
Milano’s Pizza
Mortimer’s
Wally Hatchet’s
stephen says
Wow, thanks for all those suggestions – looks like we’ve got a lot of eating to do the next time we’re in Memphis!
Robert Wiley says
Hattie Bs Chicken is the best Chicken in Town and Cozy Corner has the best Ribs and BBQ in Memphis
stephen says
Thanks for the suggestions. Hattie B’s was on our list for when we were there before, but we didn’t have time to eat there in the end. Someone else had suggested Cozy Corner too, so it sounds like that’s a must-visit place as well.
Robert says
Rendez Vous is overrated you want the best go to Cozy Corner
stephen says
Hopefully we’ll have a chance to check out both 🙂
Lee Denton says
You got it right with the original 5. I’ve lived here for 20 years, and the 5 you list are the best. Thank you for focusing on the best and not the newest trendy place.
Eric says
Hattie B’s is fine, but it’s Nashville not Memphis. Gus’s and Uncle Lou’s are both better.
Your list was about as good a first 5 places as I’d recommend – everything else mentioned here is worth visiting (Hattie B’s isn’t bad, it’s just far enough down the list). The Grille and KC’s Rice are two little known hole in the wall places that are just incredible and shockingly great.
stephen says
Thanks for those additional tips – we’ll hopefully get to check those out the next time we’re in Memphis.