Best Restaurants in Memphis (2025)

Downtown’s Italian-meets-Southern standard-bearer from James Beard–nominated chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. Expect handmade pastas, Southern produce, and serious cocktails. Featured in Southern Living and praised by local critics for giving historic South Main a contemporary dining anchor.

Playful Italian-Southern cooking from the Catherine & Mary’s team, known for wood-fired pizzas, Southern vegetables, and oysters. Frequently recommended by Southern Living and Memphis publications for blending Italy’s pantry with Bluff City spirit.

Ben Smith’s Pacific Rim stalwart has defined Midtown dining since 1998 with a small-plates board that changes nightly and a seafood-focused menu. Lauded in Memphis Magazine readers’ polls and celebrated by the I Love Memphis blog for longevity and craft.

Karen Carrier’s midtown classic serves globally inspired plates in a former salon once frequented by Priscilla Presley. The setting is part of the story, but editors from Southern Living and Eater keep returning for the cooking and cocktails.

Chef Kelly English’s flagship brings French-Creole technique to Memphis classics in the Laurelwood space, with polished service and a deep wine list. Highlighted by Eater and respected by local critics for special-occasion dining with local flavor.

Open since 1946, this Soulsville landmark fed civil rights leaders and Stax musicians and still serves platters of fried catfish, turkey and dressing, and greens. Eater and Memphis Travel spotlight it as essential to understanding Memphis culture at the table.

Family-run since 1977, known for ribs, smoked Cornish hen, and barbecue bologna. Southern Living and other editors praise matriarch Desiree Robinson’s Hall of Fame legacy and the pit’s singular Memphis flavors.

A Midtown icon best known for dry-rub ribs and the city’s original barbecue spaghetti. Regularly cited by national and local writers, including Thrillist, for balancing tradition with a few Memphis-born inventions.

Handmade noodles, dumplings, and Asian-inspired cocktails anchor this South Main hit from chefs Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton. Recognized by Southern Living and honored in Memphis Magazine’s readers’ poll for best Asian fusion.

A social-enterprise food hall inside Crosstown Concourse where immigrant and refugee chefs cook the foods of home. Southern Living and NPR have highlighted its community impact and flavorful, affordable plates.

A humble counter with an outsized legacy, celebrated for its chopped pork sandwich crowned with electric-yellow mustard slaw. Garden & Gun and food historians point to Payne’s as essential Memphis barbecue.