Louisville, Memphis, and Nashville-Do’s, Don’ts & a

We make an annual trek down to Nashville in August for my wife’s family reunion which involves mounds of soul food and could be documented in a totally separate post just for the variety of pies involved. During the past few years we’ve encountered a few good places and a few that were shockingly bad. This year we made a special trip to Memphis to see Graceland. Neither of us are huge Elvis, fans but strictly wanted to see the spectacle of it and were not disappointed. So here goes.

Nashville Do’s

Jacks BBQ-I’ve sampled the ribs, pork shoulder and brisket at the Broadway location. All very respectable, not mush and served with multiple choices of regional sauces. Decent atmosphere and decent sides. Worth stopping if you are in the area.

Swett’s
Straight up soul food made with love. Catfish, fried chicken, greens, pig legs, hot water cornbread and daily specials. Very good. Close to Tennessee State U.

Nashville Don’t

Bar-B-Cutie
I know, I know. The name should have tipped me off but it was recommended by and in-law so I deferred. Boiled and baked ribs with sides so anemic and weak all we could do was look at each other in disgust and shake our heads. Words were not needed. The most offensive thing about this place was the stacks and stack of wood outside the restaurant. Upon closer inspection after my anger inducing meal the logs were wrapped in metal strapping and surrounded by moss and cigarette butts. Never touched. This made me sad. I wanted to free the wood and put it to good use in my own smoker.

Vittles
A traditional “meat and three” restaurant in the suburb of Brentwood. A rough translation of meat and three is southern home cooking or soul food for white folks. I had fried chicken so dry it’s not even worth hyperbole. A fair majority of the food might remind some of home if your mama is named SYSCO. No joke. Avoid at all costs.

Nashville Maybe
Corky’s BBQ
Decent ribs served both wet and dry. Smoked, acceptably toothsome bite, nice rub, good sauce, and decent sides. This is a mini chain based in Memphis and has a bit of an ugly corporate feel ala focus groups and guys named Bubba with blow dried hair, big grins and a handshake accompanied by a gently grab of the elbow so you know he’s for real. But the ribs are good.

Memphis
Rendezvous
This place is famous and frequented by both tourists and locals. Cool location off the alley in the basement and nice atmosphere. Everybody gets a free starter of red beans and rice. Good, but oddly sweet. Their ribs are grilled over charcoal and not smoked. Nice spice rub and good flavor, but dammit if my ribs weren’t dry. Cole slaw and baked beans were nice. I wanted to try a oft mention place called Cozy Corner but our baby and the car were having anger issues so we went here as it was convenient. Not bad, but a bit disappointing and not cheap. As most who have attempted the hobby of smoking meat know, you can typically make a much better product in your back yard with a little practice. (Thanks for the tips several years ago Gary!)

Louisville
Safier Mediterranean Deli
We could no longer take biscuits in any form and wanted food flavored with things other than salt, pepper, lard and smoke. Not that those are bad things, but you know. The food gods directed us to this place on the main drag on our way back to Chicago. Impeccably clean with a friendly owner who hails from Egypt. This food was like cold water on a hot day. Beef shawarma sandwich was outstanding, crispy and flavorful meat with both red and green pickles and a side of chunky red hot sauce. This is about the closest I’ve had to the perfect shawarma served at Abdul’s in Burnaby B.C. (suburb of Vancouver.) Wife got the vegetarian sampler with grapes leaves, hummos, tabouleh and mujadarah or rice and lentils cooked with cumin, cinnamon, yogurt and topped with crispy fried onion strips. All excellent and all made in-house with love. If you find yourself in Louisville, you could do much worse. As an aside there are some really beautiful old buildings in the old town area which look to date from 1850s and beyond.

Jack's Bar-B-Que
416 Broadway (Downtown in the District )
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 254-5715

Jack's Bar-B-Que
334 West Trinity Lane
(Historic Talbot's Corner)
Nashville, TN 37207
(615) 228-9888

Swett's Restaurant
(615) 329-4418
Address:
2725 Clifton Ave
Nashville, TN 37209

Rendezvous Restaurant
(901) 523-2746
52 S 2nd St
Memphis, TN 38103

Safier Mediterranean Deli
641 South 4th Street
Louisville, KY
585-1125

Abdul BBQ & Shawarma
4500 Kingsway 1691, Burnaby, BC V5H2B1
(604) 431-9498

* as a disclaimer, I used to post as tony in the old chowhound days.

electric mullet wrote:... in a totally separate post just for the variety of pies involved.

A great informational post and something more to look forward to. I'm heading south to Memphis in October and will certainly consult this thread.

Thanks Tony and welcome to LTHforum!

Regards,

Cozy Corner in Memphis, which I did not try, but was recommended by a trusted source is known for their Cornish Hen.

Cozy Corner
745 N Parkway
901-527-9158
Memphis, TN

Let me add a couple more suggestions for Nashville & Louisville.

Nashville.

Hog Heaven. Great bar-b-que. A small stand across from the park with the replica of the Parthenon. I think there's one picnic table but most people take their 'que across to the park. They offer both red and white sauces but it's tribute to the meat that sauce isn't needed.

Loveless Cafe. A bit of a drive but this classic motor-court restaurant has down-home southern cooking that will bring a big smile to your face at the same time that it is clogging your arteries. Fried chicken, mashed potatos and bisquits in a time-tunnel like setting.

Sunset Grille. Just in case you long for nouvelle American and seared tuna.

Louisville.

Mayan Gypsy. One of my all time favorites. Maybe it's because it's the only place I've ever seen Xingu beer on the menu. But the Central American fusion works great. Don't pass up the lima bean side dish.

I've got a major don't for you in Memphis: Corky's. Worst BBQ you'll ever eat. I'd rather do Tony Roma's than eat their ribs again.

btw, Scott -- DFW did a couple days there and has some great reports:

http://www.dallasfood.org/modules.php?n ... cle&sid=15

http://www.dallasfood.org/modules.php?n ... cle&sid=35

electric mullet wrote:This year we made a special trip to Memphis to see Graceland. Neither of us are huge Elvis, fans but strictly wanted to see the spectacle of it and were not disappointed.

"But there's a pretty little thing Waiting for the King Down in the Jungle Room"

electric mullet wrote:Memphis
Rendezvous
This place is famous and frequented by both tourists and locals. Cool location off the alley in the basement and nice atmosphere. Everybody gets a free starter of red beans and rice. Good, but oddly sweet. Their ribs are grilled over charcoal and not smoked. Nice spice rub and good flavor, but dammit if my ribs weren’t dry. Cole slaw and baked beans were nice. I wanted to try a oft mention place called Cozy Corner but our baby and the car were having anger issues so we went here as it was convenient. Not bad, but a bit disappointing and not cheap. As most who have attempted the hobby of smoking meat know, you can typically make a much better product in your back yard with a little practice. (Thanks for the tips several years ago Gary!)

I've been to Memphis many times and have a bunch of friends that live there. IMHO you will do VASTLY better for your BBQ dollar at Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ than at Rendezvous.

Bear in mind that there are several Interstate BBQ locations run by relatives. I am only vouching for the original location on Third Street. (a.k.a. Hwy 61).

My favorite menu item there is the pork sandwich (chopped). I'm also partial to their "novelty" item - BBQ Spaghetti - it's better if you mix in a little extra chopped pork.

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ
2265 S. Third Street
Memphis, TN 38109
901-775-2304

Near Nashville:

Carl's Perfect Pig
4991 Highway 70
White Bluff, TN 37187
615-797-4020

Great ribs and excellent moist, tender pulled pork with a vinegary sauce. Warning: They cook over gas. It's one of those places where the sauce reigns supreme (and its very good).

In Memphis, I find both Rendevous and Corky's to be tourist traps.

I go to Memphis fairly often with family, and have been to Rendezvous countless times (10+? ...lets just say my family likes it and they're not quite as adventurous). I was just there in May for the "Memphis In May Barbeque Festival...

Rendezvous is one of those quirky institutions that has so many quirks its interesting. You get to the place by walking down an alley. There is a huge upstairs, but nobody eats there its only for waiting and drinking beer. You eat downstairs in the basement. The place is old as can be. The lights flicker when the bartender washes his glasses. The waitors have been there for all of their life--literally--and many are 2nd generation and their parents worked there all of their life. There are no reservations, and you usually wait an hour to get a table. The ribs are done in the basement, and if you want you could get a pretty good peek at how they're done. The service is hit or miss depending on who you have. There's one or two guys who are always bitchy, and another few who are really nice. I was amazed at the waitors who don't actually write anything down, and can take an order of 12 or 15 people completely by memory.

One of the favorite things we always have while waiting is a cheese and sausage plate. its pretty simple, but good... cheddar cheese cubes, sausage, dill pickles all sprinkled with dry rub. I also was going to add to electric mullet's comments about getting red beans and rice while you wait... Not sure what this is all about, but any time i've ever been there they've never given this to us... and I can't really remember the tables around us getting red beans and rice free as a starter.


The ribs are generally pretty good... its a dry rub style with sauces on the side... slaw is slightly spicey.




this last time I went I noticed that the menu has gotten to look slightly commercialized, with the waitors pictures on it in cartoonesque ways. but not much else had changed, and the the food was still good.

yes you can probably get better BBQ in memphis, but this place is a must-visit for its character.

...

also, regarding the nashville recommendation of Corky's... why not go to the original in Memphis? Corky's is a chain (with a location or two in Illinois even now), but the "original" is still slightly better...

This is in a suburb of Louisville. Best ribs I've ever eaten (and be sure to order the fried corn on the cob for a side):

Mark's Feed Store Bar-B-Q
11422 Shelbyville Rd
Middletown, KY 40243-1306
(502) 244-0140

Carol,

Could you describe what a fried corn on the cob may be like?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Carol,

Could you describe what a fried corn on the cob may be like?

Regards,

I can't speak for how it is done in Louisville, but we used to bread it in a cornmeal batter and deep fry it. It was pretty popular (and was suprisingly good. We used frozen corn on the cob as it was on our menu year around..

Mark's Feed Store, in my opinion, is somewhat like Uncle Bub's in the Downers Grove area, Kinda bland but consistently ok, not great. For great Memphis style BBQ, you need to go just to the East, Southeast of the airport there. Place is called Peppershakers BBQ and Chili. I was down there for Thunder Over Louisville this past April, which...if you like fireworks...it's the largest anual display in the world, and on my search for BBQ, I happened upon this place. I spoke to the owner who said between August and October, they would have their website up and running. Should be www.peppershakers.com. Don't click for link!
You can check out Thunder's website at http://www.thunderoverlouisville.org/. Click for link!
Drop me a line, I go every year!

ChiNOLA wrote:I've been to Memphis many times and have a bunch of friends that live there. IMHO you will do VASTLY better for your BBQ dollar at Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ than at Rendezvous. Bear in mind that there are several Interstate BBQ locations run by relatives. I am only vouching for the original location on Third Street. (a.k.a. Hwy 61).

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ
2265 S. Third Street
Memphis, TN 38109
901-775-2304

Agreed! And not only does it have better BBQ, but it has better staff, better atmosphere, better menu, better, better, better. And Neely's, too, which is run by relatives has good BBQ. For Kansas City BBQ lovers, and Chicago for that matter, visiting Memphis often leaves something to be desired. That something is smoke. Most places, use charcoal, and if any wood smoke is being added to the mix, it's at the very end. But both Interstate and Neely's use hickory in their BBQ.

During a short trip to Memphis a couple of years ago, I went with co-workers to Corky's and I loved the ribs and pulled pork. The ribs and pork were nice and smoky and the ribs had a good bite. However, I do know that Corky's is franchised with 15-20 locations so I suspect that their quality depends on the location visited. But as far as I know, they have only one location in Memphis and that was the one I visited.

trixie-pea wrote: And Neely's, too, which is run by relatives has good BBQ.

You're right, trixie-pea, I was confiused - the other locations run by Jim Neely's relatives are called Neely's BBQ, not Interstate BBQ.

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ on Third St. is the original.

I've also been to A&R BBQ over closer to the airport - it is very similar stylistically to Interstate, but not quite as good IMHO.

A&R BBQ
1802 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Memphis
(901) 774-7444

BR wrote: I went with co-workers to Corky's and I loved the ribs and pulled pork. The ribs and pork were nice and smoky and the ribs had a good bite. However, I do know that Corky's is franchised with 15-20 locations so I suspect that their quality depends on the location visited. But as far as I know, they have only one location in Memphis and that was the one I visited.

yes, they only have one in memphis proper... on poplar. That's also the original. (though i guess there's one at the airport that's also in memphis, but that's a quasi-location anyway) ... the others are are franchised... my sister who lived in memphis for 5 years claims that the others aren't as good as the original.

http://www.corkysbbq.com/location.htm

(btw, the closest one to here is the one in springfield IL i think... which isn't tooo far)

I've eaten at several of the Corky's franchises, most recently in Knoxville. If you are standing in front of it, and you are hungry, by all means eat there. And, frankly, these places are often in the sprawl competing with bad Outback copies, TGIFs and Olive Gardens, in which case it's a no-brainer lesser evil. A better approximation to the original than Uno franchises, for sure, but not too close to the "real thing."

I found Interstate's bbq spaghetti sort of strange, in the same way that I found Cincinatti chili 5-way strange.

But what I *really* liked of his was the sausage. Man, that's SOME sausage: dense and rich and smoky and chewy.

I initially drove by the place on another quest, but I caught site of the concrete blocks and smelled the smoke at the same time, u-turned, and roared back there. "What are you DOING?" TODG screeched. "Looky that BBQ!" I exclaimed.

Sure glad I did.

It ain't KC, but it's still all good.

Geo

Geo wrote:I found Interstate's bbq spaghetti sort of strange, in the same way that I found Cincinatti chili 5-way strange.

But what I *really* liked of his was the sausage. Man, that's SOME sausage: dense and rich and smoky and chewy.

The BBQ spaghetti at Interstate IS kinda strange - a bit too sweet for my taste really, but with extra pork mixed in it's still really good, IMHO. It's something that I only eat at Interstate.

I've never tried the sausage there, but I will the next time I'm in Memphis on your rec. - thanks for the tip!

Cathy2 wrote:Carol,

Could you describe what a fried corn on the cob may be like?

Regards,

The waiter explained that it is simply a (husked) ear of corn that's submerged in boiling oil in the deep fryer for about 3 minutes. I avoided ordering it, thinking it would be batter-dipped, dripping in grease, etc....just didn't appeal. But after a second order of ribs, I thought "what the heck?" and went for it. It's delicious. (Not dipped in batter.) The kernels look a bit browned around the edges, but the sweetness really comes to the fore. Not at all greasy.

I realize this may be heresy to say, but I've had Memphis BBQ and could take or leave it. Mostly leave it, I guess; I like the Ky version better. But then, I wonder how Dave's Famous BBQ stays in business, too.

before i went to memphis i stumbled across this guide. it provided some great reading and historical places i probably would have never been to. i think its put together by a local record store and i found it to be a good resource for making a great trip. its got a hipster type feel but covers every gamet of memphis including food, nightlife, odd historical places, shopping, and a bunch of stuff i probably forgot. its well worth the 4 dollars i think it costs. we were able to have a great 2 bbq pork sandwich w mustard relish meal at a converted garage for less than 5 dollars. sorry, the name of the place escapes me!
http://www.shangrilaprojects.com/kreature.php
happy travelin!
glenn

Hi,

I learned 72 miles out of Memphis is Clarksdale, Mississippi, which was home to many musicians and blues artists. The local barbershop where many went is now a museum. Morgan Freeman is their current best known resident who has a restaurant there called Madidires.

This town might be worth a stop on a grand southern tour.

Regards,

Memphis is my family's home, has been since the late 19th century, and as I'm there about every three months I'm pretty familiar with the dining options.

bmwr65ls, the converted garage where you had your barbecue sandwich is Payne's. I've been going there since I was a little kid, and when it's good it's really good.

Payne's Bar-B-Q
1762 Lamar
(901) 272-1523

Interstate is good too, either in its location on S. Third or its kiosk in the airport. Barbecue spaghetti is worth trying, but only here. Speaking of Italian/barbecue combinations, you'll find barbecue pizza at a few places in town, topped with the chopped pork shoulder meat that we simply call "barbecue". It's at Pete & Sam's, an Italian-American restaurant that could only be called the Myron and Phil's of Memphis.

Pete & Sam's
3886 Park
(901) 458-0694

I'm surprised that Gus's Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken hasn't been mentioned yet. The chicken is not greasy at all, but not dry, and needs no sauce at all, making it a refreshingly different preparation from the soggy Harold's we're used to. It goes extremely well with fried green tomatoes or their seasoned fries. The original location is a tumbledown shack 30 miles outside of Memphis in a little town called Mason, but there are also two satellites closer in: one downtown and one in the suburb of Bartlett.

Gus's Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken
520 U.S. Highway 70
Mason, TN
(901) 294-2028
also: 310 S Front St, Memphis (901-527-4877) and 2965 N. Germantown Rd, Bartlett (901-373-9111)

The Cozy Corner, for all the foodie press it gets, isn't anything special. Skip Corky's (its East Memphis location, situated near a Mercedes dealership and a Whole Foods Market, should tip you off to its barbecue mediocrity) and Central Bar-B-Q. Meh.

If you are in Olive Branch, which is somewhere outside of Memphis, I had excellent fried catfish here:

http://memphismenusonline.com/olive_bra ... -food.html

I am looking forward to 3 days in Memphis this weekend armed by the information in many threads. This one seem to have the most (and most various) recommendations.

Right now I am planning stops at Payne's and Morris Grocery for pork sandwiches and Central BBQ and one of the Neely outposts for ribs (maybe a comparison of wet and dry). I also have Gus's Fried chicken down on the list for a little variety.

There hasn't been a mention of soul food down that way but a Memphis native at work says there is a fair amount of it (though he's been gone long enough that he can't remember specific places to recommend).

I welcome any other recommendations or more recent Memphis intel than the many existing mentions.

Well, I'm back to report on my trip. This seems to be the most varied repository for Memphis recommendations and accounts (others focus more on BBQ) apart from Mike G's highly recommended travelogue which really stands on its own.

I was in town to visit a friend doing a one month rotation at St. Jude's. The medical center dominates the northern portion of the downtown area. This is where we were based. Aside from Morris Grocery, nothing was more than about 5 miles away and trips took 10 minutes or less. Memphians like pig:



Because of this, I set off thinking I was going to get my fill of blues and cue, but discovered something unexpected - soul.

I headed straight to the furthest location at Morris Grocery, lovingly described here.



This was the best barbecue of the trip. I say this knowing that this sandwich was pretty good, bordering on very good. I am no barbecue aficionado, but nothing I had in Memphis blew my mind. What might have set this apart was the healthy dose of bark and smokey flavor. I didn't grab a picture, but a smokehouse out back was clearly emitting a streams. Morris Grocery reminds me of a large, empty bait shack that happens to serve barbecue. The descriptions in the other thread of encroaching suburbia are right on. From Google Maps, I would have assumed that this place was in the middle of nowhere, but palatial estates and some more cookie-cutter subdivisions have inched closer to what must have been a fairly rural spot until the last 15-20 years or so.

Dinner that night was at Interstate BBQ (mentioned above and elsewhere).



This 22 oz cup was full of Sprite. It cost $1.50. It was refilled repeatedly. This generosity is the best I can say about the place. We got bbq nachos which was a combination of barkless (seemingly smokeless) pulled pork with sweet sauce and the always-abhorrent processed cheese food product, nacho cheese. This was the best thing I ate all night, but it was not good. I pushed past nacho cheese which normally repels me, probably out of hunger. I ordered the ribs plate. I don't know that I have any meat Jell-o since I first read the term here, but here was it's very epitome. Mushy, lukewarm, sauced cat food. I left half my plate. Cole slaw was sweet and weepy. Barbecued baked beans seemed tired. I don't think I like wet ribs as a style (or these were overly sauced). I knew I owed it to Memphis to try them again at another place with little or no sauce, but this meal basically turned me off of ribs for the rest of the trip.

The next morning drew us to Alcenia's restaurant close to the hospital. This was written up on Roadfood and apparently had been visited by Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives as well as one of the Rachel Ray shows. So the word was certainly out about this place, but only one other diner was there when we walked in at 10 AM. Memphis was playing that morning in the Conference USA championship, which might have had something to do with it. The other diner said he drives in from Arkansas for this breakfast, so we felt like we were in the right place:



The space was light, bright and welcoming. The only two people on staff were the owner who hugged us warmly before we sat down and another cook/server. Nothing was pre-cooked so my fried chicken took over half an hour to prepare. I knew this going in and didn't really mind: we had time, and it was very good:



I don't know if lack of plates is a thing here, but all the breakfasts were served in styrofoam. The chicken was fried perfectly, very crisp skin, moist leg and thigh and not in the least bit greasy. I can only assume this was pan-fried. The fried grean tomatoes were also very good. The biscuit was a little dry, but better than most I've had. My friend got the salmon croquettes which the owner said was from her grandmother's (Alcinea's) recipe. It was also very good and brought to mind the salmong patties my Ashkenazi grandmother fried up for me in my youth. We joked jovially about different cultures but similar fried fish. This was my only chance to hit this place on my trip, but I gladly would have returned for dinner. A very good meal that did not leave me feeling heavy despite the emphasis on the fried.

This was brunch and dinner didn't come until the late afternoon. We tried to go to Payne's BBQ for pulled pork sandwiches but the location closest to downtown was closed (it was only later that I found out there was another one, further south, that kept later hours on Saturday). Failing there, we continue on to A&R BBQ. I got a small sandwich with spicy slaw and a hot link with spicy slaw. The sandwich was perfectly fine, coated in the sweet sauce but lacking the extra smoke flavor and bark texture of Morris Grocery. The hot link was more flavorful, but nothing too special. I only later thought that I might have been able to request ends or bark.

On the way home, we grabbed some pies from The Cupboard a meat and threes family style restaurant with a couple of locations. The icebox lemon pie was a good balance of sweet and tart with a flaky crust. The Sweet Potato Pie was too sweet for my tastes.

Breakfast the next morning on the way to Graceland was to Brother Juniper's a place recommended by a technician at the hospital. This was closer to the University and was a slightly yuppier place than we had yet been. Still, my breakfast sandwich of fried egg and sausage on a biscuit reminded me of what the Egg McMuffin wants to achieve. This was a very tasty beginning to the day. I also got a side of banana bread which was moist and good. Snagged some of my friend's fried potatoes and omelet which were also well done renditions.

Dinner that night was to another locally recommended, newer place - Soulfish. They specialize in fried catfish and other Southern/soul specialties. This was in a more gentrified area of town and the decor reflected it. The food was spot on, and with one exception, excellent. We sat at the counter with a good view of the food coming out of the Soulfish window:



Most of what came out was catfish related. But this order was the choose any 3 veggies. There were about a dozen to choose from. I wound up ordering the fried catfish, but almost audibled to get some smoked chicken. I chose cajun cabbage as a side (basically sauteed and steamed, served with sliced andouille in a sweetened, vinegary sauce) along with hush puppies and black eyed peas instead of fries:


The catfish and hush puppies excellent. The black eyed peas were woefully underseasoned.

My friend ordered blackened catfish tacos with pickled green tomatoes. I was pretty skeptical about the tacos, but they were also very good - almost as good as my fried catfish. The pickled tomatoes were a bit tarter than my cabbage, but both were good. This was another place I would highly recommend.

My last morning, I hit the venerable Arcade Restaurant (purported to be the oldest in Memphis) on South Main Street.



As Mike points out in his post, this is directly across from the train station. They were happy to improvise a breakfast sandwich similar to the one I had at Brother Juniper's and, it too was good, although the biscuit at Juniper's was a little lighter and moister. I also had a side of their sweet potato pancakes which were sweet enough without the syrup. Crispy edges, pillowy middle, these were good dessert-for-breakfast pancakes.

Arcade interior:


All in all, I ate well in Memphis. I found the meals all to be eminently reasonable. The most expensive bill for two was just over $30 at Soulfish. I wanted to get to Central BBQ but could not quite fit it in. This and Payne's were the ones I missed with regrets. Still, I found some very good eateries that I would happily return to - Alcinea's, Morris Grocery, Brother Juniper's, Soulfish. Consider these if you're making the trip.

Morris Bar-B-Que (Morris Grocery)
10601 Macon Rd.
Eads, Tennessee 38028
(901) 755-5804

Interstate Barbecue
2265 S 3rd St
Memphis, TN 38109
(901) 775-2304

Alcenia's
317 N. Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 523-0200
(TUE-FRI 11:00 am-5:00 pm / SAT 8:00 am-1:00 pm)

A & R BBQ
1802 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Memphis, TN 38106
(901) 774-7444

Brother Juniper's College Inn
3519 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111
(901) 324-0144

The Cupboard
1400 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 276-8015‎

Soulfish Cafe
862 South Cooper
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 725-0722

Arcade Restaurant
540 S Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 526-5757

My trip to Orlando is going to take me through Nashville. THis will be our stopping off point/almost halfway point, and we are going to spend the night(or at least a cat nap in a motel) there. I am looking for any rec's for something close to the interstate (I-24), that will still be serving dinner at 9:00 p.m.ish, & has to have a full bar.

Steaks, local spots, maybe even bbq(although I will probably bbq'd out a little after this weekend) are all ok.


thanks.

gastro gnome wrote:
I headed straight to the furthest location at Morris Grocery, lovingly described here.



This was the best barbecue of the trip. I say this knowing that this sandwich was pretty good, bordering on very good. I am no barbecue aficionado, but nothing I had in Memphis blew my mind. What might have set this apart was the healthy dose of bark and smokey flavor. I didn't grab a picture, but a smokehouse out back was clearly emitting a streams. Morris Grocery reminds me of a large, empty bait shack that happens to serve barbecue. The descriptions in the other thread of encroaching suburbia are right on. From Google Maps, I would have assumed that this place was in the middle of nowhere, but palatial estates and some more cookie-cutter subdivisions have inched closer to what must have been a fairly rural spot until the last 15-20 years or so.

I'm so glad to see Morris Grocery getting some LTH love, I missed the original thread on this! One of my favorite spots ever, I 15th the glowing endorsements. Definitely a must-stop when in Memphis.

jimswside wrote:My trip to Orlando is going to take me through Nashville. THis will be our stopping off point/almost halfway point, and we are going to spend the night(or at least a cat nap in a motel) there. I am looking for any rec's for something close to the interstate (I-24), that will still be serving dinner at 9:00 p.m.ish, & has to have a full bar.

Steaks, local spots, maybe even bbq(although I will probably bbq'd out a little after this weekend) are all ok.


thanks.

gettin close to my visit, any rec's?

Or will I be stuck eating at a chain in Nashville, and posting pics of that.