Satisfy Your Comfort Food Craving with These Winning Memphis Dishes
Warm up with these decadent and soul-nourishing comfort food dishes from 10 Memphis restaurants. Put them on your culinary bucket list! Image: DCA
As temperatures drop and winter arrives, the cozy decadence of comfort food steadily takes the helm for weeknight and weekend dinner plans alike. Dig into this list of local Memphis favorites, where to-die-for dishes range from beautiful, buttery side dishes to sinful yet soulful entrΓ©es. Forget about the calories for the time being β the holiday season is ours to enrich and indulge!
10 Delicious Comfort Food Dishes in Memphis
The Second Line
2144 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38104Β β’Β (901) 590-2829
Hours: Open 7 days a week, 11 a.m. β until β¦
Order: BBQ shrimp, fried Gulf oyster poβ boy
Overton Squareβs Creole king, The Second Line, pairs traditional New Orleans-style cooking with Chef Kelly Englishβs culinary acclaim and Memphis-based Southern charm. A mini cast iron skillet is filled with barbecue shrimp simmered in a Worcestershire-heavy butter sauce that beckons for a dunk of crusty French baguette. You simply canβt go wrong with the poβ boy lineup, ranging from roast beef and fried oyster to a vegetarian mushroom debris with all the usual fixinsβ.
Folkβs Folly Prime Steak House
551 S Mendenhall Rd, Memphis, TN 38117Β β’Β (901) 762-8200
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Order: Filet with potatoes
With more than four decades of fine dining in the comfort of a converted East Memphis home, Folkβs Folly pairs fine dining and relaxed Southern hospitality all under one cozy roof. Consistently voted βMemphisβ Best Steakβ by a bevy of local publications, it is hard to beat a sizzling, butter-laden plate of filet mignon alongside a la carte sides of potatoes au gratin, twice-baked, shoestring and more β take your pick!
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Charlie Vergosβ Rendezvous
52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103Β β’Β (901) 523-2746
Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday; Tuesday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Order: Half-order of ribs with a down-home side
The customer service while dining in Downtownβs finest bustling basement is almost unbeatable, and the comfort of a half-slab of dry ribs with potato salad or baked beans takes you to an iconic place in the Memphian palate. Charlie Vergosβ Rendezvous delivers comfort in its consistency.
McEwenβs
120 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38103Β β’Β (901) 527-7085
Hours: Lunch is served Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner is served Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Closed Sunday
Order: Pan-seared Chilean sea bass with Shiitake mushroom risotto
Sophisticated yet approachable, McEwenβs is a mainstay off Main Street in Downtown Memphis, offering not only one of the best bourbon selections in town, but also an expansive menu of entrΓ©es and small plates with enriching ingredients throughout. Though it is a light and delicate fillet of fish, the Chilean sea bass packs a punch of serious umami-laden flavor. It is pan-seared with an orange-soy glaze to a perfect golden hue, then served over a creamy Shiitake mushroom risotto with sautΓ©ed spinach in a warm miso broth β¦ heaven.
Loflin Yard
7 W Carolina Ave, Memphis, TN 38103Β β’Β (901) 290-1140
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.Β
Order: Loflin hot chicken sandwich + sβmores
As if the community-backyard and fire pit-a-blazinβ atmosphere were not comforting enough, Loflin Yardβs kitchen specialties express Southern inspiration with an authentic taste and presentation. Try the Loflin hot chicken sandwich and fries with a craft beer or cocktail, served straight to your seat in the yard. And if near a fire pit β which shouldnβt be hard to come by β ask for a sack of sβmores ingredients to make your own dessert sandwich.
Hog & Hominy
707 W Brookhaven Cir, Memphis, TN 38117Β β’Β (901) 207-7396
Hours: Monday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Order: Thunderbird! Forty Twice! pizza
Neapolitan pizza is a centerpiece of Andy Ticer and Michael Hudmanβs Hog & Hominy, and its Southern-meets-Italian inspiration creates a nostalgic yet newfound comfort throughout the menu. The βThunderbird! Forty Twice!β pizza is completely addictive, pairing sweet and spicy flavors of Calabrese sausage and spicy honey.
Bounty on Broad
2519 Broad Ave, Memphis, TN 38112Β β’Β (901) 410-8131
Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Β
Order: Bounty ΓtouffΓ©e
This completely gluten-free establishment manages to make outstanding Southern-meets-new American food without skipping a beat. Bounty on Broadβs menu of shared plates immediately inspires a family-like table, and its dishes follow suit in satisfying the soul. The deconstructed Bounty ΓtouffΓ©e is impressive, bringing pan-seared Maine scallops and grilled head-on Gulf shrimp, aromatic curry leaf and harissa, matchstick okra and toothsome Arkansas rice grits together for a divine dinner.
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Lucky Cat
247 Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104Β β’Β (901) 633-0300
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Closed Monday and Tuesday
Order: Memphis barbecue bao + Tan Tan ramen bowl
When temperatures cool, what could possibly beat a piping hot bowl of authentic Japanese ramen? Husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Zach Nicholson of Lucky Cat Ramen are experts of every traditional ingredient of a ramen bowl, from the ajitama (soft-boiled, marinated egg) from Zachβs family farm chickens to the scratch-made pork bone broth that cooks the noodles to perfection. Memphis barbecue-style pulled pork is a popular choice to top either bao (steamed buns) or the flavorful ramen bowls.
South of Beale
361 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103Β β’Β (901) 526-0388
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Order: Duck fried rice + maple-bacon Brussels sprouts
South Mainβs gastropub South of Beale evolves its menu seasonally, but one satisfying small plate remains the same: duck fried rice, owner Ed Cabigaoβs rich duck confit recipe with five spice and a sunny-side-up egg, perfect for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch on the patio with a Bloody Mary. Add on a maple-bacon Brussels sprouts side for a savory-meets-sweet accompaniment you canβt beat.
Muddyβs Bake Shop
5101 Sanderlin Ave #114, Memphis, TN 38117Β β’Β (901) 683-8844
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Closed Sunday
Order: Anything, really.
Muddyβs Bake Shop has mastered baked-from-scratch Southern desserts with a whimsical, contemporary sensibility that has won a loyal local following. Whether cakes, pies, cupcakes, puddings or cookies, the shop is always pushing the envelope. Take it straight from the website: βScrumptious, sweet, gooey, fuzzy-feeling-inducing expressions of love, topped with sprinkles and extra helpings for good measure.β The epitome of comfort, no?
Now, head out to try one of these delicious comfort food dishes, and enjoy a satisfying meal!
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