Restaurants in Memphis

For a city most often associated with pork barbecue and Elvis's famous fried peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches, Memphis has a surprisingly diverse restaurant scene. From escargot to étouffée and fajitas to focaccia, there's all manner of ethnic and gourmet fare around town. You'll also find plenty of barbecued ribs, fried pickles, purple-hull peas, butter beans, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes. And you might be surprised by the wealth of trendy restaurants you'd expect to encounter in any major metropolitan area. Drawing on influences from around the country and around the world, these New American and New Southern restaurants serve dishes so complex and creative that they often take a paragraph to describe on a menu.

Gourmet and ethnic foods aside, what Memphis can claim as its very own is slow-smoked, hand-pulled pork shoulder barbecue, to which you can add the spicy sauces of your choosing -- chili vinegar, hot sauce, whatever. If this doesn't appeal to you, then maybe Memphis's famous ribs will. These are cooked much the same way as the pork shoulder and come dry or wet -- that is, with the sauce added by you (dry) or cooked in (wet).

Beyond barbecue, Memphis is known for two other specialities:

If you’re looking for Mexican food in Memphis, and you SHOULD be, head to Summer Avenue. La Guadalupana (4818 Summer Ave.; tel. 901/685-6857) will treat you right with oversized bowls of chicken soup, as will a nearby food truck by the unique moniker Taqueria Express #5. At the corner of Summer Avenue and Perkins, they are slinging some of the best, cheapest tacos in town along with salty, savory birria for dipping. You can also find excellent consommé at Tacos Nganas, which has six locations across town and delivers fast for on-to-go munching. For dessert, head to La Michoacana (4091 Summer Ave.; 📞 901/555-1234) for popsicles that will dazzle with flavors like pineapple chile, rice pudding, and guava.

For big groups, Happy Mexican is a local chain that’s good for margaritas and chips and dip with locations downtown, in Germantown, and East Memphis (385 S. 2nd St.; 📞 901/529-9991), but the place locals frequent more than any other is El Porton: It’s cheap, fast, and reliable, in a shopping center between Midtown and East Memphis (3448 Poplar Ave.; 📞 901/452-7330).

If you want to venture a little farther, Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana will reward your effort. Situated on the cusp of Germantown and Cordova, this family-owned spot serves food you would find in Mexico City with a delicious array of tortas, carnitas, queso fresco (aka cheese) sandwiches, and fresh juices. Owner Jose (Pepe) Magallanes moved to Memphis from Mexico City in 1980 and opened the deli with his son in 2002. There’s a second location in East Memphis, at 6300 Poplar Ave., #115 (tel. 901/623-3882).

A little closer to downtown, you’ll also find Las Delicias (4002 Park Ave.; 📞 901/458-9264), again in a nondescript shopping center but this time near Audubon Park. There is not much in the way of ambience here—the glass-topped tables and wooden chairs look like they were left over from someone else’s dining room—but you’ll soon see why no one cares. They serve the dead-best guacamole in town with chips that are not only the best in town but perhaps the state.

Hot wings are also a specialty here. D’Bo’s is one wing favorite, but connoisseurs of the spicy snack-sized treat will also want to check out my personal favorite, Ching’s Hot Wings, at 1264 Getwell Rd. (tel. 914/743-5545); Mister P’s Buffalo Wings, at 4202 Hacks Cross Rd. (tel. 901/756-5242); and Crumpy’s Hot Wings on Highland, at 671 S. Highland St. (tel. 901/443-5857).