Living more than one-hundred miles from Memphis, I have not enjoyed many of the restaurants located there, but these are the best ones I have found.
Corky’s Ribs & BBQ is located in East Memphis, TN at 5259 Poplar Avenue (near White Station). Operating hours are: Sunday-Thursday from 10:45 am to 9:30 pm and on Friday-Saturday from 10:45 am to 10 pm. Corky’s is celebrating its 25th year in Memphis this year. Come celebrate at the “all you can eat” buffet on Wednesday from 10:45 am to 2:00 pm. Cost of the buffet is only $7.99 plus tax. BBQ is a wonderful Southern food and Corky’s knows how to do it right.
http://www.corkysmemphis.com/
The Cheesecake Corner owner Kevin Matthews knows how to create more than 100 different types of cheesecake. Twenty to thirty different slices of cheesecake are offered for sale each day. The Cheesecake Corner is located at 113 East G.E. Patterson Avenue in downtown Memphis.
http://www.discoverourtown.com/TN/Memphis/Shopping/173188.html
Back Yard Burgers is one of my favorite restaurants. Memphis has a couple of locations. One Back Yard Burgers restaurant is located at 3799 East Shelby Drive. Another location is at 1723 Union Avenue.
http://www.city-data.com/tn-restaurants/BACK-YARD-BURGERS-29.html
The Memphis Hard Rock Cafe opened in the late 1990’s. It is an amazing restaurant with a wonderful menu. Located at 315 Beale Street, the Hard Rock Cafe is easy to find. I recommend the legendary 10 oz burger.
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=37&MIBEnumID=3
Paulette’s in a wonderful restaurant in Memphis. I have experienced the pleasure of dining there only one time but it was something to remember. The Kahlua-Mocha parfait pie is amazing! It costs $7.50 and is worth every penny. This pie is also huge! Two or three people can have enough with this pie.
http://www.paulettes.net/
The Flying Fish is one of the best places I have ever consumed catfish. I am a catfish fanatic so that is why it made my list. The restaurant is fairly easy to find at 105 South 2nd Street in downtown Memphis. Prices are good and the food is better, it is a wonderful place to eat.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/50/540620/restaurant/Downtown/Flying-Fish-Memphis
It is important not to leave out places to eat breakfast. The Pancake Shop takes it one further step and offers its menu 24 hours a day. For less than $4.00 you can get eggs, sausage or bacon, hash browns, and biscuits or toast. Though the food can be somewhat greasy, this restaurant is worth the value. The Pancake Shop is located at 4838 Summer Avenue.
http://memphis.about.com/od/foodanddining/gr/pancakeshop.htm
I love BBQ and Memphis has another wonderful establishment that specializes in BBQ. Tom’s BBQ and Deli is located at 4087 New Getwell Road. Come have Baby Back Ribs for $19.99 or BBQ chicken for $8.99. Tom’s also offers deli sandwiches such as bologna, ham, chicken salad and more (and at only $3.79-3.89 each).
http://www.tomsbarbq.com/
El Chico Mexican Restaurant provides some wonderful Mexican food and has locations throughout the United States. The restaurant in Memphis is located at 3491 Poplar Avenue. I have eaten at an El Chico’s before but not in Memphis.
http://www.elchico.com/
Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant is located at 4970 Summer Avenue in Memphis. Do not judge a book by its cover. The food inside this restaurant is amazing. The owner takes the time to assist in all orders and it has a very personal, down home, family atmosphere.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55197-d470536-Reviews-Vietnamese_Lotus_Restaurant-Memphis_Tennessee.html