5 Local Gem Restaurants in Memphis, Tennessee that Serve the Best Food Ever

Memphis is rightfully famous for its BBQ. But if that’s all you’re eating when you visit, you’re missing out on a food scene that spans continents, decades, and some truly wild restaurant concepts. The best local gems here are the places Memphians go when they’re not putting on a show for tourists.

Here are five spots that prove Memphis is so much more than ribs and pulled pork.

1. The Beauty Shop

Set in a 1950s beauty salon (formerly Priscilla Presley’s curl-and-dye spot), this Cooper-Young restaurant serves inventive American cuisine beneath hooded Belvedere hair dryers. The original mint green wash basins now serve as sinks behind the hand-built tiger maple bar, the terrazzo floors are original, and glass brick stalls double as intimate booths. Equal parts camp, nostalgia, and seriously good food.

2. Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken

This hole-in-the-wall on Winchester Road earned its stripes on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but it still feels like a neighborhood secret. The Sweet Spicy Love sauce is legendary, the honey butter biscuits are transcendent, and Uncle Lou himself still walks the dining room telling stories and checking on guests. It’s just a few miles from the airport, making it the perfect first or last stop.

3. Hog & Hominy

Italian cooking with Southern roots on West Brookhaven Circle. This is where Memphis chefs eat on their nights off. The concept is simple: take the best of Italian technique and marry it with Southern ingredients. The result is food that feels both familiar and completely new. No pretense, just excellent food from people who clearly love what they do.

4. The Pop Spot

A newer addition to East Memphis, The Pop Spot brings Venezuelan and American dishes together in a pop art-decorated space. Venezuelan native Sylvia Leon and co-owner Franco Bordo have created something that gives off Midtown vibes in East Memphis. Think arepas alongside burgers, all in a space decked out with Warhol-style prints. It’s lively, colorful, and genuinely delicious.

5. Lucchesi’s Beer Garden

Often referred to as one of Memphis’ true hidden gems, this cozy neighborhood getaway is nestled between the historic neighborhoods of East Buntyn, Joffre, and High Point Terrace on Poplar Avenue. It’s the kind of place that feels like a secret garden in the middle of the city: the neighborhood bar you wish existed on your street.