Memphis Favorites

I get asked "What's your favorite place to eat?" a lot. This post is going to be a baseline for what I really enjoy at the moment in Memphis. As things change, I'll make new posts and try to give reasons for why I added new places, or removed old ones. I'm going to break it down into categories, since my favorite place to eat highly depends on what type of food I'm craving.

I'm going to start with my overall favorite restaurants right now in Memphis. After that, I'll break down some of the popular categories.

Overall 

1. Bayou - I've been going here since the late 90's and have never had a bad experience. The food is amazing and full of flavor. Some of my favorites are the hot wings, the crawfish po-boy, and the duck and sausage gumbo. The mainstays of the menu were recipes from original chef, Michael Cahal (who also had my favorite hot wing ever, at the long defunct Cafe Roux) who was trained under Paul Prudhomme, so you know they are legit. Local beers on tap, awesome patio when the weather is nice. 
2. Central BBQ - Pulled pork sandwiches are pretty much interchangeable and it's not hard to find a decent one in Memphis. That really means good bbq here comes down to ribs and other dishes besides pulled pork. Central does have good ribs, but probably not my favorite. Other menu items is where Central BBQ really shines. Although it's not a traditional hot wing, the smoked wet wings are probably my favorite chicken wing of all time. The nachos on freshly made house chips are by far my favorite nachos in Memphis. And the smoked sausage is amazing as well, coming either by the link or on the sausage and cheese platter. I frequent the Summer Avenue location, but I have been to all of them and they are equally good. 
3. Elwood's Shack - After my first experience at Elwood's, I almost never went back. I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be my favorite lunch spot. The reuben is my favorite sandwich, and the best reuben I've ever had. Anything with bbq here is good, but my favorite bbq dishes here are the sliders, quesadilla, and pizza. If you like fish taco's, Elwood's serves up HUGE tacos with steel-head trout that are amazing. The breakfast service here is also excellent and ranges from flaky biscuits to french toast and cinnamon rolls. 
4. Uncle Lou's - While everyone goes on and on about Gus's (and I admit, it's pretty good), I've always preferred Uncle Lou's. The meat is so tender, fried perfectly, and then dipped in the Sweet Spicy Love sauce (credit to Guy Fieri for coining that term). I get the 3 piece dark or mixed, but really you cannot go wrong with any chicken on the menu. This is NOT fried chicken like you've had anywhere else, so don't show up expecting KFC style chicken. 
5. Schweinhaus - I'd be lying if I said that having Krombacher Pils on tap didn't influence my decision here. But I also love the food here. I'm a huge fan of sausage, and Schweinhaus features a rotating selection of wurst. The jagerschnitzel is also really good, as are most of the sides and apps including bar frites and sauerkraut balls. I'd also recommend doing some barenjager shotski's. Love the atmosphere and communal seating here. 

Barbecue (I'm sure this will be controversial)

1. Central BBQ - You can't go wrong with any of the Central locations. My favorites are nachos on house chips, smoked wings (wet and hard), and smoked sausage (either by the link or in the sausage and cheese plate). The ribs are pretty decent, but I'd recommend wet over dry if you are going that route. The pulled pork salad with house dressing is also pretty good. 
2. Tops BBQ - If you want a pork sandwich on the cheap, this is the place to go. Get extra sauce and for sides go with crinkle fries or beans. They also have a really good cheeseburger that is made to order on the griddle. The best thing here to me is the pork sandwich with lots of that tangy sauce. 
3. Tom's Bar-B-Q - If you liked the flavor of the ribs at Rendezvous, you'll probably like Tom's ribs as well. Although, I'd recommend the rib tips over the ribs. Order them with sauce on the side unless you're fully prepared to get messy. Seasoned fries are usually my side of choice here. Tom's also serves Circle-B (local Memphis brand) smoked sausage sandwiches, which are a local Memphis product and probably my favorite all-time grilled/smoked meat item. 

Burgers

1. Dyer's (Beale Street only) - Hand's down my favorite Memphis burger. Thin patties fried in hundred year old grease. Who could ask for more? Any of the burgers are good, but I get the Filthy Diablo - a triple cheese burger with two more layers of polish sausage. That's 5 layers of meat if you're keeping count. 
2. Tie - Top's/Five Guys - Both of these places have good, thin burger patties, cooked right on the flat top. They are very similar in taste as well, and you can't go wrong with either of these places, although if you're visiting Memphis, go with Top's for the experience. Five Guys can be found in most cities. 
3. Huey's - The food is pretty consistent across all the locations across Memphis, but Huey's on Madison is probably my favorite atmosphere. They have a wide variety of burgers, of which the Bluff City Burger is probably my favorite (honorable mention - Senor Huey). I'm usually not a huge fan of thicker burgers, but Huey's does a good job of hitting the sweet spot without losing flavor.  

Fried Chicken

1. Uncle Lou's
2. Gus's
3. Jack Pirtle's

Breakfast

1. Bryant's
2. Elwood's Shack
3. Brother Junipers

Pizza

1. Milano's (Bartlett Blvd only)
2. Coletta's (South Parkway only)
3. Pyro's

Hot Wings 

1. Central BBQ
2. Bayou
3. Bosses