required reading: hellhound on his trail by hampton sides
downtown
where i drink
- ernestine & hazel’s: used to be a brothel, beer and fireball only, great jukebox, soul burgers will change your life
- bardog: home of the breakfast shot, favorite for locals
- silky’s: beale st, famous for “buckets”, live music/dancing, bar food, they have goats for some reason
- jerry lee lewis’: beale st, live music, bar
- kings palace cafe: beale st, live music, bar, outside sitting area
- blind bear: speakeasy, pool tables
- flying saucer: lots of different beers, pool tables, darts, bar food
- ghost river brewing co.: south main area, great beers, have games like jenga, guess who, and connect four, food trucks
- loflin yard: indoor/outdoor concept, fires in the fall, games to play outside, waterfall in the middle
- carolina watershed: built inside an old watershed, smaller than loflin, good for brunch but kinda annoying because the drinks are small
where i eat
- gray canary: upscale, really great food, mostly seafood/oysters, south main area
- catherine & mary’s: italian, a little pricey, awesome food, south main area
- majestic: downtown memphis staple, great for brunch, lunch, or dinner, main street area
- gus’s fried chicken, south main area
- south main market (an indoor open market concept with different food/coffee/drinks to try)
- south main sushi: pretty good sushi with a good atmosphere, can sit at the bar, inside, or outside; their take on the moscow mule is really fresh
- aldo’s pizza: amazing pizza, good wine and beer selection, great for delivery or to sit outside and people watch, main street area
- flying fish: really good catfish, oysters
where i get coffee
- bluff city coffee
- cafe keough
fun things to do
- national civil rights museum tour
- peabody hotel lobby to see the ducks/get a cocktail at the bar
- south main book juggler
- st. jude children’s research hospital tour
- memphis law school tour
- mud island (go for a walk along the ms river, have a cocktail on the river inn rooftop for great view, get nails done at nail bar, check out miss cordelia’s which now has a bar)
- sun studios tour
- stax museum tour
where i shop
- stock & belle: really cute boutique in the south main area; good clothes and house stuff, men and women both like this store
- lansky’s (in the peabody hotel)
midtown
where i eat
- molly’s la casita: awesome mexican food; get the half and half margarita
- the second line: nola-inspired cuisine, good cocktails, fun atmosphere, in a little house looking building in the overton square area
- young ave deli: pool tables, darts, good beer and wine selection, something for everyone food-wise
- beauty shop: ideal for girls’ brunch
- babalu: tacos, good margaritas,
- boscos squared: something for everyone; good beer selection
- soul fish: delicious fish plates, po boys, and other seafood; the vegetables are insanely fresh
where i drink
- wiseacre brewing co
- alchemy: great cocktails and small plates; more for girls than guys in my experience
- celtic crossing: quintessential irish pub; one of my favorite spots
- railgarten: similar to loflin yard and carolina watershed; indoor/outdoor concept; great for watching games on TV; they have an outdoor volleyball court
where i get coffee
- otherlands: quirky coffee shop in the heart of midtown, bagel sandwich thing is my favorite, their cold brew is on point
- muddy’s grindhouse: cupcakes, cakes, and coffee, good place to study
- cafe eclectic: really good for breakfast
fun things to do
- overton park (walking, golfing, dog park)
- burke’s book store in cooper young
- xanadu record store
- house of muse: you can see cats sleeping in the window
- rhodes college
- studio on the square for a movie
- pink palace museum
- brooks museum
- memphis zoo
favorite bookstore: burke’s books
