Those visiting Memphis are guaranteed to show up with a list of must - doh that doubtlessly include Graceland Mansion , Sun Studio , the Stax Museum of American Soul Music , and other iconic Memphis music destinations . Go to those place . Please .
Memphians are proud of our musical inheritance , and we want tourists to get the full experience . But when it comes to solid food and night life , it ’s good to experience Memphis like a local . Here ’s a listing of obscure gems and off - the - pulsate - path locale that offer a unfeigned taste of Memphis – minus the foresighted lines and wait times .
Barbecue
Instead of : RendezvousGo to : Central BBQ
Everyone from former president George W. Bush to the Rolling Stones has ducked into the narrow Downtown alley that ’s home to Charlie Vergos ’ Rendezvous . And while we ’re not saying the ironical - hitch rib there are n’t downright delicious , there ’s also no doubt the plaza will be packed with sightseers from all over .
Instead , hit up any of key BBQ ’s three positioning – business district at 147 due east Butler , Midtown at 229 Central , or Berclair at 4375 Summer . This locally owned barbeque chemical chain features juicy , wet , or wry - rubbed ribs , saucy pulled pork sandwiches , even loaded barbecue nachos piled richly with pulled pork , ‘ cue sauce , cheese sauce , chopped high mallow , and jalapeños . Do n’t miss the crispy , kettle - panache homemade barbeque chips . And while you ’re there , stress a topically brewed beer from Memphis Made , Wiseacre , Ghost River , or High Cotton breweries .
Flickr/Brent Moore
Burgers
rather of : Huey’sGo to : Belly acre
Huey ’s , an award - deliver the goods Warren Earl Burger cafe with graffiti - covered walls and toothpicks lodged in the roof , is a hit for locals and tourists alike . It does have the advantage of multiple locations , and it does make a damn fine Warren Burger . But depending on the time of day , you ’ll more than in all probability be dealing with a brassy , crowded dining way .
For something a little different , try Belly Acres , a riotous - casual construct with a focus on using meats and produce grown on farms with sustainable growing practice . All 12 of their theme song burgers are made with grass - FRS beef , and there are three beefless burgers ( portabello mushroom , contraband - eyed pea , and lentil & caramelise onion ) useable for vegetarians . Warren Burger toppings grade from pickled collard greens , to pork belly , to jalapeño jam , to maple tomato ketchup . within , the place is designed to look like a farm , with a bright yellow crop duster suspended from the cap . In keeping with the sustainable subject , Belly Acres sport paries panelling and furnishings made from locally sourced , tame wood .
Central BBQ
Soul food
Instead of : Gus ’s Fried ChickenGo to : The Four Way
The story of Gus ’s humble rootage as a roadside chicken shack in Mason , TN ( just outside Memphis city limits ) is endear , and the spicy fry Gallus gallus there ca n’t be thrum . That said , one of the most well - make love Gus ’s locations is in the heart of business district Memphis . That location has become quite the tourist trap , and its diminished dining room simply is n’t large enough to suit the masses during the lunch rush . It ’s not uncommon to see a line of products wrapped around the construction at vertex time .
Hit up The Four Way . There , you ’ll find fried volaille prepared with just as much ( perhaps more ) sexual love and manage from a mom - and - pop soul food articulation in the kernel of Soulsville ( the South Memphis neighborhood that ’s also home to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music ) . Additionally , you ’ll determine a full menu of soul intellectual nourishment staples that far exceeds the variety of offerings at Gus ’s , which has a menu limited to fried Gallus gallus and standard sides . The Four Way offers country fry steak with creamy gravy , fried catfish , slow - simmered neck os , and Southern - flair turkey and dressing . Those are dish up with theater - made position that ramble from boiled okra and pickled tomatoes to mac & cheese and mashed Solanum tuberosum & gravy .
Belly Acres
Cupcakes
alternatively of : Muddy ’s Bake ShopGo to : Pink Diva Cupcakery
While Muddy ’s is n’t just a tourist trap ( none of the local bakehouse would flow into that category ) , it has become a bit of a hot place . The cupcakes tout impossibly cute gens like Prozac ( chocolate ) and Frankly Scarlett ( red velvet ) , and their Midtown coffeehouse positioning does make a mean caffe latte . But find a bit in the crowded café , which is typically fill with artsy type glued to their laptops for hours , can be difficult .
Rather than shooting customers the malefic eye until they free up their seat , head to the off - the - beat - track Pink Diva Cupcakery in the south end of Downtown . Owner Cassi Conyers is a one - adult female show , blister up moist , sweet cupcake occupy with chocolate ganache , fruit fillings , even biscuit butter . ( Also , all of the cupcakes are vegan , and free of goober pea and tree nuts , but you might need to keep that to yourself ) . Pink Diva features new flavour daily – call forward a mean solar day for gluten - spare options – and there ’s also a full bill of fare of savory dishes , such as tater yearling nachos and veg - fill pasta , in example you require something a little more substantial after satisfying your sweet tooth .
Flickr/Victor Chapa
Dancing
rather of : Paula & Raiford ’s DiscoGo to : Club Rumba
On any devote Saturday night , partygoers pile into Paula & Raiford ’s Disco to relive the ' 70s with shiny disco music balls , fog machines , and classical boogie tunes handpicked by the Jheri - lock - sporting , ness - wearing Robert Raiford and his platinum - haired girl , Paula . The experience name for an exciting even if you ’re up for dealing with crowds , bachelor girl company , and a drink menu limited to 40 oz beers .
For something a little more abject key , check out out Club Rumba . This South primary club boast salsa dancing late into the dark every Friday and Saturday . For those with two left feet , there are free salsa lessons at 9:30pm both nights . If salsa is n’t your thing , Club Rumba has a hip joint - hop Nox on the first Saturday of each month from 6 - 9:30pm . Unlike Raiford ’s , which does n’t service food , hungry social dancer can feast on Club Rumba ’s humble pub grub menu of nachos , wing , and taquitos .
Pink Diva Cupcakery
Live music
or else of : Any Beale St barGo to : Lafayette ’s Music Room
Memphians consider Beale St in much the same way New Orleans house physician see Bourbon St – a tourist sand trap . While a quick trip to Beale should be on any first - meter Memphis visitor ’s to - do inclination , do n’t stick around for too long , unless you require to trounce out big one dollar bill for overpriced crapulence and spend your evening give ear out with over - served Elvis fan .
To hear euphony like a local , head to Overton Square , the Midtown entertainment district where Memphians flow out , and grab a buns at Lafayette ’s Music Room . The alive music menu features a mix of local and traveling performing artist every night of the week , drift from Memphis soulstress Susan Marshall and blues saxophonist Brian " Breeze " Cayolle , to classic rocker Devil Train and Isaac Merrit Singer / songster duo Pam and Terry . The two - storey venue features story and balcony seats , all with great level purview . Grab a bite from Lafayette ’s full fare of Southern dish , like barbeque pork barrel belly and jambalaya pasta .
Katie Smith/Thrillist
Seeing the river
Instead of : Peabody RooftopGo to : Mud Island River Park
The historic Peabody Hotel ’s Downtown rooftop offers sweeping views of the Mississippi River , and it ’s for certain one of the best places to entrance a sunset . During the summertime months , the hotel legion hebdomadary rooftop party on Thursday Night , with cocktails and hot euphony .
But those who like to get a little closer to the muddy Mississippi ( and obtain a geography lesson to thrill ) should fit out Mud Island River Park . Take a monorail drive over the Mississippi River to this destitute attraction located on a orotund island in the river itself . The highlighting is an exact scale model of 954 geographical mile of the small Mississippi , from Cairo , IL , to the Gulf of Mexico . Designed using Army Corps of Engineers navigation chart , the mini river , which stretches for one naut mi throughout the length of the parking lot , boast all the twists and turn of the veridical river . you could see the actual Mississippi from the parking area , so take your shoes off and wade in the model river while gaze at the veridical thing . There are mini bridges and mathematical function of major urban center along the river ’s path . At the final stage , take a easy paddleboat drive around the one - Akka pool that represent the Gulf of Mexico . Mud Island River Park is open from April to October .
Katie Smith/Thrillist
Arts
Instead of : South Main Arts DistrictGo to : Broad Ave Arts District
The South Main Arts District is just blocks by from Beale St , making it a convenient walk for tourists reckon to take in the full scope of Memphis ’ bustling Downtown . And it certainly extend a broad range of art galleries , dining options , and boutique habiliment & gift shop class .
But those wishing to have a more grassroots - stylus arts district should hop-skip in a hack for the poor crusade to the Broad Ave Arts District . Just a few years ago , this strip show of galleries , bars , and shops was a ghost town on the outskirt of the residential neighbourhood Binghamton . But a few longtime residents band together DIY - style , hosting neighborhood street festival and using urban resurgence strategies to revive their short street into the lively art district it is today . soda water into thymine Clifton Art for high - death sculpture , glasswork , and visual artistic production , and bask a farm - to - table gluten - free dinner at Bounty On Broad . Then halt by Five in One Social Club for locally made jewelry and projection screen - print tees , or sign up for one of the “ kindergarten for grown - ups ” craft classes , where you could learn to make everything from etched glass to woodcut prints . Get a keepsake tattoo from artist Babak Tabatabai at Ronin Design & Manufacturing , and enjoy a handcrafted cocktail from nautical - theme bar The Cove ( contrive to bet like a pirate ship ) . If you ’re lucky , you may capture live music or a dance performance by the student from the Collage Dance Collective on the outside Water Tower Pavilion leg .
Flickr/Amy the Nurse
sign up up herefor our daily Memphis email and be the first to get all the food / drink / sport in the Blues City .
Katie Smithis a Memphis - based writer who spends her days avoiding tourist traps and recollective lines like the plague .
Flickr/Sean Davis
