Wes Anderson could have concocted the aesthetic of Vice & Virtue, a blend of warmth and whimsy that’s an ideal fit for downtown Memphis’s Arrive Hotel (the former home of the Memphis College of Art’s graduate program). The coffee shop and roaster prioritizes specialty-grade coffees, selecting blends from around the world and partnering with local companies to create unique releases. Check out their collab with Memphis-based Blue Note Bourbon, for which Vice & Virtue aged green Guatemalan coffee beans in Blue Note’s emptied barrels before roasting.

Most non-Memphians associate the Bluff City with barbecue, that comfort food staple, but Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is doing what it can to give ’cue a run for its money. The classic establishment greets visitors with spare, divey decorations and checkerboard tablecloths, but regulars look past the decor for crispy, hand-battered, spicy fried chicken paired with add-ons like beans, okra, or mac and cheese. Befitting the Southern hospitality, the menu includes a half-dozen pies baked daily, including pecan, chess, or sweet potato. There are two locations in Memphis; the Front Street location is perfect for tourists staying downtown, while the other can be found in East Memphis.

Alcenia’s is the only eatery in Memphis where you and everyone in your party can expect a hug from the owner. But the warm hospitality isn’t the only reason this soul-food destination — in downtown Memphis’s Pinch District, just around the corner from the giant pyramid-shaped Bass Pro Shops — ought to be on your must-visit list. Alcenia’s is a textbook example of a simple, meat-and-three diner done well. The specialties include fried chicken and catfish, pork chops, waffles, fried green tomatoes, and hot-water cornbread, along with trusty sides like cabbage, mac and cheese, and green beans.

Memphis is a barbecue town, and you’ll get a few different answers from Memphians if you ask about their favorite spots to hit up. Go for the Cozy Corner, a family-run and Black-owned favorite established in 1977, where the well-regarded barbecue earned owner Desiree Robinson an induction into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. The menu is standard Memphis barbecue, with sandwiches, meat plates (a slab of ribs or whole barbecue chicken, for example), dinner plates that include bread and sides (beans, coleslaw), and a variety of sauces that range from mild to super hot.

Muggin offers all the staples you’d expect from a coffee house — espresso drinks, nitro coffee, excellent baked goods — as well as Memphis-themed standouts. Try the Zippin Pippin (the name of Elvis’s favorite roller-coaster at the now-closed Libertyland amusement park): a blend of steamed milk, espresso, and white mocha topped with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. You can also order bags of coffee by the pound, including roasts with names like Hard Out Here for a Drip, a nod to the Oscar-winning song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the Memphis hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia. Just off Elvis Presley Boulevard in Whitehaven, Muggin was the first locally owned coffee shop in this majority Black neighborhood (also home to Graceland).

Housed in a space that was once an actual beauty shop frequented by Priscilla Presley, this eatery from celebrated Memphis restaurateur Karen Carrier has maintained some of the aesthetics from its former life. Booths are tucked into salon stations, with seating beneath hooded Belvedere hair dryers. Beyond the vibes, the food is worth a visit too. Check out the Watermelon and Wings: chicken wings dipped in white Sichuan pepper and sweet chile lime juice, dusted with sugar, and then deep-fried, served with a side of fresh watermelon and sprinkled with toasted cashews.

Soul Fish hits the perfect intersection of price, comfort food, and atmosphere, with four locations spread out across the metro area to choose from. As the name implies, fish is the signature offering here, including fried and baked versions; the catfish basket is one of the more popular items. But there are plenty of additional tasty choices if you’re after something else, including po’ boys, tacos, salads, vegetable plates, and more.

Anyone with a sweet tooth shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit this mainstay of the Broad Avenue Arts District, where the treats come with memorable names (like the chocolate Prozac cupcakes and the Strawberry Fields Forever cake). Muddy’s operates a commercial kitchen in addition to the attached retail storefront component, but the vibe inside feels more like a neighborhood bake sale than a mechanical operation. There’s always an assortment of cupcakes, cookies, pies, and other sweets on offer.

Early risers don’t exactly suffer from a lack of available breakfast options in Memphis. There are plenty of places for the usual array of omelets, bacon, and pancakes. But most daytime spots haven’t garnered laudatory coverage in a raff of national outlets. Bryant’s is among the best breakfast spots in the city, with a line spilling outside of the building to prove it (don’t worry, it generally moves quickly). If it’s your first visit, go for the sampler: three eggs any style, served with bacon, sausage, country ham, and pork tenderloin, plus two house-made biscuits with country gravy, a potato pattie, and grits.

At Iris, chef Kelly English has endeavored to bring a modern take on a New Orleans-style restaurant to East Memphis. Equal parts Crescent City native and Memphis booster, English has earned tons of local and national acclaim. He first opened Iris off Overton Square in Memphis’s Midtown neighborhood in 2008, before moving his venerable fine-dining concept to a larger space (formerly home to Grove Grill) in 2022. With a sophisticated atmosphere, this spot is especially great for couples, who can share items like crab au gratin and fried oysters before digging into main courses of grilled Scottish salmon or steak iris (a New York strip with honey-roasted carrots and fried oysters).

Michaela Hugoboom-Dockery took inspiration from her native California when she opened Hen House in East Memphis, providing a type of unpretentious-yet-sophisticated wine and cocktail bar not found much in the city. The place feels like an extension of the owner’s living room, not only in terms of the bar’s homey aesthetic but also the approachable, playful drink selection. In addition to menu choices like duck, rainbow trout, and shrimp and grits, check out the creative cocktails: The Memphis-themed Hound Dog (a nod to Elvis, it should go without saying) is made with amaro Nonino, dry Curacao, bitters, and local bourbon Blue Note Juke Joint.

David and Amanda Krog opened Dory in the shadow of Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill in East Memphis in early 2021. Due to pandemic restrictions, they initially offered a multicourse tasting menu, but their original intention was to introduce a full, a la carte menu. In 2023, the husband-and-wife team finally made the transition, swapping out the tasting menu of small plates for a variety of entrees like pork loin with smoked white bean puree, scallops and mussels with herb risotto, and black oyster mushrooms with masa, cheese, and fermented onion powder.

Eddie and Alfred Pao immigrated from Taiwan to the U.S. in 1977, opened Chinese-focused Formosa in Memphis two years later, and built on that success with Mulan in 2005. At Mosa, they tempt Memphians’ taste buds with a range of comfort dishes from Thailand, China, Korea, and Japan. The family-run restaurant regularly wins local dining awards each year for its menu, which is packed with delicious starters like spring rolls and potstickers, as well as signature entrees like Korean barbecue beef (sliced flank steak sauteed in a savory soy glaze with a splash of lime juice). The hot-and-sour soup is a favorite, made from a Pao family recipe that includes tofu, mushrooms, and eggs.

At Las Tortugas, Jose “Pepe” Magallanes combines big charm with small tacos, bite-size affairs of the sort you’d find at street stalls in Pepe’s native Mexico. The carne asada is a specialty, and Pepe adheres to traditional recipes for the salsa Mexicana and the torta stuffed with braised pork shoulder. Jonathan Magallanes, Pepe’s son, is usually behind the counter at the Germantown Road Las Tortugas, while Pepe holds down the fort at the second location in East Memphis.