I had yet to be born when Memphis Magazine published the results of its first-ever restaurant poll, in July 1983. We titled the poll results “Readers Digest” — groan-inducing headlines being so tantalizing, now as then — and included just 18 categories.
Most of the winning establishments have since shuttered, but those that remain, almost 43 years later, offer lessons in longevity. Folk’s Folly, Formosa, Buntyn, Coletta’s, and The Peabody: all won categories in 1983, and all endure today. On the surface, these establishments might not seem to have much in common, but I would posit that they’re united by key qualities: consistently good food and welcoming service, surely, as well as some difficult-to-quantify singularity. The places that have endured are distinctly, completely themselves. (The 1983 poll does show its vintage. One of the “specialty categories” listed was “Oriental” [cringe]. And whereas today we strive to honor local restaurants, the winners back then included Red Lobster and Shoney’s. A different time!)
Compared to 1983, our restaurant poll today is voluminous. Whereas then we considered 18 categories, now there are 49, each with a first-, second-, and third-place winner.
The process, as you might imagine, has changed over the years, too. In the early days, readers voted via paper ballot, sent to our office in the U.S. Mail for tabulating. In 2026, the entire voting process is conducted online, as it has been for many years.
One thing that hasn’t changed: We don’t fiddle with the results. Our readers cast their ballots, then we tabulate the votes. This means that occasionally we see a winning restaurant who may not totally fit the category it won! And yes, sometimes a restaurant climbs up the ranks by campaigning for itself. Whenever someone asks why such-and-such deserving place didn’t win, our answer is always: Did you vote? In our experience, many people have opinions that they register in the form of ballots — but many more people only volunteer their opinions after the fact. If you didn’t vote this time, make sure you do in the future! (There is an obvious parallel here to local and national elections. Ahem.)
My favorite moment in compiling the 2026 restaurant poll came relatively early. After voting closed, our digital director, Kristin Pawlowski, emailed the winners list to me and a few colleagues. Michael Finger, our executive editor, replied-all to ask why on earth our readers were punking us with a write-in campaign for the “Best New Restaurant” category. What could it possibly mean, he wondered, that dozens of people had written in “no comment”? Was this some sort of organized absurdity? What was going on?!
I replied (through giggles) that yes, indeed, a restaurant opened on Central Ave. last year called No Comment. It’s a wine bar with an eye-catching neon pink sign, a trendy food menu (several tinned fish options), and jauntily named cocktails.
I love that after so many years, we’re still capable of being surprised (and even confused). That’s the delight of telling the city’s stories: The city is always evolving, always changing — and so are we.
