Presenting the Winners of our 2022 Readers’ Restaurant Poll

Our readers know a thing or two about restaurants. For more than 35 years now, we’ve been asking them to take part in our annual Readers’ Restaurant Poll, selecting their favorite spots ranging from Best Thai, to Best Steak, and even the best place to go people-watching. The result is a handy list that pinpoints the pulse of Memphis’ dining scene, highlighting plenty of popular and under-the-radar restaurants that locals adore. If there’s a beloved diner, dive, bakery, or bar, it’s sure to be on this list.

It’s especially important that our readers recognize the institutions that mean so much to them. Since March 2020, the restaurant industry has been hit hard with Covid-19 restrictions, making it tough to stay profitable and keep workers safe. Many have either temporarily pivoted to something new or made permanent changes to their MOs. It’s all in the service of keeping us fed, so the least we can do is order a few meals and leave a generous tip.

The following list — which is completely separate from our “Top 10 New Restaurants” feature — details the best places to dine, as chosen by you, our readers. To ensure the poll results were accurate, we installed online safeguards to ensure only one ballot per person, making this the definitive resource for Memphis restaurant-goers.

We’ve named the top three restaurants in most categories, with the first-place winner in bold type. Ties are indicated when they occurred. A special designation (🌟) — we’re calling them “Super Stars” — indicates first-place winners who received more than a third of the total votes cast in that category.

Whether you’re new in town or a longtime resident, our 50+ categories offer up fantastic restaurants worthy of any palate. We also cover the best places to grab a drink, who has the best servers and overall service, which out-of-town spots are worth the drive, and include a remembrance of some old favorites that are no longer around.

Unsure where to grab dinner next? Let your fellow readers help with the winners of our Readers’ Restaurant Poll. — Samuel Xavier Cicci

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Best Restaurant

Folk’s Folly

Coastal Fish Company

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Best New Restaurant

Dory

Salt | Soy

Tiger & Peacock

Best Chef

Kelly English — Restaurant Iris / The Second Line / Pantà / Fino’s on the Hill

Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman — Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen / Hog & Hominy / Catherine & Mary’s / Gray Canary / Bishop

Erling Jensen — Erling Jensen the Restaurant

Best Asian Fusion

Mulan

A-Tan

Mosa Asian Bistro

Best Bar

Tiger and Peacock

Bardog Tavern

Brookhaven Pub & Grill

Best Barbecue Ribs

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous

Central BBQ

Corky’s

Best Barbecue Sandwich

Central BBQ

Germantown Commissary

Tops Bar-B-Q

Best Beer Selection

🌟  Flying Saucer

Young Avenue Deli

Lucchesi’s Beer Garden

Best Breakfast

Brother Juniper’s

Bryant’s Breakfast

Sunrise Memphis

Best Brunch

Owen Brennan’s

Brother Juniper’s

The Beauty Shop

Best Burger

🌟  Huey’s

Top’s Bar-B-Q

Belmont Grill

Best Cajun/Creole

Owen Brennan’s

The Second Line

Bayou Bar & Grill

Best Category We Left Out

Best Bartender

Best Ambiance

Best Sommelier

Best Chain Restaurant

🌟  Houston’s

Capital Grille

Bonefish Grill

Best Chinese

Mulan

Wang’s Mandarin House

Formosa Chinese Restaurant

Best Coffeehouse (non-chain)

Ugly Mug Coffee

Café Eclectic

Otherlands Coffee Bar

Best Craft Cocktails

Peabody Lobby Bar

Alchemy

Catherine & Mary’s

Best Date Night

Flight Restaurant & Bar

Erling Jensen, the Restaurant

Southern Social

Best Deli

Elwood’s Shack

Young Avenue Deli

Fino’s from the Hill

Best Dessert Shop

Muddy’s Bake Shop

Frost Bake Shop

La Baguette

Best Dive Bar

Alex’s Tavern

Earnestine & Hazel’s

The Cove

Best Food Truck

TIE: TacoNGanas and Soi Number 9

Stickem

El Mero Taco

Best Fried Chicken

🌟  Gus’s Fried Chicken

Superlo Foods

Jack Pirtle’s

Best Frozen Treat

Jerry’s Sno Cones

Mempops

La Michoacana

Best Happy Hour

Alchemy

Huey’s

Brookhaven Pub

Best Indian

🌟  India Palace

Bombay House

Golden India

Best Italian

Pete & Sam’s

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Amerigo Italian Restaurant

Best Japanese

Sekisui

Osaka

Sakura

Best Kid Friendly

🌟  Huey’s

Memphis Pizza Cafe

Belly Acres

Best Local Brewery

Wiseacre Brewing Company

Ghost River Brewery & Tap Room

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Best Mediterranean

🌟  Casablanca Restaurant

Taziki’s Mediterranean Café

Petra Cafe

Best Mexican

Las Delicias

Molly’s La Casita

Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana

Best Outdoor Dining

🌟  Coastal Fish Company

TIE: Slider Inn and The Second Line

Railgarten Diner

Best People-Watching

Peabody Lobby Bar

Lafayette’s Music Room

Flying Saucer

Best Pizza

Memphis Pizza Cafe

Aldo’s Pizza Pies

Little Italy

Best Place to Impress Out-of-Towners

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous

Itta Bena

Folk’s Folly

Best Place to Watch the Game

Huey’s

Brookhaven Pub

Young Avenue Deli

Best Plate Lunch

Cupboard Restaurant

Patrick’s

Soul Fish Cafe

Best Seafood (non-fast-food)

🌟  Coastal Fish Company

The Half Shell

Soul Fish Cafe

Best Server

Calvin Bell — Rendezvous

TIE: Scarlet McWhorter — Tsunami and Ari Randle — Huey’s

Josephine Chetter — Patrick’s

Best Service

Huey’s

TIE: Folk’s Folly, Houston’s, Porch and Parlor, and Tsunami

Southern Social

Best Shared Plates

Babalu Tapas & Tacos

Bounty on Broad

Tsunami

Best Steak

🌟  Folk’s Folly

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Buckley’s Restaurant

Best Taco

Maciel’s Taco Shop

TacoNGanas

Babalu Tapas & Tacos

Best Takeout

Huey’s

Mulan

Soul Fish Cafe

Best Thai

🌟  Bangkok Alley

Pho Binh

Thai Bistro

Best Vegetarian/Vegan

City Silo Table + Pantry

Raw Girls

Global Café

Best Vietnamese

Pho Saigon

Pho Binh

Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant

Best Wine List

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Folk’s Folly

Knifebird

Best Wings

Central BBQ

The Wing Guru

Crumpy’s Wings

Restaurant We Miss the Most

Anderton’s

Pancho’s

Erika’s German Restaurant

Worth the Drive

City Grocery (Oxford, MS)

Como Steakhouse (Como, MS)

Bozo’s Hot Pit Bar-B-Q (Mason, TN)