Presenting the Winners of the 2020 Readers Restaurant Poll

If you like to eat, and especially if you enjoy variety on your plate, Memphis is your kind of place. And if you like to talk about what you like to eat, Memphis might be even more your kind of place. In recent years, this city – never a dull dining town – has gotten fresher, spicier, more creative, more welcoming. We play with our food more these days, and that’s worth celebrating. And we enjoy more options than ever when it comes to where to go and what to order.

That’s where Memphis magazine annual Readers Restaurant Poll comes in. For the 35^th year running, we have compiled an extensive list of the best places to eat and drink in the Bluff City. To ensure the results pass muster, we installed online voting safeguards to prevent more than one entry per person, making these results the definitive resource for Memphis restaurant-goers.

Here you’ll find the top three restaurants in each category, with the first-place option listed in bold type. Ties are indicated where they occurred.

Long-time readers of Memphis magazine will notice a new designation this year for what we’re calling, a little cheesily (but this is a food poll, so: pass the cheese), Super Stars. These Super Stars are first-place winners who received a third or more of the total votes in their categories. When Memphians like a place, we really, really like it. Ever read a social-media comment thread about sandwiches in this city? We take this stuff seriously.

If you’re a Memphian or a frequent visitor, you’ll spot plenty of familiar haunts on this list, from the white-tablecloth establishment where you book a reservation on your anniversary to the checkered-tablecloth joint you sink into with the family on tired Friday evenings. But be sure to scan the list for your next favorite discovery, too: Chances are, your fellow eaters will point you in the direction of delicious.

Our hearty congratulations to all the restaurants, cafes, diners, bars, breweries, and food trucks on this list. And our heartfelt thanks to you, our readers, for sharing your good taste. 

Note: Super Stars (🌟) indicate first-place winners who received at least a third of the total votes in their category.

Best Restaurant

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Folk's Folly

Bounty on Broad

Best Chef

[tie] Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen / Hog & Hominy / Catherine & Mary's / Gray Canary / Bishop and Kelly English, Restaurant Iris / The Second Line

Russell Casey, Bounty on Broad

Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant

Best New Restaurant

Moondance Grill

Ronnie Grisanti’s

El Mero Taco

Inspire Community Cafe

3rd & Court Diner

Saltwater Crab

Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza

Mahogany Memphis

Sage Restaurant

Zopita's on the Square

Best Chain Restaurant

🌟Houston's

Seasons 52

[tie] Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris Steak House

Best Date Night

🌟Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Restaurant Iris

Southern Social

Best Kid Friendly

🌟Huey's

Memphis Pizza Cafe

Railgarten Diner

Best Late-Night Dining

Huey's

Bardog Tavern

Slider Inn

Best Outdoor Dining

The Second Line

Loflin Yard

[tie] Bhan Thai and Slider Inn

Best People-Watching

Peabody Lobby Bar

[tie] Loflin Yard and Lafayette's Music Room

Flying Saucer

Best Place to Impress Out-of-Towners

Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

Itta Bena

Folk's Folly

Best Asian Fusion

Mulan

Lucky Cat Ramen

Mosa Asian Bistro

Best Barbecue Ribs

Central BBQ

Charles Vergos' Rendezvous

The Bar-B-Q Shop

Best Barbecue Sandwich

🌟Central BBQ

Payne's Bar-B-Que

The Bar-B-Q Shop

Best Breakfast

Brother Juniper's

Sunrise Memphis

Bryant's Breakfast

Best Brunch

Owen Brennan's

The Beauty Shop

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Best Burger

Huey's

Top's Bar-B-Q

[tie] Belmont Grill and Alex's Tavern

Best Cajun/Creole

The Second Line

Owen Brennan's

Bayou Bar & Grill

Best Chinese

Wang's Mandarin House

Formosa Chinese Restaurant

Wok'n in Memphis

Best Coffeehouse (non-chain)

Otherlands Coffee Bar

[tie] Cafe Eclectic and Ugly Mug Coffee

[tie] Muddy's Grind House and City & State

Best Deli

Elwood's Shack

Lucchesi's

Bogie's Delicatessen

Best Dessert Shop

Muddy's Bake Shop

Frost Bake Shop

[tie] Cheesecake Corner and La Baguette

Best Food Truck

Say Cheese

Cousins Maine Lobster

Central BBQ

Best Fried Chicken

Gus's Fried Chicken

Joes' Restaurant

[tie] Superlo Foods and Jack Pirtle's

Best Frozen Treat

Jerry's Sno Cones

La Michoacana

Mempops

Best Indian

🌟India Palace

Golden India

Bombay House

Best Italian

🌟Pete & Sam's

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Ciao Bella Italian Grill

Best Japanese

Sekisui

Sekisui Pacific Rim

[tie] Sakura and Osaka

Best Mediterranean

Casablanca Restaurant

Taziki Mediterranean Cafe

Petra Café

Best Mexican

Las Delicias

Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana

Molly's La Casita

Best Pizza

Memphis Pizza Cafe

Aldo's Pizza Pies

Hog & Hominy

Best Plate Lunch

Soul Fish

Cupboard Restaurant

[tie] Patrick's and Little Tea Shop

Best Seafood (non-fast food)

🌟The Half Shell

Tsunami

Pearl's Oyster House

Best Shared Plates

Bounty on Broad

Babalu Tapas & Tacos

Hog & Hominy

Best Steak

Folk's Folly

Buckley's Restaurant

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Best Taco

Las Delicias

Maciel's Taco Shop

Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana

Best Thai

Bhan Thai

Bangkok Alley

Pho Binh

Best Vegetarian/Vegan

[tie] Raw Girls and City Silo & Pantry

Global Cafe

Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

Best Vietnamese

Pho Binh

Pho Saigon

Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant

Best Beer Selection

Flying Saucer

Young Avenue Deli

Boscos Squared

Best Craft Cocktails

Alchemy

Peabody Lobby Bar

Art Bar at Crosstown

Best Dive Bar

The Cove

[tie] Alex's Tavern and Earnestine & Hazel's

Silky O'Sullivan's

Best Happy Hour

Huey's

Alchemy

Brookhaven Pub

Best Local Brewery

🌟Wiseacre Brewing Company

Ghost River Brewery & Tap Room

[tie] Memphis Made Brewing Co. and Crosstown Brewing Company

Best Place to Watch the Game

Huey's

Brookhaven Pub

Bayou Bar & Grill

Best Wine List

🌟Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

Folk's Folly

Napa Café

Worth the Drive

City Grocery (Oxford, MS)

Como Steakhouse (Como, MS)

Bozo's Hot Pit Bar-B-Q (Mason, TN)

Restaurant We Miss the Most

Jim's Place East

Anderton's

Justine's

Best Category We Left Out

Best Bar

Best Server

Best Service