Memphis' Top 10 New Restaurants for 2017

After a year of discontent at almost every turn, the top ten new restaurants in Memphis provide a much-needed admonition to all sides of the table: Please people. Let’s eat.

Happily, dining out in Memphis couldn’t be any easier, especially when the city’s new restaurants offer food ranging from Southern-style meat-and-threes to carefully executed (and pricier) shareable plates. Even more fun, Memphis magazine’s annual poll includes so many new restaurants that diners can eat out for almost a month with no duplication. They will, however, have to traverse the city from downtown to the eastern suburbs, an area traditionally underserved by independently owned restaurants. The times, it seems, are a-changing. 

Consider The Kitchen Bistro, which brought its Colorado sensibility to the redeveloped Shelby Farms Park, mixing sunset views with hand-crafted cocktails and a wood-fired grill. And what came next? Chef Michele D’Oto opened The Pasta Maker Restaurant in a Germantown shopping center, serving heavenly artisanal pastas all made in-house. 

For now, the push eastward continues. Build-outs are almost complete for a trio of new restaurants on the University District’s Highland Strip, and on Collierville’s town square, three more restaurants are on tap for later this year, joining the recently opened 148 North from chef Brian Thurmond and Mac Edwards’ more casual Brooks Pharm2Fork. Does anyone want to Uber? — Pamela Denney

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Loflin Yard

Right now we are picturing you picturing yourself at Loflin Yard. It’s Memphis hot, but with the breeze on the patio, you don’t notice as your senses are piqued by the sounds of the waterfall and laughing children on the lawn and the hunger-pang-inducing smell of meat cooking in the smoker. 

You may be a little buzzed from one (or two) of the barrel-aged cocktails — perhaps the Sazerac or the Old Fashioned. Chef Andy Knight’s food is already on the table — large piles of the expertly done beef brisket or pork tenderloin or the pimento cheese po’boy (for the vegetarians) with the great bread. 

Sides also are crowding the table as there’s too much to choose from: street corn, Tiny Bomb-braised collard greens, and that just divine crispy peanut slaw. 

You think to yourself: This is perfect; this is Memphis. 

It is no surprise to anyone at all that Loflin Yard made the Best New Restaurant list (It also picked up first place in Outdoor Dining and a second place for People Watching), since roughly a minute after it opened, it was hailed as innovative. And we’ve got to give it to the folks behind the spot, who envisioned a little slice of heaven carved out of a mostly forgotten space in downtown’s South Memphis. — Susan Ellis

7 W. Carolina Ave. (901-249-3046) 

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Char Restaurant

Maybe it’s the 80 different bourbons, ryes, and whiskies on the drink menu or the infectious appeal of a steakhouse on a Saturday night, but Char Restaurant is popping. Located in an appealing mixed-used development called Highland Row, Char brings an upscale polish to the emerging University District, serving memorable dishes like East Coast-style crab cakes (all crab, no filler), seafood carbonara made with bucatini and locally sourced duck eggs, and cowboy prime ribeye, cooked at high heat — up to 1,600 degrees — and plated with chili-infused house butter.

The menus, directed by chefs Anthony Hatten and Steven Howell, combine classic favorites with some Southern whimsy, a feeling carried over to the restaurant’s décor. With 6,000 square feet, Char easily accommodates dinner celebrations, weekend brunch, and business lunches, when daily meat-and-two specials join more expected fare like pimento cheese burgers and chicken BLTs. 

Owner Ben Brock says the steakhouse has soul, and I couldn’t agree more, especially when Le Tumulte Noir, a Memphis combo, riffs gypsy swing during Sunday brunch or Audie Smith plays Stevie Wonder songs for the couples snuggled up to his baby grand piano.

— Pamela Denney

431 S. Highland (901-249-3533)

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Catherine & Mary’s

From across the room, when the mirrored bar at Catherine & Mary’s backlights customers and liquor bottles, I feel caught in a vintage animation, slowed down and dreamy. But then a cocktail arrives named Heart On, and its Vida mezcal, grenadine, Prosecco, and citrus juices plant me firmly in the new year with lovely views out plate-glass windows of traffic and passersby.

Located on the first floor of the newly renovated Hotel Chisca, Catherine & Mary’s is the fifth restaurant for superstar chefs Michael Hudman and Andrew Ticer, who named the restaurant after their Sicilian and Tuscan grandmothers. “Our grandmothers made sure that whatever the occasion, both good and bad, revolved around some amazing food,” Ticer said before the restaurant opened in late September.

The restaurant’s menu of shareable plates honors the chefs’ family traditions with regional Italian specialties organized into four parts: snacks, plates, pastas, and entrées. Chef Ryan Jenniges moved to the new restaurant from Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen on Brookhaven Circle, and his inspired cooking drives dishes like caviar-

topped oysters baked with creamy brandade that are so good I feel no shame in using my fingers to scrape up every morsel from the sea-shaped shells. — Pamela Denney

272 S. Main (901-254-8600)

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The Kitchen Bistro

Founders Kimbal Musk, Hugo Matheson, and Jen Lewin have created a visually elegant restaurant, with heart of pine paneling and stone appointments that give The Kitchen Bistro a contemporary, slightly Western feel. 

With floor-to-ceiling windows offering expansive views of Hyde Lake Park, sunsets from the patio — with the sky reflected off the water — are nothing short of breathtaking. But you came here to eat, didn’t you? Well, rest assured, the food is just as eye-catching. Locally sourced and tastefully prepared, The Kitchen makes a trip to Shelby Farms, Memphis’ largest public park, a memorable one.

Head chef Dennis Phelps charts a slightly Southern course, with offerings like pan-fried catfish and wood-roasted chicken served with a crunchy cornbread panzanella (think Tuscan croutons on a salad), but his densely flavored pork chops, garnished with a roasted corn and ham relish, are also a crowd-pleaser. Cap off your meal with the Sticky Toffee Pudding, a popular closer. 

The Kitchen’s Saturday/Sunday brunch has also found a ready audience and will satisfy those who crave omelettes made to order, crispy home-fried potatoes, and sausage or ham. The ricotta and blueberries with honey are savory if a bit chewy. Less plentiful are vegetarian offerings, though egg-beater omelettes are available upon request. — Jane Schneider

415 great view east (901-729-9009)

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Buntyn Corner Café

After his father passed away in 1995, it took Mike Wiggins three years to copy down all the family recipes that had been used since the 1940s in the family eatery on Southern, Buntyn Restaurant, so he could take the helm from his mother.

That restaurant, which had become something of a Memphis institution, with customers lined up at the door, closed for good in 2005, but Wiggins’ dedication to his family’s cuisine paid off in 2015, when he leased a small space in the iBank building at 5050 Poplar. And so in November 2015, the legacy of Buntyn Restaurant and its famed yeast rolls, always delivered steaming hot, continued, this go-round under the moniker Buntyn Corner Cafe and with a somewhat modified menu.

“There are no fryers here, so we can’t do our fried chicken, which everybody loved,” Wiggins says. “Only a handful of people have been disappointed.” 

Instead, they opt for the chicken and dressing, a recipe that uses chicken stock, cornbread, onions, bell pepper, celery, and other seasonings.

Wiggins is able to offer a light breakfast, mostly sandwiches, and the meat-and-two type meals that the Buntyn name became known for — meatloaf, hamburger steak, roast beef (the center loin, Wiggins is quick to point out) vegetable soup, and peach cobbler.

— Lesley Young

5050 Poplar, Suite 107 (901-424-3286)

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Fino's East

Nearly every week, Fino’s East owner Jerry Wilson sees a new face walk through the door, amazed to find a second Fino’s on the Hill in East Memphis. “People are floored at how much room there is and how it looks,” Wilson says about the restaurant’s au courant use of exposed brick, chalkboard menus, and daily specials written on a continuous roll of brown craft paper. 

Of course, in order to make it on a Top 10 list — the two Fino’s also won number two for Best Deli — the food must steal the show, and Fino’s East does not disappoint. The restaurant offers the Fino’s reliables, including the New York Club, an enticing stack of turkey, corned beef, Russian dressing, marinated tomatoes and onions, Swiss cheese, and lettuce on a crusty baguette.

At the eastern location, however, regulars old and new can opt for combos, such as a small salad and a side item, like Fino’s cult-inspiring chickpea salad, or go full throttle with an Italian Green salad, a half sandwich, and a half order of pasta. “That could almost kill you,” Wilson jokes about the amount of food in the large combo. He also can offer more pizza options due to the extra kitchen space.

“It’s been great. People come in here nearly every day and ask, ‘How long have y’all been here?’”

— Lesley Young

703 W. Brookhaven Circle

(901-334-4454)

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Maximo's on Broad

In Spanish, Maximo means “superior,” an apt description for this new jewel of a restaurant that opened in the Broad Avenue Arts District last spring. Here, owners Amy and Julio Zuniga have created a contemporary, intimate eatery and bar that offers creative fusion dishes influenced by Julio’s background; his cooking skills were honed at the Yucatan resorts of his hometown in Cancun, Mexico. 

On Saturday nights, Maximo’s fills quickly as diners arrive for offerings that not only taste good but are elegantly produced. Start with a tempting tapas, like the crispy avocado fries, Peruvian ceviche, or plump salmon cakes. Drizzled with tart chutney, these morsels embody the ideal trifecta of heat, texture, and crunch. Popular entrees include the tangy stuffed chicken served with a delicate risotto, and grouper accented with roasted tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. 

My favorite is the Angel Zarzuela, a seafood stew brimming with fresh mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari, all set in a spicy tomato broth. Be forewarned; servings are both generous and filling. The restaurant also serves a mean Sunday brunch, a welcome addition to this part of Midtown. Just be sure to leave room for dessert, as you’ll want to try the restaurant’s chocolate and cheesecake confections. — Jane Schneider

2617 Broad Ave. (901-452-1111) 

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The Pasta Maker Restaurant

Rejoice, Germantown pasta lovers. Chef Michele D’Oto has relocated from Cordova, bringing his big personality, Sunday afternoon cooking classes, and chef-driven cuisine to Exeter Village Shopping Center. Simply put: Life in the ‘burbs is good.

To be  honest, I was a little worried when I heard D’Oto and his partner Laura Derrick closed their former restaurant Pasta Italia, but the couple understands change. They’ve been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, opened a restaurant on the Collierville square, and moved briefly to Chattanooga. The couple’s latest venture, however, feels more permanent, a friendly and affordable venue with food that replicates the authenticity of D’Oto’s birthplace in Modena, Italy, the home of Ferraris and balsamic vinegar.

House-made artisanal pasta and toppings to match are at the heart of D’Oto’s menu, served for dinner and lunch. On a recent visit, we tried four different dishes, and each one was a happy union between garnish, sauce, and pasta. Across the menu, D’Oto elevates simple combinations with fresh ingredients into memorable and pretty plates. Yes, the meat lasagna and Rosette al Forno are exceptional, but don’t skip linguini Pomodoro, where the pasta — paper-thin and effortless — twirls on a fork like a Bolshoi ballerina on an endless pirouette. — Pamela Denney

2095 Exeter Rd., Germantown

(901-799-3928)

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Dirty Crow Inn

Paul Atkinson came up with the tag line “five-star dive bar” to describe his first bar, the Dirty Crow Inn. He must be onto something, as the South End’s new hangout made it to our list of the Top 10 New Restaurants of 2017, thanks to his vision, as well as that of his kitchen manager, Chris Haggins, and fellow restaurant owner David Scott Walker.

Atkinson points to his wings as reason No. 1 the Dirty Crow made the cut. “They’re what put us on the map,” Atkinson says. “We brine them for 24 hours, then we smoke them with applewood, so they’re juicy and fall off the bone. Then we flash fry them so they’re crisp and warmed up.”

Dirty Crow also offers six different specials a week, such as smoked bacon-wrapped shrimp and a choice of sandwiches, including the Dirty Hawaiian, with smoked, pulled chicken thigh sautéed in soy ginger sauce and topped with pineapple chutney.

Everything is homemade from scratch with the same joy, dedication, and enthusiasm that Atkinson shows when he greets every customer who walks through his doors. “We’re the melting pot of downtown,” he says. “We have lawyers, bikers, blue-collar workers, everything — all shapes and sizes. It’s been going really, really well.” — Lesley Young

855 Kentucky St. (901-207-5111)

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Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos

The first time I went to Maciel’s, shortly after it opened, I happened upon two acquaintances already at work on their baskets of food (the spicy chicken fried tacos, as I recall). They broke down the menu for me with such authority that my eyes grew wide. “Oh, we’ve been here before,” one of them purred. 

That’s the beauty of Maciel’s, which sprung up seemingly fully formed at 45 S. Main — an address where more than a couple restaurants have failed. One could credit luck or good timing, and surely, those things can’t be dismissed, but let’s cut to the number-one reason for Maciel’s success and its appearance on the Best New Restaurant list: The food is outstanding, solid in every way. 

Those previously mentioned spicy chicken tacos (tinga) were what got folks buzzing initially, but the huaraches have since developed a loyal following, as has the Michael Donahue-approved chicken chipotle soup (caldo tlalpeno). I’m partial to the (mashed!) potato fried tacos, three to a plate with beans and rice and a fine thing indeed. Then there’s the egg torta, a beauty of a sandwich with fried eggs, a smear of beans, lettuce, hot peppers, and other delights all on a large, soft, white bun. 

Oh, we’ve been here before. We will be back. — Susan Ellis

45 S. Main (901-526-0037)