Best Restaurants in Memphis

This trendy, festive restaurant is just as the name implies. Set in a 1940s beauty shop, some guests dine in refurbished hairdryer chairs, and you can almost see the ghosts of the wash-and-set,set that used to come in for a curl. Nevertheless, the kitschy theme isn't what keeps the place packed. Its eclectic fare is intriguing yet delicious, and that's especially true when it comes to breakfast. Sunday brunch means French toast made with challah, big mimosas, a variety of egg dishes, and even a beef tenderloin sandwich for those really needing to splurge. It's all part of the attraction that is culinary genius of Karen Blockman Carrier, the mind behind this and a variety of other popular, funky Memphis restaurants.

Recognized year after year as the best steakhouse in Memphis, Folk's Folly guarantees a flawless American feast from start to finish. With its very own butcher shop next door, the restaurant asserts that steak is clearly the specialty. However, the menu also boasts an array of other delicious main courses, including grilled duck breast and Alaskan king crab legs. In typical steakhouse fashion, sides are large and meant to be shared - and are not included with entrees. The restaurant is large and old fashioned, with five dining rooms and multiple private booths. While you're there, stop by the Cellar to enjoy live piano music nightly, along with cocktails and the trademark - and complimentary - fried pickles.

A fresh -and we mean fresh -take on Asian dining, Mosa is a bistro that combines the best of Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes - noodle and rice bowls, curries and a host of small plates - in a casual atmosphere that rocks with the business crowd at lunch, and families and couples at dinner. Dishes are made to order, truly some of the freshest Asian cuisine we've experienced. They come out as they are ready, so appetizers can be quickly followed by one diner's entree - the flow depends on how packed the restaurant is. If time is critical, call ahead and order to go. During lunch hours, you order at the counter and take a number, and one of the runners will bring your food. At dinner, table service kicks in, the wine flows, and the staff is beyond attentive - young and friendly, lots of students working their way through school. You won't find a better trained staff with a great (read: genuine) attitude on the planet. The Pao family is ever-present at both the White Station and Kirby locations, always making time to say hello and catch up with customers -and after just two visits or so, you can consider yourself a regular.

Chefs Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman have another hit on their hands; Porcellino's is the duo's third restaurant on Brookhaven Circle, joining their upscale original, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen and their superbly casual pizza & comfort food spot Hog & Hominy. Porcellino's has a much different focus and feel; it's open from breakfast through dinner daily, offering a set menu of pastries and coffees, plus fabulous daily specials (kimchee and Siracha-brined fried chicken biscuit, anyone?) at breakfast, with tapas-style offerings at lunch and dinner. There are certainly craft cocktails and plenty of wine options by the glass and bottle, and the idea is to order a bunch of plates to share � although we've been known to order a second round of croissonts at breakfast just for ourselves. The atmosphere at Porcellino's is like the neighborhood cafes that make visiting European villages so charming; there's a friendly staff, a cozy environment, simple metal chairs and dark wooden tables (plus counter seating throughout the space. And Porcellino's has one distinct differentiator from its sister restaurants � it's also a butcher shop filled with delightful meats and charcuterie to take home.

This icon of the Memphis dining scene moved from its longtime house-like location in Overton Square into a smaller space withing the River Inn in Harbortown in 2011, and many were worried that Paulette's would never be the same. That collective sigh of relief you continue to hear throughout the River City is that of diners who find that while the location has changed, the attention to detail, the wide array of Continental options, and the incredible wait staff has remained the same. Since its move to the River Inn, Paulette's is now open for breakfast daily, and that's a real treat as its breakfast offerings are lush - from eggs Benedict with creamy Hollandaise to hands-down the best French toast in town. Weekday breakfast is complimentary for hotel guests. At lunch and dinner, Continental fare rules, with perennial favorites on the rarely-changing menu.

Chef Kelly English is always in the house - as in, the darling house in Midtown that serves as the backdrop for Iris. The homey feel of the individual dining rooms is supplemented by great artwork and a low-key ambiance; you'll be comfortable here is dressy jeans or full-out glam. The cuisine is a nice combination of fresh local ingredients and Cajun flair, thanks to English's home-grown sensibilities - he's a Southern LA (Louisiana) boy. Recent delicacies have included sweet corn griddle cakes topped with Gulf crabmea and a surf and turf that blends a strip steak and fried oysters When the weather's nice, be sure to ask for a table on the small but charming patio.

With a seasonal menu and a focus on locally grown produce, the menu is never quite the same each evening at Sweet Grass, but one can always count on an artful combination of Low Country cooking combined with an overall Southern flair. Our favorites include a few always-on-the-menu options - the fried green tomato sandwich, such a treat - and the tasty shrimp and grits, peppered with a few scallops to keep your palate off balance. The airy, open dining room has a small bar area and a very small waiting area, so you can always pop next door to Next Door, also co-owned by Chef Trimm, to wait in comfort for a table if there's no spot available at the bar.

Tucked away on an East Memphis side street, Erling Jensen is a bit difficult to find but worth the trouble. Grounded in French tradition but much broader in scope, this fine restaurant has been a favorite for years, its personable chef, Erling Jensen, a fixture both in the kitchen and the dining room. The menu masterfully combines lamb, game, beef, and seafood with fresh vegetables and rich, flavorful sauces. Wild game is a highlight of the menu, with offerings including pheasant breast with risotto, or New England red deer chops, and elk. A huge array of salads, wide selection of seafood and tempting desserts including housemade sorbets round out the broad menu.

The most opulent dining experience in all of Memphis is found at Chez Philippe, located in the lobby of the historic Peabody Hotel. Fortunately for diners, the cuisine matches the lush and elegant surroundings. Traditional French fare is the focus of the chef, with a seasonal menu featuring a marriage of locally grown and produced foods; a full tasting menu of seven courses, or smaller prix fixe menus of three or five courses include wine pairing options, a must-do. Starters include crawfish consomme and a lobster and fennel salad, while entrees feature dry aged beef, Filet Oscar and an array of seafood options. For those who prefer to choose their own wine, a lush menu offers options beyond the $400 per bottle price tag.

From the culinary geniuses that have helped bring Memphis into the national dining spotlight comes the downtown eatery that's just too good for words. Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman - the boys who brought us Andrew Michael, Porcellino's Craft Butcher and Hog & Hominy - have now given us Catherine & Mary's, inspired by their grandmothers' cooking. Think Nona's marinara, but way beyond that � a blend of Tuscan and Sicilian flavors married to Memphis sensibility. Housed in the historic Chisca building, dinner at Catherine & Mary's is a multi-course feast for the palate and the senses. The menu changes monthly, and there's a real emphasis on local producers as well as meat from Ticer & Hudman's craft butchery. Most plates, including the pastas, are sized and priced to share, and our advice is to indulge. Another real emphasis is on desert and drinks, with an in-house pastry chef, a wine director and a craft cocktail genius.