Published on MemphisTravel.com
February 2017
Memphis Late Night Guide
You’re on vacation. You don’t have to go to bed at 10:00pm. Why would you when there’s still so much to do? Here are our picks for the best late night fun in Midtown and Downtown.
DOWNTOWN
Most of Beale Street stays up way later than the rest of the city and has the added bonus of allowing you to walk from place to place with a drink in hand (the only place in Tennessee to allow this). Take a stroll from one end to the other and see which places are hoppin, as it varies from night to night.
The Blew Note, across from The New Daisy, is closest thing there is to a real deal juke joint on Beale. Handy’s Blues Hall also feels authentic and original. (Check out the McDaniel band on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.)
The Tap Room is a down and dirty saloon if you wish to imbibe. People’s has the nicest, biggest pool tables in town. Rent one by the hour or pay as you go on a regular size table. (They also have a vending machine full of chips, candy, cigarettes, aspirin and dice, among other things.)
Live music and eats can also be found in other parts of downtown, too. Heading south from Beale, the legendary Earnestine & Hazel’s is known for its soul burgers, jukebox, and ghost stories. (Depending on the night, there is live music and/or free pool.)
The newish Loflin Yard is the place to be, especially when the weather is nice. It’s like a park that serves pitchers of beer, handcrafted cocktails and wine by the bottle. Their coach house often has live music and the upscale menu features mostly grilled items. The Dirty Crow is downtown’s newest dive bar. It features a great patio, crowd-pleasing chicken wings, and live music on weekends.
Downtown central has a couple of great neighborhood bars with great food—Bardog (a smoking bar) and the newly opened speakeasy-like Belle Tavern. For dancing, Paula & Raiford’s Disco is a revered Memphis institution which really doesn’t get going until 11:00pm. Don’t let the line down the street deter you. It moves fast and the party inside is worth it - think fog machines, twinkle lights, white leather couches, and a live DJ. (Also, if it’s crowded, paying a bit extra for the VIP area is suggested.)
For more soulful sounds and slower dance moves, head to Memphis Sounds Lounge in the basement of the Econo Lodge. Known for cool jazz and hot blues, it’s a fun, intimate spot for live music.
In Victorian Village, Mollie Fontaine’s is the go to. Official hours are “5:00pm til the spirits go to sleep,” Wednesday through Saturday. The entire house is beautifully decorated, dark, and cozy. The downstairs features a piano and a large bar. Upstairs is a series of smaller rooms and a small bar (that allows smoking) with adjacent livingroom-like seating. Things can (and do) get a little wild.
MIDTOWN
Overton Square entertainment district is one Midtown option for the after party. It doesn’t go nearly as late as Beale Street, but there are a few late night gems to try. Dodici, located inside and above Bari Ristorante, is a super snug and exclusive bar that only seats twelve. The bartender, Vincent Hale, has been given free reign to make the fanciest, most complicated cocktails in town. He’ll stay as long as people are ordering drinks. Robata serves ramen and other Japanese delights until midnight Monday-Saturday and Local’s kitchen doesn’t close until 3am, seven days a week.
Just south of Overton Square is the Cooper-Young neighborhood, filled with an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars. Slider Inn (a smoking bar) has your patio needs covered, year round. They serve sliders, fries, nachos, lobster rolls and the like until 3am. Bar DKDC has live music almost every night and is a solid bet for late night fun. It’s not the biggest bar in town, but it definitely provides a bang. Around the corner, the much roomier Young Avenue Deli features live music, pool tables, and full service late night dining and drinks.
In Crosstown, the Hi Tone is the go-to, especially if you want to rock. They have live music nearly every night, usually starting at 10pm. There’s a separate smoking bar and a smaller room in back for intimate affairs. Food depends on who sets up outside, but is typically some kind of barbeque.
In VECA, Wild Bill’s is a must for the juke joint experience. Locals and tourists alike fill the communal tables. Beer is served in 40s with extra cups or you can BYOB and get a set up. The house band, led by Ms. Nikki, plays from 11pm-3am on weekends. Bring cash and plan to chat--and dance--with all of your new friends.
Down the road, Alex’s Tavern (a smoking bar) is known for its Greek seasoned burgers, jukebox, and extra late hours. If you wanna keep the party going all night, this is the place.
Showing posts with label memphis travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memphis travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Warm Up In Memphis This Winter
Published on MemphisTravel.com
February 2017
Warm Up In Memphis This Winter
Winter is a relative term in Memphis, where we can deliver nearly year round patio weather. However, during our occasional stretches of cooler temps, there are plenty of tasty ways to warm your belly.
Soups and Noodles
You can find plenty of Asian restaurants in midtown if spicy, fragrant soups are what you have in mind: think Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese.
Crazy Noodle (2015 Madison) is a sweet little place tucked in just down the street from Overton Square. They have an amazing variety of ramen as well as Korean favorites like manduguk, which features Korean dumplings, flat rice cakes, cabbage, carrots, onions, shiitakes, and zucchini. It’s stirred with an egg and topped with seaweed.
Shanghai’s (1400 Poplar) magic tofu curry soup, also known as T12, is sure to cure whatever ails you, or just improve analready good day. Phuong Long (306 Cleveland) has fresh and delicious pho. Jasmine (916 S. Cooper) has perfected Thai favorites tom ka and tom yum and has one of the best hot and sour soups in town.
Finally, if you can catch a Lucky Cat Ramen pop up you absolutely should. They’ve taken ramen to a fine dining level.
If you are looking for a more traditional soup to stick to your bones, then get a bowl of Huey’s hearty potato soup. (Go ahead, get a burger too.) If chili is your thing, The Young Avenue Deli has a great veggie option and the Belle Tavern’s signature bowl is made with beef tenderloin.
La Baguette’s spicy tomato soup is the perfect match for their fresh baguettes. Tart’s Onion Soup Gratinee will literally make your mouth water. Finally, for the ultimate chicken soup fix, try Maciel’s sublime Chicken Chipotle Soup (listed as Caldo Tlalpeno).
Winter-Friendly Menus
When you are all souped up, or if you are souped out, head to Tsunami for a plate of the warm red cabbage salad with blue cheese and walnuts. The Cuban menu at Los Compadres (3295 Poplar) features Puerco Asada, also known as seriously delicious braised meat.
The mussels at Café 1912 come with bread for sopping up the sauce you’d drink from the bowl if no one was looking. Pete & Sam’s has a perfectly sized lasagna for one. Dino’s Grill has a really, really good chicken and spinach ravioli with authentic Italian gravy. Finally, Catherine & Mary’s grilled quail with polenta, pancetta and maitake ragu is one of the most satisfying dishes in town.
Cozy Up By The Fire
If fire is what you seek, Memphis has you covered. Mortimer’s has a full on fireplace (replete with mantle and fake books) adjacent to the bar. Have a bowl of gumbo and stay awhile. Le Chardonnay also has a fireplace with a couch if pizza is what you seek. Or sit at the bar by the pizza oven over at Bosco’s. The Madison Hotel’s Twilight Sky Terrace lights up their rooftop fire pits during cooler weather, too.
If that’s not enough fire, try Loflin Yard. Not only do they have fire pits set up, they sell DIY s’mores. You can also make your own s’mores indoors at the Kooky Canuck right on your table. But if just a small amount of fire sounds right, then you might also try the city’s oldest hibachi at Nagasaki Inn. Midtown’s newest Korean hotspot, DWJ #2 (2156 Young) lets you do the tableside cooking. Finally, a sizzling volcanic bowl of Bi Bim Bop from Kwik Chek should hit the spot.
Liquid Warmth
Wintertime liquid refreshments are the best. Stop by the Cove and have them whip up a hot toddy suited to your particular tastes. Casablanca has the best tea in town, which just happens to be sweetened with Wolf River honey. Order it hot! City & State’s Salted Caramel Latte is also a guaranteed warmer upper. (You can even get it with a slice of pie.) And no winter would be complete without at least cup of hot chocolate from Café Eclectic.
February 2017
Warm Up In Memphis This Winter
Winter is a relative term in Memphis, where we can deliver nearly year round patio weather. However, during our occasional stretches of cooler temps, there are plenty of tasty ways to warm your belly.
Soups and Noodles
You can find plenty of Asian restaurants in midtown if spicy, fragrant soups are what you have in mind: think Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese.
Crazy Noodle (2015 Madison) is a sweet little place tucked in just down the street from Overton Square. They have an amazing variety of ramen as well as Korean favorites like manduguk, which features Korean dumplings, flat rice cakes, cabbage, carrots, onions, shiitakes, and zucchini. It’s stirred with an egg and topped with seaweed.
Shanghai’s (1400 Poplar) magic tofu curry soup, also known as T12, is sure to cure whatever ails you, or just improve analready good day. Phuong Long (306 Cleveland) has fresh and delicious pho. Jasmine (916 S. Cooper) has perfected Thai favorites tom ka and tom yum and has one of the best hot and sour soups in town.
Finally, if you can catch a Lucky Cat Ramen pop up you absolutely should. They’ve taken ramen to a fine dining level.
If you are looking for a more traditional soup to stick to your bones, then get a bowl of Huey’s hearty potato soup. (Go ahead, get a burger too.) If chili is your thing, The Young Avenue Deli has a great veggie option and the Belle Tavern’s signature bowl is made with beef tenderloin.
La Baguette’s spicy tomato soup is the perfect match for their fresh baguettes. Tart’s Onion Soup Gratinee will literally make your mouth water. Finally, for the ultimate chicken soup fix, try Maciel’s sublime Chicken Chipotle Soup (listed as Caldo Tlalpeno).
Winter-Friendly Menus
When you are all souped up, or if you are souped out, head to Tsunami for a plate of the warm red cabbage salad with blue cheese and walnuts. The Cuban menu at Los Compadres (3295 Poplar) features Puerco Asada, also known as seriously delicious braised meat.
The mussels at Café 1912 come with bread for sopping up the sauce you’d drink from the bowl if no one was looking. Pete & Sam’s has a perfectly sized lasagna for one. Dino’s Grill has a really, really good chicken and spinach ravioli with authentic Italian gravy. Finally, Catherine & Mary’s grilled quail with polenta, pancetta and maitake ragu is one of the most satisfying dishes in town.
Cozy Up By The Fire
If fire is what you seek, Memphis has you covered. Mortimer’s has a full on fireplace (replete with mantle and fake books) adjacent to the bar. Have a bowl of gumbo and stay awhile. Le Chardonnay also has a fireplace with a couch if pizza is what you seek. Or sit at the bar by the pizza oven over at Bosco’s. The Madison Hotel’s Twilight Sky Terrace lights up their rooftop fire pits during cooler weather, too.
If that’s not enough fire, try Loflin Yard. Not only do they have fire pits set up, they sell DIY s’mores. You can also make your own s’mores indoors at the Kooky Canuck right on your table. But if just a small amount of fire sounds right, then you might also try the city’s oldest hibachi at Nagasaki Inn. Midtown’s newest Korean hotspot, DWJ #2 (2156 Young) lets you do the tableside cooking. Finally, a sizzling volcanic bowl of Bi Bim Bop from Kwik Chek should hit the spot.
Liquid Warmth
Wintertime liquid refreshments are the best. Stop by the Cove and have them whip up a hot toddy suited to your particular tastes. Casablanca has the best tea in town, which just happens to be sweetened with Wolf River honey. Order it hot! City & State’s Salted Caramel Latte is also a guaranteed warmer upper. (You can even get it with a slice of pie.) And no winter would be complete without at least cup of hot chocolate from Café Eclectic.
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