As home to the Blues and Elvis’ Graceland and the birthplace of Rock n Roll, gospel, jazz, R & B, rap, and soul, you could say that Memphis is the world’s most musical city. Billboard magazine has found over 400 songs with references, mentions, and praise for Memphis. Aspiring musicians and music fanatics alike flock to Memphis to explore historic musical landmarks like Sun Studio, Graceland, and Beale Street.
Even if the newest generation of tourists don’t listen to Sun Studio greats like B.B. King, Johnny Cash, and Elvis, they’ll come away marveling at the musical soul of this Southern gem of a city. Another cultural gift to accompany its soulful music is a rich, down-home southern cooking and hospitality tradition that places Memphis on the map as a prime culinary destination. Memphis may be known for its barbeque, but its southern flare extends to finer dining experiences like steak and seafood. You can find the best cuts of steak in Memphis, Tennessee, along with fresh seafood that pairs seamlessly with classic southern flavors and side dishes. Below, we will explore the best steakhouses in Memphis for the ultimate experience in Southern comfort, fine dining, and creative fusions of contemporary and traditional cuisines.
Folk’s Folly
551 S Mendenhall Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
Phone: 901-762-8200
Visit Website
Folk’s Folly opened its doors in 1977 as owner Humphrey Folk’s vision of what a true steakhouse should be despite his family and friends’ doubts. That’s why he decided to name the restaurant Folk’s Folly, which, as history has shown, was a fruitful and successful folly. Folk’s Folly label’s itself Memphis’ Original Steakhouse and offers a classic steak and seafood menu with all the traditional surf and turf favorites, not to mention a whole menu section devoted to different potato side dishes. There is a section of specialties on the menu that features Folk’s Folly’s signature meat dishes. We recommend the specialty item known as the Filet a la Duxelle which is a petite filet mignon filled with mushroom pure the wrapped in smoked bacon, grilled, and topped with garlic sauteed mushrooms. Paired with potatoes a gratin and grilled asparagus, the filet will make a special meal indeed.
The Capital Grille
6065 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: 901-683-9291
Visit Website
The Capital Grille offers a very high-end, classic steakhouse menu and atmosphere, creating a world-class dining experience from the food to the extravagant architectural finishes. The Capital Grille in Memphis is in the White Station neighborhood, a family-friendly eastern Memphis suburb. The cuts of steak offered at The Capital Grille undergo an on-site dry-aging process in which meat sits for 18-24 days to maximize flavor and tenderness. If you want the best-tasting steak, we must direct you to the Chef’s suggestions, namely the porcini rubbed bone-in ribeye with 15-year aged balsamic, the coffee-rubbed Kona crusted dry-aged NY strip, and the seared tenderloin with butter-poached lobster tails.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
6245 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: 901-761-6200
Visit Website
Located on one of Memphis’ busiest avenues with proximity to the giant corporate headquarters of FedEx and International Paper, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is an excellent venue for corporate events, lunch meetings, happy hours, and company Christmas parties. The interior dining room has wall-to-ceiling windows that reveal a wonderful view of the Memphis skyline made more dramatic by the elegantly dim lighting. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse has an impressive wine list along with delicious meat, seafood, and plant-based options to accommodate dietary preferences of every kind. For the most decadent experience, we recommend ordering the truffle-poached lobster with bearnaise sauce and caviar. Their prime New York strip with horseradish is equally delectable.
Texas de Brazil
150 Peabody Pl Ste 103, Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 901-526-7600
Visit Website
Combining traditional Brazilian Churrascaria with friendly Texas hospitality, Texas de Brazil is the ultimate cultural fusion cookout. Using prime cuts of beef and lamb, a Brazilian churrasco is the process of slow-roasting meat over an open fire and slicing meat directly off the roasting spit. A Churrascaria is a unique experience because the menu is set. There is a multitude of meat offerings, including beef, pork, lamb, and chicken that are sliced table-side. The waitstaff is constantly circulating with different cuts that they will slice onto your plate at your request. They use a red-light/green-light card system wherein the customer indicates that they would like more meat with a green card, flipping it over to red when they are full. There is a delicious salad bar and complimentary mashed potatoes, cheese bread, and fried plantains. Suffice it to say, you should come hungry to Texas de Brazil.
Buckley’s Grill
5355 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: 901-683-4538
Visit Website
Buckley’s Grill is a casual steakhouse, seafood restaurant, and burger joint that prides itself on its welcoming and warm hospitality and affordability. Their menu features a wealth of different American cuisine influences such as Southern, Cajun, and traditional southwestern dishes. The waitstaff is incredibly attentive and helpful, making your dining experience an authentic lesson in southern hospitality. Memphis down-home southern cooking is always a foolproof option, so we recommend trying the Delta Shrimp and Grits plate with creamy cheddar grits topped with jumbo shrimp, roasted peppers, and onions, bacon, and tasso ham. Of course, it’s also hard to pass up one of their juicy half-pound burgers with thick-cut steak fries.
Char Restaurant
431 S Highland St #120, Memphis, TN 38111
Phone: 901-249-3533
Visit Website
Located in Memphis’ East Buntyn neighborhood and two blocks away from the University of Memphis, Char Restaurant is a high-end traditional Steakhouse with a southern flair. They offer lunch, brunch, dinner, and happy hour menus with unbeatable prices. Additionally, there are live piano performances to accompany happy hour and dinner meals six days of the week. If you want an exceptional meal in an elegant atmosphere without breaking the bank, their happy hour menu has many of their best dinner items at a fraction of the price. For instance, their no-filler crab cakes with jumbo lump crab, spices, and lemon tarragon butter are half the price. That said, you’d be missing out on all the amazing full dinner menu southern appetizers such as the cornmeal encrusted fried green tomatoes and the crab, shrimp, and andouille sausage gumbo. Their signature steak is the original cowboy prime ribeye with a spicy chili rub, and maître d’ butter served with loaded mashed potatoes.
117 Prime
117Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 901-433-9851
Visit Website
Located right off Memphis’ world-famous Beale Street, 117 Prime is a fine-dining, award-winning traditional steakhouse that strives to provide the finest prime steak and seafood cooked to perfection and served with characteristic southern charm. Their cocktail menu is especially enticing with elaborate takes on the classics such as the barrel-aged Manhattan with special reserve bourbon, Dolin rouge vermouth, barrel-aged bitters, and Luxardo maraschino cherries.117 Prime’s dinner menu is the most eclectic and creative melding of classic steak and seafood prepared with rich southern flavors. For an appetizer, we highly recommend trying their raw oysters. They have gulf and east coast oysters served simply or garnished Rockefeller or Bienville-style. As the main course, we recommend trying out some seafood; either the pan-seared sea scallops with tarragon creamed corn, braised mustard greens, and bacon jam, or split the rich 40 oz porterhouse for two with a side of crab and cauliflower au gratin.
J. Alexander’s
2670 N Germantown Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38133
Phone: 901-381-9670
Visit Website
J. Alexander’s is a chain of affordable, dressy-casual steak and prime rib restaurants with multiple locations nationwide, offering a deliciously well-rounded menu with accessible pricing. Memphis’ J. Alexander’s is in the Whitebridge neighborhood in a classy, airy red brick building. Their simple yet colorful plating is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, with salads and shoestring fries formed into decadent mountains on your plate. While it may be blasphemous to recommend a salad at a steakhouse, J Alexander’s Thai Kai Asian chop salad with peanut sauce is delicious and vibrantly colorful. As for the meat-lovers, I recommend the aged and slow-roasted on-the-bone prime rib with au jus and mashed potatoes.
Acre Restaurant
690 S Perkins Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
Phone: 901-818-2273
Visit Website
Acre Restaurant is a contemporary American Fusion fine-dining restaurant in Memphis with a rustic-chic intimate dining space that makes customers feel like they’re enjoying a meal in a friend or family member’s southern home. Every menu item from the main course to the artisanal spirit infusions for cocktails is carefully thought-out and curated by head chef duo Wally Joe and Andre Adams, who bring a diverse set of culinary influences. Acre Restaurant’s menu creatively combines Asian, Italian, and classic American south flavors as an eclectic selection of family-sized shareable dishes, small plates, and a la carte prime cuts of meat and whole fish. My favorite small plates are the smoked beef brisket with peach mustard and red cabbage and the roasted pork belly with cornbread, pickled cucumber, tomato, and smoked almond pesto. Lastly, my favorite shareable are the gnocchi with short rib and potato sauce and the wild boar Ragu. Asian-style meat and fish offerings include the whole crispy black bass with chili ponzu sauce and the bone-in veal chop with soy-shiitake sauce.
Porch and Parlor
2125Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Phone: 901-725-4000
Visit Website
Located in Midtown Memphis’ famous Overton Square, Porch and Parlor is a fine-dining Southern Steakhouse with a traditional southern gold-plated ceilinged dining room with elaborately molded wooden walls and leather dining chairs. If you want the ultimate classic Southern fine-dining experience, Porch and Parlor will more than meet your expectations. Along with USDA Prime beef, Porch and Parlor also has American and Japanese A5 Wagyu beef selection, so if you want to splurge, try the Japanese A5 ribeye. Their signature sides are over-the-top decadent Southern masterpieces like creamed corn brulee, maple roasted sweet potato, and ham hock braised collard greens.
Butcher Shop Steakhouse
107 S Germantown Pkwy, Cordova, TN 38018
Phone: 901-757-4244
Visit Website
If you’re looking for unpretentious, quality food in a lively, casual atmosphere, the Butcher Shop Steakhouse has a varied menu and consistently great dishes. With 40 years of experience, the Butcher Shop is a local favorite and beloved Germantown institution. We recommend their gorgonzola-stuffed filet mignon with portobello mushrooms, rosemary, and balsamic vinegar. Try their sweet potato casserole with roasted marshmallows on the side.