Summer Avenue Time, and the Eatin' Is Easy
Summer Avenue Time, and the Eatin' Is Easy
Summer Avenue has some of the most diverse, affordable, and delicious food in Memphis. Here are a few spots to make sure you check out.
Bryant's Breakfast (3965 Summer Ave)
Start off your day of Summer Avenue dining at one of the best breakfast joints in Memphis. If you're super hungry, get the breakfast sampler, but whatever you choose to order, a) make sure you figure it out before you get to the counter - things move fast at Bryant's - and b) make sure you order it with a delicious, crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside biscuit.
Elwood's Shack (4523 Summer Ave)
In the old Pizza Shack location, Elwood's Shack definitely falls into the "hidden gem" category. This no-frills restaurants is literally in a shack in the parking lot of a Lowe's home improvement store. You can get a loaded biscuit for breakfast, a plate of their famous steelhead trout fish tacos for lunch, or do like I did, and order the BBQ Slaw Dog for dinner.
The slaw is made from purple cabbage, with blue cheese (!) and jalapeños, add a side of potato salad, and you'll see why I've been craving this since I went.
La Guadulapana (4818 Summer Ave)
Summer Avenue is arguably the best place to find authentic Mexican food in Memphis, if you know where you're going. Taqueria La Guadulapana is good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I'd recommend ordering a couple of different tacos - and branching out from chicken and beef to try the goat, tongue, or Mexican sausage.
Jerusalem Market and Restaurant (4794 Summer Ave)
I recently tried Jerusalem Market for the first time. There's a Mediterranean market with lots of dry goods and spices, plus a meat counter on one side; the restaurant part was empty at 7 p.m., so we ordered our dinner to go.
We ordered two chicken shawarma plates with rice and toasted slivered almonds (such a huge portion that mine is going to last me three days, $10), baba ganoush (which was about two pounds of eggplant dip for just $4), and four pieces of falafel (25 cents each, can't beat that). The giant, heavy bag also contained tomato, cucumber, and pickle salads, and a couple pieces of pita. The whole meal for two people was less than $30, most everything was delicious, and will feed my friend and I for a few days. I'll definitely order the shawarma again.
---
There are probably a good 15 other places worth eating at on Summer Avenue. Which are your favorites?
Here are a few more to read about:
- La Herradura
- Elena's Taco Shop
- Nagasaki Inn
- Chinese Sub Shop
- the Pancake Shop
- La Michoacana
- DJ's Welding Shop Tamales
- Summer Drive-In (movie theater not a restaurant, but still fun)
Comments Make Us Happy