365 Things to Do in Memphis #135: Go to the Peanut Shoppe
365 Things to Do in Memphis #135: Go to the Peanut Shoppe
There are certain things that, no matter where you're from or how long you've lived in Memphis, you do when you go downtown. You go on the Peabody rooftop, you get your chicken from Gus's and you walk down the Main Street Mall to get to the Peanut Shoppe. If you don't already do that last one, you're about to: assignment #135 in the 365 Things to Do in Memphis is to grab a snack at the Peanut Shoppe.
The shop, which has been open downtown since 1949, is owned by the wondertwins of friendliness, Rida and his wife Ameerah. They're the sort of people that have the capacity to remember everyone's names and faces and stories, no matter how infrequently they see you. The shop is long and narrow (expect to have to squeeze around downtown office types taking mid-afternoon breaks), with mirrors on one side and candy, chocolate and nuts on the other. The nuts are roasted in the store, so the whole places smells warm and nutty.
As for what to order, you can't go wrong with a quarter pound of some kind of chocolate (I like the malted milk balls) and a quarter pound of some kind of salted nut (I usually choose pistachios or almonds). Both are great alone, but if you have them mixed in the same bag, they're even better. If you're into something a little more (ok, a lot more) decadent, get the chocolate toffee covered pecans. They're nuts, covered in toffee, covered in a thick layer of chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar. The Peanut Shoppe is open Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. They accept cards, but only on orders of more than $10, so do the nice thing and take something back to the office.
Go there: The Peanut Shoppe 24 S. Main Memphis, Tenn. 38103 (901) 525-1115 This post was originally published on May 15, 2012.
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