Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing about the Waffle Shop at Calvary Church downtown. It’s a lunch-only, Lent-only tradition.

I met my friend Andre there this afternoon for lunch. We were seated by a volunteer hostess and asked to mark what we wanted for lunch on the orange paper menus. The menu options are decidedly old school. Some of the items listed have been on the menu since the Calvary Waffle Shop started in 1928. This is probably one of the last places in town where you can get both tomato aspic and shrimp mousse.

Waffle, Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

I played it safe and chose the spaghetti. Andre got the corned beef, and we got a waffle to share (because what good is lunch at the Waffle Shop without a waffle). My spaghetti was really good in a classic way. Andre made a happy plate, so I’m assuming that the corned beef wasn’t bad, either.

The waffle was perfection. It wasn’t too thick and the edges had just a little bit of crunch to them.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

One of the coolest things about the Waffle Shop is that all of the seats are at long folding tables, so you wind up eating with strangers. The whole vibe is like a school cafeteria run by a team of grandmothers. The Waffle Shop does to-go orders, but if you can spare the time to sit and eat, you should.

There’s no tipping allowed at the Waffle Shop, no matter how adorable and friendly your volunteer server is. All of the money raised from the Waffle Shop goes to help fund Calvary’s outreach ministries throughout the city.

Easter is on April 4, so the Waffle Shop will only be open for three more weeks. If you want to try it, I suggest going soon.

Go There:

Calvary Waffle Shop

11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

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