Our Favorite Memphis Bars

Here are a few fun neighborhoods for nightlife in Memphis. There are some bar recommendations too—sticking with places that generally don’t require reservations or are good for meeting up for drinks.

There are great bars in the suburbs, too, but for this quick guide I'm focusing on mostly walkable or dense areas.

Cooper Young Memphis Bars

Bar DKDC
Young Ave. Deli
Celtic Crossing
Alchemy
Railgarten
Knifebird
Hammer & Ale (not open late but great for beer)
Cafe Ole (patio and marg purposes)
Memphis Whistle
Breweries: Memphis Made and Cooper House Project

Also the bars at Tsunami, The Public Bistro and Beauty Shop restaurants.

Midtown Memphis Bars

Slider Inn
Bar Keough
Cameo
Lamplighter
Blue Monkey
Thrive (dress code)
B-Side (live music, burlesque shows, etc.)
Dru’s Place
Huey's
Alex's Tavern

Also the bar at Bari is A+++ for craft cocktails.

Bar DKDC

Railgarten in Cooper Young has multiple outdoor spaces with patios, a stage, and a playground.

Alchemy

bright red cocktail held up in front of upscale bar

Holly Whitfield

Bari Ristorante

Overton Square Bars

Lafayette's Music Room (live music)
Bayou
Zebra Lounge
Second Line
Side Street
Tiger & Peacock (rooftop, reservations, dress code)
Blue Monkey

Also the bar at Boscos and Babalu are good ones.

Downtown Memphis Bars

Barware
The Genre
Silly Goose
Huey's
Flying Saucer
Blind Bear
Brass Door
Ghost River Taproom
Bardog Tavern
WKND (dress code, reservations)
Beck & Call (rooftop)
Peabody Lobby Bar
Local on Main
Tailor's Union (dress code, reservations)
Grind City Brewing taproom
Soul & Spirits Brewing taproom
Beale Street — just walk around and see what you like!

Also the bar at Majestic is excellent; casual restaurants Aldo's and Kooky Canuck have bar areas. And, if you head over to Harbor Town, check out Terrace at the River Inn and Tug's Casual Grill.

Barware

crowd of people on top fo the roof at beck and call

Alex Shansky

Beck & Call

South Main

Green Beetle
Eight & Sand at Central Station
Bar Hustle at ARRIVE
Longshot at ARRIVE (basement level)
IBSI, Lounge on Main upstairs
Max’s Sports Bar
Earnestine & Hazel’s
Wiseacre Downtown
Birdie's
Blue Monkey
Lucky Cowboy (basement level 409 S Main)

Also try the bars at Catherine & Mary’s, The Lobbyist, Amelia Gene's or Bishop for craft cocktails in fine dining restaurants.

Crosstown and The Edge

The Hi Tone (live music)
Flip Side Pinball bar
Art Bar at Crosstown (inside the Concourse)
Crosstown Brewing taproom
High Cotton taproom (Edge District)
Inkwell

East Memphis

These neighborhoods are not a walkable for bar-hopping purposes, but if you’re just looking for a spot for a drink and have a rideshare or Uber:

Patrick’s
Neil’s
Half Shell
Hen House (reservations)
Hog & Hominy (bar is first-come, but fills up very quickly)
Brookhaven Pub
The Bluff
RP Tracks
High Point Pub

Good bars at upscale restaurants if you can get in: Andrew Michael, ACRE, Erling Jensen.

Broad Avenue

Several good options in a semi-walkable area.

Wiseacre Broad Ave.
The Cove
The Liquor Store

The bars at Bounty and Maximos's are good ones!

BREWERIES

Check out all the Memphis breweries in our Brewery Guide!

About the Author

Hello! I'm Jalyn Souchek, the Director of Content for I Love Memphis Blog! I love calling the 901 home. When I'm not running the blog you can find me cheering on the Grizzlies, at a concert, exploring a new restaurant or kicking back at one of our breweries. I hope you'll love experiencing Memphis with me.

Build your perfect Memphis meal:

I love to eat so if I were to have only one meal left.. I’m going all out. I’d start with an app of Gumbo Fries from Blue City Cafe or Bayou Fries from Chef Tam, wings from Good Fortune or Central’s (honey gold and Jamaican Jerk), potato salad from Fat Larry’s, side of bbq spaghetti from Bar-B-Q Shop, and fried okra from Soul Fish. All paired with a Beale Street Brewing Space Age Sippin’.

Your most memorable Memphis moment:

College GameDay on Beale Street. That was an electric and perfect morning. I was still working in news then and was able to take it in up close and on the stage at some points. The fun and joy of everyone down there that morning is unbeatable.