Hopdoddy, Hattie B's, and More: 15 Memphis Restaurant Updates You've Been Waiting For
Find a new Memphis restaurant! Here's a list of 15 upcoming Memphis restaurants that are opening soon. I've included my comments and relevant links.
Please keep in mind that most of the openings are subject to change. The links to menus are either from existing locations or previous/similar restaurants, so use common sense as you peruse.
1. Rise Opened March 7, Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown.
Rise is a mostly breakfast cafe in Germantown with about 15 locations in the southeast, and this location is the first in Tennessee. They opened March 7, so I'm including them on this list. They have donuts, biscuit sandwiches, and a few other lunch-y things. Menu.
2. Indian Pass Raw Bar - Opened March 12. Just west of Overton Square where Chiwawa used to be.
This is the latest addition to our Places To Get Oysters In Memphis guide, and the newest seafood restaurant in Memphis. The second location of the popular Florida restaurant means you can expect seafood, obviously, including oysters, shrimp, crab legs, and gumbo, plus burgers and hot dogs, wine, and beer. They have a big patio, are open every day, and have live music Thursday - Saturday nights. Menu.
inside Grecian Gourmet
3. Grecian Gourmet - Opened March 13. 412 S. Main downtown where Onix used to be a while ago.
You've been able to pick up Grecian Gourmet's prepared foods at farmers markets and shops for a while now, but now you can enjoy their house made pita chips, moussaka, dolmatches, spanakopita, pastitso, and more in a real sit-down location on South Main. Memphis could definitely use a dedicated Greek restaurant, so yay.
4. Fuel Cafe. Opened March 13. Same location, 1761 Madison in midtown.
The Memphis Flyer reports that Fuel Cafe (which has been closed for a while) will reopen on March 13 with a focus on pizza made in their new pizza oven and a "total reinvention". Check out the article for more.
Hopdoddy Overton
5. Hopdoddy - Opens April 2. Overton Square where YOLO used to be.
I caught this beloved Austin-based burger chain installing their sign on March 7 and my pal Shannon got a peek inside recently. Hopdoddy will have burgers, fries, salads, shakes, booze. Menu.
Hattie B's starting to look like something
6. Hattie B's - April 19. On Cooper in midtown where Easy Way used to be.
Nashville hot chicken in Memphis. People love this place and they're basically taking over the world. Fun fact, though: the firm that did Hattie B's logos and website and stuff is based in Memphis. Wiseacre has posted that Hattie B's food truck will be at the taproom in March, so either they're doing a pop-up or have a truck launching, too. Menu.
7. Strano by Chef Josh. By April 1. Laurelwood area (East Memphis off Poplar) in the old Jim's Place.
Strano Sicilian Kitchen is moving into Jim's Place near Laurelwood with plans to open as early as April 1; this should be a great fit for Chef Josh's delicious upscale Italian and Sicilian cuisine. Menu.
8. Wahlburgers - Spring, maybe. Beale Street.
Instead of Sweetie Pie's, we shall have a burger chain on Beale owned by famous people! They pulled a construction permit back in November (per Fox 13) and said they planned to open "this spring". They have burgers, salads, vegetarian options, tater tots, mac 'n' cheese, etc. Menu.
9. Elemento's Neopolitan Pizza - Late spring/early summer. Crosstown Concourse.
This new Memphis pizzeria will be co-owned by Adrian Accury and Justin Dorah. Accury owns Ciao Baby in Collierville, which a lot of people say is their favorite pizza in the area. Read more about the Neopolitan style here. They filed a construction permit on Jan. 29 (per MDN) and I'm hearing we have a few more months before they open inside the Crosstown Concourse building.
10. SugaShack - Mid-April/May. 392 Beale Street.
Are there really going to be two places called variations of "sugar shack" on Beale? Yes. Beale Sweets Sugar Shack and then, at some point in the future, SugaShack, which will be owned by longtime local musician Larry Springfield. While the focus will be on the live soul music and entertainment that makes Beale Street, well, Beale Street, they'll also have a Southern food menu. A peek at their Facebook page shows that some iteration of SugaShack existed in the past, so it will be cool to see this next version exist on the eastern end of the street, which needs some love.
11. Lucky Cat - April-ish. Cooper Young where Tart used to be.
I luckily (ha) got some info on this one to expand on the January announcement that Lucky Cat was moving to the former Tart location. Lucky Cat started as a humble pop-up on Sundays at The Cove bar, now they're a casual BYOB ramen and pork bun spot at Peabody and Cooper, and in the next few months, they will graduate to the next level: an upscale Japanese restaurant and late-night eatery in Cooper Young. I talked to owner Zach Nicholson recently. He says that Lucky Cat will always serve the ramen many Memphians love, but reiterates that they plan to expand the menu beyond street food to elevated Asian cuisine, including some surprises.
When I hear this kind of thing, I immediately think, it's going to be more expensive, and Zach admits I'm not wrong. I asked him - why change if everyone just loves the ramen? His answer is that they have a lot of culinary talent coming in, a lot of inspiration, and access to the very best ingredients. Makes absolute sense to me, and I can tell this team has been itching to go beyond the basics since I tried their eggplant, peanut, yogurt sauce pork bun thing that blew my mind and was way out of the ordinary.
Aaron Hanna a.ka. one of Memphis' top bartenders will take over the cocktail program, which is truly exciting if you're a local cocktail aficionado. Zach says he's aware of the dearth of late-night food options in midtown and hopes to stay open past midnight "maybe even 1 a.m. or later", adding that service industry folks deserve great food even though they get off work late. Bravo on this. Given the success and quality of Lucky Cat, I trust these folks will pull it all off. I wonder if their Butcher Dinner (Thursday! get tix now!) is any indication of the kinds of things we will find at the new Lucky Cat in the coming months.
12. 117 Prime - April-ish. 117 Union downtown near Union and Main in the old Belle Diner.
Chef Ryan Trimm (Sweet Grass) and Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp (Central BBQ) teamed up for Sunrise, and they'll continue their partnership for a new steakhouse called 117 Prime. They'll do aged steaks and have an oyster bar, too. We don't know too much else except what's in this High Ground article and that Trimm says it will be four to six weeks until they open. This will be connected to the wonderful Belle Tavern.
13. Central BBQ East. This spring. 6201 Poplar out past Poplar and 240.
One of Memphis' favorites is expanding. They're opening in the former Lyfe Kitchen/Sharkey's/Steak & Ale on Poplar just past 240. They're gonna take over the world next, so hang on to your hot sauce, hot chicken people. Menu.
14. Agave Maria. Next few months/weeks???. Same location, 83 Union downtown.
They're hiring, they have new window graphics, and they say the redesign is done. It seems a reopening might be imminent.
15. Bangkok Alley. New few weeks??? Same location, downtown.
The downtown Bangkok Alley has been sold to a chef who was already working there. My intel a.k.a. Twitter tells me that it will be rebranded, but will remain a Thai restaurant. The sign on the door says it's closed for two weeks (was put up a little less than a week ago). I'm waiting to hear back from the owner and I will update this as soon as I can. The other two Bangkok Alleys are the same.
A few other updates and restaurant things ....
Don't forget about Slider Inn's plans to open a location downtown on South Main. It's gonna be lit.
At least one Twitter follower is excited about the new Krystal's on Germantown Road. Follow your heart, sir.
Trader Joe's aka the unicorn of Memphis grocery stores is still a thing, possibly...
Closed: Stanley BBQ and Bar Louie. No idea what's going in there.
Looks like High Cotton / Edge Alley are doing some revamping of their patio (above). Just in time for the 901 Popper Throwdown on March 25.
The Memphis Business Journal has reported that another Hopdoddy is going into the Poplar Commons shopping center.
Check out Wolf River Brisket Company, which is in the soft opening stage now.
What'd I miss? Let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can sleuth out.
