Top 12 Soul Food Spots (Ranked by Quality & Value)
1. Four Way Restaurant — The Gold Standard
Location: 998 Mississippi Blvd, South Memphis
Price: $12-18 per person
Best dish: Fried catfish with greens and mac & cheese
Rating: ★★★★★
Best Soul Food In Memphis Tn has been serving soul food since 1946, and they haven't changed the recipe because they don't need to. The fried catfish is $14.50 and comes with two sides that are better than most restaurants' main dishes.
The turnip greens taste like someone's grandmother made them (because someone's grandmother probably did). The cornbread is sweet, dense, and arrives hot enough to melt butter on contact.
Skip: The fried chicken. It's fine, but Gus's does it better.
💡 Pro tip: Go on Sunday between 11am-1pm when church crowds pack the place. The energy alone is worth it, plus they cook everything fresh to keep up with demand.
| Item |
Price |
Worth It? |
| Fried Catfish Plate |
$14.50 |
Absolutely |
| Smothered Pork Chops |
$13.95 |
Yes |
| Chicken & Waffles |
$12.50 |
Skip it |
| Sides (each) |
$3.50 |
Get the greens |
2. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken — Best Fried Chicken
Location: 310 S Front St, Downtown
Price: $10-16 per person
Best dish: Dark meat fried chicken
Rating: ★★★★★
The best fried chicken in Memphis isn't up for debate. Gus's marinates their chicken for 24 hours, then fries it to order in cast iron skillets. The result is a crispy, peppery crust that shatters when you bite into it.
A half chicken with two sides runs $15.25, which is a steal considering most tourists waste $22 on mediocre chicken sandwiches on Beale Street.
The beans are great. The coleslaw is forgettable. The atmosphere is no-frills plastic tables and paper plates, which somehow makes the chicken taste better.
💡 Pro tip: Order dark meat. The drumsticks and thighs stay juicier than the breast, and the meat-to-crust ratio is perfect. Also, bring cash—they prefer it, though they do take cards now.
3. The Four Way (Midtown Location) — Breakfast Champion
Location: 2410 Millbranch Rd
Price: $8-14 per person
Best dish: Country ham with eggs and grits
Rating: ★★★★½
Not to be confused with Four Way Restaurant (they're related but different), this spot does the best soul food breakfast in Memphis TN. The country ham is salty, thick-cut, and comes with grits so creamy they should be illegal.
Breakfast plates start at $9.50 and include enough food for two meals if you're not particularly hungry.
| Breakfast Item |
Price |
Calories (est.) |
| Country Ham & Eggs |
$11.25 |
850 |
| Chicken & Waffles |
$12.50 |
1100 |
| Catfish & Grits |
$13.95 |
950 |
| Biscuits & Gravy |
$8.50 |
700 |
4. Alcenia's — Best Personality
Location: 317 N Main St, Downtown
Price: $12-20 per person
Best dish: Fried chicken livers
Rating: ★★★★
The owner, Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo (everyone calls her BJ), will hug you when you walk in and tell you what you're ordering. Don't argue with BJ. She's right.
The fried chicken livers ($13.50) are crispy outside, creamy inside, and served with a hot sauce that'll make you sweat.
💡 Related: I Ate My Way Through Memphis—Here's What's Worth It
Skip: Anything on Beale Street except Bro'Gurt in emergencies
Memphis has the best soul food in the South because it hasn't been gentrified into health-conscious, Instagram-friendly versions of itself. The places worth eating at have been cooking the same recipes for 50-70 years, and they're not changing for tourists or trends.
Your three-day soul food itinerary should cost $90-150 total for all meals if you follow this guide. Tourists waste that much on two mediocre Beale Street dinners.
Eat where locals eat. Bring cash. Order fried. Get extra sides. Don't plan activities immediately after eating.
You're welcome.
