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    King's Palace Cafe

    3.6 (289 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    KING'S PALACE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - King's Palace Cafe

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    Kirsten J.

    Nice ambiance! We stopped by King's Palace for a drink and absolutely loved it. As soonest we stepped into the cafe with live soul music we felt at home. Staff and musicians were super friendly!

    Bonnie R.

    You're absolutely paying for location when choosing this Beale street restaurant for dinner. Service was slow to arrive and lagging in follow up. The food was terrible--greasy, not fresh and hubby's catfish was so undercooked he didn't eat it. We would have asked for it to be corrected--alas, we couldn't seem to find our waitress. We did enjoy the live music and people watching; but it didn't compensate for the hefty price tag given all the disappointment.

    Bowl of gumbo
    Kathryn J.

    Out of all the Beale Street restaurants, I heard over and over that King's Palace Cafe was the place to go for gumbo. I don't know enough to say if it's the "best" gumbo, but it's pretty incredible! A big bowl cost about $20 and I got a side of hush puppies, because of course I did. The gumbo was delicious, with tons of seafood and sausage in it. The hush puppies were perfect, with a great crispy crunch but a soft inside. It's likely not the cheapest meal on Beale Street but it was great! The service was fast and the people were nice, and the historic building has such a cool feel. I would love to come back and listen to some live music!

    Gumbo
    Emma J.

    We went here for a couple drinks before heading out to a concert at the FedExForum. It was a Saturday night and very busy, but there was somehow only one bartender/server for the entire place which made service quite slow. After reading the story of the gumbo, we decided we had to try it. I was incredibly disappointed and honestly wasn't able to eat it because of how fishy it was, my husband thought it tasted very strongly of crawfish, but was able to at least eat it. Thank goodness because it was $20/bowl, which is really steep in my opinion. The drinks on the other hand were dirt cheap though!

    Abby A.

    Came here as part of Tastin' Around Memphis tour. I'm not big on wings but these were good! Plentiful whole wing with tons of sauce, just two was great. Interested to try again if I'm back on Beale street

    Ribs? Maybe?
    Tyrone T.

    Ok...I hate writing bad reviews, I really do... but if people depend on real reviews as much as I do, then bad reviews are just as important as good ones. So we went to the spot on Beale street because we wanted some good food and the Beale street blues music experience. We struck out with this place. When we walked up there was nobody in the restaurant! (121 rule! See my other reviews) We decided to try it anyway. The band was just setting up. A nice young lady took our order. This should have been my warning. We order some crab cakes as an appetizer. I asked her how are the crab cakes, her response, "Oh they nasty!"...what? Ok whatever...she give me the "Special shrimp" which is just shrimp wrapped in very salty bacon. We both ordered the rib plate which was like eating a cowboy boot with poorly made sauce on it. Ugh! Just fyi don't believe anything you see in the pictures on Yelp! Something must have happened to this spot since those pics were taken. The only thing I can really say is the Coke was excellent! Sorry folks. Oh by the way that band was decent. They were called Cashmere, a little campy and had an early 80's feel but the singer was entertaining.

    Gumbo
    Aaron M.

    Had the gumbo and smoked wings. Some of the best wings I've ever had. Gumbo was excellent too. Had a trumpet player performing that was great.

    Rib Meal... looks good
    Ken O.

    I was really looking forward to some incredible BBQ ribs so I thought I'd check this restaurant out. This was my first restaurant in Memphis. Since I was there in the middle of the afternoon, and I was able to be seated right away. There were few other patrons so I didn't think anything of it. I decided to order the 1/2 rib meal. Within few minutes, the meal was delivered. The ribs really looked good. The sauce was good, but I couldn't even cut the meat. I was so tempted to just walk out but I didn't. About 10 minutes later, the owner finally came to check with me and I explained how bad the ribs are. He looked at them and stated... yea the ribs are old and never should have been served. I asked for the check so I can leave. At least he comp'd the meal. I could not recommend this restaurant.

    Burger and fries
    Chel H.

    I'm giving it a 3 only because I was really sad about my burger. The only thing was fresh was my bun, the lettuce was stinky and the tomato looked like they sat out without being on ice . I have been doing 15-16 fast so when I eat I want the meal to be good and fulfilling. This wasn't even worth it that . The drink was very spot on and strong which is why I scored it a 3. The burger along made the experience 2 . OH ! Almost forgot the music ! The Music..... was FIRE ‼

    Cocktail Menu.
    Monica S.

    Want great food and strong drinks on Beale St? You won't find it here. While visiting Memphis, I patronized this place twice- once in the evening, and another time during the day; however, both times left something to be desired. Food: edible and that's it. Their menu claims that they have the best gumbo and it's so good that they've been kicked out of competitions for winning every year, but it wasn't anything I drooled over. As a main entree, I ordered their cajun pasta, but there was nothing 'Cajun' about it as it tasted like noodles with Alfredo sauce with a grilled chicken breast on top. My husband ordered their catfish and fries dinner which was decent, but still left more to be desired. One thing that stood out to me was that our entrees were supposed to come with garlic bread, but somehow we got a toasted hotdog bun with cheese on top... not good. When visiting this place on an evening night, I only had drinks. They were $10/drink which isn't so bad considering location, but they weren't strong at all and the bar tender ran out of coke, so she added Dr. Choice.. whatever that is. Service: decent, but could strongly be improved. It seemed as though everyone that works there doesn't pay much attention or they go missing. Patrons would walk in and wait for service so long that they would ask me if they should seat themselves. Value: not a great value for the price at all. When dining at this place, my bill was about $70 for a not so good meal. $10 for a not so great drink isn't a 'value' either. Ambiance: old, dark inside, usually playing some blues music or have locals performing live music. Decor could use some updating as well. Location: Located directly on Beale St. 162 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

    My drink
    Nneka O.

    Kim is the best bartender I could've asked for she was so sweet and helpful!!!! She made great drinks and was attentive!!

    a band playing in the background
    Greg M.

    This place was a blast. Came in on a Sunday afternoon looking for live music. They were the first bar to have a band cued up. And they were really pretty good. The lead singer was a bit over the top harrasing the audience for tips, but he has a great voice and plays a mean bass. Realized about an hour into this that I was in the tap room and another band was taking shape next door. These guys had a keyboard, sax, bass, guitar and a vocalist. Mixing was a little off, but they too were very good. Both bars were a bit disappointing with their alcohol selection. No really good bottles or tap beer. While pursuing the menu, I read about their award winning gumbo. Gave it a try, and I'm here to tell you, it was excellent! Also tried their smoked wings. Well prepared, but not that tasty.

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    2 years ago

    The gumbo is truly the best. The trophies and awards don't lie. Great bread as well. Even if you just stop in for a bite, get the gumbo!

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    11 months ago

    Went to kings palace (4 women) we were met by the bartender who gave us the middle finger. Really bad vibe..took our business elsewhere

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    1 year ago

    Great music on the side of the restaurant and great drinks. Perfect place to hear Memphis blues

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    6 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Their gumbo is spot on. Nice dark earthy rue. The Fried Green Tomatoes are thick and covered perfectly with a cornbread batter. Top notch

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great vibe, good music and Kim, the bartender, fixed us up some solid drinks. Definitely coming back here next time I'm in Memphis

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    3 years ago

    Kim was a amazing bartender and the gator chips was great you may come see her if you're ever in Memphis

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    Bayou Bar & Grill - 10.08.25; catfish basket with fries and a salad

    Bayou Bar & Grill

    3.4(418 reviews)
    3.4 miMidtown
    $$

    The menu looked really interesting. I love Cajun food. The reviews were not great but most were old…read moreanyway. So, let's being the reviews back to the here and now 7.26 The place had a bar feel with a restaurant as a second thought. The tables were kinda small. The menu was packed with many choices. Something for everyone for sure. Our waiter was on the ball. He was constantly coming by and checking on us. We started with the spinach and artichokes dip. Small but good. Turns out, it was the perfect size. We then ordered our entrees. We had an order of catfish fingers, shrimp and grits, and chicken and shrimp pasta. The catfish was real good. Crispy and tasty. Fries were good also. Next, the shrimp and grits. Good flavor. And then the shrimp and chicken pasta. Excellent. Creamy and a little bit spicy. Good flavor. Someone said shrimp were small. Not this time. Shrimp were as expected. All played were huge. There was allot of food. Easy more than any of us could finish. And we were hungry. So make sure you bring your appetite. We finished with an order of beignets. A little bit over cooked but the interior was nice and fluffy. Very crunchy. In all, this place rocks. Everything was way better than expected. I love Cajun food and this place did not disappoint. I Recommend this place.

    I grew up around Creole and Cajun Food my whole life. And living in Memphis I don't get it as often…read moreas I did growing up... Leading to the cravings. In retrospect I should have just driven to Deja vu, in fact .... Looks like I'm going to have to do that soon and from here on after. As a bar Bayou does its job ... It has put forth an effort to appear slightly as a Dark Louisiana bayou bar. It doesn't quite hit the mark ... But it tries so they get props for that. The space itself is roomy and when we went pretty vacant. We grabbed a table and eagerly waited to be brought a menu ... Because it was about two and this chick was starved! We watched two waitresses Walking around the spacious dining area between the four tables that actually had people at them. We watched and waited ... Smiling and suggestively nodding as in 'bring me a menu please before I start gnawing the table' kinda nod. We where acknowledged several times and finally one of the waitresses said 'be with you in a minute'. This minute was more like ten. Finally we get our menu and drink orders in... I asked if the shrimp and grits had any meat in them and just had seafood ... I was told no just seafood. We ordered the flight of soups as we wanted to try them all... My sister tasted the duck and chicken gumbo and nearly gaged. Their seafood gumbo was ok.... Definitely not the gumbo I grew up on but it wasn't terrible. I suppose if I where placed in a situation where I had to eat something from Bayou ... Or DIE... Well I would eat the seafood gumbo. The seafood bisque was ok... Again not terrible but not particularly tasty. The red beans .... Horrible. Sister said the Gator chili was decent and the only thing she would ever consider ordering again though containing very little actual gator meat. I ordered a half dozen grilled oysters. According to the menu they where to be toped with shrimp cheese and louisiana mirepoix. Oysters came out with no grilled flavor drowned in some sort of cream and cheese .... No shrimp ... Not so much as an onion in sight much less a mirepoix! I had ordered the shrimp and grits as I had been told there was nothing but seafood in them .... Boy was that a lie. I fished out six smallish shrimp and ate just them. My sister had the Jambalaya. It consisted of tiny little salad shrimp chicken and slices of sausage and a strange flavor which she finally isolated to the actual sausage. We grew up on aundouille sausage ... In fact our uncle makes it occasionally. Whatever that was in the jambalaya they where calling aundouille we are not totally convinced it was ... And my sister said the bad flavor was conning from the fact the sausage tasted spoiled. Needless to say ... She did not eat more than a few bites of the jambalaya. So there we sat with huge bowls of uneaten food ... Empty water glasses... And all our other plates (from the soup and oysters) crowding our small table. I was never asked if I'd like another beer ... No offer to remove plates... No water refill. In fact our waitress practically ignored us and had to be flagged down for anything. My sister optimistically wanted to try the bread pudding .... I warned her ... But she did it anyway. I tried a bite. It was terrible. My sister being of the more steel stomach type (and her side was covered in Caramel sauce) ate several bites before she made this funny face ... 'This is freezer burnt!' I just said 'I told ya. I can't believe you ate even that much!' It took forever to get our final bill for a table full of practically uneaten food. Then to top it all off ... We both got a little sick. And as we had not eaten anything else that day ... Other than Bayou. In the middle if this review I decided that one star was really an unfair assessment .... In this case zero stars would have been generous. I suppose if you are just wanting to hang out at a bar .... It would serve that purpose.... Maybe they should just remove 'Grill' from their name altogether ... And do us all a favor - stop serving whatevet that is they are calling food!

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    Bayou Bar & Grill
    Bayou Bar & Grill
    Bayou Bar & Grill - Menu 7.26

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    Menu 7.26

    Soul Fish Cafe - Catfish, okra and cucumber salad, to go!

    Soul Fish Cafe

    4.3(589 reviews)
    3.7 miCooper-Young
    $$

    I can not believe I have not reviewed Soul Fish as of yet. I am a huge fan…read more Let me preface this review by saying ... My grandfather owned two successful catfish restaurants. As a child I grew up on fried fish filets and hush puppies until my grandfather had to retire and sell his restaurant due to his Health. He still cooks up a mess of catfish for us about two or three times a year when we visit. Yum! My standards for good catfish are extremely high. Good fried catfish is not greasy, light cornmeal batter, tender flaky inside, and slightly crispy on the outside. Sounds simple enough but the truth of the matter is... Good fried catfish takes skill. After an epic searched for any decent catfish in Memphis and surrounding areas that took a few years ... My family and I decided to give up. And when I heard about Soul Fish it took some considerable convincing to get them to go. We where, none of us, disappointed! Soul Fish is without a doubt the best Catfish in Memphis. It is perfectly fried... Hushpuppies are tasty, coleslaw edible if not always yummy, fried pickles crisp and tart, pickle green tomatoes so yummy I could swim in them, and vegetables always cooked and seasons well (special recognition to the cabbage, broccoli, and black eyed peas). The service is always friendly, fast, efficient, and correct. The blackened catfish is pretty tasty too ... Sometimes they get a little heavy handed on the seasoning. Deserts are pretty great as well. My sister loves the Mississippi mud chocolate thingy they have (I'm not a chocolate fan). I've introduced many people (about 40 or so) to Soul Fish - locals and visitors alike - and no one ... And I mean not a single one of them where disappointed. So why four stars instead of five? True... the catfish is the best in Memphis - however it is not the best I've ever had. And Sometimes a filet or two at Soul Fish fall short of perfection... However ... I'm a regular and a fan of Soul Fish Cafe. If you have spent hours and disappointed meals trying to find good catfish in Memphis ... Look no further ... This is the place for you. I promise you will not Be disappointed!

    Still on the amazing food stops from our December 2025 Smoky Mountains trip, our final Tennessee…read moremeal had to be memorable--and Soul Fish Cafe delivered. Memphis is a slight detour on our way back to Texas, but there was no way we were settling for fast food along the highway. We wanted good seafood--fresh, satisfying, and worth the stop. So glad we chose this spot. From the outside, it's simple and unassuming. Inside, it feels like a slightly bougie fish cafe--clean, cozy, and well-kept, with subtle holiday decor and that warm Southern hospitality greeting you at the door. Our server, Denise, was professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming. The one-page menu keeps it simple, and she walked us through it along with the daily special. We ordered the gumbo, salmon burger, and a grilled salmon plate--everything tasted fresh and cooked to order. A perfect seafood meal in Tennessee. We left full, happy, and already planning what to try next time. Definitely a spot worth revisiting.

    Photos
    Soul Fish Cafe - Cozy, clean and inviting

    Cozy, clean and inviting

    Soul Fish Cafe
    Soul Fish Cafe - Interior

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    Interior

    McEwen's Memphis - new signage

    McEwen's Memphis

    4.4(666 reviews)
    0.3 miDowntown
    $$

    I really like this restaurant. We just happened to be hungry while shopping and found this place…read moreand it was great! The food, atmosphere, service, easy parking and friendly staff were all 5 out of 5.

    This place was very interesting to me. The look and vibe of it was very nice. It is a more upscale…read morerestaurant which is always nice for a special evening out. The food however was honestly meh (in my opinion). I got a creole dish and to be fair my dish looked beautiful. The plating was 10/10 but the taste for me left something to be desired. After eating this dish I questioned if I even like creole sauce because it really just wasn't that good. If this is a preference issue, I honestly don't know. I also thought the charcuterie appetizer had a weird mix of items on it from club crackers, to meat and cheese, and random veggies. Not bad but just kind of a weird mix. My husband ordered the salmon and he said it was good, not the best he's had but it was good. Other friends of ours got the white fish among the many other dishes. I did have a salad with these apples on it which was incredibly yummy. I will say though my dish looked amazing some of the other dishes were not plated well. Not to nitpick but to want to be considered a more upscale restaurant which means charging guest more money than say a local Applebee's then knowing how to appropriately garnish or drizzle sauce to elevate at plate is important (see my picture of the chicken dish). All and all not my favorite restaurant but definitely not the worst!!

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    McEwen's Memphis
    McEwen's Memphis - Long week in Memphis, dining at one of my favorites!

    Long week in Memphis, dining at one of my favorites!

    McEwen's Memphis - Complimentary biscuit

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    Complimentary biscuit

    King's Palace Cafe - cajun - Updated August 2026

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