Excellent little wine bistro, with great service and unique food menu, albeit a little more limited than I'd like. The spinach, walnut, pear salad is fantastic and the firecracker chicken appetizer is awesome! As much as I loved Napa Cafe, it's not the kinda of place I'd frequent simply because I'd be hard pressed to find enough on the menu to keep me coming back. Perfect for an occasional special occasion, though! read more

Upscale restaurant with good food is the short review of this restaurant. For more detail of food to be had, please see below. We had scallop, gnochi, and lamb special. Scallop was very good. It melts in your mouth, and very buttery. There is part caramelized which gives it very nice texture combination. Gnochi was good but nothing to write home about. The lamb and basmati rice was good. Special note, the setting is upscale, but bathroom were not up to par. PS: buttermilk pie, it is soooooo good. read more

Awesome little place, ask to be seated in the wine cellar. The wine cellar is an enclosed seating area and has a pretty neat ambiance. I HIGHLY recommend Kevin as a waiter. An extremely nice guy, very attentive and caters to your every need. We will surely be returning to enjoy another evening here for dinner in Memphis. read more

Nice wine selection. Low key place to have a drink and eat at the bar. Smoked salmon spread was too cramy for my taste. Scallops were tasty but arrived only warm. read more

To be fair, I was not terribly hungry when we dined here, but our server was super helpful in getting us taken care of! We were laughing because the kid who was handling host duties was so nervous (and very young), but everything else was perfect. They have a great wine list, although wine by the glass is a little thin (i.e. not a lot of choices). We had the Napa Salad, grilled romaine salad, the pumpkin gnocchi and the short rib sliders. The gnocchi was not a fave at the table, especially for those of used to homemade gnocchi. The salads were perfect, though--the perfect blend of flavors. I can't say enough about the sliders -- OMG, so tasty! Just two, which is the perfect amount, super tender short rib, a touch of horseradish sauce, on a house made roll with just a bit of poppy seeds. I want more now. The atmosphere is ideal for just about any group, and they offer private dining rooms for groups, and do catering! Nice little corner table, tucked in and quiet. All around a great experience! read more

Great experience! The food was excellent and the staff took great care of us. Had a business dinner there and it was my first time eating at Napa Cafe but it won't be the last. read more

We just ate there tonight, and it was one of the best meals I've had in Memphis. Gill took care of us and was very attentive and friendly. We had the beet salad and the tomato soup. I had the steak with the blackberry reduction sauce and the best scalloped potatoes I've ever eaten. My husband had the pork chop with mashed potatoes and he loved his. We shared the buttermilk pie, which has the look and texture of a cheesecake with the taste of a buttermilk pie. The hostess walked me out with an umbrella, because it started to rain. The atmosphere was intimate and we were treated like royalty. Thanks Napa! We'll be back. read more

One of the best dining experiences that I have had in longer than I can remember. So often I go out to eat and find disappointment.. in the food, in the service and in the overall experience. Last night every aspect of Napa Cafe was great. Booking a reservation included a kind conversation, the greeter was genuinely nice our bartenders were great (as well as the drinks). Our server was one of the best I've had in a long time. She was concerned with each aspect of our meal and took her time to describe menu items and share her taste. She was nice to talk to and did not feel fake at all. Even when it got late she didn't skip any of the steps and offered us a dessert menu. . the entire meal was amazing. I was truly blown away by each course and each bite. We weren't the easiest table to deal with but she was great with us. We had booked the "wine cellar" and the my girlfriend thought the ambience was great. Very thankful to spend my Anniversary at Napa Cafe. read more

Stopped in for a quick drink last night on my way to another event. Love seeing the renovations complete. My only frustration was the bartender disappeared for quite a while even though we told him we were on our way somewhere else. Luckily we had cash to leave to pay our bill. Previous visits for both lunch and dinner were stellar. I love to try different things, but I have a hard time straying from the short rib sliders. They are just divine. It's a great place for a professional lunch or for ladies who lunch. A great option for a nice evening out, too. read more

This is one of the best places and hidden gems in Memphis. They have amazing food and I love going here whenever I want a nice night out. Went for a rehearsal dinner and there were about 50 3 inch filet mignon's cooked to order....NO ONE had a complaint. What an amazing place. Will go back! Thank you for the amazing night! read more

By the name, you wouldn't realize that it's fine dining. As soon as you walk in, you'll see the ultra dim lightning casting over the candles and wine glasses neatly set on the tables to impress. Service was great and the staff was attentive and hardworking. They have many bottles of wines to choose from. Great for a group. The menu is limited. Basically, one of everything. The Arancini (HOMESTYLE FRIED RICE BALLS STUFFED WITH SMOKED MOZZARELLA &HOMEMADE MARINARA) were tasty and a good appetizer size. I also went with the Springer Mountain Chicken (FREE RANGE CHICKEN with RICOTTA GNOCCHI, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, BEETS, CARROTS, TARRAGON PAN SAUCE) and the chicken was moist and the vegetables were just right. Granted that was enough food to fill me up, I didn't get to have dessert. read more

This was such an amazing experience. From the moment we walked in until the time we left, the experience was amazing. The food is some of the best food I've ever eaten and I've eaten in fine dining establishments around the country. Do yourself a favor, order the crab cakes and have the buttermilk pie for dessert. Napa Cafe is so good, we booked the wine room for when our friends come visit. read more

Service was slow. entrees were over priced for the taste and quality of the food. Nice little community through the week place to dine but Memphis has far better restaurants for the prices you pay here. Food was mediocre and barely warm. Good drinks! read more

Extremely disappointing experience. Terrible service at any level, but ridiculously lacking for a "fine dining" establishment. They're serving sub par food for undeserved prices. I was also extremely uncomfortable and never felt welcomed in the place. I don't know how they have such good reviews. Maybe they used to be good. But I'm sure they've always been discriminatory and unfair I'm their treatment of customers. I will never return. read more

3.75 stars...i rounded up. Food is amazing. The scallops are perfectly cooked. Though it did take quite a while for the entrees to arrive. Desserts are great as well. Cozy neighborhood upper-scale restaurant. I'll be back, just hoping for better timing on the whole experience. read more

Was very disappointed last night. Service was below average and got one order completely wrong. She waited 20 minutes while we all had our food. Pricey meal and very average in quality. I would not be able to recommend going there. read more

Great food the forbidden black rice is awesome, Glenda is great!! Good ambience and silverware, reasonably priced if you like good fresh made food. read more

What a great experience - first time diners, but will certainly return. Atmosphere is great for both social and business dinners, luckily our dinner was a bit of both. The menu, the wine list, the service, etc. are exactly what you would hope for in a higher end restaurant. Everyone, including the host, the server, and even the owner made sure that we felt welcome, and that we were taken care of throughout the evening. This really is a bit of a hidden gem - tucked away in the back corner of a small strip mall area. Not the easiest place to find, but worth the effort. Many thanks to everyone at Napa Cafe for taking great care of us - including tracking me down at a neighboring establishment and returning my credit card - which I left at the restaurant. Talk about going above and beyond!!! Cannot wait until my next opportunity to visit this wonderful restaurant. read more

This is quite the long rant, but MY MOTHER WAS IN TEARS ON HER BIRTHDAY!!! I emailed the owner, Glenda Hastings, on September 26 to inform her our horrible experience. After a couple of emails from her saying she would call me ASAP, it is now October 7 and I've given up on getting a response. Apparently Napa Cafe servers have the same attitude as the owner. On Friday, Sept. 23, we had reservations for my mother's 67th birthday for 6 people at 6:00 pm. Soon after, there was a much larger (obviously more profitable) group in the next room. We were completely ignored. While hot food was being delivered to the group that apparently had 7:00 reservations, we did not receive our entrees until AFTER 8:00, and that's after one of our guests told the hostess we'd been there over two hours --since there was no waiter around. My $30 entree was lukewarm at best, as were a couple of others. What's worse, after having to ask for bread for the third time since we were all starving, the waiter actually ROLLED HIS EYES!!! I couldn't believe it, so I asked two of our other guests if they saw the same thing I had, and they did! No one ever came to check on us or apologize for the wait. The final straw was the coffee we ordered with dessert was cold. Not lukewarm, but COLD. They were also out of crab cakes (at least for our table) and Bailey's Irish Creme. Who runs out of Bailey's Irish Creme? We were all so disappointed by then that we just wanted to leave. My mother had tears in her eyes by the time we got out of there --on her 67th birthday! Later, I found out that mother's best friend went to the bar to get her own drink since we couldn't get any service at our table. She must have asked a waitress instead of the bartender because the response she got was "I'm not your waitress". Not, "I'm not your waitress but I'll see if I can find your server or get the bartender", just "I'm not your waitress". Also, when the bill came, this same friend told the waiter she was not going to leave a tip and they STILL charged the automatic "group table tip" on her credit card!!! She emailed owner Glenda Hastings, and yet again, no response at all. As an aside, not only was it my mother's birthday, but she just had to move my 93 year-old grandmother (who was in attendance that night as well) in with her, and that's after moving my 95 year-old grandfather into a WWII veteran's home in Oxford. This was all within weeks of her birthday and we were all looking forward to a very much needed nice and relaxing time. The tears in my mother's eyes was heartbreaking. Please do not eat at Napa Cafe, if for nothing other than principle. read more

All i wanted was a night of love peace and great conversation and vibes from those who truly love us. What I got in returned was to be bluntly disrespected i felt as if my voice wasn't heard and that no matter how civilized we act we are not treated equally what so ever my friends were humiliated some were upset my bestie spent hours in jail standing up for what she believed. I can't believe the owner doesn't feel the need to rectify this situation her manager cause. Why is it ok for them to be aggressive and use their privilege and not reap consequences but yet we have to bite our tongue and remain calm as if we don't get angry we don't have feeling I'm so lost for words I'm hurting this is messing with me tough I don't want to go to another restaurant from fear that this will happen again as long as we shut up and pay our business is good but soon as we voice that the service is unacceptable their is a issue we're being hostile we are the aggressive ones it's not fair at all I'm all over the place I know we were about to cut the cake we never got to cut the cake as I relieve these moments I'm livid i want justice it is not okay to treat people like this it's not we are human first‼ read more

I made reservations on a Tues for a Friday Holiday lunch for 9 @ 11:30. Left names, contact information. As our group arrived, another host heard the same story... We were told by three different persons over 10, nearly 15, minutes, that the manager would be out to talk to us. He never came. He was then alleged to be on a conference call. When does a good restaurant schedule a call at noon, two Fridays before Christmas. The bar was staged, and empty. Another "private" area is staged; remaining tables are occupied. Overheard another patron told by a host, they couldn't sit at the bar and their wait for a table for 3, would be 1.5 hours. I want to understand why they have 3 hosts, and no wait staff, and no manager to resolve issues. We walked. The food is alleged to be good tho $$$. Bad service leaves a bitter taste. We won't go back. read more

Vickie and I ate here on the recommendation of a friend .and we had a wonderful time, the meal was superb and the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and are well prepared to make our experience an enjoyable one. I made reservations and we seated immediately. I ordered a bottle of Wild Rock Pinot Noir from their extensive wine list Now for the food. We started with the Fig and Goat cheese Crostini appetizer it was presented beautifully but I thought a little heavy on the fig sauce and light on the cheese. The whole thing was dusted with walnuts. I would try something else next time; it's my taste and certainly not the dish. Next came soup and salad I had the Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad and Vickie had the Tomato and Basil soup. The salad consisted of mixed greens, goat cheese and nice helping of pine nuts, again, a little light on the cheese. It was served with a warm sun dried cherry vinaigrette with a little bacon mixed in that was delightful. Vickie says the Tomato and Basil soup (which I sampled) was full of flavor with just the right amount of basil to make it one of the best she has had and she adds that it was another delightful segment of the meal. For the entrees I had the braised Ribs with pearl onions, Vickie had the Chicken Roulade. Both were beautifully presented, the roulade was plated and served with mashed potatoes and spinach. The ribs were served Au jus in a bowl with pearl onions and spinach. Vickie raved about the chicken It was tender and full of flavor. The ribs were fork tender and the braising was perfect, very flavorful. The portions were big and I ask for more bread so I could savor the broth that they were served in. (yeah, I'm a sopper). For desert we had the Buttermilk pie, it was so rich and creamy that it will cave your head in. Washed it down with coffee and completed the meal with a Woodford Reserve bourbon. All in all our experience at the Napa Café was wonderful. My only complaint is that they charged me $2.50 a cup for two cups of coffee after I spent just under $150.00 (before the tip) on dinner for two and a bottle of wine. Call me picky but hey, shouldn't a good restaurant toss in a cup of Joe with desert? Ruths Chris does. Finally I want to note the excellent service we received from our waiter Stewart. I cannot speak highly enough of his skills and ability to read his clients and tend to them accordingly read more

It's not often that I can order something right off a menu without a few substitutions due to food allergies. I stopped in here for lunch and checked out the menu, expected to have to ask about this or that and was thrilled to be able to order the grilled chicken and avocado salad with only one change. It was great, totally wholesome -- the avocados were fresh, not too mushy, the chicken was tender. Very wholesome ingredients and the service was quick for a weekday lunch. Another cool thing about the place -- they have an awesome wine cellar. Hence the name. read more

Wow! Could not believe the horrible service. We were excited to eat here, we had cocktails in the room as you walk in, then decided to stay and eat. Had to ask the bartender for a waiter, had to get water from the bar. When we finally got a waiter, he came over with a terrible attitude. He said "what do you want", two in our party didn't even have menus yet. Sooo disappointed read more

Dinner tonight at Napa Cafe with 15 friends. Reservations for 6:45. Service was SLOW (we only had 1 server for 15 people which meant that dinner with NO dessert took THREE HOURS), my food was good, but when checks came more than 1/2 of them were wrong. The wine got mixed up and some people didn't get charged and some people got overcharged. Manager came in to "track down 2 glasses of unpaid wine." We explained that the checks were messed up and we were just going to settle up with each other. That was not okay so they took the tickets away to redo them. Some checks delivered for second AND third time - still wrong. Owner comes in to track down one glass of wine. When someone suggested that it could have been in the mixup of the incorrect billing, she said that it was because we moved chairs (we did not), or it was because we added a table (we did that in the hour we spent waiting on bread and to order our food). When someone told her how disappointing this was that we had spent probably about $600 on a Thursday night and she wants to dicker over one glass of wine when all of the bills were mixed up multiple times, she said that SOMEONE drank a glass of wine they didn't pay for (which to me is accusing us of stealing a glass of wine.) Again someone said that this was very disappointing to which the owner replied, "I'm not surprised." What the heck is that supposed to mean? Rude owner, slow service, incompetent billing and unfortunately 15 unhappy women who eat out and socialize often. Poor choice, Napa Cafe, poor choice. (Unfortunately my ONLY other experience with Napa Cafe was during Hurricane Elvis when they were supposed to host a family rehearsal dinner. My poor mother in law kept trying to get in touch with them to see if they had power and they NEVER got in touch with her. We had to move the rehearsal dinner 24 hours beforehand). Don't know if same owner, but sheesh! read more

Always amazing. This has become one of my family's FAVORITE places to celebrate special occasions.

I can't say enough good things about the heart of this place. The food is wonderful, the wine selection is top notch, but the people are the BEST! read more

Just experienced one of the worst dining experiences in Memphis. After making advance reservations, we were seated in the worst table in the overflow room. While the server was pleasant, she was overworked and took more time than necesary for our order The food was fine, but way overpriced. And what was most shocking, the wine list was very questionable There was a limited choice and certainly not some of the best California wines. It was very disappointing. We will never return. Our dining dollars are better spent at Houstons, Interim or McEwans. read more

Great atmosphere...good food, nice staff. Will return! *good date spot

I don't know why I hadn't been there earlier, i think the cafe part threw me off. Anyway I had the crab cake app and it was not the best that I've had hence the 4 stars. I had the filet and it was AWESOME yummers, whatever sauce they use with the potatoes was yummers, I also had there salad I don't remember what I got but it's a salad how amazing could it get, and for dessert I got cheese cake and it was amazing too. It was a really nice meal. I'm goin back for my bday...woot! read more

Memphis has truly spectacular dining options, so don't waste your money here. The service is lovely, the experience is lovely, but the food is not so lovely. Admittedly, the starter bread and the grilled romaine salad were both spectacular. But the gnocchi has absolutely no flavor at all - sitting in an unsalted broth. And the meat on the short rib sliders and the duck confit is so overcooked that the animals must have died twice - once at the slaughterhouse and once in the kitchen. If the prices were lower, it would be no big deal, but they have priced their food like you should be expecting the fantastic dinner of a birthday or anniversary or special occasion. And this is just not the case. The food just can't measure up to the prices, and we've been disappointed twice. Especially since you don't have to settle in Memphis. read more

Change of menu, change of chef. Not nearly what it once was, and impossible to justify given the price range.

We went here for our first wedding anniversary. The food and service were both great. We ordered the fried artichokes for an appetizer, which came with a lemon aioli which was awesome. The bread is good as well. I ordered filet mignon that came with fingerling potatoes and an amazing truffle red wine sauce. The filet was cooked perfectly. For dessert I had the buttermilk pie...LOVED it. My husband had the peanut butter chocolate torte. I didn't love that, but the only peanut butter chocolate combo to have won a place in my heart is good ol' Reese's cups. read more

Fantastic. A perfect antidote to the burgers and BBQ.

Napa cafe is an East Memphis landmark restaurant. So, naturally our expectations were high. However, after seating us, we were attended to late by the server. There was a cursory apology about the unavailability of menus. And, the male server had a very "don't care" attitude about him, which I have to admit improved as the night progressed. The food is just above average. Ambience is just subpar. We are not great drinkers, so can't evaluate the wine list. The tables are all jostling for space in a very compact area. But, the place overall does not deserve, its stature. Especially, with the culinary renaissance in the Bluff city, Napa cafe has to do better to keep up with the competition. read more

Have had many great meals there. This week Tuesday night was different. We asked for the back room and had 16 people. Food was only marginal. Lights all the way up. Had to ask the wait staff to put 2 tables together so we could all sit together. Waiter came by once for drink order and never asked again. They had menu without prices on table with salad, entree and dessert and asked each one of us to order all three. We thought it was a charge per person but the charged ala carter on the bill with their 20%. Won't be going back anytime soon. read more

An IDEAL venue for my husband's birthday dinner! The cozy Wine Room was private (we could actually HEAR EACH OTHER). The 6 of us had personalized menus for the occasion and the absolutely best waiter one can imagine. We all agreed that he was a big part of the event's success---personable, informed, charming, attentive, professional---what a guy! Candlelight, great food and wine---could not have been more perfect. We'll return for sure, and will request RYAN as our waiter. Thank you for a stellar celebration. read more

One of my favorite places to entertain at in Memphis. The food and the service have always been fantastic. The owner Glenda is very welcoming. They have a great private wine cellar when you really need to impress a client or family member. read more

My husband and I enjoyed Napa Cafe for our wedding anniversary. We chose the restaurant based on its convenient location and delicious sounding menu. We were unprepared for the night we had in store. The food was indescribably delicious. The wine menu was unique and expansive. The people were friendlier than I would have imagined and the atmosphere was incredible. We loved the decor from the barn doors to the lockers at the bar. The cocktails were delicious and strong. We were lucky enough to meet the proprietor, who gave us a tour of the entire place. We will definitely come back every time we are in Memphis! read more

Went there about two weeks ago and ordered their burger. Service was friendly and attentive and the burger was excellent. Today I decided to take my wife there to eat. While I was waiting on my wife, I ordered myself a coke and my wife a water. When my wife showed up it took the waitress around 10 minutes to take our order. After placing the order, it took them 45 minutes to prepare our food during lunch hour. During the hour our waitress only checked on us once and that was to tell us our food will be out in a minute. Our glasses were empty due to us not getting any service. Finally our order arrived and my wife received the wrong salad but forgot what salad she ordered since it has been 45 minutes. Since we were in a hurry due to their slow service, I told my wife to just eat it. About 5 minutes after, their waitress brought out the original salad that we ordered. We kindly told the waitress that she already started eating that salad and we were fine. After we were done eating, we placed our napkins on our plates signaling that we were done and ready for a check. Another ten minutes passed by and my wife had to leave since she was already late for work and left me behind to take care of the tab. After an additional 5 minutes of waiting, I started to walk in (I was sitting outside) and the waitress asked me if I was ready for a check. I handed her my credit card and tipped around 10% for bad service when I normally tip 20%. As far as the tuna salad, my wife was not thrilled about it. As far as my crab cakes, I didn't notice any lumped crab meat and it was mediocre at best. After this experience of eating high priced mediocre food with horrible service , I will not be returning to Napa. read more