To sum it up in one word: inspiring. We went to Restaurant Iris for my wife's birthday and were treated like royalty. They had printed a special letter to her which was signed by the executive chef. The table was adorned with a single rose and a red ribbon across the table. I must point out that this was all done without any special directions or request by me. I simply made a comment that this was my wife's birthday when I had booked reservations a few weeks earlier. For the meal, Chef English prepared a pre fix three course for my wife that included a beef tartar appetizer, a grouper over sweet potatoes and peas for the main course, with a blood orange custard and churros for dessert. Needless to say, the chef made me look very smart as my wife enjoyed every bite. For myself, I started with the roasted marrow bones served with a salsa. What could be more indulgent than roasted marrow bones? Both traditional peasant fare and elegantly sophisticated at the same time. The acidity of the salsa played well with the rich, creamy flavor of the marrow. All I can say is that sometimes the simplest of dishes can best illustrate the genius and skill of a chef. Chef English stopped by our table while I was enjoying my red fish over orzo and shrimp risotto. The dish was excellent and paid tribute to the chef's time spent studying with another culinary great, chef John Besh. The fish had a nice bit of heat and was very moist and delicate. The risotto also had wonderful pieces of sliced okra that really added another layer of flavor to this already beautiful dish. A French pressed coffee for dessert was a wonderful end to the experience. The service was superior and this restaurant truly deserves all of the accolades it has received and more. If you want to experience the very best of the Memphis culinary scene than look no further than Restaurant Iris and chef Kelly English. He was awarded Food and Wine's Best New Chef of 2009 for a very good reason. read more

My husband chose Restaurant Iris for my birthday. Man did he get this one right. Brownie points for him all the way. It was our first time dining at Restaurant Iris but it will not be the last. The service was fantastic, so warm and inviting but informative about the menu. The cozy dining rooms are adorned with local artwork and the ambiance of soft lighting with soulful blues playing in the background. It is rustic comfort made in culinary heaven. For starters, the lobster "knuckle" sandwich and Rod's raviolo-Divine. I also added another starter called "latte" seared scallop dish. If there had not have been other people in the room, I would have picked up the plate and licked every last drop of the sauce right off of it. Entrees were the gulf shrimp and grits and "surf and turf"-not a big fan of blue cheese so they did half without for me to try. Medium rare stuffed with fried oysters and a bourdelaise sauce-so rich and yummy. Seriously, a mini food orgasm. To finish, Birthday coffee creme brulee with fried beignets and we got the bread pudding also. A perfect finish to a fantastic meal. It is in our top meals ever!!! read more

My wife and I celebrated mother's day on Thursday at 5pm. The food was excellent and so was our wait person, Jamie. I had shrimp and grits and my wife had speckled trout. We had a nice wine selection. The brussel sprouts were delicious. We will return as often as we can. read more

Ok it's the morning after dinner and we are discussing the Iris experience . There are 4 of us and the 3 star is agreed upon. First of all, the server was bitchy and it took 45 minutes to get a bite to eat, no lie! It was the bread and it was boring and it was not special at all! The surf and turf was to salty from the blue cheese and a lot of fat on my steak. (It was a strip which is weird). The shrimp and grits were just ok and you can find better almost anywhere else in town. The bread puffing was dry and tasted left over. I simply just don't know what the fuss is about. Oh and it was awkward and quite. No music?! You could hear a pin drop in there. Such a disappointment. read more

The acoustics in the front room are terrible. We went there for a quiet romantic dinner and were seated 3 feet from an extremely loud 6-top table. The people sitting at the table were loud and discourteous to the extent that the GM or somebody should have asked them to keep it down. We complained as soon as our server arrived (after 10 minutes) and she apologized and said she had just moved another table that was right next to us to another room. Why would they then seat us there in the first place? Our server moved us to the other front room but that was still only 10 feet from the 2 really loud tables in the other room and the noise was still really loud and obnoxious. Plus, we were now seated right next to another 2-top, so close I could have reached out and touched the person seated next to me. The food was decent. The quail was good and the beef coulloute was good, but the atmosphere was terrible and I wound up giving my girlfriend a bite of quail with a bone in it because our server told me that a certain section was de-boned (it was not). We wanted to leave shortly after we finished our entrees but after I got the check and paid, I had to wait 10 minutes to get one of the staff's attention in order to get our coats from the coat check. Then on top of everything, the valet came flying up in our vehicle. I called him out for driving too fast and he just shrugged. And then when I went to tip him he told me that there was an $8 fee to valet. I wound up giving the guy $15 bucks. Nothing like tipping a guy who is rude and has no qualms about driving recklessly through a neighborhood. The whole experience was a disappointment and I'll never go back. If you're going to have a fine dining establishment, you should put a little more thought into creating an enjoyable atmosphere, not cram tables together; and maybe offer complimentary valet. read more

the service here is A+ amazing. the food is incredible. this is certainly a top 5 for memphis. recommend reservations in advance. the surf and turf is an extremely large portion so my advice is to share. it combines so much goodness. nice wine selection too. read more

Service was very good, I'd give meal an 8 out of 10. Pretty expensive for what you get. Air wasn't working so pretty hot. Bar drinks were good. Have to pay for valet parking as they don't comp and there is virtually no where else to park. Not sure I'd return. It's not bad- just overpriced. And takes a good 2 1/2 hours for drinks, apps and a meal. Don't be in a rush if you go. read more

I went expecting something special but was very disappointed. I had the " surf and turf " of new york strip stuffed with fried oysters and blue cheese .......... and pan seared tennessee foie gras , green apple puree, cider gastrique , . I had high expectations...and was disappointed. The service was not rude, but definitely not friendly. I guess STIFF is a good term. I always try to be friendly to the wait staff as I have worked in restaurants. It didn't help. The pan seared foie gras was at best, just ok. I didn't spit it out but it wasn't that great. Like I said, just ok. The BIG disappointment was the steak. Now let me say the steak was cooked perfectly, it really was perfect. But there was just too much blue cheese and trust me, I LOVE blue cheese. But there was so much on the steak it buried the steak's flavor. I actually scraped it off. I've NEVER scraped of blue cheese on anything before. And best of all, I had to ASK for bread, any bread. And was brought 1 piece of bread. 1 piece! Over all, I can not recommend this place. Yes it could have been an off night for the server or the chef , but both on the same night? Not even the hostess was friendly. In fact the ONLY friendly person I met all night was the valet, who got a 20$ tip. read more

one word. appetizers. i would go back just for that! delicious! we ordered the lobster knuckle sandwich. out of this world. and the 3 way oysters. i hate oysters and i ate every morsal on my plate. i even took some bread hoping to get a little more sauce and crumbs. for the main entree we ordered the surf n' turf and some kind of fish crusted in almonds on a bed of pureed cauliflower. the surf n' turf was huge. 2 people can share that one. but it was so good my husband ate everything. my fish was good but i liked my husband's surf n' turf better. it was delicious and it had more flavor. i was looking for salt for my fish but they had none on any table and i didn't want to ask the waiter in fear that i might hurt the chef's feelings if he found out. we also ordered the bread pudding. that was very good too. very romantic....amazing waiters and the chef himself takes the time to ask everyone how everyone is enjoying their food. the best dining experience for us here in memphis. definitely will be back. next time i may just order appetizers all for myself for my main entree. it was that good. read more

Hands down the best service of any restaurant in Memphis. Chef English greeted us at the door, for crying out loud! The server was extremely friendly and efficient. The charming house the restaurant is situated in is perhaps better to look at than to eat in however. The floor is not even so our poor table was tilted at an angle...my drink sat perched at a precarious 20 degrees throughout the evening. The food was good, though I wouldn't go so far as to say amazing. The lobster knuckle sandwich was a standout, with nice, subtle flavors. I was not as much a fan of the "surf and turf" however. It was a whole New York strip steak cut in half lengthwise and stuffed with fried oysters and (imho) far too much blue cheese. You can't quibble with the serving size, it was huge. But the steak was rather dry and tough, and the flavor was so dominated by blue cheese that I couldn't taste anything else. While I enjoyed my visit, when I pay these kind of prices, I expect some refinement and something I would not be able to make at home. In any case, this is still a wonderful "special occasion" place...they even personalize your menus and give them to you after dinner! Nice touch. read more

went there a couple weeks ago. very creative and well-prepared dishes using locally produced ingredients. brussel sprouts were excellent.

One helluva meal - very cool atmosphere and great service. Brussel Sprouts were out of this world, boudin and lamb belly also fantastic. Had the lobster knuckle salad (instead of sandwich) which was amazing and the snapper was very good.... If you are in Memphis and need a break from the BBQ joints, this is your spot. read more

Excellent service and food. Surf & turf, lobster knuckle sandwich were outstanding. Going back in March.,

Finally was able to obtain reservations for a Tuesday early evening. Absolutely worth the wait. Reminded me of the Inn at Little Washington back in VA outside of DC about 20 years ago before they bought their little town. Thank you for a great night. read more

Why is this not 5 star? Should be. Wait staff was perfect. Apps were delish. Salad was yummy. Red fish was....... Cool, not cold but cool. Taste was good but cool fish and cool corn custard taste different than warm. Desert was fantastic. In Order to compete with Hot and Hot (B'ham), Cotton Row (Huntsville) or Husk (Nashville) this good restaurant can't serve cool fish. Will go back and hope someone reads this. read more

We came to Memphis to visit Graceland. Did not expect a lot to fine dining here. Could be the best restaurant in Memphis! Chef/Waiter came out twice to talk with us. The food was excellent. Out waitress was superb. I have eaten all over the world. Would highly recommend Iris. read more

Perfect in every way. The crab & heirloom tomato appetizer is a favorite along with the Brussel sprouts and every single entree on the menu. Perfect service always. read more

My boyfriend and I were in Memphis for a long weekend and I researched before going for a nice dinner spot to celebrate his birthday. So happy I chose Iris! We decided to go with the five course chef's choice menu, with the wine pairings. It was a little less than $100 per person, so a bit pricey, but so worth it! The chef chose each course and the wines. Best part--each of us were served something different, so we both got to try 10 different menu items, as well as 10 different wines! If you have a chance, do it! We went on a Thursday night, and made reservations in advance through OpenTable. I think this chef's menu is only available weeknights. Lovely ambience and a great server too. read more

Best restaurant I've been to in Memphis. Best dish we had was the foie gras! Surprisingly good!

You must dine here. It is absolutely divine. I would not change a single thing about the service, menu, food, drinks, etc. The surf & turf is perfect. I subbed grilled shrimp (comes with fried oysters) and was beyond satisfied and stuffed. The sorbet dessert comes with a small scoop of passionfruit sorbet - I've since purchased a pint of the stuff. I plan to go back next week. And the next week. And the week after that. read more

I loved the ambiance of the restaurant and friendliness of the staff. The food was good, but I'm only giving four stars because the food didn't live up to the hype that I hear from around town. I had the scallops and risotto. Scallops were good, but the risotto had a flat flavor that matched the taste of the scallops too much. Would recommend ordering another dish read more

Our much-anticipated visit to Iris last night was extremely disappointing. The food was okay, good (certainly not great), but the service was terrible. Our waitress was very brief and bothered. She was unable to answer our questions about the wine menu. She kept us waiting for 25 minutes before taking our food order. She did not seem to care about our experience at all. If I am going to shell out $200 for a meal for 2 people, I better get some decent service. We will not return to Iris. read more

Dining at Iris restaurant was one of my best restaurant experiences ever. The food was outstanding, the service wonderful, and the setting lovely, but what really made it for me was that the staff went above and beyond to accommodate different dietary needs gracefully and tastefully. A true pleasure. read more

Our dinner was originally booked for two, my husband and I. However, I did come to Memphis for a conference at the Peabody so while there we met a neat lady who wanted to join us for a southern Cajun/French meal. The three of us arrived a bit early and found that even though Iris was not open yet they were more then happy to let us sit and have drinks before our meal. We were welcomed in and sat at a corner table in the front of the main room. After a few minutes of looking at the menu the waiter /host came over to let us know about specials and to describe in full the interesting things about the menu. All I can say is YUMMY! and it made it harder to decide on what to have. I first noticed an ad for IRIS while at the Peabody that showed a photo of the Lobster Knuckle and that I knew I wanted for sure....After that I didn't care. There was a brussel sprout appetizer ordered which we also shared. Delicious! My husband ordered a fish with almonds and our new friend ordered a cajun shrimp with grits. I had a lovely scallop dish that was so filling and I was happy to share with everyone at the table. The presentation of the food was very nice and so was the service. We enjoyed a relaxing time with a dessert to share but for some reason I can't remember what we had! And coffee. Anyways, very enjoyable and classy place to have a quality meal. Oh, one more thing. .. I had read about IRIS and learned that the restaurant owner/chef had migrated from New Orleans five years ago. We asked to meet Kelly English and he came to our table to see how we liked everything. Nice guy and very professional. Our friend took pictures of the food and even one of the chef because she wanted to send them back to her husband in California who is a trained chef. I would go back there anytime if I make it back to Memphis. IRIS was a great experience! read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Memphis! Perfect for any special occasion and well worth the reservation wait list.

Hype is all I can say.And expensive.And one more thing,SALTY and GREASY!Next time I want Louisiana,I think I'm going to Popeye's!

Raviolo is our favorite. Go to for special occasions and it never disappoints! Food delicious, wine selection excellent, service a hit or miss. read more

Awesome restaurant. One of the best in Memphis. Great ambiance and service. Most important, outstanding food. And, it is not as expensive as you might think and expect in a restaurant of this quality. read more

If you haven't been to Restaurant Iris, don't wait. Make a reservation and enjoy one of the best meals in town. We were celebrating our anniversary, chose RI for our dinner. The food and service were flawless. Chef Kelly English does a stellar job and so does his staff. Their attention to detail is remarkable. We even received our own personal menu - tied with a ribbon no less - as a souvenir of a wonderful and memorable evening. Thanks ya'll for a perfect anniversary. read more

Discovered chef English through the 12 days of Christmas. We took the opportunity to try restaurant iris over my birthday weekend. We were very happy that we did. The oysters 3 ways were terrific. The steak with oysters and blue cheese was also outstanding. The service was very nice as well. We will be sure to return if our travels take us close to Memphis. read more

Let's agree that there was a screw up with our reservation - we thought Friday and they thought Wednesday - so let's leave that aside. They were rude when we arrived and they sat us outside. The food was good but the service was both weird and terrible. We sat there endlessly at each course. Dirty dishes in front of us at each course for a long long time, no water refill and no attention at all. And you could tell they were doing it on purpose and were so weird about it. Too bad for a place that views itself to be a fine restaurant to have this kind of attitude. Every other fine restaurant we have been to as well as every other business the people were great and service great not Iris it was low service and a lot of attitude. I think there are a lot better overall places in Memphis. There are clearly friendlier places. read more

Went the second week of January 2015. The service and surrounding were top rate but you have to be able to eat the food we ordered the shrimp and grits and the steak stuffed with oysters. They were close to uneatable . the food was cold. with the shrimp and grits they we too garlicky with no other taste The smokey bacon taste was completely missed as was all flavor except when you got a bite with a red pepper flake, there was one in mine. The flavor was not there and I have had shrimp and grits in both fine (FIG) and medium priced ( on the square in Oxford) restaurants this was horrible These were the worst. The steak was mostly fat and grizzle and was filled with something cut in squares neither mushroom or oysters. It was not edible. If you want friendly service, valet parking and ambiance it is the place, if you want to eat good food, don't bother. read more

I heard so much about this restaurant so my expectation was very high... and I was not disappointed. The service was good and the food was almost heavenly. At least that's what I thought of seared fois gras. I had scallops for entrée which was cooked just right. I will definitely go back there again because I want to try other dishes. read more

Me and my wife have had our anniversary dinner there for the last 5 yrs in a row and many times in between, we have never had one bad experience, as a matter of fact we have been blown away each time! We enjoy fine dining and found that Kelly is excellent at creating amazing cuisine ! His creole background has given him a mastery of spice blends and parings that appeal to the most seasoned consumers of fine dining. The staff are very knowledgable and treated us like royalty, I'm sorry for the people that gave bad reviews, I suggest you never go there again as to allow the rest of us room on the waiting list! Rock On Kelly! read more

the hubs and I freakin' love this place. specifically, we think Scarlett is one of the most enjoyable servers we've ever had. anywhere. on our latest visit, we decided to be conservative and not order the degustation. for apps, we had the boudin and raviolo. The boudin was delightful, and the raviolo was swimming (in a good way) in the best red wine short rib broth ever. extra bread for sopping was necessary. we split the surf and turf because let's be honest - even as fat as americans are, this dish is wayyyy too rich to eat on your own. we requested a side of vegetables, and oh my lord! We received THOSE Brussels sprouts along with some tasty carrots, succulent parsnips, mushrooms, Benton's bacon..... but I digress. we topped things off by sharing the bread pudding. only gripe for the evening was the bizarre couple who sat behind us and ordered the degustation - except the wife requested no rice, pasta, bread, or basically anything else iris does well. and only would drink red wine. Scarlett was an ace handling that tricky situation. even brought the crazy lady a special amuse bouche. can't wait to try Second Line sooner rather than later! read more

This restaurant is located in a charming, formerly private house, tastefully decorated. The number of tables is appropriate, making it quite quiet, as restaurants go, but even on a Wednesday night it was full, giving it a pleasant, lively atmosphere. We dined in a party of 5 over a 2-1/2 hour period and found the service to be perfect, attentive but discrete, and we never felt rushed. The wine list was very good and was reasonably priced, about a 100% markup over San Francisco retail. We had 2 appetizers, the oysters cooked 3 ways and the Nachitoches meat pies. The oysters were unbelieveably good, light, intensely and uniquely flavored, cooked perfectly--that dish alone was like 3 great appetizers. The little meat pies were also wonderful, somewhat spicy, smoky, and aromatic; the only disappointment was a Ranch dressing like sauce for them, which was fortunately served on the side, so one could skip it. One of us had a third appetizer for a main course, the giant raviolo (singlular of ravioli) filled with mildly spicy barbequed baby back ribs style meat and a rich sauce--also heavenly. Any of these appetizers was enough food for a main dish at many restaurants. I tasted 3 of the 4 main courses, a redfish with small vegetables, a shrimp and sausage over grits, and an amberjack in sweet aromatic harissa sauce. All were unique, wonderful, the fish perfectly fresh and perfectly cooked, and beautifully balanced between richness and aroma; each was the best among similar dishes in my memory. The sorbet and bread pudding deserts were also excellent; the bread pudding with toasted almonds was as good as any I have ever tasted. Overall, the dishes seemed to take New Orleans-style food in a new and interesting direction, with lots of smoky flavor derived from some heavily smoked bacon and flavors from herbs like allspice and variou highly flavored peppers. Nothing was even close to burnout hot; the direction of the spices was almost Middle Eastern, a mix of sweet, aromatic, and peppery. The cost of the meal for 5 (3 appetizers, 4 main dishes, 2 deserts, 1 bottle of wine) including wine was only $210 before tip, and everyone had more than enough to eat. Two of us know many of the best restaurants in San Francisco and New Orleans, and Iris is the only Memphis resatuarant we know that we are confident would be a success in either of these foodie-friendly cities. The young chef clearly deserves the 2009 Food and Wine "rising chef" award. read more

We went to restaurant Iris last night (10/20/15) and were quite disappointed. The Atmosphere was wonderful. I'm not sure what happened to the food but it was average at best. I don't know if over the past 7 years Chef English has become complacent and let standards slip or if he was off work last night and someone else let things run amuck or what happened but it was not that good and not at all like previous reviews would lead one to expect. For an appetizer we split a "crispy" oyster salad. The problem was only the oysters on top were crispy. The ones at the bottom of the stack of oysters were soggy and drenched in oil. Not sure if someone didn't drain the oil from them after frying and before stacking them or what they did but it ended up being more greasy and soggy than crispy. For the main course we had the redfish and the surf and turf. The potatoes served with the surf and turf suffered like the oysters. They were meant to be fried and somewhat crispy but instead they were oil soaked and soggy. They were pretty much inedible. However, the steak and sauce with it were very good. The redfish came with a green onion risotto. The fish and crawfish were excellent but the risotto lacked the green onions. Maybe they were just missed in my portion. Like the food, it appeared that the service last night was lacking too. It began with the server snatching the wine menu off of our table and walking away with it before we even had a chance to look at it and it devolved from there. For a lesser restaurant the food and service would have been fine but for this restaurant that has received awards and accolades it was unacceptable and I hope it was an aberration and not part of a trend downward. read more