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    tonica

    4.5 (40 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM

    tonica Tapas/Small Plates Restaurant Photos

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    TONICA ATMOSPHERE

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    Calamari
    Jessica F.

    First time visiting here and now this place will be a regular spot. Got seated quickly (we did have a reservation) and Matt was super great and helpful. We got two sangrias, the soup of the day, fried calamari, and different tapas. When I say everything was amazing, everything was. Nice place with a great vibe. The place is bigger than it looks from the outside. There is only street parking so be prepared for that.

    two bowls of food on a wooden table
    Tony H.

    Tónica is okay. Not bad not great. Their tapas are great! The entrée is not great! It is probably the worse paella that I ever had. It was wet almost soupy smushy smushy mush. Great cocktail and good atmosphere. They mess up one of the order and they fixed right away fantastic service.

    Dining area
    Ty M.

    I honestly can't say I agree with my fellow reviewers. Having spent time in Spain, we love tapas, and this place was one we'd been wanting to try for awhile. Romantic & intimate?? Not by a long shot! The acoustics are terrible and we had to shout to hear each other. The food is just average. I do love a dedicated spot on the menu for Gin & Tonics, and the drinks themselves were very good. We got a good chuckle at the end of the evening when our cute little server came to tell us about the dessert offerings. One was Basque Cheesecake. She asked if we knew what "basque" meant, and my husband answered that it is a region in Spain. She said, " nope!" and proceeded to tell us about the cheesecake. There is nothing here that would entice us to return.

    Veggie Paella
    Whitley B.

    The food was great other than the salad, which was extremely small and disappointing for $15. Our server was fast and friendly. The restaurant was also pretty loud for the amount of people that were in there. Overall we greatly enjoyed our food, and will be back

    Charcutería board
    Josie G.

    The Memphis Supper Club's debut restaurant. What we found at Tonica was magical. An incredible wait staff first of all. They were BUSY but our food and drinks came out very quickly and our server killed it. The food was delicious. Very flavorful, very eclectic. Certainly something for everyone. Loved my drink, too, gin and tonic reeeemix. The bathroom was very cute, too.

    Restaurant

    Tonica's downtown restaurant opened just 2 weeks ago. We just finished a fabulous meal there tonight and Ai wanted to give them 5 stars. The restaurant is beautiful, the menu has something for everyone (my wife is picky) - and the food is great. Best of all it is on Front Street behind the Orpheum and the Halloren Center - and walking distance to the Grizzlies games.

    Patatas Bravas - this was by far my favorite tapas of the night 100%
    JP M.

    this was a tasty meal that my wife and I both enjoyed, we will definitely be back, except every dinner we pay for nowadays I'm reminded of the constant debasement of the US dollar and the purchasing power of our money being flushed down the toilet, but the food was quite tasty, and lovely cocktails were a nice distraction from macroeconomic turmoil and the looming end of our long-term debt cycle. ps my wife loves when I leave reviews like this.

    Coquetas
    Katie S.

    The atmosphere was very intimate, great for a romantic evening. 5/5 for ambiance. We ordered coquetas, papas bravas, lamb skewers, and sangria (my favorite thing ordered). Overall it was enjoyable and unlike any other restaurant in Memphis. I know they are supposed to be tapas, but the portions did feel a bit small (mainly the croquetas, which were my favorite food ordered). I would not order papas again. 4/5 The service was great. 5/5

    Lam skewers. Good
    Art C.

    Eh... this place is gonna make me skip way ahead in my review to-do's... mostly because we were having a perfectly 4-star evening until they served us paella mush-mush. I mean you only have two entrees on the menu, you can't mess up your only other entree this badly. Absolutely unacceptable... Paella mush-mush.

    Black Mountain
    K.J M.

    Loved the location and decor. Staff was pleasant but I wish she would have offered more of an experience through explanation of menu items. Black mountain had my favorite distillery "Rock Town - LR Arkansas" liquor in it. However it was underwhelming. I'll definitely be back to try more items in the future.

    American breakfast with sausage AND bacon:)
    Denyse B.

    We love everything about Tonica - the food, the staff, the ambiance...everything! We come often for brunch and just love it! Lisa, Matt, Hannah, all of the staff treat us like family. We are pretty much creatures of habit and get the same things and they always remember our order. My husband gets either the shrimp and grits or the American breakfast with sausage AND bacon, because, well...why not? I always get the pan con tomate and breakfast potatoes. The toasts have a tomato garlic topping and are delish! The potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum! I always get the mimosa with a splash of grapefruit juice and my husband always gets the spicy Bloody Mary! It comes with a variety of house pickled veggies that I usually swipe. Dinner is also always fabulous! They have the best (and biggest) gin and tonics. My husband gets the gin raw which is more like a traditional gin and tonic and I get the one with the grapefruit soda or the newest one called the tanqueray Sevilla with clementine! Soooo good. We always get a variety of the tapas. We share some and some are just for for each of us . I am vegetarian and my husband is gluten-intolerant so it's perfect for us. We like the chickpeas with spinach and the patatas bravas to share. I could eat the patatas bravas every day! They are crispy potatoes in a spicy sauce with a drizzle of garlic aioli. Yum! My husband gets either the garlic shrimp or the pork tenderloin with salsa verde (which is one of the best he's ever had). He raves about both. I get the pan con tomate which is different from the brunch version with grated tomato on top. It's super fresh and on garlic toast. We have gone with friends who have tried a variety of other options and no one has ever gotten something they didn't love. Would highly recommend!

    Boring wings in the back. Croquettes bread and pork

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    3 years ago

    Tonica was amazing! The food and drinks are superb. The service and hospitality were excellent.

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    3 years ago

    Fantastic service, atmosphere, food & cocktails. Great place for a celebration dinner.

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    4 years ago

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    Baleadas Express "Almas" - The woman behind the counter spoke broken English, ran the register and cooked our food. It was all pretty good. Nothing to complain about.

    Baleadas Express "Almas"

    3.3(6 reviews)
    5.7 miSherwood Forest
    $

    The nice woman behind the counter ran the register, waited on us and cooked our food. Her English…read morewas not great and she didn't bring me the black beans I ordered but I think she just didn't understand my order. I REALLY wanted to love this place as I love the Honduran cuisine. My friend ordered the steak and egg Baleandas and really loved it. My baked chicken with fried plantains and shredded cabbage was not bad but not worth $12.00. Neither dish was too special but not bad either. The place was clean enough but It sits on a dirty little stretch of Getwell. There is a chance I may end up there for breakfast sometime in the future but not too likely.

    TERRIBLE SERVICE. we had a very young girl, probably age 12…read moreor 13, as our server. she clearly had no idea what she was doing and was as lost as who knows what. she messed up on our order and didn't write down one of our meals! After serving us our food she asked 10 minutes later if she could get us anything else and we told her we were missing the rest & she said "my mom isn't cooking no more food." Yes the restaurant was "closed" at this time but we had ordered this meal with the rest of our food. We just arrived to Memphis and as we found out they had baleadas express, we drove to eat here... biggest regret. the cashier was a bit older than our server and very unprofessional. This is clearly a family owned restaurant with terrible qualities. do not recommend what's so ever. the 12 year old is not put up to be a server. nothing was done by any of the staff to make our visit better.

    Photos
    Baleadas Express "Almas" - This was the baked chicken with fried plantains and shredded cabbage.

    This was the baked chicken with fried plantains and shredded cabbage.

    Baleadas Express "Almas"
    Baleadas Express "Almas" - Dining area

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    Dining area

    Babalu - Salmon with brussels sprouts and sparkling white wine.

    Babalu

    4.1(899 reviews)
    1.3 miMidtown
    $$

    I enjoyed the Galentine event. We had an amazing time on the patio. The Playlist was bomb, the…read morehosts were fabulous and the experience was a 10/10. I loved that they allowed us to also serve as mixologist if you had a ticket under your seat (which i did). The Tickets are $40+ tax and gratuity and I felt there were very reasonable. The menu for the event included Three specialty cocktails Love Potion #9: Single Barrel Corazon Reposado Tequila, peach brandy, Kim Crawford Prosecco, blood orange, strawberry, agave Spicy Peach Margarita: peach, jalapeño, tequila, TAJÍN® Chamoy rim The Hype Man: Single Barrel Corazon Reposado Tequila, Cazadores Cafe Liqueur, Rumchata served in a chocolate chip cookie shot cup. Each cocktail included a small bite which were Lamb Sliders, Carne Asada Bowls, and Avocado Ice Cream.

    Babalu is located in Overton Square in Memphis and offers homemade Southern-inspired Latin dishes…read more My friend and I sat on the patio on the side of the restaurant. They have a good amount of seating on the patio as well as indoors. Our server was Sean and he was wonderful during our visit and very attentive and sweet. I ordered a delicious lemon berry sour cocktail, which came with tito's vodka, blackberry, strawberries, and a citrus sour. For my meal, I ordered the shrimp and grits with gulf shrimp, mushrooms, shallots, garlic butter sauce, green onion, cheesy grits. So yummy! I would easily go back for both the cocktail and shrimp and grits if in the area in the future.

    Photos
    Babalu - Fundraiser at Babalu

    Fundraiser at Babalu

    Babalu
    Babalu - Hype Man and Old Fashioned cocktails

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    Hype Man and Old Fashioned cocktails

    Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar - Flight of Grouper, Red Snapper, & Waygu Beef

    Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar

    4.6(1.7k reviews)
    2.6 miDowntown
    $$$

    Outstanding restaurant with educated servers who were helpful but not intrusive--that's a skill!!!…read more Love the concept of this restaurant with flights of food and wine! We had the bone marrow--delicious with an herb crust and the seafood flight appetizer, all excellent but the bbq shrimp was intoxicating! Exactly what bbq shrimp should be with a rich sauce, maybe with cognac added? Not sure, but I'm going on a treasure hunt for a recipe! The bubbles flight was fun--great start! Salad flight was a crisp palate refresher for the next two flights of red meat and fish! We loved the lobster ravioli and the Boursin filet, but the lobster Benedict will be in our dreams! The dessert flight was good with the crème Brûlée--avoid the peach cobbler since peaches are not yet in season! The lighting is perfect! Love how I could see the menu and my husband and still feel romantic! This restaurant would be competitive in NYC, so certainly a jewel in Memphis!

    After spending the past six days in Memphis, this spot easily stands out as one of the best dining…read moreexperiences in town. From the moment we arrived, the service was exceptional--our server was knowledgeable, attentive, and took the time to walk us through the menu with genuine enthusiasm. The lobster bisque was a standout--rich, perfectly balanced, and absolutely memorable. Every detail of the experience felt intentional and well-executed. What truly elevated the visit was the professionalism of the management team, who were present, polished, and clearly committed to delivering a high-level guest experience. Overall, an outstanding meal backed by top-tier service. Highly recommended. Restrooms are very clean and the decor is high end all the way

    Photos
    Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar - Outside

    Outside

    Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar - Lobster

    Lobster

    Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar - Blueberry strudel, Key lime pie, pecan cheesecake

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    Blueberry strudel, Key lime pie, pecan cheesecake

    Global Café - Kuku paka

    Global Café

    4.3(157 reviews)
    0.4 miMed District
    $$

    My 2nd time getting global cafe and it always hit just like it needs to. Went on a Wednesday…read moreevening around 6:30 on a nice cool afternoon/evening. Met with great customer & a small line (3 ppl max). The cashier was making drinks and taking orders while being prompt and charismatic. The wait staff on point as well. Cleaned our table off with quickness so we could sit outside. I ordered Esquites, Dama with Rous, Sandwich Venezolano (not pictured) with a Juan Famous margarita & a mangorita. My bf enjoyed his chicken sandwich and gave it a 8.5/10. Next time will try the pulled pork one. The Dama is super delicious. It's like a lighter version of beef stew in my opinion. The fresh cilantro has a refreshing taste to the dish - 10/10. The Esquites was oddly enjoyable. The tajin made it a little tart but it's basically just as the cream corn I grew up eating - 8/10. Now the star of the show is them RITAS. 20oz of pure goodness. If you come on certain days - the Juan marg is only 3.95 with your meal. That's a good steal in my book. We were able to get a regular and a mango marg. The mango was super juicy and packed with flavor. I dropped a couple pieces into my drink to make it fruiter and it works. Kinda strong drinks but no one is going to that as a compliant from me lol. Please give this place a try. It's located in crosstown and they help support international cuisine. #MemphisEats

    I really wanted to love this place because the setup is so clean and the atmosphere is perfect for…read morefamilies. They have a nice bar program with plenty of liquor and a few tap choices available . Unfortunately, the "huge" steak burrito ($15) fell flat. BUT Service is great!! While the presentation was nice, the meat was entirely unseasoned. It was very cheesy, but lacked the bold flavor you'd expect from a burrito of that size.

    Photos
    Global Café
    Global Café - Kuku Paka + MangoRita!

    Kuku Paka + MangoRita!

    Global Café - Sangria made with hibiscus tea

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    Sangria made with hibiscus tea

    tonica - tapasmallplates - Updated May 2026

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