The Memphis at the Santorra in Downtown Santa Ana is a wonderful place to have dinner or meet friends for a cocktail. Â The meatloaf and fried chicken specials on Thursday night are wonderful; but both of those signature dishes are ones you'll order again and again any day of the week. Â Not all items on the menu work, but most do. And the service is exceptional. Â 5 stars!
Review Source:E side of Broadway just N of 1st Street
I had an event here in hopes of reviving Memphis' popularity again. I wanted to remind people how delicious their food was. Only time will tell whether this event proved to hold any clout. All I know is this kid had fun and the food was truly delicious.
I bought some appetizers for the table to share with each other. The only one I could snap a photo of was their Pulled Pork Sliders: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/memphis-at-the-santora-santa-ana?select=BdgcCStwjXBzH5288XwCIg#29udOmtAlINNVlhlPR_1_Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> which were divine in their own tiny right. There was tender, juicy, and flavorful pulled pork with crispy onion strings all nestled lovingly inside tiny grilled Brioche buns. These sliders prove to be an awesome starter to a great Southern meal.
For my entree I decided to go with their Southern BBQ Combo: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/memphis-at-the-santora-santa-ana?select=BdgcCStwjXBzH5288XwCIg#QQRdxh18rDEjo7fiwT29qQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> which was Hickory Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs with Black Eyed Peas and Mac n Cheese. Talk about a treat to my taste buds! I loved this meal. The ribs turned out flavorful and succulent practically melting off the bone, the black eyed peas were actually really good and the Mac n Cheese was stringy and dreamy. The sauce on the ribs were incredible and right up my alley. They were slightly sweet with also a nice bite of spiciness in the back end to include my two favorite flavor profiles. After having this food a sense of pride settled upon me for I knew that Memphis had taken care of all of us.
Service was really nice by the entire staff. I had been in communication with their P.R. person who got us our own section and extended out Happy Hour till 8 p.m. which was truly nice. Turns out that Sundays (the day we had it) is Service Industry Night and since we all work in the "industry" we were treated to half off entrees, so yay on that front too!
I'm really surprised that Memphis' popularity has seemingly waned because they have so much to offer.
Once a month their resident bartender Dave (guy with the Cowboy Hat) will host a "Dinner with Dave" on I believe the 3rd Wednesday of the month where he'll offer free food for everyone (including the homeless if they show up) as well as live entertainment. While the food may not necessarily be any of the menu items I can tell you first hand that it is still very good!
Seating comes in the form of regular tables and booths inside and regular tables outside if you'd like to dine al fresca!
While the decor is not necessarily much to look at it is still modern looking and clean inside offering a sort of hip element to your dining experience.
There is no dedicated parking so you really have two options here: either on the street or at the nearby paid Parking Garage.
My boyfriend and I, stopped by this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon because The Gypsy Den that is adjacent to this location was closed for some odd reason.
Anyhow, I ordered the veggie burger with a salad and I loved it. Â The dessert was also amazing! We shared the peach and nectarine cobbler.
After years of coming to DTSA to party and bar-hop, I finally made it to Memphis for brunch. And I was not disappointed.
Of course, I got the bottomless mimosas, because I just can't turn down a good excuse to day drink. And with that I got the one egg breakfast plate, which included one egg (duh), potato cakes, chicken apple sausage, and brioche toast. It was all fantastic! The egg was a perfect over-medium, just like I like it; the sausage was a nice change of pace from traditional breakfast meats, and though the potato cakes were a little over-cooked, they were deliciously seasoned.
I even tried some of my husband's meal, which was also fantastic. He got their pork chop breakfast with grits, with the pork chop cooked perfectly (no one wants to feel like they're eating rubber) and the grits as a wonderful addition as a side.
Also, I didn't even mention that my breakfast was only about $8! Crazy awesome price for a good meal at a trendy restaurant. And the mimosas were only $6 to add to the meal. I must have given them a run for their money, because I seriously drank like 10 of those things. I will definitely be back to Memphis for more delicious Southern-inspired dishes!
Great place to unwind
I came with my two girlfriends on a Wednesday at 8:30pm and there was barely any people inside. Â Once we got seated, we ordered some coffee. Â I got a bowl of gumbo. Â One of my girlfriends got the soup of the day (Chipotle soup) and my other girlfriend got the beet salad. Â The waiter also brought out some delicious corn bread. Â It was perfect with our soups. Â My bowl of gumbo was very salty but good. Â It was pretty hearty and really hit the spot. Â They give you about a scoop of rice in the center and that was enough. Â I had a bite of my girlfriend's Chipotle soup, which I thought was okay. Â It was just a water broth soup with some veggies. Â The beet salad was very good. Â
Our total for everything was $27. Â We went on a regular night but for happy hour, they have a $5 menu for full size orders. Â Our service was excellent. Â Our waiter, Aristotle, was very helpful and friendly. Â He was really sweet when my girlfriend complained about her coffee not being hot enough. Â As for ambiance, it's very intimate. Â They have different music based on different nights. Â On the day we came, they had a mariachi band performing. Â They also had a special going on for half off a bottle of wine. Â Overall, the food was pretty good and we had an awesome time.
We originally tried to go to Chapter one next door but it was waaaay too packed so we went here instead. We came here for bottomless brunch on Sunday and it was only an extra 5-6 dollars extra I believe to whatever entree you got. From what I remember, the food was really good and the bottomless mimosas were even better :D Decor and Ambiance were very nice as well. Will come back next time we plan to have brunch.
Review Source:Build your own Burger Tuesday! Â + Movie Night + Great Music + Exceptional Service = Memphis!!!!!
What can I say besides I love this place! Even after taking a difficult person here for lunch and watch her be who she is with the menu and service I still find this place charming, yummy, and welcoming!
Being greeted by one of the servers with, "Haven't seen you two for awhile, how are you?" Really impressed me bc she didn't have to say that at all, but she has been our waitress most of our visits to Memphis and really good one I might add!!!! I'm not great with names so I just have to say she the cute, tiny girl with short brown hair...
Once we are seated I look up only to find a movie playing and not just any movie but Pretty In Pink with Molly Ringwald!!!! As I get settled my husband shouts heeeeey Sixteen Candles! Lol
This was exciting for me bc the last movie we saw here was a comedy that my husband really enjoyed and now it's my turn...
Then we created our burgers by selecting choices from a paper they provided much like The Counter and Slaters 50/50. I'm not that creative with my selection bc the burger was just a regular bacon cheese burger...not like the normal Soul Burger I order from there regular menu. I totally recommend by the way. Then I ordered the house salad on the side which was a pleasant surprise of freshness with mixed green salad, candied pecans, gorgonzola, red pear, golden raisins, sherry vinaigrette! Yum
I feel this is a cute date spot with a full bar, creative mixologist, and a southern style menu, with a hipster style. Try it out and then walk around...it's located in the artist district of Santa Ana. A lot of the spots down there are fun and trendy...like my favorite next door...Lola Gaspar...then head around the corner to Chapter One...and finish the night at the Crosby for some drinks and dancing...depending on the DJ!
There you go...I planned your date night!
Cheers
The food may be good, but the service was terrible... made me wait for my check for over 10 minutes... nobody else was seated... server came back and said "I didn't give you your check yet?" I was watching him during the last 5 minutes and he was just standing and talking to a co-worker..
Review Source:I came here for bottomless mimosas on a Saturday morning (early afternoon actually) with my friends. There was no wait, but there was also no more outdoor seating, which seemed like the popular choice. The food is cheap and totally worth more than the money (I ordered off the brunch menu). But I love brunch foods so maybe that's why. The bottomless mimosas were only a $6 add-on I believe. So worth it. We'll definitely be coming back.
Parking is kind of difficult to find because it's downtown, but they do have parking garages within walking distance.
I take back every negative thing I said about this place. I went the other night for drinks. Â The guy making us drinks was phenomenal. Â He knew everything there was to know about whiskey and bourbon. It was no surprise when he told us he worked at Hi Time Cellars and was very well rounded in different whiskey and bourbon options. Â
He was an artist with the drinks he made us. Â I will definitely be back to get my late night drink fix. I had the featured old fashioned and he kept making me different variations of it. Â My friend was trying different whiskeys straight and our bartender was spot on with his suggestions.
Definitely a different experience from the last time I was there and I can't wait to go back!
I'm not hard to impress. Unlimited mimosas? Sold! Oh, the food was pretty tasty too. I thought the portions were reasonable also. I expected them to be much smaller because it was at a trendy hipster restaurant.
Their mac and cheese is good, but how hard is it to make mac and cheese anyway? My favorite was their jambalaya. It came with a half po' boy sandwich. The sandwich itself was a little dry, but the stuff inside it was pretty good. It's what's on the inside that matters anyway... right?
I've experienced WAYYYY better brunches but I decided to give Memphis an extra star because of their $6 BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS during brunch, which is the only reason I will probably come back here. The chicken and waffles and steak and eggs were very "meh" to me. Service was friendly and fast (our mimosa glasses were never more than half empty), and if you can, sit outside and enjoy the weather!
Review Source:Fun location in the heart of Santa Ana's art district but the food was very meh. Even the happy hour menu seemed overpriced for what it was and the food was all rather flavorless. Staff had serious attitude problems, waitress spilled my drink didn't apologize but instead yelled a loud "FU**" I know this is a trendy spot but that level of unprofessionalism didn't impress. Gypsy Den opposite looked a hella lot more fun.
Review Source:WOW this place sucked royal.
1. Waitress wouldn't split our checks at first. Â WTH? Â Since when do you ever argue with your customers? Memphis - your food wasn't that great to begin with and you weren't nearly as packed as the Gypsy Den, so best not to push your luck...We'll get to the food in a second...
2. The Waitress essentially ignored us for most of the evening. Â I literally said to her "we'd like to order" about 4-5 times" and it took her abou 20 mins to finally ask "are you ready to order?" WTH. Â On top of that, another server came by to refill my water glass ONCE for the ENTIRE 2+ hours we HAD to sit there and wait for our server to get her butt in gear. Â It wasn't even that busy to begin with...(see #1 comparison comment to Gypsy Den)
3. The MANAGER was a piece of trash too with her "we can't do anything to help you" attitude...and yet the waitress ended up splitting our bill anyway....
4. One of our group got so pissed about them and their attitude about splitting the bill that she left to get food from one of the food trucks outside!!! Only THEN did the waitress split our bill. Â Weaksauce drama? Â Caddyness?
5. Food...I ordered the seafood Jambalaya. Â It was watered down more than their lemonade. Â Memphis - Are you kidding me? Â I can get a bigger and better serving of the same dish at Lucille's for roughly the same price.
I typically don't care for how good the food is if the service is stellar. Â and I'm a big tipper too (especially if you're cute and blonde ahaaha). Â But seriously this place sucked. Â Service sucked, management sucked, food sucked. Â Doesn't get any worse IMHO. Â I actually can't remember the last time I ate at a place so crappy. Â What should have been about a 45-60 min dining experience turned out to be a little over 2 hours. Â When our change came back (and since they added the 18% gratuity into the bill already) we all made it a point to LEAVE NO CASH BEHIND. Â We even had to split up the remaining cash just to make sure.
Peace out Memphis! Hopefully next year you'll be a Counter...or a McDonalds! I don't care as long as you're not there the next time I am~
Memphis is down the street from me, so I tend to frequent this joint on the regular.
Good food and great happy hour deals!
I will say that I think I enjoy the atmosphere of the Costa Mesa location a little bit more, but for proximity's sake this makes for a fun outing. Try the five-course deal on Sunday nights!
The music is WAY TOO LOUD!
Restaurants with music are great, but this place really sucks.
I have given this restaurant 3 tries and I hate it more and more.
I can't even have a conversation it's so damn loud.
When we went this last time several of the restaurant items were no longer available. The server even said "oh yah these menus need to be updated a lot if stuff has changed on there." WTF, change your menus then, that's so ghetto.
Look I know it's down town Santa Ana, but I also saw a giant bug crawling on the wall. I'm not an entomologist so I have no idea what it was, but it was unpleasant.
The only reason this place even deserves 1 star is cause a couple of their menu items are decent (the salads). I had their meatloaf which is suppose to be awesome and it was bland and had giant green beans awkwardly stuck in the middle.
As others have mentioned this food is NOT Southern.
Maybe lunch is ok, maybe. Best to just stay away.
A bit leery after reading so many middling reviews. Â Great setup- I liked the "hodge-podge" factor. Â
Nice of them to offer happy-hour specials restaurant-wide, not just at bar. Â Got us some cheap drinks before the 6:30PM cutoff and the wife got pork sliders/mashed potatoes as her entree.
Kids' meals are pretty reasonably priced... but they are not terribly substantive. Â $3 for mac/cheese sounds good, and it IS better quality (not Kraft in a box) but the bowl is fairly small. Â Chicken strips/fries for $5 sounds good but $6 at Cheesecake Factory gets you twice as much chicken (and a drink.) Â $2 chocolate milks are a bit overpriced.
Anyway, on to more of the adult stuff:
Shrimp po'boy was good. Â Would have preferred a remoulade option, but the greenish stuff they served with it was ok. Â Shrimp breaded in corn meal= interesting taste, but I do prefer them done in a more "typical" non-Southern style. Â Hush puppies were quite good as a side.
Friend digs meat loaf/mac and cheese. Â He says it's his favorite meal, ever. Â I thought it was good, but not orgasmic (he's a skinny fuck, what does he know about good food?) Â :)
Desserts- oreo cheesecake pretty good (I make a similar version from scratch, this came close) but the hummingbird cake tasted too much like carrot cake... could have used more of the vanilla flavor to distinguish it. Â
Service was good- our waitress had a very good personality and we enjoyed the interactions. Â And the 15% check-in discount.
Overall, pretty good. Â Better than we were expecting. Â Needs more than the single bathroom, though. Â Really long lines at times.
Our table at another place wasn't ready so we decided to wander around and get some drinks. We made our way into Memphis because it was still early and the place seemed pretty empty.
I decided to order a 7&7, however upon suggestion the girl next to me said I should ask him to change it up. Certainly, glad I did! His concoction was DELICIOUS! seagrams with a ginger beer and syrup. really refreshing.. absolutely love the drink!
My friend on the other hand (new to drinking) ordered a Mint Julep before I could warn her! She, of course, HATED her drink.. our bartender, Jeff, was so kind as to offer her a different drink and take a whiskey shot with her. As we finished our drinks, Jeff talked it up and indulged us in a story about his childhood, hilarious. He was super nice and definitely a man of his craft.
--- fast forward to after dinner ----
I wanted another one of those ginger drinks!! So, I went up and ordered it and he replied "I'll make something similar" with the success of the first change up I didn't mind. It must have been the crowd (it was happy hour now) that forced him to change it up.. but this drink was nothing like the first :( I mean it still have the same "essence" as a 7&7 but wasn't as refreshing as the ginger drink of yesterhour. plus, there was definitely some sort of kick, cayenne pepper?? lesigh.
Nonetheless, I still think Jeff was a great bartender and I'll definitely come back if I can get that ginger drink again!
Wow. That is pretty much all I can say.
This place is... Interesting. It's starts as somewhat charming, but then goes downhill pretty quickly. The food is average... At best. Pretty much the only interesting thing this place has to offer is they have a full bar which was a significant reason for coming, but the atmosphere is a little odd. The place has a retro old school vibe which would generally be pretty interesting but this haphazard seating arrangements and odd vibe is just too... Odd? This is coming from a person who doesn't say no to place that serves alcohol.
We started with...
* popcorn shrimp - this was pretty damn awful. The breading was just wrong and wasn't appetizing at all
* gumbo - meh don't really see what the fuss was about. Seems way over rated to me. This is a 3 star dish at best
After those two items, we quickly closed the bill and got the hell out of there. We went to another close by restaurant nearby to finish dinner. Overall, this place is overrated and awkward. The food and vibe here might be good after a heavy night drinking, but then again when I drink that much Del Taco starts to taste good. So that isnt saying much. Pass!
I am giving 3 stars based solely on the great service I received. The servers were so friendly, prompt, and willing to answer all of our questions. They also handled our large party very well.
The qualms I have with this place is that the prices are just ridiculous for what you get. I can't even believe I payed that much for what I got. I honestly feel I got diner quality food at steak house prices. The portions were also super small and after spending almost $80 bucks my husband and I were not even full. Â Maybe I just ordered the wrong things... I am not sure.
Maybe people are paying for the cool atmosphere, hip location, and novelty of southern food in SoCal.
Conclusion, I won't be back to this particular establishment.. but the area is cool so maybe try one of the many other restaurants that have awesome reviews.
I've seen Memphis in Costa Mesa for years and even though people told me how good it is, I just didn't believe them. A coworker told me about the location in Santa Ana, then showed me a picture of the burger. I then decided I needed to get to Memphis. STAT!
We went for Brunch one Sunday, only to discover bottomless Mimosas. Whuuutttt?! That's right up my alley. I ordered the crawfish omelette, and although I would have liked for it to be spicier, but it was still good. We went for dinner during OCRW and I ordered the duck quesadilla which was so tasty. The banana pudding was off the hook and the service was excellent on both occasions.
Let me speak separately about the bartender, who came and personally delivered our drinks and explained the hand crafted nature of each. Again, right up my alley. I love places that take pride in the cocktails they serve. Anyone can mix a vodka cranberry, it takes a special person to hand make a habanero syrup for the habanero margarita.
I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting this type of food and drinks from OC. I normally have to travel to SD or LA to get something out of the ordinary lineup.
Thank you, Memphis. I will be back...probably this Sunday for Brunch.
Came here during restaurant week 2013 and also was an attempt to change my friends' perspective about downtown Santa Ana. They loved the experience, from the location, the food, the ambiance and also of course the attentiveness of the waiters.
Highly recommended, both for romantic date and/or group dining :)
What would it be like to go have dinner at Tennessee? Â Probably a little like getting dinner at Memphis. Â Except maybe not as hip. Â Anyway, I was a little excited to try this place since it's apparently a hipster take on southern food which I haven't really heard of yet in California.
THE GIST: Dishes are inconsistent / Excellent fried chicken / Cheap beer
SERVICE AND SETTING
It's a bar/restaurant in downtown Santa Ana. Â If you don't know what that means, you're clearly too mainstream. Â Just kidding. Â Setting is typical for what you'd see in downtown: wood on metal on concrete floors, crowded, pretty loud, and with a decently sized drink selection. Â Service was unremarkable.
FOOD AND VALUE
Gumbo: You get ONE prawn. Â Since it's an appetizer, I'd have thought it would have been made for sharing. Â Have fun fighting over it! Â Aside from that the gumbo itself was quite tasty and had some kick to it.
BBQ Duck Quesadilla: I'm not sure how to feel about this dish. Â It was delicious, but I didn't taste any duck in there. Â Just savory goodness topped with some kind of green topping that tasted like sour cream.
Strip Steak: I always appreciate a thick cut steak because it's much more difficult to cook it that way. Â The risk involved is that an overcooked, thick steak feels much more dry than an overcooked thin steak. Â Unfortunately, this one was overcooked and pretty dry. Â The scalloped potatoes that came with it are good, but otherwise avoid this dish.
Buttermilk fried chicken: THIS is what you should go here for. Â The batter was delicious, the chicken was white meat but still juicy, and it also comes with the tasty scalloped potatoes! Â Easily the best part of the meal.
With beers, we split these dishes among three of us and it came out to $27. Â Pretty expensive for the portion size, but that is expected of restaurants in this area. Â That being said, beer is pretty cheap at 5$ for many draft choices. Â Make sure to check their extended drink menu though, the dinner menu is missing a lot of their selection.
CONCLUSION
I had a hard time deciding between a 3 or 4 for this restaurant, but eventually learned towards a 3 because I haven't really felt any urge to try more of what they have. Â Foodie joints are common in this area and Memphis needs to step it up if they want their food to stand out in the mix.
My friends and I came here for OC Restaurant Week for lunch. Â We had a three course menu for $15, which was a great deal. Â For appetizer, I ordered the roasted beet salad. Â This was just okay. Â I'm not a huge fan of beets, but I didn't like the other options for appetizer (gumbo and something else I forgot). Â
For the entree, I ordered the burger, which was very good. Â My hubby and friends ordered the fried oyster po'boy. Â They said it was delicious. Â Unfortunately, it's not a regular item on their menu. Â My hubby said that the oysters were so fresh.
For dessert, we all ordered the waffle dessert, which was so yummy, but we couldn't finish it because we were so full from the first 2 dishes. Â I would definitely like to have this dessert again.
I feel like this is a "shame on me" review. I've eaten at Memphis in Costa Mesa and wasn't thrilled, to put it politely. For some reason, I didn't connect that restaurant with this one, and decided to eat here for OC Restaurant Week.
Major props to the person who puts together the menus, at least - everything is well presented and sounds delicious, made with quality ingredients.
To the restaurant's credit, the decor is nice, it has a lively bar scene, prime location, and the servers are fairly attentive and friendly.
The food is rather depressing, at best. Everything about the meal screamed "unmemorable". I should have been smart and sent back my main course (the braised short rib with goat-cheese potato purée) - it came swimming in a pool of orange oil, but being hungry and tired, I didn't say anything. Everything was barely flavored, and even adding liberal amounts of salt and pepper did nothing to salvage this overcooked meal. I could barely taste any goat-cheese, and the greens served as a side were a murky color, and slimy. The carrot was rubbery, and the entire meal made me feel queasy minutes after consuming.
My friend wasn't much happier - the mushroom fricassé was rubbery and bland, the cheddar biscuit (singular, not pluralized, as the menu leads you to believe) was dry and difficult to choke down, the collard greens she wouldn't touch, and the chicken itself was spicy on the skin, and flavorless beneath it.
I feel stupid for choosing two 'misses' for OC Restaurant week, and especially for not checking past reviews before coming.
Unless there's a major makeover of the menu, I won't be coming back.
I stopped by Memphis after ending my evening dinner at Lola Gaspar. When I walked in I felt a little bit out of my element. Everyone there was well familiar with one another and I stuck out like a sore thumb.
HOWEVER!!! Once I sat down I was greeted by "JEFF" the bartender working that evening.
Now I have a tendency to order drinks that are not common and sometimes throw a curve ball at the bartenders by asking them to make me something ORIGINAL.
Let me tell you "JEFF" not only treated me like a gentlemen but he greeted me as I was at "CHEERS" (old TV show). I knew before he greeted me I was in for a surprise because of the way he made his drinks. So when I asked him to make me something ORIGINAL. All he asked is what type of alcohol I like, I choose one that I didn't which is whiskey to see if one of his drinks would make me change my mind about whiskey.
BOOM!!! This gentleman is a true artist at what he does! Not only does he do it with such pride, I saw many people coming in greeting him and asking only him to make drinks.
What?!!! As the evening went on he introduce me to a few regulars and everyone there treated me like part of the group. I kept on ordering drinks from JEFF and each time I was happier with his creations.
I went back 5 times in a row after that and still tell all my friends about JEFF best bartender I've met by far.
PS. If you are going out on a first date take them here this gentleman will break the ice/tension by making his creations!!!
EVERYONE MUST GO AND ASK FOR JEFF! GIVE HIM THE FREEDOM TO CREATE A DRINK AND JUST SIT AN ENJOY THE SHOW!
You cannot wilt a salad and tell me they're greens. I eat greens and Southern cooking all the time because it is delicious, but what was served to me at Memphis is some bastardization of the cuisine.
Memphis is to Southern what Olive Garden is to Italian. I could stop right there, but I won't.
We had a very large group and a reservation. Upon arrival, there was a lot of disorganization with seating because they turned 2-tops into 4-tops, which really doesn't pan out too well unless everyone is the size of a kindergartner.
The food was sad. In addition to fake greens, my catfish had almost no seasoning in the breading. The cornbread was painfully dry. I was told the ribs, chicken, and gumbo were bland and underwhelming as well. I couldn't have the shrimp gumbo so I had the mixed greens salad. That salad was good, probably because it had nothing to to do with Southern food at all. It took over two and a half hours to get everyone's order and serve two courses.
When it came time for the checks, there was drama. Between misinformation and poor cash handling with the waitresses, the checks were a small nightmare. My boyfriend and I had to pony up $55 for two entrees and appetizers. That did not include our drinks from the bar. That is way, way too much money for what we got.
The hipster behind the bar was the best thing at Memphis because he seemed happy over there doing is his thing. In fact, that's the only thing I would ever return to Memphis for: the bar.
After 6 years of living in Orange County, I've made a crucial discovery...
Santa Ana has a good nightlife. And it's places like Memphis that make it fun.
Dawn M. and I found this place while strolling the streets of Santa Ana on a Saturday night. It was approximately 10:30 PM and we weren't quite ready to hit the dance floor at Proof Bar. We needed a couple tasty drinks and something to munch on.
Memphis's Late Night Menu = JACKPOT
Whoa. How were we so oblivious? Talk about bang for buck. Check it out.
1 Greyhound Cocktail ($4)
1 Whiskey Sour ($4)
1 order of Matchstick Fries ($3)
1 order of Fried Okra ($3-4)
------------------------------------
$15 (with tax)
The drinks were delicious. If anything, the bartender had a bit of a heavy hand. Such a first-world problem, right? The Matchstick Fries, as the name implies, were pretty thin. I actually liked this since I wanted to munch on something without getting too full. We both enjoyed the Fried Okra even though it was a tad dry.
The ambiance was relaxed. It was lively, but certainly not packed. The dim lighting created an intimate setting. Dawn M. and I were able to chat without loud music or rowdy patrons disturbing us. The seating area was clean and comfortable. Our waitress had purple hair and was totally cool.
Pro-Tip: Late Night Menu --Thursday 10-12 PM, Friday/Saturday 10 PM-1 AM.
Caesar salad was meh..a couple pieces of lettuce were brown; our waitress hyped up the "cornbread" and when she finally brought it (after having to ask twice) it was cold, stale and bland.
My New York was cooked perfectly med-rare, the "reduction" had yet to be reduced and the potatoes were clearly old.
The cobbler was downright disgusting. Watery and undercooked, ice cold. Wanted to send it back but waitress Houdini'd on us all night and finally came back and dropped off the check in a rush, ignored me trying to talk to her.. Won't be coming back...sorry guys. I really think with some better management you could go places! 3rd star is only because of the music. Yum.
We went in for brunch and did not have a reservation (my group was 6). The hostess informed us that they were booked and that we needed reservations. She must have seen our hungry sad faces and felt empathy for us. Rather than shoo'ing us away to the nearest Denny's the hostess and a server cleared a table for us and accommodated our group.
We had bottomless mimosas for $6 and I was thirsty enough to drink a bloody mary while I was at it. I ordered the chicken and waffles (first timer) and it was amazing. My plate came with kale and some sort of cream sauce. I usually try to make wise caloric choices but not today. My logical side was out the door and I scarphed down my chicken and waffles all while the bottomless mimosas kept coming.
The wait staff was very attentive and kept asking us if everything was ok. It was very much appreciated how the staff at Memphis really accommodated to our group and were on top of things. Thank you again Memphis!
First of all I am not going to put the young lady's name out there who fucked everything up and kept fucking up. That wouldn't be nice...but I will say she fucked up big time.
A group of 20 made brunch reservations for my wife's bday this past Sunday 12/2/12. The 1st fuck up...spilling the Bloody Mary on one the lady's in our party. Only to say we'll comp your drink. What about offering dry cleaning? And what about the lady sitting next to her whose Coach bag also was spilled on?
So as the afternoon progresses everybody is drinking and enjoying their meals. At this point we've forgotten about the spilled drink...there's good music being played...a dude on the mic walking around asking trivia questions, so we're chillin' hard having a good time.
I then ask for the bill because its a large group and I want to be sure everyone has time to look over the receipt to pay for what they ordered. I tell our waitress that we're going to have more than one CC paying since everyone didn't bring cash. She tells me that's cool...just write the last for digits of the CC on the back of the receipt and how much is to charged. At this point she tells me there's going to be a split bill due to there being to two tables...I'm like cool.
The first receipt she brings me, for the larger of the two tables, is a total of $212 and change. The second receipt, is $94 and change. I was paying for SOME people at both tables, because Im a baller like that (a little humor for those who are actually reading my rant but j/k)....any who...I tallied up my total plus tax and tip (18% for groups over 6 or split checks) and passed it down for the next person.
There was @ least 14 people at my table, so it was going to take a while for the bill to get around. While the larger table was getting their tallies together the 2nd table put $60 cash in the envelope and I put my AMEX in there as well. AND DID AS INSTRUCTED. Remember there are two receipts one for $212 the other for $94. On the smaller check I put the last for digits on of my card on the back of the receipt w/ the amount to be charged?
This is where fuck up #2 happens. She brings me back the envelope for me to sign the receipt and to my surprise it says I've been charged the full amount of my table and that we still owe for the second table....BITCH, WHAT? You gave me two receipts and you charged my CC the full amount of the large table. What happened to the instructions you gave me? what happened to the the cash we gave you? And why give two receipts if you can't decipher between $212 and $94?
She tells me there must have been a mis-communication between us....NO, you broke the procedure by not following what you said to do....no mis-communication over this way. I tell her to take it back, do it as SHE SAID to in the first place and then bring it back. One would think that she'd be too embarrassed to fuck up again. But nope she fucks up again.
Fuck up #3 is when collects the cash $220 to be exact and the second receipt for the large table says that only $218.10 in cash was collected w/ two CCs in the envelope and she doesn't even charge on of the CCs and comes back and says we owe more money.
I'm from Santa Ana so I know just how far the jail is from this place so I have to remove myself from the situation. I'm so pissed at this point I can't even talk to this lady. I have to call in the heavy machinery, my wife. Needless to say my wife handled it only after having the lady void everything out and bring back every penny in cash collected and starting all the way over.
Lessons learned on this day....#1 Bring cash to avoid potential mistakes made by your waitress/waiter #2 Avoid this place.
BTW...the on duty manager never came up to clear up or help the situation.....seems as if she was willing to just let her crash and burn as she did!
2 years later and I finally came back here as a civilized person for a friend's birthday dinner. Â
Buttermilk fried chicken - do it! Â It's freakin' delicious and moist and crunchy.
Bison Burger - Excellent. Â Comes with hand cut sweet potato fries. Â
Mini corn breads w/butter - addictive.
Good looking place with lots of fans, but I am not one of them.
I ordered something safe for a restaurant named "Memphis," namely, pulled pork sandwich and yam fries. Both were marginally edible - borderline gross.
The pulled pork was barely warm, bland, and covered half the bun. The fries were cold and dry, like they had been sitting around for a while.
With so many good Mexican choices around, and it's expensive!, Â Memphis is a flat bust. Your good service cannot overcome bad food.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
