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    Char Restaurant

    4.1 (424 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    CHAR RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Char Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos - Char Restaurant

    No-Filler Crab Cakes
    Vachenzia M.

    Had a group of 6 pop in for a celebration. Bar area is open seating so it was perfect as a last minute choice. Ordered a bunch of drinks and appetizers. Our waitress was slow to bring items out including glasses of water. But gratuity was automatically included, so guessing she felt no need to be timely. Food was great as always and the ambiance was so on point. Really enjoyed the live pianist. Made our celebration feel extra special.

    SCALLOPS - roasted red bell pepper risotto | asparagus | thyme roasted grapes | caramelized leek creme
    Margaret J.

    Date Night!! The food was delicious, the drinks were lit, and the deemed lights ambiance was great for intimate conversations. We ordered: Appetizers: - SPINACH BACON CRISP crispy flour tortilla | spinach | bacon | mozzarella | baby greens | tomato-basil relish -CRAB CLAWS Half/Half fried & sautéed | cocktail sauce PORK CHOP - garlic mashed potato | broccolini | Cognac and green peppercorn cream sauce SCALLOPS - roasted red bell pepper risotto | asparagus | thyme roasted grapes | caramelized leek creme Drinks: Long Island iced tea & Dirty Martini

    Ashley Farms Range Chicken
    Catrina T.

    What an amazing meal we had! Started with a blueberry lemon drop, old fashioned and sautéed crab claws. All were delicious. Char has one of the best lemon drops in the city. I had the pork chop (served with garlic mashed potatoes and broccolini). It was phenomenal. The pork chop was cooked perfectly! My husband had a filet with mashed sweet potatoes. He enjoyed his as well. We ended with the brownie dessert with vanilla ice cream instead of the bourbon pecan. We had a great meal and the ambiance is very romantic.

    Ribeye and loaded baked potato
    Elayna D.

    Friday lunch was just as delicious as dinner. The Char burger is always a favorite pick for lunch along with the onion rings. The crab claws...well they were good, but I wouldn't order again. The sautéed crab claws had a nice kick and really good seasoning and the fried claws were good also. Service was quick, they were very busy and the parking lot was PACKED!!! So my previous statement about parking is no longer a true statement. I circled that lot at least 3 times before I got a spot. They do offer daily lunch specials and Friday is catfish Friday, so that's a "good to know" about lunch hours. Once again, if you haven't been to Char, please give them a visit.

    Char Filet and baked potato.

    The gumbo was amazing. If I could've boxed up. I would have that's how good it was. Me and my home girl are definitely going back for that.

    Lemon Drop
    Katrena H.

    We went in today at 3. No wait for a table. We were greeted by the waiter. Friendly ! We ordered and the rest was history. The ambiance was quiet due to transitioning to the evening. I love it. Service 5/5 Food 5/5. The redfish was flaky and savory. The crab claws made me order bread to get the drizzle. Iykyk! Great way to start a Friday evening!

    Our little cockroach dinner guest on our dusty booth ledge at Char.

    I had dinner at Char about a year ago and remembered it as a great place to celebrate a special occasion, so I chose it for my birthday this year. Unfortunately, I had no idea how much things had changed.The first thing I noticed was the disheveled appearance of both our server and the manager. It immediately made me question whether we should stay, but I was celebrating with a dear friend for her birthday as well and didn't want to make a scene. I was also surprised that there didn't seem to be any dress code or standards being enforced for guests, which gave the restaurant a much more casual atmosphere than I remembered. It simply no longer felt like the upscale dining experience Char once offered.Service was painfully slow from start to finish. We waited 20 minutes before anyone took our drink order, another 18 minutes for the drinks to arrive, and then 64 minutes after ordering before our food finally reached the table. By then, everything was only lukewarm.My friend and I shared the ribeye so we could try several of the sides. Every single one was disappointing. The garlic mashed potatoes looked as though they had been sitting under a heat lamp, with a dried crust on top. The creamed spinach was overwhelmed by nutmeg and topped with partially melted pre-shredded cheddar cheese. The mushrooms were, by far, the worst--they tasted as though they had been soaking in balsamic vinegar for days before being reheated.As disappointing as the food and service were, the most concerning part of the evening came near the end of our meal. A baby cockroach crawled across the dusty ledge beside our booth lamp. I photographed it because I was so shocked. Seeing any cockroach in a restaurant is unacceptable, especially one that markets itself as a fine dining establishment.This was an expensive meal that failed on every level: atmosphere, service, food quality, and cleanliness. I won't be returning, which is especially disappointing because I genuinely enjoyed Char during my previous visit. I sincerely hope management takes these issues seriously, as the restaurant I remembered no longer seems to exist.

    Ribeye with a loaded baked potato
    Michael Y.

    Char is a staple of refined casual dining in Memphis. The atmosphere is a mix between New Orleans chic with steakhouse cool. Our server was impeccable, detailed and fast. The food was great too. We missed out on the crab fingers (sold out), but the gumbo and crab cakes were very tasty. Our steaks were seasoned and cooked perfectly. The creamed spinach was a little overcooked but still flavorful. Would definitely go again.

    Shrimp & Grits
    Jay S.

    Stopped in here in last night in town. Ordered the shrimp and grits and did not like it at all. Way too spicy and I was expecting smooth creamy grits not lumpy. The crab claws were delicious. Did not like our servers attitude.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Love this restaurant! Delicious food and great service! You definitely need to try their crab cakes and desserts!!!

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    3 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Service was great, we had a wonderful experience. Above expectations. The food was similarly great. Would go back!

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I love this restaurant. It is great for meetings and celebrations. I feel like this is the new Houston's.

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food, burger is excellant, gumbo is great as well. Service is always good and consistant from my handful of experiences

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    Page 2 of 11

    Ask the Community - Char Restaurant

    How to make reservations?

    OpenTable. Or use there website

    Have they added flavor options for the brunch mimosas or do they only still have standard OJ base?

    Hi Semaria! In addition to standard mimosas, we feature a specialty mimosa every Saturday and Sunday. The specialty mimosa flavor changes each week!

    Are the crab cakes or cream spinach gluten free?

    Hello! Thank you for reaching out. Our crab cakes and creamed spinach do contain flour, thus are not gluten-free.

    Are there any happy hour specials?

    Yes usually but at the bar only

    View All 5 Questions

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    Hen House

    Hen House

    4.3
    (207 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    Vibes- very cool, artsy location with dim lighting and an eclectic crowd…read moreDrinks- pretty & strong, but probably 8/10 on flavor Pasta- 10/10 probably hands down the best pasta I've had in a long while. Rich, well seasoned, and fresh Service was also awesome and there's a secret dessert menu our group really enjoyed!

    It pains me to have to leave this review. I came here once before several months ago and was very…read moreimpressed. I had a fantastic espresso martini and the best brussel sprouts I've ever tasted! So I was excited to come try something else. On the plus side, the bathroom was so nicely decorated. It was also very clean. I sat at the end of the bar, beside the little section of books. The bartender was nice. I ordered the Ember&Passion cocktail. Although it was pretty good, it was quite mild. Unexpected with the ingredients in it. I was surprised that the level of expected heat was not very detectable. I give it 7/10. When I came here before in the winter, the temperature was perfect and I don't remember being too bothered that they don't have cocktail napkins. But yesterday it was quite warm in the restaurant and not having these napkins wasn't good. Nobody in the restaurant had any type of napkin under any drink! I noticed that just like mine, every glass of water from every patron had a puddle of condensation under the glass. Each time I picked up my glass of water, it would drip onto my food and clothes. My two menus got so wet. I suppose they made this decision to save themselves a lot of money. As for the food: My parmesan truffle fries were excellent!! Hot, crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked in the middle. Best I've had in a long time. The Alabama white sauce on the side was just your typical sauce. It tasted just like every other Alabama white sauce that I've had so was not disappointing. But I actually ended up not using it because it was too thin and it didn't add anything to the fries. The fries were excellent enough on their own. I ordered my burger "pink" but there wasn't any pink to it, but I wasn't that bothered about it. Burger and the toppings were tasty, except for the fried green tomato. Looking closely at the picture, you can see that it was SO SMALL compared to the size of the burger. When a restaurant does that, don't they realize that it makes for a glaring disappointment?! It apparently came from near the end of the tomato, and not the middle. If you are going to offer a fried green tomato on a burger, then I feel as if you should only use the larger slices of the tomato, and save the smaller ends for maybe putting in salads. I've always been obsessed with fried green tomatoes. After having my first two bites of burger and still not reaching the tomato, I took it off to eat by itself. Sadly, it tasted terrible! I was surprised. Obviously, they didn't season the tomato or the batter. (Salt and pepper go a long way.) The burger toppings apparently made the tomato batter not only soggy, but also this strange thick texture. Like mushy and chewy at the same time. 1/10 Worst problem: FLIES!!! So many flies! When I just had my drink but no food yet, I noticed them but was not bombarded by them at that point. It wasn't until my food came. All of a sudden I was literally surrounded by them. They were everywhere! No exaggeration. I actually had to use only one hand to eat and the other hand to constantly move back and forth over my food. I eventually gave up and set the plate of some of my fries about 4 inches in front of my burger in order to hopefully draw the flies to the fries so that I could eat my burger. Unfortunately, after only four bites of my burger, when I set it down to take a drink of water, a fly landed on it within one second. Obviously, that was my last bite, and even when I was moving the plate closer to the end of the counter, two more flies landed on it. The glass of straws was inches from me. That, and the book closest to me seemed to be where they gathered to wait for their opportunity to dive bomb me. So many of them! It turned my stomach when I realized that I had been drinking from a straw with my water and I'm sure there had been flies on it before I got there. Every person that gets a straw in their drink at this restaurant has had a fly sitting on top of it. When the bartender told me about the desserts, it turned my stomach to think of just how many flies were in the kitchen. Had I known the fly situation was that bad when I first got my drink, I would have never stayed there, and I certainly would have never ordered food. I do think it is a real shame because the winter months are a totally different experience in that restaurant. But because of how horrible it was this time, I just can't ever come back.

    Photos
    Entrance
    Entrance
    Wedge Salad
    Wedge Salad
    Hen House

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    Wadford's Rooftop Grille

    Wadford's Rooftop Grille

    4.0
    (25 reviews)
    11.8 mi

    Amazing food and service. Jessica was so kind and made me…read morefeel at home being in an unfamiliar area! Highly recommend if you're looking for great seafood and cocktails in town with rooftop view.

    I had a disappointing experience at Watford's recently. My parents brought me here because they'd…read morehad a great experience before, so expectations were high. I was at the bar with my husband and my parents, and I'd had one and a half drinks over the course of the evening, nowhere near intoxicated. We were talking and laughing at a normal volume. At one point the tables around us were so loud I asked the bartender to speak up because I couldn't hear her explaining one of the drink specials. She was gracious about it, moved closer, and said, "I'm sorry, it's ladies night." If anything, that showed how loud the room already was before I said a word. Even my parents, who are the first to tell me if I'm being too loud or out of line, agreed afterward that I hadn't acted out in any way. The owner, Donna Watford, came over and told me to quiet down. I should mention, this isn't unfamiliar territory for me. I've worked in Michelin starred restaurants and I know what's expected of a guest and what isn't. What struck me was the tone and framing of how I was singled out. I wasn't being disruptive or unruly. It felt distinctly like I was being policed for being visibly and audibly gay rather than for actually being too loud. Other tables around us were just as animated and weren't approached. When I told Donna she shouldn't speak to a customer that way, she said, "I can because it's my restaurant." That response told me everything I needed to know. This isn't a business that sees hospitality as a two way street, or values the people paying to be there. I'd think twice before going back, and I'd want other guests, especially LGBTQ+ folks and anyone visiting with family, to know what kind of experience to expect here.

    Photos
    Wadford's Rooftop Grille
    Wadford's Rooftop Grille
    Outdoor eating area

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    Outdoor eating area

    Char Restaurant - seafood - Updated August 2026

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