Cancel

Open app

Search

McEwen's Memphis

4.4 (658 reviews)
Closed • Closed

McEwen's Memphis Photos

Business Info

MCEWEN'S MEMPHIS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Intimate
Moderate noise
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - McEwen's Memphis

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

McEwens salad
Kandis B.

The service tonight was stand out! We sat at a high top and I wish I had remembered our servers name the recipe reads PMS... She was wonderful and well versed as well as enthusiastic about the food. Our meal was so fresh. We each started with a salad. A wedge, a Cesar and the McEwens house, sans cucumbers! Very fresh and each unique and amazing! Ambiance was laid back and chill and not too busy. Very clean. Our meals came out fresh and warm without a long wait. I had the amazing sweet potato catfish with greens and Mac n cheese, it was excellent. My daughter had the baked chicken with rice and green beans and my guy had the sea bass! We finished the night with the bread pudding! We each throughly enjoyed our dining experience and look forward to our next visit. Mcewens is a local staple and consistently turns out reliably great meals.

Cabbage & bacon soul
Lauren L.

I went there for lunch. The cabbage and bacon soup was a special. It had potential, but needed more seasoning. I ordered the Grilled Atlanta Salmon lunch special. It was seasoned with miso and pecan glaze, which was delicious. I got fried okra and mashed potatoes as the side. I got water as my drink and it was the most foul tasting tap water that I have every tried in my life. The service was just ok. The server, Grace, seemed to be more warm & friendly to everyone else in the building. I had to ask for a straw and for some reason they only have Cholula hot sauce, but no other hot sauce's like Texas Pete or Crystal Hot Sauce. You can give then a try, but it's nothing to write home about.

Steak Dinner
Kim N.

We spent time in Memphis in October. We wanted a special place to celebrate and found McEwen's. It is such a cozy and welcoming place. The staff was great. Friendly, engaging and efficient. Bert, one of the owners was amazing. He made us feel like part of the family. The food was also incredible. My husband had wanted a steak for his birthday and he got a great one. The food was so good in fact we ate there 3 times in 2 days! No one laughed at us, they just welcomed back in. If we are ever back in Memphis we are definitely going back to McEwan's!

Short ribs
Scott C.

Food: was amazing everything we tried was great. There were 3 of us so we tried different things and wow. Great! Service: also amazing. They were interactive and joking with us. A lot of places just want you in and out Ambiance: we sat in the bar area which was actually nice and very cozy almost like a speak easy no

Julie G.

The food is phenomenal... came here for my birthday dinner .. I sat at the bar and Parks the bartender was amazing... I enjoyed the filet and I ate every bite.. this is my favorite restaurant downtown Memphis...

Redfish over polenta w a Roasted Garlic and Crab Sauce w charred Broccolini
Dave S.

Out of towner here for business. Tried McEwens downtown on a Saturday night. 5:30 PM and restaurant was empty. We sat down and were great by our server who was friendly and took our drink order and quickly returned with our drinks. We ordered appetizers of Baked Brie and Short-rib Pasta. The baked brie was very good, warm and soft inside a crispy puff pastry. Served w crostini, blueberry compote, honey and arugula! Altogether in one bite it was delicious. All the different flavors complimented the brie!! The Short-rib Pasta was very good! House made pasta shaped the size of a nickel. The short-rib and the sauce/reduction coated the pasta. Perfectly cooked fall apart short-rib chunks were plentiful. My main course was Redfish over Polenta with charred broccolini! I almost always get Redfish when I can since the west coast rarely has redfish. The sauce was a light garlic and crab cream sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and the silky sauce was a great addition to the fish and polenta! The interior is bistro style in a brick walled building!! I recommend McEwens if you are looking for a nice meal!

Miso Glazed Salmon, spicy greens
Jolisha Y.

Amazing! My team and I visited for lunch not long after they opened. The ambiance was great, the manager and service staff were prompt and friendly, and the food was 10/10.

Redfish
David H.

I was there with a large group enjoying a very nice evening dinner after watching the march of the ducks at the Peabody Hotel where it was an easy walk. We were seated in a large room which was able to handle the 40+ of us attending. Our offering of food was limited to fish, chicken, vegetarian and meat. I ordered the redfish served with mixed vegetables and green beans with minced garlic. The meal was very good as well as the service. Highly recommend.

Fried Catfish with homemade tartar sauce, with fried okra and sautéed zucchini
Eda X.

Popped in here for lunch and immediately knew I'd try the Friday catfish lunch special. I love a restaurant that's flexible on changing up the sides, and McEwen's doesn't charge extra for it. The cornmeal fried catfish was extremely delicious! The server is sweet and extremely helpful in giving me the tartar sauce to go. I will definitely come back just to have it again.

Banana cream pie
April B.

This cute little spot in downtown Memphis was a great place to stop for dinner. I got the Angst Hemingway cocktail which was really delicious. For my meal, the grilled tenderloin with potatoes and asparagus was good. The potatoes and asparagus were well prepared. The beef was just a little undersalted, in my opinion and the demiglace needed a little more seasoning as well. I finished with the banana cream pie which was also lacking a bit in the flavor department. The staff here were super helpful and responsive, answered questions and were attentive and friendly.

Fried Green Tomatoes with jumbo lumb crab
Regina C.

Great tasting food and service. Nice atmosphere for a social meal or drink or can even be a romantic outing. I've visited a few times now and everytime there has been no complaints.

Fried green tomatoes with crab slaw which
Meghan R.

Really glad we found this place while we were in town. Since we were on a little vacation we definitely took the approach of trying a bunch of stuff. Started off with the special Fried Green tomato's. They were topped with some crab slaw which was ok but since I don't love crab I would have just been happy with the tomatoes alone. We each got a different salad (peach and goat cheese & a feta with dried cherries one) and both were great! I could have just eaten the peach and goat cheese one as a meal (if it was slightly bigger; the menu says pear but I swear they were peaches). For mains we did the ribeye and tenderloin. Both were good. There were also a LOT of fish options but since we live on the gulf coast where we have a lot of fish options we passed on anything fish. Overall service and drinks were also good. The only small downside was the biscuits where I just wanted them to come out early vs with my main and I wanted a little bit of butter to go on them.

10/22/24 Interior
Lee D.

Long day today and my wife was surprised and disappointed with the place we were staying. Well we were all disappointed, review to follow... So we wanted to take her somewhere nice. Quality/Quantity - Homemade biscuits. These were fresh out of the oven, so warm and fluffy, but can I suggest some soft salted butter...? Either way, they were perfect to use to soak up the sauce from the Osso Buco. Short Rib Pasta (Tapa Size) - Sorry, our least favorite. I could not imagine that the pasta was made in house...? At least it did not taste as it was. My daughter was able to taste both the truffle oil and parmesan. Overall, it was not bad, but still not special. Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass - My dish, and the hit of the table. Everyone enjoyed this. Too bad sea bass dishes always come as such a small piece, although I felt that this was a generous piece. Always, after sharing, there is usually not enough left for me... Grilled Salmon - This looked the best, best plated. But came in third place for us. Creole Spiced Braised Pork Osso Buco - I thought this would have been the favorite, but it came in second place. Generous portions. And the sauce was perfect for the biscuits. We even got seconds of the biscuits. Key Lime Pie - My daughter and wife really liked this. It was very sour, just the way they like it. Atmosphere - Good size elegant restaurant. 3 rooms, with the center/middle room having a full bar. Each room can be "sectioned" off for private/semi-private dining. The two unisex bathrooms have elegant decor also. I am told that there is also a wine cellar dining downstairs? Available for events up to 20 people. Metered street parking, we got a space right in front on a Tuesday evening. There were also nearby parking garages. They also had valet parking for $12. Service - Good. All the team members were nice, welcoming, and good. From the waitress and bus girl who kept refilling our water to the owner. All of them checked on us several times during our meal. Price - $160 + tip. Owner Comment - Congrats to all the owners since 1997, 2008, and 2011. And with your two locations.

Mixed greens feta, figs salad

See all

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 2

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 1

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

We had a business dinner that went beyond closing time and the staff was awesome... Great food and great service!!!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

I never come to Memphis without stopping in for dinner! Always a great meal and good vibe! Ask for the daily special!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 2
Love this 4
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Stacey B.
121
15
20

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Bert S.

Bert S.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Bert S.

Bert S.

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0
Photo of Ash C.
0
35
6

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Great service and great food!! The atmosphere is super chill and laid back! A downtown staple!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Gary H.
146
32
51

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Deanna S.
239
33
123

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Lena W.
4
264
335

2 years ago

Back many years later. Service great. Food came out quickly and was hot. Love ambiance. Good local spot.

Business owner information

Photo of Bert S.

Bert S.

Thanks for the recommendation and the review

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Toye D.
0
25
13

11 months ago

It was good. Probably the only good food spot in Memphis. The service was good. It was a long wait! The servers were nice.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Business owner information

Photo of Bert S.

Bert S.

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tom T.
0
24
0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jay P.
0
21
14

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

Page 2 of 17

Ask the Community - McEwen's Memphis

What kind of music?

From what I remember no music was playing when we were there.

How close to the Orpheum?

3 blocks away.

View All 5 Questions

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

4.5(3.7k reviews)
0.5 mi•Downtown
•$$

Loved everything about Gus's! I avoid meat mostly, but I was…read morenot about to miss trying famous fried chicken! The restaurant is tucked away on a small, empty street. There is plenty of parking in a lot across the street. We went inside and found it to be pretty busy, but we got a table for 4 quickly. The place was clean and homey-feeling and I loved the fact that they used disposable plates, utensils and napkins! It is probably way easier on the crew to clean up, and it adds to the relaxed atmosphere. I had the corn nuggets to start, yum! We finished them easily, they were so good. Then the entree of my chicken tenders, beans, and Mac and cheese came out, along with my sweet tea. The sweet tea was perfect, I drank a whole one during my meal and they gave me another to go in the souvenir Gus's cup. The food was just great, chicken was juicy and perfectly crunchy on the outside. Beans and Mac and cheese, delicious! I ate all of it even though I was stuffed. I even went so far as to order a piece of pecan pie for dessert, but unfortunately our server came back out to tell us they were out of it! Guess it wasn't meant to be (this time)! Our server was really friendly during our whole meal, chatted with us a little and made sure we had a great experience! Bottom line.... Go to Gus's!

Gus's Fried Chicken was a solid 3 star experience overall. The chicken itself was crispy,…read moreflavorful, and definitely the highlight of the meal. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming, making it a comfortable spot to grab a bite. I wasn't really a fan of the mac and cheese, as it leaned way too heavily on the processed cheese flavor and ended up overly cheesy in a not-so-great way. The texture and taste reminded me more of melted processed cheese than a rich, homemade mac and cheese. However, the service was delightful and easily made up for some of the disappointment with the sides. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcomed throughout the visit. While not everything hit the mark for me, the great service and tasty fried chicken make Gus's worth trying if you're in the mood for comfort food.

Photos
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - View from our table

View from our table

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Up close leg

Up close leg

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Look for the chicken!

See all

Look for the chicken!

Southern Hands Home Style Cooking - Showing the sides sweet potato's( Candied Yams) and Greens

Southern Hands Home Style Cooking

3.9(31 reviews)
12.4 mi•River Oaks

Mr. Q at the Southern Hands Kirby location did a wonderful job and provided great customer service…read more My order was mistakenly sent to the wrong restaurant. But Mr. Q was very professional, worked with me by taking care of my order near the close of business. I was greatly appreciative; me and my family really enjoyed the delicious dinner from Southern Hands Home Style Cooking.

My Dad and I come to this place every time he has a Dr appt since we're out. He always gets the…read moremeatloaf, it's his favorite. I have been trying different meats every time I come. Service is amazing. They are always so nice. They have good music playing. I would rate the ambience as relaxed and friendly. It is reasonably priced and you get a lot of food. I usually eat about half and eat the rest for my next meal. I haven't eaten anything that I didn't like. Everything is so good, and they veggies are fantastic. Fries are crispy with soft middles and they season everything so well. Lately I've been getting the candied yams every time. It's like desert. So tasty. I love that they have boiled ocra, and greens and you get a little cornbread loaf with the meal. We went yesterday and we're going to go again today but Dads appt was cancelled and he didn't want to get out. We will definitely be back! 5 stars every time.

Photos
Southern Hands Home Style Cooking - This is the Fried Chicken and cornbread

This is the Fried Chicken and cornbread

Southern Hands Home Style Cooking - Kam's Pork Chop, Greens, Mac N Cheese

Kam's Pork Chop, Greens, Mac N Cheese

Southern Hands Home Style Cooking - Candied Yams & Cabbage

See all

Candied Yams & Cabbage

Blues City Cafe - Ribs

Blues City Cafe

4.0(2k reviews)
0.3 mi•Downtown
•$$

Muy buen servicio! 100% Recomendable! La comida muy rica y…read moreel ambiente es muy bueno!

We had a nice little meal here at this casual spot right along the western edge of Beale Street…read more Since we visited on a weekend evening, they had the whole road blocked off, so you had to enter from the north or west side to avoid entering the walkable area which requires you to pay a $5 entry. This entire restaurant is built on a slight slope, and they did not level the foundation when building out the restaurant, so if you're sitting at your table and the table is aligned north to south, you will see a slight lean to the flooring. Also, if you have any juices on your plate of food, the juices will flow toward Beale Street. I wanted to try their tamales but will have to do it on a subsequent visit. This visit we ordered the bowl of gumbo and the Memphis strip steak which is pre-cut for you. The gumbo is slightly salty but good. The strip steak was really good, filling and cooked to order. I chose new potatoes as my one side. Service here can be a little difficult depending how busy they are and how wild your fellow patrons in the restaurant can be. It took a long time to pay the bill here due to a large party coming in right when we were wanting to pay and our server was attending to them for about 15 mins while we were trying to flag him down. Other than that, we had no other problems. I would happily return the next time I'm in the downtown area and looking for food near Beale Street.

Photos
Blues City Cafe - Downstairs

Downstairs

Blues City Cafe - Yummmmm

Yummmmm

Blues City Cafe - Memphis strip steak

See all

Memphis strip steak

Central BBQ - BBQ pork sandwich with slaw

Central BBQ

3.9(2.7k reviews)
0.8 mi•Downtown
•$$

We went to the main Central BBQ location which happens to be across the street from the Civil…read moreRights Museum which we visited before stopping in. This location is a large building with lots of seating options. I had to try Central as it keeps winning awards and is consistently mentioned as the top BBQ place in the Memphis area. Some of their awards were displayed at the entrance and on the walls. Lots of history. My wife ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich and had the slaw on the side so I could have it (she's not a slaw fan). I had the small order of ribs with 1/2 dry and 1/2 wet with sides of BBQ Beans and Mac n Cheese. I tried the pulled pork and it was tender and delicious. My ribs were pretty good with my favorite part being the wet ribs. The dry part was overcooked and really dry and chewy. This was a bit of a disappointment. The BBQ beans were flavorful but a bit mushy. The Mac n cheese also mushy a bit but tasted better than it looked. I love great BBQ so I like Central BBQ but may have caught them on a bad day. Oh, they were out of a lot of T Shirt options/size I wanted too. Darn. I wanted to buy one. I would return and try the brisket, pulled pork or poultry items next time.

First timers here and the service was friendly and attentive. The area was quiet enough that we…read morecould hold a conversation with lots of seating. A nice layout for sure. We had the ribs and pulled pork. The ribs were good and tender and the pulled pork was good but a bit on the dry side. I just used more bbq sauce. All in all it was a very nice place for lunch after visiting the National Civil Rights Museum just across the way.

Photos
Central BBQ - View of the quasi-outdoor covered seating area

View of the quasi-outdoor covered seating area

Central BBQ - I am nkw aware that lean beef means different things.

I am nkw aware that lean beef means different things.

Central BBQ - Front ordering counter

See all

Front ordering counter

McEwen's Memphis - southern - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...