I have never been to Mortimer's before but suffice to say, when my friend and I popped in for a Good Friday lunch spur of the moment, I was back again a day later for dinner. The knight in armor who graced The Knickerbocker on Poplar from the 1960s until 1985 has pride of place in one corner of the pub room, and the full menu of American dishes is reminiscent of that experience, as the daughter of Vernon Mortimer Bell opened Mortimer's with her father in 1981. The staff is so busy that diners might do better with semaphores on the table, and cloth napkins with cleaner silverware would bring the grade up to an A+. Good food and music. read more

Great food. Seafood Gumbo, light rue, my fav, little heat, wonderful taste. Best is area. Oysters on Half Shell .60 ea on Tuesday were also fantastic fresh and the sauce was great. Potato Skins...real bacon! Wowsy The rolls.... oh my gosh Stopped by for lunch, heard they have great fries. The fried chicken... unbelievable crispy tasty moist and overall one of the best I have eaten. Step aside Gus... you have been replaced. Mac & Cheese Wowsy! Green Beans... bit too salty for me. Iced tea was perfect and fresh. Fries... really good, but to be honest I could pass. I like crinkle cut personally and kinda expecting that. You will like them. Service outstanding at the bar Love it and will be back soon. read more

Well...we gave Mortimer's another try even after the mediocre meal we had last time. I believe in supporting local business but they also have to put out a good product for the customer. This time we ordered take-out: two orders of fried mushrooms, two bowls of "seafood gumbo" , chicken tenders, and an order of Buffalo wings. The menu said the wings come traditional or boneless. When I picked up the order the lady said they only have boneless wings . I just said ok since my son was hungry and I was ready to get home. When we got home and opened the box of wings it was basically cut up pieces of chicken tenders in a sweet tasting sauce. (See photo). The mushrooms were fried in burnt grease and tasted burnt and awful, unlike the last time. (See photo) Whoever cooked these should have known the grease was burnt and changed it out. The gumbo was more like a shrimp soup and not like any gumbo I ever had. It lacked flavor and several ingredients; no sausage, no crawfish, etc., just shrimp. The tenders were ok, nothing special. After driving 20 minutes from the house to get home and see this food, we were very disappointed. Not worth driving back down there in icy conditions to argue about the nasty food. I gave them a second chance after the last go-around, but they will not get a third. read more

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While on this side of town we took advantage of our proximity to Mortimer's. We had heard of this old school place, but this was our first visit. The interior is cozy and retro. I tried the French onion soup and a side salad. The spouse was not famished so he got the shrimp salad. The soup was more than enough for me. I enjoyed this bowl full of bread and cheese. The spouse's shrimp salad was a small mound of shrimp salad on a bed of lettuce and some sliced tomatoes. It was small for the $10 price. The side salad was standard and I shared with the spouse since his was so small. read more

It was so nice to find a restaurant with great food and great service. Prime Rib night! Tried a little of everything. Mahi Mahi sandwich, gumbo, french onion soup, oysters and homemade banana pudding. Everything was delicious! read more

Love this place! Food is great and it's always good to see Mark behind the bar. Good for a special occasion or just watching a game and having a cocktail and some oysters. read more

I've been driving by this place ever since I moved to Memphis. I'm not sure if it was the location or the somewhat questionable appearance of the building of the road, but I never could bring myself to go inside. The other night, I finally decided to go in and I've been kicking myself ever since for waiting so long. The best thing about this place is the atmosphere. It's VERY cozy. Feels like going to a friend's house for dinner. You walk in and the first thing you notice is a seating area with a nice couch under a moose head. I loved it. I went on a Tuesday night and the place seemed pretty busy. Reading the back of the menu, you get to read about the history of the place and the family who owned it. I thought it was a neat story, and it totally made me appreciate the atmosphere more. I had a few Newcastles and the Mort burger. I have to say this is the best burger I've had since Moving to Memphis. It was cooked perfectly, had a neat presentation, and tasted amazing. The only thing I wish they'd done is included a little more lettuce and tomato, but my server was fabulous and brought more out as soon as I asked. If you're in the mood for a great burger at a great place, you've got to check this place out. You won't find a better deal for your money. I can't wait to go back and try something else from their menu. read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - Gotta love a place with a moose - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I come here for the oysters, strictly for the oysters. They are 95 cents on Tuesday's and Saturdays and that's a great price for the area. Nice, fat gulf oysters served with hot sauce, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. read more

2nd time there and both times the food was not right. The first time, none of my food items were seasoned right, felt like I was eating hospital food. The second time was this weekend 3/8/2020, went for the crawfish..what a disappointment. The crawfish tasted like they were boiled in water only..My husband ordered a seafood gumbo, and literately the soup was runny water with little bits of rice floating on it. We also ordered a cheese dip with crawfish, that was the only thing we liked, was the only thing made care. It is a very nice place for drinks and appetizers, that it though. read more

Never really noticed this place until someone mentioned their Tuesday and Saturday deals. Went on a Tuesday for their 75 cent oysters!! My first dozen week not very plump but the second dozen made up for it. Decently sized considering. Also ordered fried pickles and fried mushrooms. Overall pretty good! I would go back again if I was craving oysters. read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The vibe is very rat pack/ fifties bar and restaurant. The waitress was excellent and quite knowledgeable about the menu which featured old favorites some of which had an interesting twist. The servings were generous. I might have liked them to be a little smaller because there were several things I wanted to try and simply didn't have room for. I guess that just left me wanting to return again in the near future perhaps with someone else as the designated driver so I could try one of the interesting looking cocktails that the obviously experienced bartender was making. read more

Mortimer's is a little bit of everything ~ its atmosphere resembles Cheers. Frequented by 99% locals / Shaded Patio / Full Bar / Great Burgers / Home Cooking / Fresh Seafood / Cajun Dishes / Many favorite recipes that are hard-to-impossible to find these days are from the old Knickerbocker, a 50's Memphis institution. I could go on & on . . . You just have to try Mortimer's. read more

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All around amazing place! Food and drinks are great and workers are nice. Very versatile food options. They can also handle large parties with ease. read more

A coworker and I ducked in for a quick dessert. We had heard that the banana pudding here was good and wanted to try it. We prefer the custard kind of pudding instead of box. And I have to say Mortimer's seemed a little authentic. Since we didn't eat anything else, I really couldn't give a full review at this time. read more

Mortimer's is a hidden gem in the neighborhood to the right of Sam Cooper and the Perkins exit. It is owned by the family that used to own the Knickerbocker, and I believe they are related to someone from Big Star, hence the fabulous Big Star memorabilia. On my visit last week for Prime Rib Monday, you can tell that there are regulars. Though I hadn't been in years, I ran into several friends from different areas of my lift. The décor resembles a pub turned restaurant with dark wood and low lighting in the bar area. Service was friendly and attentive. Our waitress encouraged us to place our order rather quickly to get in ahead of a very large party seated across the room from us. We appreciated her counsel. Our salads came out quickly and were fresh and a nice size. Given the fact that we were taking advantage of the Prime Rib, we shouldn't have ordered an appetizer, but we did. The lure of fried pickles was too much to resist. We should have resisted. The batter was too thick for our taste. The Prime Rib was a generous portion served at the requested temperatures. Our selected side was a loaded baked potato. The prime rib came with a side of au jus and horseradish cream sauce. Both completed the meat and the potato skin very well. The wine list is fairly limited. They carry a full compliment of local beers and national brands. There is also a full bar available. Check their website for different featured nights like 60 cent oysters and all you can eat crab legs among others. read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - Monday night's prime rib special - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I wanted to love this place however I did not. The good: Excellent service. Nice rustic setting. Cheap 60 cent oysters! The bad: Many oysters had little to no meat. The fish was overcooked for everyone at the table and the food had little to no flavor. The gumbo was extremely salty. If you want cheap oysters and beer this will work but overall I was disappointed. read more

First off, I'm a native Memphian, and there are many reasons I love Mortimer's. I have been going here for years. They have Tuesday and Saturday night cheap oysters on the half shell, and they serve excellent oysters. Plump, fresh, yummy. I'm also into the history of the place...and love the "Big Star" room. I ate there last night for a late Christmas meet up with a friend, earlyish - about 5 pm. Or server was adorable, and super on top of things. Even though she got a 12 top in the middle of our meal, she was very pleasant, and took care of us. My friend ordered shrimp fettuccine, which was actually shrimp penne. Shrimp was good, but the dish was not as advertised, and there is a big difference between fettuccine and penne. I ordered stuffed flounder with a side of spinach. Don't order this. Small amount of dry fish with crab (uh, no) stuffing that was also dry. The spinach was super salty. I would have been better off ordering a dozen oysters instead of a half dozen, and a salad. Side salad was nothing to write home about, but the blue cheese dressing was great. Also, the rolls were really good. Go here, but I'd stick with burgers or po boys. read more

Usually my dad swings by Mortimer's sometimes just to bring me the chicken tenders and fries. It's probably my favorite thing to eat here. The fries are always delicious and the chicken is really yum. Their fried fish is also really good and occasionally I trade one for the other. Since I get it to go, I can't comment on how the atmosphere of the restaurant is but my food is always good and I get what I order. Usually they include some really soft rolls and butter, I like making my own little chicken sandwich when it's in there! read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I have lived in Memphis for my entire life, and just had my first Mortimer's experience. I had heard George Lapides yammer on about it on the radio, but he he he he's right! The Gumbo was delicious. I also had a ribeye, a perfect medium rare, and the red beans and rice with a salad. It was all fantastic! They also have a nice selection of local brews and craft cocktails. You should definitely get yourself there. read more

Horrible. Only 2 tables occupied in whole place. One being me. Lol. Had to get my own drink from bar, my own ketchup, never got rolls, took 30 min. to get food which was mediocre.. has really gone down. Wont be back. Dont waste your time or money... read more

2nd time here. Native New Orleans girl... little advice: 2 40# sacks of crawfish is not enough to feed 20 people. Let alone a restaurant that you advertise crawfish. Average person ( in NOLA) eats 5 lbs. Now, most people won't eat that here, but most restaurants won't run out in 1.5 hours.... People next to us ordered oysters on the half shell, AND broiled oysters... they sent the broiled oysters back because they were raw.... THERE IS NO CHEESE ON RED BEANS. . The steaks, burger, crab cakes, and fried seafood are all good. Good beer and cocktail selection. Server was excellent both times!!!! read more

The Go-To for Tenders/Burger and Beer in East Memphis. Very low-key bar atmosphere. we prefer sitting at the bar. You can't go wrong with tenders, burger, and gumbo. read more

They apparently did not like me posting my experience on their FaceBook, so i'll post it here. I went here last night (Sunday night) for the All You Can Eat Crab Legs - I showed up at about 7:15. The service was beyond terrible by our waitress. I dont remember her name, but we were seated by the bar in the booths. My first plate of crab legs came out in 3 clusters, I immediately asked if I could get more potatoes, as my plate came out with about half of a small red potato, the corn was inedible. My request for more potatoes was ignored for the entire night, despite asking repeatedly. She eventually offered a baked potato - I declined). When it came time to order my 2nd round of Crab Legs, I received them pretty quickly, but they were on a regular plate, and just a few random pieces of individual legs.They were also quite cold, and partially frozen inside. Our waitress never came around long enough to complain to her about this. She walked by us, but any attempts to get her attention were futile, as apparently her 3 tables were far too much for her, and she was just running around with her head cut off. I got one drink refill for the entire hour and 15 minutes I was there. I never did receive my 3rd plate of crab legs, despite requesting it repeatedly, and then was told they had no more crab legs. So I paid $24.99 for 2 1/2 clusters of crab legs, and a few frozen pieces of individual legs scattered across a cold plate. It took another 15 minutes to receive our check, which was not ours. It took me getting up and standing in the main area of the restaurant to finally get the attention of someone to offer some sort of assistance. I got a half hearted apology here and there, but was completely ignored when I asked about why I was being charged for all you can eat crab legs, and did not receive them. I decided enough was enough and decided to take it out on her tip. When trying to reach Mortimers via social media, they just delete my comments and offer so response. I will not be going here again. The service is either really great here, or really terrible. The food is usually really good. It is clear that service is only going to be good when you get a server who is new, but they never seem to last long. I once left a $100 tip to a server there, because she handled us great, but one of the other servers (Her trainer?) made her cry in front of us. She no longer works there. read more

Mortimers has been around forever & I can't figure out why. Tried several times over the years & never thought food was good. Most recent visit was for get together with friends. Out of party of 8, only 2 people liked some of their food: bacon wrapped chicken livers & the burger. Rest of the ordered menu items had lots of complaints: tamales were dry, chili was burnt, flounder was inedible & cold, chef salad was mostly lettuce, very small portion of fries-about 6 with the burger. Service was amateur. Placed appetizer order & then had to seek waiter to place dinner order. Side salads came out same time as meal. One person repeatedly asked for water. On third request waiter took a glass of water from another person at the table & gave it to her! I think people must come here primarily to drink at the bar. I won't be returning. read more

Mortimer's seems to be a restaurant from out of Memphis in the 60's. The decore is out of date, the seating is not great and the ambiance is old fashioned. Not fashionable old fashioned, just more of the old part. But the food is good, the service is friendly and the prices are reasonable. The food is home made, not pre-cooked in bulk and reheated. The menu items are a bit unique, like the seafood stuffed mushroom caps. It deserves more than three stars, but not quite four stars. It's a little out of the way, so it's hard to say that I would go back, but if I found myself in that part of town, Mortimer's is certainly a good place to eat. read more

Good food cold beer. Every time! Bacon wrapped chicken livers awesome appetizer! Great atmosphere and laid-back highly recommend to visit!

You are thinking about going to Mortimer's, you have to go over to that part of town any way so you decide to look on Yelp for a review and you find this one and another. Have you ever been to Huey's?? Mortimer's is like Huey's but there is only one Mort's. The decor is old and beat up, but the place smells like good food and if you dont like that then dont go. I vouch for every dish in the place, especially the Gouda Stuffed Cheese Burger. Now listen up, because this comes in one other flavor (Blu Cheese) and is not listed on their regular menu. If you look on their web site you find it there http://mortimersrestaurant.net/7.html. This Gouda Stuffed Burger is the best Burger I have ever had. Better than Huey's, Bosco's, Yosemite Sam's, Tops, Blue Monkey, Auto Matic Slims, Dyers, you name it. Give it a try, it is always a good time. read more

Not much of a menu to choose from. My birthday dinner was ruined. Service was good but that's it.

Meh. Not the worst restaurant I've been to, but certainly not the best. I loved the physical building - kinda a "homey" neighborhood kind of place. Service and food were completely underwhelming. We had to ask our server repeatedly to take our menus and/or dishes so we could have some room. Food needed a kick. I got the Snapper Pontchartrain - mushrooms were cold and there was no flavor in the fish...or a sauce of any kind - needed Cajun seasoning or something. The crab fingers and oysters on the half shell as an appetizer were good though! I would try this restaurant again to give them a second chance. read more

We came for the crab legs and left still hungry and very disappointed. The crab was so over cooked that it was just mush. You couldn't get the meat out of the shell. The corn was so over cooked it was hard. Don't waste your money or time. The manager came over and was just clueless, we mentioned it to him and he looked like he had no clue what we were talking about. Seriously...don't waste the money!!! read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - Don't you want this over cooked corn??? Don't get the crab on Sundays. Everything was over cooked and nasty. - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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It's not in the best part of town, and it's not the best looking place around, but the atmosphere and food more than make up for it. Best crab claws I've had in Memphis, maybe the only claws I've had in Memphis. Prices aren't too bad, gouda burger is great, po-boy is great. read more

My 1st time here and came strictly from yelp reviews after searching oysters. My husband had the jalapeño cheddar oysters and loved them. It was 60 cent oyster night. I had the trout which was a bit fishy for me, maybe not fresh? But still great flavor in the seasoning. Loaded potato baked to perfection and the homemade dressings were excellent. The fried crab fingers were great but I had them with horseradish sauce instead of the cocktail sauce it came with. Tom, our server was also very polite, quik, and knowledgeable. Great service overall. read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - Oysters jalapeño - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Mortimer's is a great place to stop after work and grab a cold adult beverage and some snacks. It reminds me of Cheers. Many times, the bar seating is maxed out. A lot of regulars here, and, I can see why. It's a comfortable atmosphere, great drinks, and I really like their appetizers. I've had a few items from the main menu, but I tend to wander towards the apps. Best fried mushrooms in town, hand dipped and you can tell. Oysters are pretty good, but, their cocktail sauce & horseradish is excellent. .60c oysters also on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Finally, try their app specials such as tamales w/ chili, pretty good, and by all means, don't forget their gumbo. Some of the best in town. read more

Mortimer's Restaurant - Ze bar - American Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The last time I ate at Mortimer's was about 7 or 8 months ago. I ordered chicken fried steak. I was the only one in the dining room. My server was quick to bring me a large piece of cold, hard something that had an ice cream scoop of congealed stuff on it. I couldn't even cut the meat with a serrated steak knife. My server never returned to check on me, so after waiting about 15 mins, I gave up and paid the bill and left. Then I went to Tops and got a burger. I've read that their burgers are wunderbuss, but I guess I'll never know. I used to go to the Knickerbocker way back when, and it's sad to see Mortimer's owner (the daughter of The Knickerbocker owner) let this piece of Memphis culinary history go down the tubes in disgrace. read more

Like another recent reviewer, i have driven by this place for decades and have always wondered whether it was any good. I recently went for dinner, and i have to say everything the two of us had was great! The gumbo was great--filled with lots of different hearty pieces of crawfish, shrimp, oysters, sausage, etc. Great flavor, and well spiced without being hot. The onion rings are hand breaded with a very light, almost tempura like batter--delicious! The fried oysters on the oyster salad featured that same breading and were wonderful (think Hunt and Polo Club if you've ever had theirs). The rest of the salad was just a salad, with bacon, avocado and greens. The Reuben was also very good and huge--you could split this if you each had a salad or other appetizer. I really liked the atmosphere--you get so tired of the restaurant chain look, and Mortimer's is just an authentic, local hangout. The bar would be a great place to watch a game. I will definitely go back, especially since it's very close to home! Try it! read more

The Mort Burger. Do I need to say more? We had a nice server (Eddie) and talked with others at the bar. Nice crowd. No room for dessert this time. Will have to come back for oysters & crab legs. The only negative, would like a few more onion rings or big jumbo rings. read more

I agree with the other reviewers here. Restaurants come and go, but when one stays in business, year after year, it's for a reason. It's good. I can't count how many times I've eaten at Mortimer's. I've tried several things on the menu and have liked everything. I think my favorite, however, is the shrimp po boy. The batter on the shrimp is light and flaky and the remoulade sauce is really yummy. It's old, the decor outdated for sure, but it's quaint and comfortable and a place I will keep going back to again and again. read more

Our group went to Mortimer's recently for some great food - and we got it. I have enjoyed the Mort Burger in the past, but decided to go with the Stuffed Burger this time. The burger I received was quite good, but it was not "stuffed" (it had Gouda cheese, but the burger had 2 separate patties instead of the cheese inside 1 big patty); also the order went to the kitchen for Blue Cheese, but it came out with Gouda. The handmade onion rings were quite good and tasty. Most of our group left quite full and satisfied. Regardless, our group had a pleasant meal and our service was quite good considering the size of our group. Did I mention that they had Live Music in the other room during our visit, and he was good too? They also had a patio that would have been delightful, but it was full. Check out Mortimer's if you want some good food or come back if you haven't been in awhile. read more

Service was shockingly bad; actually in our case it was non-existent. This was my second (and last) trip there. We sat for 20 minutes and a server never acknowledged us. After I got up and went to the hostess stand, she brought us water and I told her what we wanted for an appetizer. I almost felt sorry for that girl, because when I told her we were leaving, she looked embarrassed and said she had told our waitress we were there and what we wanted. They have some special on oysters on Sat. night - which we ordered, but never got. I guess they save money on the "special," by not waiting on the customers. Thank goodness Memphis Pizza Cafe had our to go ready when we arrived, starving! My first trip was with a larger group and at least half the people hated the food. How this place stays in business is a puzzlement. read more

Whose ready for an escape? Whose ready for a change of scenery? And by scenery I mean a canvas of beauty and mystique onlooking a neon Gold Club sign just across the way that kings would envy. Come inside to Mortimers. Ah yes Mortimers, where the tepid, room temperature dishes can only be rivaled by the unbelievably distant and cold service you are met with. First time guest? Fantastic. Meet "lets call her Sandy". Sandy has grown empty inside by a decade of serving old track suit white guy who constantly refers to her as butter dumplins and puss toes. As a result of this, Sandy has lost any passion for her craft. Thirsty? Get used to it, because Sandy shant be concerned with trivial things such as empty glasses or raised hands requesting a little tlc. Oh no. Instead Sandy wants tell you how she may or may not have the flu juuuuust before you place that order for mediocre grouper. Ahh yes Mortimers. Come hungry, leave discombobulated and feeling a little dumber. Separate checks you say? Yea thats not gonna work for Sandy. Hope you fellas paid attention in sophomore statistics instead of pretending to not be high or trying to conceal your boners, because Sandy is a learn on the job type of gal. Hope you boys know your way around a cash register because you're gonna need to tab yourselves out(this legitimately happened by the by) standard procedure. Got 3 hours to kill and the patience for 2 drinks in that 3 hours? High priced meals with the flavor of homemade bars of soap your second cousin made in their bath tub? Have I got the place for you! Mortimers "hard to find, even harder to leave" read more