Memphis and Nashville, both known for an extensive array of great restaurants, along with Oxford, MS, have been included in Southern Living’s annual “15 Southern Cities All Food Lovers Should Visit Now” list.
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Compiling the list must have been a daunting task. After all, there are so many great restaurants throughout the South. So many that food lovers could spend an entire year and not experience all the lovely eateries that dot the southern landscape.
Hog & Hominy Restaurant in Memphis, TN (travelandleisure.com)
Memphis, known for its numerous barbeque joints, has experienced a surge in new restaurants. Southern Living mentioned Memphis chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman’s wood-fire pizza at Hog and Hominy, along with Loflin Yard’s chicken wings and chopped pork sandwich at Payne’s Bar-B-Que.
Having lived in Memphis for many years, I would add many other restaurants to this list. Felica Suzanne’s in downtown Memphis has always been a favorite, and the Germantown Commissary is also well-known for its pulled pork sandwiches and Bar-B-Que Nachos.
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Nashville restaurants mentioned include Arnold’s Country Kitchen and Chef Tandy Wilson’s City House in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood.
Nashville Chef Tandy Wilson in his City House kitchen
Oxford, Mississippi, the once sleepy town that William Faulkner put on the map, has quickly become a venue for some of the top restaurants in the South. City Grocery, known for their shrimp and grits, along with newcomer Saint Leo, were two places highlighted in Oxford. I would also add Abner’s to the list. Their chicken tenders are wonderful.
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Other cities making the cut include Birmingham, AL, Cleveland, MS, New Orleans, Marfa, Texas, and Atlanta, GA.