City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 366-7827

Address: 3588 Ridgeway Road

Description: Although it’s off the beaten path, this Thai restaurant is worth a detour for some of the best Thai cooking in the city. The kitchen is the domain of a Thai couple who operated restaurants in their homeland and once cooked for the Thai royal family. Even standards like chicken satay and fresh spring rolls have a lively new personality under their culinary command. Don’t miss the kra pow, a refreshing chopped chicken dish with fresh basil, or the sweet-and-sour chao praya duck. Housed in a shopping center near Hickory Ridge Mall, the restaurant (which used to be Shu’s) is pleasant enough, with comfortable banquettes and tones of rust, beige, and black. Open every night for dinner and Monday through Friday for lunch.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 272-0830

Address: 966 South Cooper Street

Description: In 2004 Beauty Shop added a sushi bar, called Do– (pronounced “dough”), which serves sushi with a twist, tempura, and other dishes such as duck spring rolls and beef sashimi. Diners at Do– can order dessert from Beauty Shop’s menu. Do– is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 367-2827

Address: 5699 Mt. Moriah Road Extended

Description: This family-run restaurant is the city’s original Thai restaurant, serving an authentic menu of pad thai, red-curry dishes, traditional soups, and more. The servings are generous, and at lunch you can order from the menu or sample the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet that’s enjoyed by those who work in the area. The Emerald serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 850-5222

Address: 192 Washington Avenue

Description: Situated a block east of the historic town square of suburban Collierville, this is an unlikely spot for such a gem of an ethnic restaurant. Ja Ja is the nickname of Thailand native Pen Fryer, who moved here with her American husband in 1979. Ja Ja runs the kitchen with delectable results, turning out first-rate Thai spring rolls, sticky rice, and pad thai and spicier dishes, such as curries, goy, and lemongrass chicken, which can be as hot (or as mild) as you like. The servers know the menu and can give you as much or as little information as you want. It’s family friendly, with a kid’s menu that features corn dogs and chicken nuggets, and a gift shop with Thai foods and imported gifts. Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. Beer and wine only.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 725-0223

Address: 916 South Cooper Street

Description: Tucked into a quaint little frame house in midtown’s Cooper-Young neighborhood, Jasmine moved here in 2003 after several years of operating on Covington Pike. It serves an extensive menu of Thai and Chinese dishes, with plenty of vegetarian choices and a bit more heat than most Thai restaurants around town. You’ll find the usual suspects, such as spring rolls, spicy Thai soups, and curries, as well as popular favorites including three flavor fish and crispy bean curd and fried vegetables with garlic sauce. Open for lunch and dinner every day. Wine only.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 755-6755

Address: 1825 Kirby Parkway

Description: The dishes at this bistro, from various parts of Asia, offer a modern take on Asian cuisine. The menu includes noodle bowls, rice plates, and Mosa classics that allow you to choose the type and preparation of your noodles or rice and a “protein” (meat, shrimp, or tofu) to pair it with. For kids under 10 there is a dine-in only kids’ menu. Beer only. Closed Sunday.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: 540 South Mendenhall Road

Description: Pei Wei sprung up around Memphis in 2007 and ever since, it’s been a huge hit, especially with folks on the go who need a quick but tasty take-out dinner to bring home after work. There is an Asian-themed dining area, but it is fairly bare bones and ordering is self-service. The menu isn’t long, but it covers a nice variety of Asian dishes including minced chicken and lettuce wraps, a Soba Miso bowl, coconut curry, and a Mandarin kung pao dish. You choose your meat—shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, tofu—for most dishes. Pei Wei also has limited but healthy children’s options like Lo Mein. Wine and beer only. Open for lunch and dinner.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 818-3889

Address: 1181 Ridgeway Road

Description: Located at Park Place Centre shopping center in East Memphis, P.F. Chang’s may be a chain restaurant, but for many Memphians, it’s their favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch or dinner. They flock here for its urbane atmosphere, its knowledgeable and professional service, and its jazzy take on the traditional Chinese restaurant. The menu includes Cantonese, Szechuan, and other styles of Chinese food and wines that are chosen to go well with the dishes. Favorites include the chicken and vegetable lettuce wraps, dumplings, beef a la Szechuan, and Cantonese roasted duck. Diners, though, are encouraged to create their own combinations using the menu as inspiration. The ultramodern bar, high ceilings, and harvest-moon lights make for a festive, big-city feel. Reservations recommended.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 276-0006

Address: 1615 Madison Avenue

Description: Pho Hoa Binh, situated near a laundromat in a dowdy midtown shopping center, doesn’t look like much from the outside. But don’t be fooled by its dingy exterior or its uninspired interior design. This friendly, family-run place serves up some of the freshest and tastiest Vietnamese cooking in the city at bargain prices. Standouts include the special green mussels, zesty lemongrass garlic chicken, and savory Vietnamese soups (pho). The restaurant serves a menu of some 200 Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, so there is truly something for everyone. Pho Hoa Binh serves an all-you-can-eat lunch that is a favorite midtown bargain. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. Beer only.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 276-5326

Address: 51 North Cleveland Street

Description: The food at this family-run Vietnamese restaurant is bright, fresh, and so flavorful you’ll want to try everything. Try the fresh spring rolls, deep-fried Saigon egg rolls, noodle dishes, and soups of all kinds. Sometimes you can special order delicious green-shell mussels with French butter sauce. The decor is nothing special, but it’s comfortable and clean. This restaurant has a loyal following of Memphis regulars, including families. Saigon Le is situated on Cleveland between Madison and Poplar. Unless you’re drinking beer or nonalcoholic beverages, bring your own bottle. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday; closes at 9:00 p.m. sharp. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible but the restrooms are not.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 529-1818

Address: 121 Union Avenue

Description: This stylish downtown restaurant delivers lively Thai specialties such as satays, spicy beef noodles, and red-curry dishes at reasonable prices. It can fill up fast, so reservations are a good idea. Check out the large photograph over the bar of a young Elvis Presley (during his army days) hanging out with Siamese royalty. Sawaddii (a variation on the Thai word for “how are you,” incidentally) is open for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner every evening.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 767-7770

Address: 4724 Poplar Avenue

Description: This hip restaurant is a treat for those who like imaginative East-West flavor combinations. As the Pan-Asian restaurant in Japanese-born entrepreneur Jimmy Ishii’s portfolio, Pacific Rim serves up dishes such as soba noodles with seafood in soy broth, kiwi-glazed duck breast with red-curry reduction, various fish tartars, tataki (seared fish or beef), and salads. The menu is heavy on appetizers, so this is a good place to order lots of small dishes to taste. There’s also a full sushi menu and a good-looking sushi bar. The restaurant has a good selection of sake (Japanese rice wine), and the traditional wine list includes a generous selection by the glass. Open for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner every night.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 272-1277

Address: 1782 Madison Avenue

Description: This friendly barbecue restaurant has been a midtown favorite ever since veteran smoke-master Frank Vernon and his wife, Hazel, opened the shop some 25 years ago. Bar-B-Que Shop has all the usual favorites, including ribs and barbecue spaghetti, served with Texas toast. Try the Bar-B-Q Shop Special if you want to sample some of everything. The Vernons’ Dancing Pigs brand of sauce and rub is available for purchase, too.

City: Memphis, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (901) 767-4672

Address: 4375 Summer Avenue

Description: This rowdy midtown barbecue joint is the newest kid on the block, and it has made a splash with its smoked hot (make that really hot) wings, great fresh coleslaw laced with red bell pepper, homemade potato chips, and, of course, plenty of barbecue pork. Central BBQ addresses the wet-ribs-or-dry-ribs conundrum by serving a slab that’s half wet, half dry. You can eat on the deck or in the dining room, rubbing elbows with college students, families, and other locals. Beer only.