
We Love Dining at These Outdoor Patios in Memphis
by Kristen Waddell
Memphis offers some of the best dining in the country, and the cooler fall temps are the perfect excuse to get out and enjoy our great city. There are ample opportunities to dine outdoors in Memphis — and here is a list of some of our favorite outdoor spaces to add to your list!
East Memphis
ACRE
690 S. Perkins, Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 818-2273
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Closed Sunday
Opened in 2011 by local chef Wally Joe, this charming renovated home on South Perkins boasts inventive cuisine and a rustic yet sophisticated atmosphere that flows through each of its dining rooms and onto its quaint outdoor patio. Acre’s patio is a great place to relax, delight in your dinner and drinks, and enjoy the views of its terrace and lush gardens in spring. Seating outdoors is limited and first come-first served, so it is recommended you get there early to stake your claim.
The patio at Acre is gorgeous any time — and is especially popular in the evenings.
Central BBQ
See description in Midtown listing
4375 Summer Ave., Memphis, TN 38122 • (901) 767-4672
Hours: Daily, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at all locations.
Swanky’s Taco Shop
4770 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 730-0763
6641 Poplar Ave., Ste. #109, Germantown, TN 38138 • (901) 737-2088
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (12 p.m. at the Memphis location)
Swanky’s was founded on the idea of fresh selections, a relaxed atmosphere and accommodating service, and has labeled its one-of-a-kind flavor TN-Mex cuisine. Swanky’s has grown to four locations over the last 10 years and both its East Memphis and Germantown locations offer patio seating. And with the tagline “Eat. Drink. Chill.,” it’s easy to see how its patios stay packed during pleasant fall days. Swanky’s is open daily for lunch and dinner, boasts a full bar and serves happy hour from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. daily.
Napa Café
5101 Sanderlin Ave., Ste. #122, Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 683-0441
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
In fall 2014, Napa Café introduced a new look for their restaurant and, in turn, to the Sanderlin Centre. This Project Green Fork (PGF)-certified restaurant added a porch, a modern indoor bar area and rooms for private dining. If you didn’t get to try out this new setting in East Memphis since renovations were completed, then be sure to check it out this fall!
Fall 2014 renovations at the Napa Café included the addition of a lovely outdoor dining venue in Memphis’ Sanderlin Centre.
Ciao Bella Italian Grill and Bar
565 Erin Drive, Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 205-2500
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The Ciao Bella Italian Grill and Bar is a mainstay PGF option in East Memphis serving fine Italian and Greek cuisine. Its dining room has all of the charm you’d expect from an Italian restaurant and the full-service bar is a happening spot, as well! If al fresco dining is what you’re after, well, they also offer a quaint patio seating area perfect for a fall meal.
Ciao Bella’s patio is a lovely spot tucked into a corner near the front of the restaurant.
Mosa Asian Bistro
850 White Station Road, Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 683-8889
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Feel at home on the patio at Mosa Asian Bistro. Michelle Pao Levine and her father, Eddie Pao, are co-owners of Mosa. This restaurant recently made national foodie news in an article, “The Best Chinese Food Restaurant In Every State.” In it, Mosa was named Memphis’ No. 1! Enjoy your delicious meal on the patio, which is enclosed with a lovely wrought-iron fence with beautiful greenery.
Midtown
Aldo’s Pizza Pies
Midtown: 752 S. Cooper St., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 725-7437
Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Aldo’s opened its doors in Downtown Memphis in 2012 and expanded to its second location in Cooper Young last spring. Aldo’s serves New York-style pizza pies in a casual neighborhood hangout setting. Both locations have a full bar and an extensive menu of pizzas by the slice or pie, as well as sandwiches, salads and much more. Outdoor seating downtown allows for great people watching along Main Street, or be entertained by Midtown’s Cooper Young spirit from the Midtown rooftop patio. So why wait? Head to your nearest Aldo’s patio and check out today’s Daily Slice.
Aldo’s porch in Midtown is high above Cooper Street.
Lafayette’s Music Room
2119 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 207-5097
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
The Lafayette’s Music Room of today is a reinvention of the classic venue for music and dining that was so popular in the ’70s. Superstar musicians such as Billy Joel, KISS and Barry Manilow were some of the first to perform on its famous stage. Fast-forward and, once again, this Midtown favorite offers round-the-clock fun. They have an ongoing live performance schedule and an enticing menu, created with guidance from local cookbook author and chef Jennifer Chandler. Relive this gem of a bygone era both indoors and out on a grand porch overlooking Overton Square.
The Lafayette’s Music Room of today is a reinvention of the classic venue for music and dining that was so popular in the ’70s. Image: Lafayette’s Music Room
Central BBQ
2249 Central Ave., Memphis, TN 38104. • (901) 272-9377
147 E. Butler St., Memphis, TN 38103 • (901) 672-7760
4375 Summer Ave., Memphis, TN 38122 • (901) 767-4672
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all locations
Central BBQ is an ideal place for authentic Memphis flavors, and what better setting for enjoying great barbecue than the great outdoors! This is a family friendly, PGF-certified restaurant known for exceptional service and delicious Southern-style BBQ — and all three locations in Memphis offer patio dining.
All three Central BBQ locations offer outdoor dining.
Belly Acres
2102 Trimble Place, Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 529-7017
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Belly Acres, Where Country and City Convene Belly Acres’ “citified farm fresh” joins the farm-to-table movement, with farm-fresh gourmet burgers prepared with grass-fed beef and creative, homemade toppings. This Overton Square eatery features a fun, farm-themed atmosphere both inside and out, and the patio is perfect for people watching.
Belly Acres, one of Memphis’ best burger stops, has a large outdoor patio with a view of the Tower Courtyard in Overton Square. Image: Belly Acres
Ecco on Overton Park
1585 Overton Park, Memphis, TN 38112 • (901) 410-8200
Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner is Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Take in the European charm of Ecco from the comfort of its covered patio. Sabine Bachmann’s first restaurant, Fratelli’s, is a small lunch place inside the Memphis Botanic Garden. She opened Ecco in 2014, and The Commercial Appeal writer Jennifer Biggs listed Ecco on Overton Park as one of Memphis’ 10 best restaurants of 2014. Ecco is a full-service restaurant where she and her son, Armando, are creative with the food, the space and the area behind the restaurant. This is their second PGF-certified restaurant — and they even plant a garden at Ecco that is filled with herbs and specialty vegetables.
The European charm of Ecco on Overton Park is best enjoyed on the lovely patio. Image: Ecco on Overton Park
Schweinehaus
2110 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 347-3060
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday, 11 a.m to 2 a.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Schweinehaus is one of Memphis’ newest hot spots. This upbeat venue in the center of Overton Square is a perfect place for meeting friends with a shared interest in German-style dining! Owners Andy Walker and Chef David Scott Walker are third-generation Memphians with a combined 40 years of restaurant and bar experience. Andy and David invite you to celebrate good food and good beer with them — either inside or out!
Schweinehaus is one of Memphis’ newest hot spots for German-style dining. Image: Schweinehaus
Tsunami
928 South Cooper St., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 274-2556
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Ben Smith’s unique approach to Pacific Rim cuisine at Tsunami continues to delight Memphians after 18 years. This Midtown favorite has received local and national accolades — and anyone looking for the “best of” Memphis flavors should try the sea bass at Tsunami. This was the first PGF-certified restaurant in Memphis and continues to be a leader on the local foodie scene. They do have a small, outdoor dining area where guests can enjoy milder temps and the activity of Cooper Young.
A small patio for outdoor dining at Tsunami in the center of Cooper Young. Image: Tsunami
Downtown
Aldo’s Pizza Pies
See description in Midtown listing
100 S. Main St., Ste. #101, Memphis, TN 38103 (Downtown) • (901) 577-7743
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Central BBQ
See description in Midtown listing
147 E. Butler St., Memphis, TN 38103 • (901) 672-7760
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all locations.
Terrace at The River Inn
50 Harbor Town Square, Memphis, TN 38103 • (901) 260-3366
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Guests at the Terrace at the River Inn can enjoy this intimate rooftop restaurant in any season, but its folding windows make fall a perfect occasion to take in the spectacular sunset views of the Mighty Mississippi and the Downtown Memphis skyline. Located above the River Inn at Harbor Town, Terrace at the River Inn is open for dinner — with a fine selection of wine, beer and specialty cocktails seven days a week beginning at 4 p.m.
The Terrace at The River Inn features huge windows — a perfect combination of open air and coverage.
eighty
383 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 333-1224
Hours: Breakfast, Daily, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Lunch, Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
eighty3 food & drink has a Main Street patio that seats 30 in an al fresco setting. This hip restaurant is also PGF-certified and offers a great downtown outdoor dining experience for lunch, dinner, late night and weekend brunch. It’s also a perfect place for shareable plates and cocktails.
Al fresco dining for up to 30 guests at eighty3 food & drink on Main Street downtown | Image: eighty3 food & drink
Twilight Sky Terrace
79 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 • (901) 333-1200
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. (weather permitting)
The view from the Twilight Sky Terrace is distinctively Memphis! Take your out-of-town guests to the rooftop of Memphis’s boutique Madison Hotel for a Southern sunset. The Twilight Sky Terrace is open to the public every evening at 5 p.m. (and open to hotel guests at Madison Hotel 24/7!)
Make plans to meet your friends outdoors this weekend at one of Memphis’ best dining venues … Bon appétitOne of the best views in Memphis, the Mississippi River, as seen from the Twilight Sky Terrace on top of the Madison Hotel | Image: Twilight Sky Terrace