Category: Best of Memphis

Brandon Dill

Paula & Raiford’s Disco

Best Dance Club

BOM 1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. New Daisy Theatre

Best After-Hours Club

1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Alex’s Tavern

Flashing strobes, smoke machines, dancing under the disco ball: Nothing, and we mean nothing takes you back in time like a night at Paula & Raiford’s. We may have lost our favorite cape-wearing deejay this year (R.I.P. Hollywood Raiford!), but his namesake venue holds a special place in our hearts.

Best Bar

1. Loflin Yard

2. Bardog Tavern

3. Railgarten

Who doesn’t want to play cornhole or giant Jenga while throwing a few back with friends? If games aren’t your thing, take a seat by the fire pit and sip your favorite brew. Either way, the outdoor, backyard vibe at this fun gathering place is a reader favorite.

Best Bartender

1. Brittany Bloom Leach, Bardog Tavern

2. Allan Creasy, Celtic Crossing

3. David Parks, The Cove

A good bartender is like a good friend. Sometimes they’re a listening ear; sometimes they pour a strong drink. And our readers have spoken: When they want a whiskey straight-up, a martini extra dirty, or a plain ol’ PBR, Brittany Bloom Leach takes good care of them at Bardog.

Best Beer Selection (in a bar)

1. Flying Saucer

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Boscos Squared

With more than 100 options and lots of local goodies on tap, the Flying Saucer is a favorite of beer fans. Want a hoppy IPA, a malty brown ale, or a refreshing lager? Look no further; they’ve got it all.

Best College Hangout

1. RP Tracks

2. Newby’s

3. The Bluff

Right across from the U of M campus, RP Tracks is a go-to for both students and professors. With local brews on tap, friendly service, and a killer menu, it’s no surprise the joint’s been pleasing the college crowd for more than 30 years.

Justin Fox Burks

RP Tracks

Best Craft Cocktails

1. Alchemy

2. Hog & Hominy

3. The Cove

Best Happy Hour

1. Alchemy

2. Babalu Tapas & Tacos

3. Blue Monkey — tie — Boscos Squared — tie — Brookhaven Pub & Grill

The alchemists behind the bar at Alchemy craft magical concoctions using unique ingredients. Things like chamomile, lavender, and elderflower are mixed with vodka, tequila, or whiskey to elevate cocktail time. Happy hour is pretty darn happy, too, with half-price specials on select drinks and menu items.

Justin Fox Burks

Railgarten

Best New Bar

1. Railgarten

2. Growlers — tie — Old Dominick Distillery

3. The Bluff

Railgarten is Good Time University. On its campus, you can study ping-pong, paletas, beers, or beach volleyball. Railgarten is first-class fun and first-in-class for Memphis.

Best Date Bar

1. Mollie Fontaine Lounge

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. Alchemy

With a creative menu and plenty of craft cocktails and wine, the swanky setting at Mollie Fontaine Lounge — in a Victorian mansion! — offers a delightful date night. Go for dinner or a late (late) nightcap, and bring your main squeeze.

Best Gay Bar

1. Dru’s Bar

2. Pumping Station

3. Spectrum Memphis

Memphis LGBTQ community knows what they like, and they like Dru’s. For friendly bartenders, karaoke, a game of pool or darts, or just some good old-fashioned fun, this is the place.

Best Hole in the Wall

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. P&H Cafe

Best Jukebox

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. Young Avenue Deli

“Ragged but right.” Walk into Earnestine & Hazel’s and you know what that means. It ain’t worn out — it’s well loved. Fire up the jukebox and grab a beer. Instant Memphis good times.

Best Karaoke

BOM 1. Windjammer Restaurant

2. Dru’s Bar

3. P&H Cafe

Windjammer karaoke is more than mic and monitor, song and voice. It’s ironic, heartfelt, amazing, and terrible. And every single person there is in on it.

Best Place to See Comedy

1. Chuckle’s Comedy House

2. P&H Cafe

3. Minglewood Hall

Bad day? Go to Chuckle’s. Looking for something new? Go to Chuckle’s. Want to see brand-new emerging talent like Ryan Davis? Or, comedy stars like Mo’Nique? Go to Chuckle’s.

Best Place to Shoot Pool

1. Young Avenue Deli

2. HighPockets

3. Fox & Hound

Pool makes for classic bar-sport at the Deli, the classic Midtown bar. No bells, whistles, or wifi needed. And everyone’s welcome: kids, couples, newbies, regulars, and pros.

Best Sports Bar

Readers’ Choice: Fox & Hound, Rec Room, Bayou Bar and Grill, Max’s Sports Bar, Brookhaven Pub & Grill.

Sports and bars are unifiers and dividers. Most can agree they’re great, but few can agree on which one’s best. And for sports bars? Well, this one was too close for our readers to call (and they’re all great).

Best Strip Club

1. Gold Club

2. The Pony

3. Purple Diamond

Here’s the Gold Club’s recipe: adult beverages, good music, good vibes, and gorgeous ladies. A simple recipe? Yes. A winning recipe? Also, yes.

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Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. Frost Bake Shop

3. La Baguette

Best Dessert Shop

BOM 1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. Cheesecake Corner — tie — Frost Bake Shop

3. La Baguette

You know what’s great about Muddy’s Bake Shop? Besides the pies (Bananarama!), cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and vegan bars which have put them atop our BOM list? They call their bakers “gnomies.”

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Bryant’s Breakfast

3. Arcade

Brother Juniper’s is named for the beloved cook at the monastery St. Francis founded near Assisi in 1209 AD. He was said to always be full of good cheer as he prepared simple, delicious meals for the monks. Brother Juniper’s has taken his example to heart. There’s no better place to get your day off to a wholesome start.

Justin Fox Burks

Beauty Shop

Best Brunch

1. Beauty Shop

2. Owen Brennan’s

3. Majestic Grille

Karen Blockman Carrier’s Cooper-Street oasis is the place to be the morning after a rough Saturday night. Not only can you go on an international tour of egg possibilities (Jamaican! Israeli! Italian!), but they also have beignets. What more do you want with your hangover mimosa?

Best Burger

1. Huey’s

2. Tops Bar-B-Q

3. Earnestine & Hazel’s

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Huey’s

2. Belly Acres

3. Memphis Pizza Cafe — tie — Railgarten

Best Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Alex’s Tavern

Best Bar Food

1. Huey’s

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Bardog Tavern

Best Service

1. Huey’s

2. Folk’s Folly

3. Restaurant Iris

Huey’s has got this thing down to a science. Both Best Late-Night AND Kid Friendly? They say you can’t be all things to all people, but in Memphis, Huey’s comes close. It’s no-nonsense, master-the-fundamentals restauranting that has made Thomas Boggs’ baby a Memphis institution. Señor Huey forever!

Best Chinese

1. Mulan

2. Wang’s

3. A-Tan

You can pinpoint the moment that Memphis turned the corner on the way to being a real Big City: When Mulan started delivering. Not only could you get Chinese food delivered in little white cardboard containers, but it was great Chinese food. Get the Homestyle Tofu and tell ’em the Flyer sent you.

Justin Fox Burks

Ugly Mug

Best Coffee Roaster

1. Ugly Mug

2. French Truck

3. J. Brooks

Ugly Mug’s cozy little coffee shop at Poplar and Perkins is one of Memphis’ best kept secrets. This Memphis company roasts a mean bean. If you drink your coffee black, the Saving Grace is one of the finest balanced cups you’ll ever sip.

Best Date-Night Restaurant

1. Flight

2. Restaurant Iris

3. Folk’s Folly

Best Wine List

1. Flight

2. Bari

3. Folk’s Folly

The interior of Flight is one of the most architecturally interesting spaces to dine in the city. You can either be seen on the Main Street patio, sit under the chandelier on the first floor, or get a cozy, private spot on the mezzanine. If you’re in the mood to try some new wine, you can try a variety of varietals with their signature flight.

Best Dog-friendly Restaurant/Bar

1. Loflin Yard

2. Slider Inn

3. Young Avenue Deli

The most impressive thing about Loflin Yard — besides the fact it has an actual stream running through the middle of it — is just how much space there is. Your pupper can stretch its legs while you prop yours up and sip some suds.

Best Donut Shop

BOM 1. Gibson’s Donuts

2. Howard’s Donuts

3. Donald’s Donuts

Is there such a thing as a bad donut? Okay, maybe so, but you won’t find any bad ones at this Memphis landmark. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the Red Velvet donuts are divine. You want one right now, don’t you?

Justin Fox Burks

Blue Nile

Best Ethiopian

1. Blue Nile

2. Abyssinia

3. Ethiopian Restaurant & Coffee

Blue Nile’s menu is a place where spicy Ethiopian favorites bleed into traditional American cuisine. Not in the mood for gorgeous kebabs or Wat wrapped in injera bread? The lamb burger and rosemary fries won’t disappoint.

Best Food Truck

1. Say Cheese!

2. Fuel Cafe

3. Sushi Jimmi

What’s better than a joint that makes perfect grilled cheese sandwiches where the outside’s crispy and dark but not burned and the inside’s full of molten comfort? A joint like that on wheels. “Homemade pimento cheese with bacon on sourdough” is all you really need to know.

Best Barbecue

BOM 1. Central BBQ

2. The Bar-B-Q Shop

3. Germantown Commissary

Best Ribs

1. Central BBQ

2. Rendezvous

3. Bar-B-Q Shop

Everybody makes a big deal about Central BBQ’s hickory-smoked meats. People rant about the spice, rave about the variety of sauces, and go crazy for the wings and nachos. But what about every location’s ultra-casual, beer hall-meets-family picnic vibe? There’s a reason why people feel so at home in this perennial favorite — besides all the incredible smells and flavors, of course.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s

2. Jack Pirtle’s Chicken

3. Uncle Lou’s

Nashville’s tasty Hot Chicken may be the food buzz du jour, but it’s always gonna get the side-eye from Memphis, where Gus’s has been quietly spreading its crispy wings and steadily taking over the world, one newly opened location at a time. Gus’s dishes up dark, spicy, always right-out-of-the-fry-basket-hot chickeny perfection.

Justin Fox Burks

Jerry’s Sno Cones

Best Frozen Treat Shop

1. Jerry’s Sno Cones

2. La Michoacana

3. MemPops

How many things can you think of that will cause people from Shelby County to drop whatever they’re doing, drive to an old car wash on Wells Station, and stand in long lines on hot asphalt in the hot sun for as long as it takes? Jerry’s fluffy, snowy, syrup-and-soft-serve laden sno cones sing to us — and we answer the siren call.

Best Hangover Food

1. Bryant’s Breakfast — tie — Huey’s

2. Elwood’s Shack

3. CK’s Coffee Shop

At Bryant’s the gravy’s rich. The country ham’s like porcine candy. And, if you’re too fuzzy to decide what you want, you can basically get a little of everything dumped into a bowl. Hangovers were also made for Huey’s as well because they’re everywhere, their potato soup is healing, and when you can’t remember the name of any other restaurant in town, your muscles remember how to drive to Memphis’ classic burger bar.

Best Hibachi

1. Benihana

2. Nagasaki Inn

3. A-Tan — tie — Osaka

Who doesn’t love dinner and a show? Japanese flattop grill cuisine is all about freshness, minimalism, and not hiding the beauty or delicate flavors of steak and seafood with too much seasoning. Everything is elevated by the communal dining experience in the presence of a knife-happy hibachi master — part comedian, part culinary daredevil. Nobody knows the business like Benihana.

Best Home Cooking/ Soul Food

1. Soul Fish Cafe

2. Cupboard

3 Little Tea Shop — tie — Patrick’s

A visit to Soul Fish means total satisfaction. Beautifully fried and grilled catfish may give the restaurant its name, but succulent smoked chicken may be this Memphis favorite’s secret weapon. Vegetable selections are always plentiful and generously portioned.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Second Line

3. DeJaVu

Best Bloody Mary

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Majestic Grille

3. Beauty Shop

Bayou Bar & Grill’s menu is an extensive sampler platter of Louisiana-style classics. Gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice are all accounted for every day of the week, while dishes like eggs sardou and the Creole Benedict drop in on the weekends. All best enjoyed with the Absolut Pepper Bloody Bayou — a tangy, tongue-searing take on the Bloody Mary.

Best Hot Wings

1. Ching’s Hot Wings

2. Central BBQ

3. The Dirty Crow Inn — tie — D’bo’s Wings N More

Crayola should name a color Honey Gold in honor of Ching’s certifiably next-level wings. Beautiful to look at, better to devour in a hedonistic fit.

Best Indian

1. India Palace

2. Golden India

3. Bombay House

Friendly, generous, attentive, consistent — with tasty tandoori and a variety of vegetarian options, India Palace is a nexus where heady flavors from another continent commingle with Southern hospitality. Always get the chai.

Best Italian

1. Pete & Sam’s

2. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen — tie — Ciao Bella

3. Dino’s Grill

You think of mouth-watering spaghetti and lasagna when you think of Pete & Sam’s, but if you think again, you’ll conjure up thin-crusted pizzas with tantalizing toppings. Or maybe incredibly tasty steaks — sirloin strip, ribeye, etc. Their Italian salad dressing is unsurpassed. And Pete & Sam’s crab cakes — a new addition — are amazing. Note: Their whole fried chicken is a favorite of wrestler Jerry Lawler.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Local Brewery

1. Wiseacre

2. Ghost River

3. Memphis Made

“Ananda,” the name of the hoppy, citrusy beer at Wiseacre, is a Hindu word meaning “extreme happiness.” That could describe the reaction from Wiseacre beer fans when they sip their favorite brew from the brewery’s list of suds. It also can refer to the feeling people get when they hang out at the brewery, whether it’s in the taproom, at a special event, or at Wiseacre’s weekly tour/beer tasting.

Best Beer Selection (in a store)

1. Memphis Cash Saver/Madison Avenue Growler Shop

2. Buster’s Liquors & Wines

3. Joe’s Wines & Liquor — tie — Kroger

The prices are good, the beer station staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the selection is wide and deep. Whether you’re into local brews or deep diving artisanal brands, Cash Saver is a mandatory stop on Midtown party weekends.

Best Local Coffeehouse

1. Otherlands

2. Cafe Eclectic

3. Muddy’s Coffee & Bake Shop

Not only is this the best place to drink coffee, but it’s the best place to write a term paper on your laptop — and drink coffee at the same time. Or hear a cutting edge new local band at night. This is pure Midtown, folks.

Best Lunch

1. Elwood’s Shack

2. Fino’s

3. Pho Binh

A fish taco like you’ve never eaten — made with steelhead trout — may be the signature dish at Elwood’s Shack, but there’s so much more, including brisket, barbecued pork, and even pimento cheese (with bacon). That’s barely touching the menu. A fire a while back didn’t curtail business for long; Elwood’s is up and running. God bless America!

Best Margarita

1. Molly’s La Casita

2. Las Delicias

3. Babalu Tapas & Tacos

The opposite of “Blue Monday” is “Margarita Monday.” The weekly event, when you can get margaritas for $6 instead of $8 between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., has been going on for 30 years at Molly’s La Casita. So, it’s easy to see why Molly’s won “Best Margarita.” This is the place, where veteran Molly fans like to say, “I remember when they were on Lamar. In that little house.” The “new” digs are much more spacious.

Best Mexican

1. Las Delicias

2. Las Tortugas

3. Molly’s La Casita

If you like guacamole, go to Las Delicias. If you just like Mexican food, go to Las Delicias. This restaurant lives up to its name. You can get several types of fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, tortas, and quesadillas. And the huevos rancheros (the one with the fried egg) is yummy.

Best Middle Eastern

BOM 1. Casablanca

2. Kwik Chek

3. Petra Cafe

Humphrey and Ingrid won’t be there, but kebabs, lamb, and hummus will be in the house. Diners can pretend they’re in a movie and say, “Of all the gin joints …,” but Casablanca — at all its locations — is no “joint.”

Best New American

1. Hog & Hominy

2. Majestic Grille

3. Char Restaurant

Don’t expect to see traditional lasagna or spaghetti on a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth at Hog & Hominy. And don’t expect to see a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. Hog & Hominy likes to call itself “Italian Dining with a Southern Drawl,” so its menu items are not the type of food usually accompanied by Dean Martin songs. You can begin with poutine, which includes fries and neckbone gravy, and progress to margherita pizza and, for dessert, a slice of peanut butter pie. They do serve meatballs. And it’s all in a hip, cool setting.

Justin Fox Burks

Catherine & Mary’s

Best New Restaurant

1. Catherine & Mary’s

2. Char Restaurant

3. Railgarten — tie — Southern Social

Nothing better than sitting at the bar at Catherine & Mary’s in the old Chisca Hotel. The hotel now houses apartments, but its grandeur remains in the tall-ceilinged, beautifully designed restaurant. It’s the hip downtown place to see and be seen. It’s better to be seen eating the fabulous cuisine, which ranges from meatballs, also a staple at other restaurants owned by chefs Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, to seasonal dishes, including the current to-die-for halibut.

Best Pizza

1. Memphis Pizza Cafe

2. Aldo’s Pizza Pies

3. Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza

When you think “pizza” in Memphis, Memphis Pizza Cafe surely comes to mind. This restaurant, which serves fabulous pizza pies, has been around for a while. It’s been around the block for years, maybe in your neighborhood. It has several locations, including one in Collierville.

Best Place for People-Watching

1. Overton Square

2. Peabody Lobby Bar

3. Beale Street

Whether you’re sitting on patios at Second Line, Bar Louie, and Local on the Square, lounging on the balcony at Lafayette’s Music Room, or just peering out of the numerous windows at other restaurants, bars, and shops, you’re going to see see lots of happy people at Cooper and Madison. Overton Square may be the most relaxed place to check out fellow earthlings.

Best Patio

1. Loflin Yard — tie — Slider Inn

2. Bhan Thai

3. Second Line

If you’re looking for the best patio in town, our readers say it’s a tie — between Loflin Yard’s downtown grassy spaces and decks and Slider Inn’s dog-friendly, misted deck in Midtown. Can’t go wrong either way.

Best Restaurant for Dessert

1. Beauty Shop — tie — Flight

2. Paulette’s

3. Hog & Hominy

You have to “Check the Mirror” for Best Dessert winner Beauty Shop’s daily dessert choices, but they’re always fantastic. Pro tip: If any sort of cake is an option, take it. And for those indecisive types with a sweet tooth, Flight’s dessert flights are a true boon, featuring a chocolate flight with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Souffle, Lava Cake, and the Peanut Shoppe Brownie among other offerings. Swoon!

Justin Fox Burks

Fino’s

Best Sandwiches

1. Fino’s

2. Elwood’s Shack

3. Young Avenue Deli

Saturday lunch at Fino’s is a long-time Midtown tradition, and now this old-school Italian-style deli has opened a spot on Brookhaven Circle so East Memphis can join in. Fresh ingredients on chewy slices of white sandwich bread is a winning tradition, wherever you find it.

Best Seafood

1. Half Shell — tie — Tsunami

2. Soul Fish Cafe

3. Bonefish Grill — tie — Pearl’s Oyster House

Though famous for his Roasted Sea Bass on Black Thai rice, Tsunami chef Ben Smith is equally good at making culinary magic with tuna, scallops, shrimp, and salmon. And the folks at the Half Shell know a thing or two, having served up some of the best seafood in these parts since 1973. Try the oysters.

Best Server

1. Calvin Bell, Rendezvous

2. Stephanie McGee, Slider Inn

3. J.J. Palmer, Huey’s

Calvin “Pooh” Bell has been serving ribs, sandwiches, smiles, and “no french fries” at the legendary Rendezvous for more than 20 years. A well-deserved win for a winning guy.

Best Shared Plates

1. Babalu Tapas & Tacos

2. Flight

3. Bounty on Broad

The guac is a draw in and of itself, and the braised beef short ribs are not to be missed. Really, it’s hard to go wrong with anything on this menu. The food’s so good, you may not want to pass it around.

Best Smoothies/Juices

1. Smoothie King

2. I Love Juice Bar

3. Raw Girls — tie — Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Smoothie King’s menu asks the existential question: What’s Your Purpose? What they mean is, what are you looking for in your smoothie? Do you want to slim down? Bulk up? Get energized? Smoothie King’s three Memphis locations can help you out, whichever way you want to go.

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly

2. Ruth’s Chris

3. Butcher Shop

There’s a reason Folk’s Folly wins the Best Steak category nearly every year: There’s no other steakhouse experience like it in Memphis. It has a warm, dark, and clubby atmosphere, with friendly and knowledgeable servers who bring the best steaks in town to your table. Or to your private dining room for special occasions.

Best Sushi

1. Sekisui

2. Sakura

3. Osaka — tie — Sushi Jimmi

Sekisui has been serving the Best Sushi in Memphis for many years. Flyer readers know that in addition to sushi, Sekisui offers an extensive menu of other Asian delights, including gyoza, tempura, teriyaki, and kushiyaki. There are now four locations around Memphis to get your Sekisui on.

Best Taco

1. Las Delicias

2. Babalu Tapas & Tacos — tie — Maciel’s

3. Swanky’s

This bustling restaurant draws big crowds of food lovers seeking authentic Mexican cuisine. They’ve got five tacos to choose from: Pastor, Pork Chop, Chicken, Chorizo, and Gringo. All are $2, and all are fantastic.

Justin Fox Burks

Bhan Thai

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Pho Binh

Tucked into a rambling house on Peabody, Bhan Thai offers great atmosphere along with a great Thai and Thai-fusion menu, including Drunken Seafood, Thai Red Snapper, Roasted Duck Curry, and Salmon Panang. And don’t miss the funky screened-in bar and rambling patio out back.

Best Vegetarian

1. Fuel Cafe

2. LYFE Kitchen

3. Mama Gaia

Fuel Cafe’s food is fuel for the body, with a menu that is ideal for non-meat-eating diners. Some of the standout dishes include its much-loved veggie burger, the walnut loaf with mushroom and leek gravy, and the Vegan TV Dinner, which includes a chia pudding cup.

Best Vietnamese

1. Pho Binh

2. Pho Saigon

3. Lotus — tie — Phuong Long

If you’ve never tried pho, you really should. It’s kind of like ramen and clear soup had a baby and named it pho. The menu at Pho Binh is extensive, so if pho won’t do, you can still choose between an array of chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and vegetarian dishes. Whatever you do order, though, make sure to ask for some peanut sauce to go with it. You can thank us later.

Best Chef

1. Kelly English, Restaurant Iris/Second Line

2. Michael Hudman & Andy Ticer, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen/Catherine & Mary’s/Hog & Hominy/Porcellino’s

3. Michael Patrick, Rizzo’s

Best Restaurant

1. Restaurant Iris

2. Flight

3. Folk’s Folly — tie — Majestic Grille

Kelly English takes the cake in his 9th year in a row as “Best Chef,” and this year, he brought Restaurant Iris to the top of the list, too. Born and raised in Louisiana, English specializes in French-Creole cuisine. His Surf and Turf and Knuckle Sandwich are worth trying; don’t worry, neither one will bite — or punch. English’s other restaurant, Second Line (Restaurant Iris’s more casual younger sister), is right next door with a more down-home style of Louisiana fare.

Justin Fox Burks

Hollywood Feed

Best Spectator Seat

For more than a decade now, a solitary red seat has occupied the rightfield stands (now a grassy bluff) at AutoZone Park. This is the seat where Albert Pujols delivered a baseball on September 15, 2000, a home run that made the Memphis Redbirds Pacific Coast League champions in the ballpark’s inaugural season. Since then, Pujols has done all right for himself. A three-time MVP and two-time World Series champ with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols (now an L.A. Angel) has climbed to 9th on the all-time home run chart and should hit his 600th next spring. — Frank Murtaugh

Best New Bakery

The best new cupcakes in town aren’t made for humans. They’re created for dogs. Hollywood Feed Bakery uses high-quality (often organic) ingredients, which means these goods are also fit for human consumption. But Fido probably won’t be willing to share his zucchini and bacon quiche, pumpkin carob doughnuts, or strawberry almond layer cake. Sarah Nicholson, a chef who graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, creates the treats without wheat, flour, or sugar. — BP

Best New Hire

Mayor Jim Strickland made a campaign promise to hire a new Memphis Animal Services (MAS) director with a real passion for animals. And he made good on that a few months back with the hire of Alexis Pugh. Unlike the past shelter director, who had previously worked for the U.S. Postal Service, Pugh has years of experience working at animal organizations in Memphis. She previously served as the executive director of the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County and Mid-South Spay and Neuter Services. She’s already instituted a number of changes at MAS that will directly benefit the dogs, cats, and assorted farm animals in their care, and she’ll soon be working with Target Zero, a national group that aims to help shelters achieve no-kill status. — Bianca Phillips

Best Under-the-Radar Band/Best Band You Need to See This Sunday

Strange Wave Connection has been performing at venues around town for quite some time. You may have heard the group’s mesmerizing blend of indie rock/circus tunes (or their sweet cover of the Game of Thrones theme song) at the P&H, the Buccaneer, or Young Avenue Deli. Flying just under the radar, they’ve produced two albums and are beginning work on a third. Check them out at Lafayette’s Music Room this Sunday, October 2nd, at 8 p.m., and be among the few who can say you knew them before they got big. — Shara Clark

Best Jack o’ Lantern

Last spring, on the Law & Order-iest portion of VECA’s Greenline, parallel to Mignon Avenue, a man in a bright orange top dug in a trash can that sits about halfway through the trail. On closer inspection — DUN DUN! — it was not a man at all but a plastic Jack o’ Lantern oddly appearing out of nowhere, out of season. And then this great pumpkin moved to the other side of the trail. And then it moved again, where it now stays, up high on a tree outgrowth. Kudos, Jack. — Susan Ellis

Best Trend

Oh, Memphis, gotta love you for your devotion to barbecue and sno cones and fried chicken and burgers and stuff topped in nacho cheese. But, sometimes, a salad or something a little healthier is nice, too, and recently, there’s been more of it. Think Cheffie’s and LYFE and Wild Salad Beet Co. and the new Zaka Bowl. Options are a good thing! — SE

Best “Speaking Truth to Power” Moment

The Battle for the Greensward: When Midtown marshalled all its forces — field hippies, hackey sackers, wealthy limousine liberals, stoners, geezer golfers, art students, environmentalists, professors, hipsters, commies, and various assorted nuts — and backed down the Memphis City Council’s FedEx faction, council attorney Allan Wade, and the powerful Memphis Zoo board to stop parking on the Overton Park Greensward. — Bruce VanWyngarden

Best Memphis Version of Groundhog Day

“We are working hard to get the trolleys back on line, but we don’t yet have a target date.” — BV

Best Convenience-Induced Guilt

When you stick a bottle of Chardonnay in the bottom of your grocery cart and hope no one sees you cheating on your favorite liquor store. — BV

Best Day to Be A Memphian 2016

July 10th. That was the day Black Lives Matter protesters briefly shut down the Hernando de Soto Bridge. At a time when protests all over the country were turning violent and divisive, Memphis got it right. Seeing those protesters on the bridge, suspended between water and sky, surrounded by vehicles and police, it seemed that we were again being tested by history. But this time, we passed the test. Memphis still has a lot of problems, but the protest seemed to bring out the best in everyone. Maybe we took a step that day toward recognizing our shared humanity. — Chris McCoy

Best Reason to See Original Plays by Memphis Playwrights

Jerre Dye’s Cicada and Distance launched in Memphis and have found audiences, awards, and critical acclaim in Chicago. Evan Linder’s Byhalia Mississippi won Playhouse on the Square’s New Works@TheWorks competition and a clutch of Chicago’s Jeff Awards and just completed a successful run at the Steppenwolf Theatre. That won’t be the last we hear from that play or its Memphis-bred author, and folks in the know will be able to say they saw it here first. — Chris Davis

Best Ways to Experience Memphis on Netflix

Best of Enemies is right on time for election season. It’s a revealing look back at landmark political debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., and it may be the best thing ever from the music historian Robert Gordon, author of It Came From Memphis. Take Me to the River‘s an intergenerational love letter to Memphis music with footage of artists like Skip Pitts, Booker T. Jones, and Teenie Hodges (and so many more) recording and making music with Eric Gales, Yo Gotti, the North Mississippi Allstars, and so many more. — CD

Best Grocery Store

1. Kroger

2. Fresh Market

3. Whole Foods Market

Memphis people love Kroger. So much so that they’ve given names to many of the various locations around town: Good Kroger, Krosher, Hipster Kroger, etc.

Whatever the moniker, it’s obviously done with love, because Kroger won again this year.

Justin Fox Burks

Dinstuhl’s

Best Specialty Food Store

1. Dinstuhl’s

2. Sweet Noshings

3. Porcellino’s Craft Butcher

Flyer voters obviously have a sweet tooth — and a special spot in their hearts for Dinstuhl’s fine chocolates and candies, which has been hand-crafting its wares since 1902. That’s a long time, y’all.

Best Liquor Store

1. Buster’s Liquors

2. Joe’s Wines & Liquors

3. Kirby Wines & Liquors

Buster’s, the longtime purveyor of libations located at Poplar and Highland, recently expanded its interior to include space for more libations and more varieties of wine and foods. And, once again, it tops this category.

Best Shopping Center

1. Carriage Crossing

2. The Shops of Saddle Creek

3. Laurelwood Center

Once again, this great Collierville shopping center takes first place. With stores like H&M, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s, and a pedestrian-friendly outdoor layout, it’s a fantastic destination for a good round of retail therapy. They also host Movie Mania nights every summer, and this year they added a Collierville BrewFest to the calendar.

Best Gift Shop

1. Babcock Gifts

2. More Than Words

3. Maggie’s Pharm

This East Memphis institution has been providing fine gifts to Memphians for over 30 years. Whether you’re looking for a bridal gift, a baby gift, something for the holidays, or any other occasion, Babcock Gifts has it and will help you find it.

Best Farmers Market

1. Memphis Farmers Market

2. Agricenter Farmers Market

3. Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market

The Memphis Farmers Market is a South Main fixture, featuring locally sourced produce and foods, all kinds of other goodies, and a whole slate of engaging events. There’s no better place to stock up on some of the region’s best farm-fresh produce.

Best Bookstore (new)

1. The Booksellers at Laurelwood

2. Barnes & Noble Booksellers

3. Burke’s Book Store

In business for 30 years now, the Booksellers continues to be an independent bookstore to rival the best anywhere. They have regular book signings; they have more magazines than you’ve even heard of; they’ve got a good and growing stock of used books; and the bistro is a great place to grab a bite while you read.

Best Bookstore (used)

1. Burke’s Book Store

2. The Booksellers at Laurelwood

3. Tiger Bookstore

Burke’s has long been a great place to find a well-loved copy of a book you’ve been looking for for a long time. Their great selection of books by local authors and their eclectic collection of new stuff is just icing on the cake at this Memphis literary landmark.

Best Bank

BOM 1. First Tennessee Bank

2. Orion Federal Credit Union

3. Bank of Bartlett

Whether it’s their visibility around town, the fact that they’ve been in business for more than 150 years, or the fact that they use their landmark tower downtown to cheer on the Grizzlies and Tigers, or some combination of the three, First Tennessee continues to be voted “Best Bank” year after year by Flyer readers. Maybe they should celebrate it in lights this time.

Best Women’s Clothing

1. Crazy Beautiful

2. Indigo

3. Oak Hall

Crazy Beautiful has a distinctive vision for the clothes that they sell, and from denim and dresses to accessories and jewelry, their attitude comes through. Flyer readers think Crazy Beautiful is maybe not so crazy after all.

Best Men’s Clothing

1. Oak Hall

2. James Davis

3. Outdoors, Inc.

Best Men’s Shoes

1. Oak Hall

2. Outdoors, Inc.

3. James Davis

The clothes make the man, after all, and for Flyer readers, there’s no better way for a man to look his best than to buy his clothes and shoes at Oak Hall. They’ve been in business since 1859, and they’re one of the oldest family-owned businesses in America, which means Oak Hall has over 150 years of practice in knowing what looks good.

Justin Fox Burks

Flashback

Best Vintage/Used Clothing

1. Flashback

2. Goodwill

3. Found Memphis — tie — Salvation Army

Everybody knows that everything used to be cooler back in the Seventies. And the Sixties. And the Eighties. And the Nineties. Bottom line is, clothes have always been cooler than they are now. If you’re looking for the best place to put together your vintage look, Flashback has you covered.

Best Women’s Shoes

1. Joseph

2. Cook & Love

3. Indigo

When it comes to the true high-end shoes — like Prada, Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and Jimmy Choo — if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re going to get it at Joseph. We think that says it all.

Best Home Furnishings

1. Stash

2. Great American Home Store

3. Ashley HomeStore

Want to fill your home with stylish furniture that’s well made and that you can actually afford? Stash has you covered.

Best Pet Store

BOM 1. Hollywood Feed

2. Petco

3. PetSmart

Nothing gets our dogs’ tails wagging like a bag of all-natural treats and other goods from Hollywood Feed.

Best Hair Stylist

Readers’ Choice

Angie Tyson, Ardent Salon

Feras Hdaib, Studio LaRue Salon

Gretchen Campbell, Fringe Hair Co.

Holly Woods, Shapow Labs

Jayme Faulstick, Jayme Faulstick Hair

Marcie Seccombe, Salon 387

Looking for a fresh ‘do? Maybe a nice crimp job, blown-out big bangs, or perhaps an elevated flattop? Okay, so you’re probably not wanting those outdated trends, but whatever you’re after, these stylists have been selected among Memphis’ best.

Best Hair Salon

1. Gould’s

2. Dabbles

3. Pavo

Best Day Spa

BOM 1. Gould’s

2. Germantown Day Spa

3. Serenity Day Spa

Best Place To Get a Facial

1. Gould’s

2. Germantown Day Spa

3. Serenity Day Spa

Best Nail Salon

1. Gould’s

2. Nail Bar on the Island

3. Rose Nails

Best Place To Get Waxed

1. Gould’s

2. European Wax Center

3. Dabbles — tie — Pavo

Claiming the title in five categories, Gould’s is Memphis’ go-to for head-to-toe pampering. If you’re wanting to beautify your hair (or get rid of it completely), fancify those nails, or pretty your face, they’ve got you.

Justin Fox Burks

Kroc Center

Best Health/Fitness Club

1. Kroc Center

2. YMCA of Memphis

3. Germantown Athletic Club

Do you even lift? When Memphians want to shape up, tone their glutes, and strengthen their core, the Kroc is where they go.

Justin Fox Burks

Cardio Barre

Specialty Fitness Studio

1. Cardio Barre

2. Orangetheory

3. Pure Barre

Want the long, lean body of a ballet dancer? Well, you’d probably have to spend hours and hours each day training for that. But maybe you could get a little closer with a regular workout at Cardio Barre, which offers a unique, high-energy, no-impact exercise class combining barre work (just like the ballet dancers do!) and light weights.

Best Yoga Studio

1. Midtown Yoga

2. Delta Groove Yoga

3. Better Bodies Yoga

When our readers want to get their zen on, they pop on over to Midtown Yoga. Here, they bend, stretch, and contort their way to blissful namaste.

Justin Fox Burks

Mednikow

Best Fine Jewelry Store

1. Mednikow

2. Las Savell

3. Sissy’s Log Cabin

Oh, look! Something shiny! Sorry, got distracted by someone’s bling. Bet they got it at Mednikow, our readers’ favorite fine jewelry store.

Best Tattoo Parlor

1. No Regrets Tattoo Emporium

2. Underground Art

3. Trilogy

Regret is the last thing you want to feel after getting a tattoo. Luckily, the winner in this category lives up to its name. At No Regrets, a staff of talented, experienced artists work their inky magic. Want a bird, a plane, or a boomerang on your bicep, back, or bottom? They’ll do it up right.

Best Antiques Store

1. Sheffield Antiques Mall

2. Flashback

3. Antique Warehouse Mall

Treasures abound at Sheffield Antiques Mall. Our readers love to peruse the offerings at the Mid-South’s largest antique mall — 78,000 square feet of furniture, collectibles, jewelry, lighting, and more. That’s a lot of square footage, y’all.

Best Tobacco Shop

1. Tobacco Corner

2. Tinder Box

3. Whatever

Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em. If you don’t got ’em, Tobacco Corner can remedy that. For more than 40 years, this shop’s been Memphis’ go-to for all things tobacco. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Best Alternative Smoke Shop

1. Whatever

2. Wizard’s

3. Cooper-Young Glassworks

Whatever’s been a Bluff City staple since 1971, offering all sorts of smoking devices and accessories. They’ve evolved with the times, too, and today Memphians can find newfangled vapor thingies, e-cigs, multi-hose hookahs, and more at the shop’s three locations.

Best Florist

1. Pugh’s Flowers

2. Holliday Flowers & Events

3. Garden District

Trust us on this one, we know — a dozen roses from Pugh’s is the most effective way to say “I’m sorry” to a significant other.

Best Garden Center

1. Dan West Garden Center

2. Midtown Nursery

3. Digger O’Dell Nursery

Sometimes we all need to get outside and put our hands in the dirt. Dan West will help with all the right tools, plants, advice, and even gloves to keep your hands dirt-free.

Best Record Store (new)

1. Spin Street

2. Goner Records

3. Shangri-La Records

Stop downloading. There is no better way to spend a day than perusing the physical shelves of a record store, listening to new music, and walking out with a sack full of tunes.

Best Record Store (used)

1. Shangri-La Records

2. Spin Street

3. Goner Records

Memphis’ music history is rich and deep, and so are the record bins at Shangri-La Records on Madison where you can trace our local timeline from “That’s All Right” to Hot Buttered Soul to “SexyBack.”

Justin Fox Burks

Shangri-La Records

Best Music Equipment Store

1. Amro Music

2. Gibson Guitar

2. Memphis Drum Shop

Since 1921, Amro Music has been Memphis’ go-to for those wishing to tickle the ivories, turn an amp up to 11, or play the school fight song in a big, brassy way.

Best Athletic Goods Store

1. Outdoors, Inc.

2. Breakaway Running

3. Dixie Pickers

Once the oppressive heat (finally) breaks, you’ll wish you had the right gear to go out and play. Outdoors, Inc. has been Memphis’ toy box for over 40 years.

Best Bicycle Shop

1. Peddler

2. Midtown Bicycle

3. Outdoors, Inc.

Need to get away? Hightail it over to the Peddler for the best escape on two wheels.

Best New Car Dealership

Readers’ Choice

Acura of Memphis

AutoNation Honda 385

Chuck Hutton Chevrolet

Landers Ford

Lexus of Memphis

Wolfchase Honda

Look, you can’t Uber everywhere you go. At some point you’re going to want to jump in your own car and explore the city, and these dealerships are the favorite places to buy among your fellow road hogs.

Best Used Car Dealership

1. CarMax

2. City Auto

3. It’s All Good Auto Sales

You have enough haggling in your life — you haggle with your boss, haggle with your spouse, haggle with your kids. Take the day off and visit CarMax for a haggle-free shopping experience.

Best Motorcycle Dealership

BOM 1. Bumpus Harley-Davidson (Memphis & Collierville)

2. Honda Yamaha of Memphis

3. Southern Thunder

We’re almost out of room in our saddlebags for all of the Best of Memphis awards Bumpus has won. Guess we’ll saddle up and visit the dealership for a bigger bag (or a new bike).

Best Radio Station

1. WEVL-FM 89.9 Volunteer Supported Radio

2. WXMX 98.1 The Max

3. WKNO 91.1 NPR

With more than 60 programs spanning the gamut of music from country to jazz to rock to, well, all kinds of other sounds from around the world, WEVL wins the battle for the airwaves for 2016.

Best Radio Show

1. Drake Hall Show, 98.1 The Max

2. Ron Olson & Michelle Lewis, FM 100

3. Nugget and Liz, Q 107.5

Best Radio Personality

1. Drake Hall, 98.1 The Max

2. Ron Olson, FM 100

3. Chris Vernon, 92.9 ESPN

Drake Hall wins the bling — twice — taking the crown for Best Radio Show and for Best Radio Personality. He’s crotchety, he’s lovable, he has great guests, great music, and Memphis loves this guy.

Best Sports Radio Show

1. The Chris Vernon Show, 92.9 ESPN

2. The Geoff Calkins Show, 92.9 ESPN

3. The Gary Parrish Show, 92.9 ESPN

The indomitable Chris Vernon won Best Sports Radio Show with his blend of sports, opinion, sass, and humor. Though he parted ways with the station late this summer, he’s since popped up with a deal with Bill Simmons’ The Ringer and Grizzlies.com.

Best Newspaper Columnist

BOM 1. Geoff Calkins, The Commercial Appeal

2. Michael Donahue, The Commercial Appeal

3. Bruce VanWyngarden, Flyer

The do-it-all columnist for The Commercial Appeal offers reliable reporting and great insights on sports, news, and various human interest stories, and Memphis thinks he is the BOM.

Best TV Weatherperson

1. Ron Childers, WMC-TV Channel 5

2. Jim Jaggers, WREG-TV Channel 3

3. Joey Sulipeck, WHBQ-TV Fox 13

Best TV Sportscaster

BOM 1. Jarvis Greer, WMC-TV Channel 5

2. Glenn Carver, WREG-TV Channel 3

3. Carrie Anderson, WMC-TV Channel 5

Best TV News Anchor

1. Joe Birch, WMC-TV Channel 5

2. Claudia Barr, WREG-TV Channel 3

3. Kontji Anthony, WMC-TV Channel 5

When it comes to local television on-air personnel, it’s obvious that WMC is atop the ratings. Best Weatherman, Ron Childers, (a new winner) stepped nicely into the retired Dave Brown’s shoes, while Best Anchor, Joe Birch, and Best Sportscaster, Jarvis Greer, each rolled on for another year at No. 1.

Best Twitter

Readers’ Choice

Choose901, @choose901

Chris Vernon Show, @ChrisVernonShow

I Love Memphis, @ilovememphis

Tony Allen, @aa000G9

Best Instagram

Readers’ Choice

Choose901

Ilovememphisblog

Iamjoeymiller

memphisflyer

Best Podcast

Readers’ Choice

Black Nerd Power

Creative Memphis

The Game Show Podcast

I Love Memphis

Q’d Up Sports

You Look Like a Comedy Show

Best Website

Readers’ Choice

www.choose901.com

www.ilovememphisblog.com

www.memphisflyer.com

The world of social media is a wondrous place. Deciding who has the best Twitter or Instagram is like choosing the best grain of sand on the beach. But the sites listed above are all worth investigating.

Best Museum

1. Memphis Pink Palace Museum

2. Children’s Museum of Memphis

3. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Piggly Wiggly — the nation’s first grocery chain — celebrated 100 years in 2016. But these days, the Pink Palace’s Piggly Wiggly exhibit is the only place in town you’ll find evidence of the Memphis-based chain launched by Clarence Saunders in 1916. You’ll also find a recently modernized planetarium and historical exhibits dedicated to everything from Mid-South history to dinosaurs.

Best Gallery

1. Crosstown Arts

2. David Lusk Gallery

3. Jay Etkin Art Gallery

Just a few years back, the row of shops along Cleveland where Crosstown Arts hosts art receptions, visiting author lectures, zine-making workshops, open art critiques, and the occasional block party was just another blighted vacant building. Likewise, the massive former Sears Crosstown headquarters across the street was empty, too. But since 2012, Crosstown Arts has been hosting multiple events — often several nights each week — in its gallery and storybooth spaces, and by 2017, the organization will have an even greater presence in the soon-to-be-completed, revitalized Crosstown Concourse.

Best College Gallery

1. Main Gallery, Memphis College of Art

2. Art Museum at the University of Memphis

3. Hyde Gallery, Memphis College of Art Nesin Graduate School

Visitors to Memphis College of Art are immediately greeted by work in media ranging from watercolor to charcoal to sculpture in this multi-level gallery in the lobby of the city’s prestigious art college.

Justin Fox Burks

The Orpheum

Best Live Theater

1. The Orpheum

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. Theatre Memphis

Best Performing Arts Venue

1. The Orpheum

2. Germantown Performing Arts Center

3. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Whether it’s a touring Broadway production of Book of Mormon, an intimate and emo evening with Morrissey, or a Rocky Horror Picture Show film screening and campy costume party, the Orpheum is the city’s premier theater.

Best Movie Theater

1. Paradiso

2. Ridgeway Cinema Grill

3. Studio on the Square

This massive East Memphis movie theater features extra-wide, 50-foot-tall, wall-to-wall curved screens and 60,000 watts of digital stereo surround sound. That’s nerd-speak for, “Movies look and sound really cool.” The theater sells wine and beer, as well as Yolo frozen yogurt. Plus, there are a few arcade games for kids (or adults) who need to kill a few minutes (and a few video game villains) before the show.

Best Casino

1. Horseshoe Casino

2. Gold Strike Casino Resort

3. Southland Park Gaming and Racing

This Tunica institution has all the gaming options — poker, slots, blackjack, roulette, you name it — plus a diverse lineup of musical acts on its Bluesville stage. Recent acts ranged from country star Gary Allan to ’80s metal band Slayer to ’90s alt-rockers the Goo Goo Dolls. Jack Binion’s Steak house is the place to celebrate when you hit the jackpot, or, if you’ve gambled away all your winnings, you can probably still afford a burger from the Horseshoe’s 24-hour burger bar.

Best Family Entertainment

1. Memphis Zoo

2. Concerts at Levitt Shell

3. Children’s Museum of Memphis

Lions, and tigers, and bears — oh hi! Where else in our fine city can you take the whole herd to see a bunch of wild animals up close? (Don’t answer that.) That big gorilla at the glass loves us, and we love him.

Best Sports Team

BOM 1. Memphis Grizzlies

2. Memphis Redbirds

3. Memphis Tigers Football

Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Conley

Best Professional Athlete

1. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies

2. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

3. Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies doubled down by winning Best Sports Team and also getting the nod for Best Professional Athlete, with newly re-signed point guard Mike Conley getting the call.

Best Amateur Athlete

1. Dedric Lawson, Memphis Tigers Basketball player

2. Shaq Goodwin, former Memphis Tigers Basketball player

3. Chris Carrier, University of Memphis Baseball player

Dedric Lawson was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers in former Coach Josh Pastner’s final season. Here’s hoping this year’s Best Amateur Athlete can step up his game for new Coach Tubby Smith.

Justin Fox Burks

Levitt Shell

Best Place To See Live Music

1. Levitt Shell

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. Minglewood Hall

The Levitt Shell recently celebrated its 80th birthday, and the Midtown venue is still rockin’ with a summer and fall music series that features great regional and national talent. Perfect for music fans of all ages, the Levitt Shell is the best place to catch live music in Memphis.

Best Band

1. North Mississippi Allstars

2. Lucero

3. Dead Soldiers — tie — Star & Micey

The North Mississippi Allstars are once again the best band in Memphis. The Allstars have been busy with side projects like the Sons of Mudboy as well as Cody Dickinson releasing his debut solo album Leeway for the Freeway, but they’ve still found time to be the top music act in the city.

Best Singer

1. Alexis Grace

2. Yo Gotti

3. Amy LaVere

A DJ at Q107.5 by day and a pop star by night, this is the first time Alexis Grace has been named the best singer in Memphis. Grace wowed American Idol judges with her enchanting voice, and Memphians have been eager to see her perform ever since.

Best Comedian

Readers’ Choice

1. Katrina Coleman

2. Joshua McLane

3. Richard Douglas Jones

Katrina Coleman is the mastermind behind the Memphis Comedy Festival and has helped shape the Memphis comedy scene into what it is today. She’s also very funny. Check her out at the monthly You Look Like insult show at the P&H.

Best Comedy Venue

1. Chuckles Comedy House

2. P&H Café

3. Hi-Tone

The historical record is clear: Running a dedicated comedy venue in Memphis is hard. We’re in the midst of a comedy boom not seen since the 1980s. Chuckles Comedy House in Cordova is riding the top of that wave. You know the old saying: Dying is easy; comedy is hard.

Best Karaoke

1. Windjammer Restaurant & Lounge

2. P&H Café

3. Blue Monkey

Sure, you got a good voice. You’ve polished your version of “Jolene” to a tearjerking sheen. You’ve killed with it at karaoke nights all over town. But you don’t know how good you really are until you’ve stepped into the arena at the Windjammer.

Best College Hangout

1. RP Tracks

2. Newby’s

3. Alex’s Tavern

Can we just go ahead and grant landmark status to RP Tracks? This is the kind of bar and grill that defines a neighborhood. It’s a great place to hang out, familiar and friendly, but unafraid to change with the times. Who would have predicted 20 years ago that Tracks would become legendary for its barbecue tofu? The University of Memphis is a better place because of RP Tracks.

Best Pick-up Joint

1. Peabody Rooftop

2. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

3. Flying Saucer

The Peabody’s been a good place to meet your beaux for more than a century. But in this century, the place where the Delta begins has taken the elevator from the lobby bar to the rooftop. The tunes and the scene are as hot as the summer nights.

Best Margarita

1. Molly’s La Casita

2. Babalu Tacos & Tapas

3. Las Delicias

Molly’s Margarita Monday is the calming oasis after your work-week kickoff trauma. It was probably the half-frozen, half-rocks version of the tequila cocktail that put Molly’s over the top. We think we’ve just talked ourselves into wanting one.

Best Craft Cocktails

1. Alchemy

2. Hog & Hominy

3. The Beauty Shop

The name says it all: It’s the careful mixture of ingredients that spark a dramatic change, a transformation into something beautiful. Alchemy is the favorite destination among Flyer readers who want something special in their libations.

Best Happy Hour

Readers’ Choice

Alchemy

Bardog Tavern

Blue Monkey

Boscos Squared

Brookhaven Pub

Flying Saucer

The takeaway from this six-way, too-close-to-call race is that everybody loves happy hour. There are plenty of quality places to go for your after-work comedown, from downtown to East Memphis.

Best Dance Club

BOM 1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Club 152 Beale

3. Rum Boogie — tie — Rumba Room

Best After-Hours Club

1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Alex’s Tavern

Get up to your get down at the Bluff City’s premiere dance emporium. It’s the center of downtown nightlife, and now that downtown is booming, the center is fun. Lighted dance floor? Check. Smoke machine? You got it. Discrimination? NO! Disco forever!

Best Jukebox

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. Young Avenue Deli

Best Hole-in-the-Wall

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. The Cove — tie — P&H Café

Of course, Earnestine & Hazel’s is the best hole in the wall. It’s the Platonic ideal of the Memphis bar, favored hangout of Howlin’ Wolf and Rufus Thomas. Of course, the jukebox at the best hole-in-the-wall is going to be an encyclopedia of R&B history. That’s just the way these things work.

Best Sports Bar

1. Fox & Hound

2. Rec Room

3. Alex’s Tavern

When you go to the sports bar, you want to know that your game is definitely going to be on. In addition to an extensive beer list and finger-licking pub grub, the Fox & Hound has, as one online reviewer put it, “a kazillion TVs.” If there’s a game, it’s going to be on.

Best Strip Club

1. Gold Club

2. Pony

3. Purple Diamond

Why has it taken this long for the Flyer to have a Best Strip Club category? In this city? It defies logic. But we’ve rectified that oversight just in time for Gold Club to prove it is the gold standard of Memphis shake joints.

Best Gay Bar

1. Dru’s Place

2. The Pumping Station

3. Club Spectrum

This little neighborhood gay bar is a home away from home for so many in Memphis’ LGBTQ community. It’s no wonder since Dru’s Place has it all — karaoke, drag shows, live music, beer busts, pool, darts, and a spacious patio for warm summer nights. And any time a member of the community is in need, owner Tami Montgomery is quick to throw together a fund-raiser to help out.

Best Bartender

Readers’ Choice

Allan Creasy, Celtic Crossing

David Parks, The Cove

Justin “Frenchie” Workman, Mollie Fontaine Lounge

Vincent Hale, Bari Ristorante

A good bartender isn’t just the person who pours your beer. No, the bartender is also your friend, therapist, relationship counselor, and, occasionally, drinking buddy (because who doesn’t buy their bartender shots from time to time?). He or she knows exactly what you want (dirty martini with vodka, three olives — extra dirty) and gets the drink going the minute you walk in the door. These four Memphis bartenders exemplify everything that makes an excellent bartender.

Justin Fox Burks

Loflin Yard

Best New Bar

BOM 1. Loflin Yard

2. Canvas

3. Dirty Crow Inn — tie — The Lookout at the Pyramid

This new downtown nightspot has a waterfall on the patio, for god’s sake. Of course, it won best new bar! Oh, and that patio? It’s more of a yard (hence the name), complete with seating under a grove of trees and a grassy green space for lounging with a bottle of wine from Loflin Yard’s grab-and-go case. There’s a giant barn in the back for special events. Meats are smoked on-site and featured on charcuterie plates and po’boys. Barrel-aged cocktails, such as the Tennessee Whiskey Old Fashioned, are the highlight of the drink menu.

Best Bar

Readers’ Choice

Bardog Tavern

Loflin Yard

P&H Café

What do Bardog Tavern, Loflin Yard, and the P&H Café have in common? Each of these casual watering holes has a loyal base of devoted regulars who come back again and again. In central downtown, Bardog is the place to go for after-work beers and meatball dinners. In downtown’s South End, crowds gather at Loflin Yard for handcrafted cocktails and cool breezes from the patio. And in Midtown, P&H regulars gather for cheap pitchers, live music, and karaoke.

Best Chef

Justin Fox Burks

Kelly English

1. Kelly English, Five Spot/Restaurant Iris/The Second Line

2. Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen/Hog & Hominy/Porcellino’s Craft Butcher

3. Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant — tie — Patrick Reilly, Majestic Grille

Flyer readers can’t get enough of Chef Kelly English. The Louisiana-raised grand master of finely tuned Southern comfort foods has topped this list for eight years running. If the man offers to give you a knuckle sandwich, let him. (Unless you’re allergic to delicious lobster.)

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Bryant’s Breakfast

3. Blue Plate Cafe

The real Brother Juniper — sometimes called “Juniper the Jester” — was a friar famous for being charitable with things that didn’t belong to him, then making a strong case for why his light fingers were as much a blessing for those who unwittingly provided as it was for those who so gratefully received. “Would that the forest were full of such Junipers!” Saint Francis proclaimed. That goes double for the popular U of M area diner, where weekend crowds are thick watching beautiful Greek omelettes and brilliant fist-sized biscuits go by. Would that the city were full of such Junipers.

Best Brunch

1. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

2. Beauty Shop

3. Majestic Grille

With beautiful portions of wild game sausage, crispy fried catfish in a creamy crawfish sauce, lovely shrimp and grits, you might as well unbutton the top button on your pants when you walk into brunch at Owen Brennan’s. Bananas Foster for breakfast!

Best Shared/ Small Plates Menu

1. Babalu Tacos & Tapas

2. Alchemy

3. Bounty on Broad

Someone should coin a new word for the custom tableside guacamole preparation that happens at Babalu. It’s like Hibachi-style guac. Hibachimole, maybe? Perfect with a top-shelf margarita and some crispy pork belly tacos, whatever you call it.

Best Wine List

1. Flight

2. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

3. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen — tie — Bari Ristorante

Fall is here. It’s the perfect time to sit outside on downtown’s Main Street mall watching all the tourists pass by while slowly draining a bottle of Castello D’Albola chianti, which happens to be on the list at Flight — along with about 200 other choices.

Justin Fox Burks

Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House

3. The Butcher Shop

Folk’s Folly is serious — sturdy, steel gray walls, heavy wooden chairs, dark but not too dark, famous for ice-flecked martinis mixed to make Don Draper swoon, and pornographic cuts of aged beef cooked to order.

Best Date Night Restaurant

1. Flight — tie — Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Restaurant Iris

3. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Snuggles over a perfectly done rare steak. Sweet nothings and a sweet flight of desserts. Piano music. The ideal glass of wine. When it comes to romance, Flight and Folk’s Folly have our readers swooning.

Best Barbecue

BOM 1. Central BBQ

2. The Bar-B-Q Shop — tie — Germantown Commissary

3. Corky’s

Best Ribs

1. Central BBQ

2. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous

3. Corky’s

What is it that makes Central BBQ so good? Is it the smoky shoulder? The fall-apart ribs? The fat wings slathered in spice? The mountainous nachos? Is it the very nice brisket or the tangy array of sauces? Or is it all of that? It’s probably all of that.

Justin Fox Burks

Huey’s

Best Burger

BOM 1. Huey’s

2. Belly Acres

3. Tops Bar-B-Q

Best Lunch

1. Huey’s

2. Central BBQ

3. Elwood’s Shack

Best Service

1. Huey’s

2. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

3. Restaurant Iris

Best Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. Earnestine & Hazel’s

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Huey’s

2. Belly Acres

3. Memphis Pizza Cafe

Best Hangover Food (restaurant)

1. Huey’s

2. Slider Inn

3. Bardog Tavern

“Let’s just go to Huey’s” has probably saved more relationships than any other sentence in the Southern language. Tasty burgers, fast lunches, and great service make it the perfect default restaurant when nobody can agree on where to eat. It’s kid-friendly, but you can order food till last call, and a round of afternoon bloody marys with a basket of thick-cut red onion rings can slap your tongue and knock the hangover clean out of your body.

Best Hot Wings

1. Ching’s Hot Wings

2. Central BBQ

3. D’Bo’s Wings n’ More

Ching’s Honey Gold wings are one of those things you force on out-of-town foodie friends who think they’ve been around a little and seen everything the spiced appendage has to offer. There’s an extra-hot version too, for more adventurous souls.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s Fried Chicken

2. Jack Pirtle’s Chicken

3. Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken

Memphis is a fried chicken capital, and Gus’s spicy, crispy, piping-hot bird provides diners with what may be the single most perfect bite in the flavorverse.

Best Place for Dessert

1. Beauty Shop

2. Flight

3. Paulette’s

With the Beauty Shop, owner and executive chef Karen Carrier has created a perfectly modern mix of country, funk, and rock-and-roll. She knows diners delight in little plates artfully strewn with dainty, delicious things. But sometimes they crave something more substantial — like a big horking slab of caramel cake with ice cream. Or strawberry cake. Or red velvet cake. Or one of each to share. Or not share. Get your own damn cake.

Best Frozen Treat Shop

1. Jerry’s Sno Cones

2. La Michoacana

3. MemPops

Few things are more Memphis than standing in line at Jerry’s Sno Cones, the city’s other pink palace. Like Memphis, Jerry’s is a little quirky and a little off-the-beaten-path. But once you’ve gotten a taste of it, you know you’re home.

Best Smoothies/Juices

1. Smoothie King

2. Tropical Smoothie Café

3. Cosmic Coconut

Memphis is a city of kings — Elvis, Lawler, and B.B. But make way for another. Smoothie King is our readers’ king of juices and smoothies. Over 43 years, the company has built its kingdom of more than 650 locations on three continents.

Best Italian

1. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

2. Pete & Sam’s

3. Coletta’s

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen remains white hot even eight years after its 2008 opening. Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman opened the Brookhaven Circle restaurant to give “a fresh perspective on traditional Italian.” The menu includes everything from macaroni to ocean trout.

Best Middle Eastern

BOM 1. Casablanca

2. Kwik Chek

3. Petra Café

Casablanca’s menu hits the mark with Middle Eastern favorites like shawarma, hummus, and baba ghanoush. But don’t miss the Casablanca special like chicken schnitzel sandwich or the Falafel “Big Mac” of the Middle East.

Justin Fox Burks

Hog & Hominy

Best New American

1. Hog & Hominy

2. Beauty Shop

3. Majestic Grille

“Italian cooking, Southern roots” is the guiding ethos of Hog & Hominy. Chefs Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman opened the restaurant on Brookhaven Circle in 2011. It’s far more casual than the chef pair’s flagship Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen. But Italian cooking with Southern roots? How about biscuit gnocchi or grits al forno? Just go. You’ll get it. Then, you’ll go back for more.

Best Ethiopian

1. Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

2. Abyssinia

3. Ethiopian Restaurant & Coffee

Aromas of savory wat mingle with barbecue smoke on Madison Avenue now that Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen opened next to the Bar-B-Q Shop last year. Ethiopian food fans have rejoiced at the mounds of Blue Nile’s many wats (or stews) on injera bread. Kabobs and burgers are on the menu, too.

Best Mexican

1. Las Delicias Mexican Bar & Grill

2. El Mezcal

3. Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana

House-made tortilla chips. Fresh guacamole. Handmade tamales. Las Delicias has built a massive fan base in Memphis on these core menu items. But its entire menu is built on Mexican authenticity and a commitment to quality. And it keeps Memphians headed to its three locations to get more.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. DeJaVu

3. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

Po-boys? Check. Oysters? Check. Gumbo, muffulettas, and jambalaya? Check, check, and check. Back in 1987, Chef Michael Cahal wanted to bring a New Orleans neighborhood bar and grill to Memphis. Check on that one, too. The Bayou has ridden Overton Square’s boom and bust cycles and remains one of the best places in Memphis to celebrate Mardi Gras.

Best Chinese

1. Mulan

2. Wang’s Mandarin House

3. A-Tan

Mulan’s menu offers Chinese-American favorites like General Tso’s chicken but also a lineup of authentic Szechuan dishes. The menu, the locations, the friendly delivery service, and the beautiful dining space ensure Mulan will be around for years to come.

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Pho Binh

The beautifully plated (and delicious) dishes and the posh decor make Bhan Thai a one-of-kind dining experience in Memphis. Thai favorites like Pad Thai, curries, and spring rolls have been lovingly prepared and artfully presented at Bhan Thai since it opened in 2002. Also, Bhan Thai’s patio bar is not to be missed.

Best Vietnamese

1. Pho Binh

2. Pho Saigon

3. Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant

The buffet is eyed. The goods are delivered. The faithful rejoice! A line is formed. Elbows are (sometimes) swung. Who knew such a fuss would be made over lemongrass tofu? The Pho Binh faithful do. And they’re crowding in to get it. Or the fried chicken. Or the green bean tofu. Or the Kung Pao tofu.

Best Japanese

1. Sekisui

2. Osaka

3. Sakura Japanese Restaurant

From a menu stocked with creative and diverse sushi to an expansive list of spirits that includes wine, sake, and shochu, Sekisui’s menu is paired with a devoted staff that’s earned the restaurant a winning streak for years.

Best Indian

1. India Palace

2. Golden India

3. Bombay House

India Palace wins again as the go-to spot for Indian cuisine in Memphis. Year after year, the restaurant builds on its faithful regulars who stand by the Palace’s menu.

Best Home Cooking/Soul Food

1. Soul Fish Café

2. The Cupboard

3. The Farmer

What makes Soul Fish so special? Let us count the ways: mouth-watering catfish, terrific hushpuppies, great veggies, and a fine beer selection.

Best Vegetarian

1. LYFE Kitchen

2. Café Eclectic

3. Fuel Cafe

Meat-free Memphians have found deliverance in first-time winner LYFE Kitchen’s vibrant and wholesome vegetarian dishes. Notable menu options: the quinoa crunch bowl or the quinoa crunch wrap. Add chile lime tofu. Go wild.

Best Seafood

1. Half Shell

2. Bonefish Grill

3. Tsunami

Self-proclaimed as the “best kept secret” in Memphis, the Half Shell opened in 1973 and has racked up awards ever since. The Baja Seafood Nachos are too good for this world.

Best Pizza

1. Memphis Pizza Café

2. Aldo’s Pizza Pies

3. Broadway Pizza

Memphis Pizza Cafe reclaims the throne this year. As restaurants continue to pop up in Overton Square, the Cafe holds its own with generous deals, cold beers on draft, and filling pies.

Best Sandwiches

1. Elwood’s Shack

2. Fino’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

We all know Summer Avenue has some of the best restaurants Memphis has to offer. Elwood’s Shack’s inaugural win is also a win for the street. Drop in and try the citrus-smoked salmon sandwich.

Best Server

Reader’s Choice

Brian Sutton, Molly’s La Casita

Danielle Fong, Flight

Heather Farwell, Belmont Grill, Local, Soul Fish Cafe

Jimmy Berry, River Oaks

Lila Bear, Mulan

Nikki Graham, Huey’s

Tony Dortch, Huey’s

Flyer readers deemed these seven servers as the best in Memphis. Pay ’em a visit, eat and drink up, and tip ’em well.

Best Place for People-Watching

1. Beale Street

2. Peabody Lobby Bar

3. Flying Saucer

Beale Street is Memphis’ own stretch of weird. Depending on the time of day, you can find whatever action you desire: blues in W.C. Handy Park, acrobats flippin’ backwards, and, when the sun goes down, club crawlers with bottomless beers ending their night at Dyer’s.

Best Patio

1. Lafayette’s Music Room

2. Slider Inn

3. Bhan Thai — tie — Celtic Crossing

Be it Saturday night drinks or Sunday brunch, Lafayette’s two-story patio leaves room for you, your mother, and just about everyone else you know too.

Justin Fox Burks

Say Cheese!

Best Food Truck

1. Say Cheese!

2. Fuel Café

3. Central BBQ

Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches? That’s all you need to know. Say Cheese! wears the crown for the first time this year, serving up greased goodness like the Elvis Italiano sandwich: cookie butter, mascarpone cheese, and sliced banana on sourdough bread.

Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. Frost Bake Shop

3. La Baguette

Best Coffeehouse

1. Muddy’s Coffee and Bake Shop

2. Otherlands Coffee Bar

3. Café Eclectic

Best Dessert Shop

BOM 1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. Cheesecake Corner

3. Frost Bake Shop

Muddy’s continues to be a local favorite. With a second location in Midtown that opened last year, the Muddy’s brand is growing, so stop in, grab some coffee, grab a treat, and see what all the hype is about.

Best Donut Shop

BOM 1. Gibson’s Donuts

2. Howard’s Donuts

3. Donald’s Donuts

Gibson’s is still the best in the business when it comes to quality donuts, no matter what time you’re in the mood for them.

Best Brewery

1. Wiseacre

2. Ghost River

3. Memphis Made

Wiseacre has been named the best brewery in Memphis, and with an amazing selection that boasts a little something for everyone — how can you disagree? Wiseacre recently celebrated their third birthday, and we can’t wait to see what else the brewery has in store.

Best Beer Selection (store)

1. Madison Growler/Cash Saver

2. Buster’s Liquors & Wines

3. Kroger

This one is a no brainer. The Madison Growler has a great beer selection and great prices.

Best Beer Selection (Bar/Restaurant)

1. Flying Saucer

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Boscos Squared

The Flying Saucer has been the destination of tourists and local beer lovers for years, and with Monday Night Pint Nite being one of the best deals in town, it’s no wonder people from all over the world flock to this downtown staple.

Best Restaurant

Readers’ Choice

Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Flight

Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

Huey’s

Restaurant Iris

This one is too close to call, folks. But it’s fair to say that our divided loyalties add up to some fantastic dining.

Best New Restaurant

1. Loflin Yard

2. LYFE Kitchen

3. Fino’s East

Loflin Yard has quickly become a go-to destination for Memphians of all kinds. With a giant lawn, great cocktails, and a great menu (try the brisket po’boy), Loflin Yard is one of downtown’s new jewels.

The website FiveThirtyEight recently ran a story on how Donald Trump could win the election — spit! spit! — without winning the popular vote. It had to do with certain segments of Hillary Clinton voters not having electoral college heft … or something. But we’re here to talk about the Best of Memphis, where it’s only the popular vote that counts.

I’ve noticed over the years that there are fewer BOM winners than before. Those categories with “BOM” beside them means that the winner absolutely dominated their category. One guess is that there are simply more options and that dilutes the field. More locally owned restaurants and more locally owned businesses are all good things, even the best things, you might say.

This year’s BOM winners are: Central BBQ, Huey’s, Gus’s, Casablanca, Muddy’s, First Tennessee Bank, Gibson’s, Paula & Raiford’s Disco, Loflin Yard, Memphis Grizzlies, Geoff Calkins, Jarvis Greer, Hollywood Feed, Gould’s, and Bumpus Harley-Davidson. Congrats to them.

As always, we thank all our readers who voted and those who didn’t. All y’all need to vote in November. And we thank our advertisers, who make it possible for this publication to remain free of charge.

This issue was written by Bianca Phillips, Bruce VanWyngarden, Chris Davis, Chris McCoy, Chris Shaw, Joshua Cannon, Kevin Lipe, Richard Alley, Shara Clark, and Toby Sells. It was designed by Carrie Beasley and illustrated by Bryan Rollins. Images by Justin Fox Burks.

Categories marked Readers’ Choice means the vote was too close to name a winner. — Susan Ellis

See the winners!