Alcenia’s Desserts & Preserves Shop

So listen… these salmon croquettes… I can’t…they were sooooooooooo good!!! I have been dying to find another place that has salmon croqs. on the menu but I was unsuccessful until I accidentally stumbled upon this place. I’m fairly new to Memphis and I work near downtown, so I use my lunch break 1 – 2 times a week to find cool little local eateries. Alcenia’s did not disappoint at all. For one, I got a hug when I walked in (definitely made my day a whole lot better because I wasn’t having that good of a day) and the atmosphere is so warm. Everybody just kinda felt like family! I ordered the salmon croq. with green beans and Mac and cheese. Be sure to eat the Mac and cheese while its hot, and you will forever be in love. I love this place, I wish there wasn’t a nail salon next door because I could smell the acetone, but otherwise, I’ll definitely be back!

This place is awesome! Went here while I was in Memphis for work. The owner is sweet as can be and the food is outstanding.
You can taste the love she puts into cooking. This place is a little hole in the wall, but well worth it.
I had the meatloaf, BEST MEATLOAF I’VE EVER HAD!

This family restaurant is a great place to visit if you’re not from Memphis, TN. My only suggestion is that you come in during the afternoon because the food is heavy to start off your day.
The dining area is small so I would recommend that you and a few friends visit or have the food ordered to go. Speaking of the food, it was good for the most part. The Kool-​Aid was awesome and the sides were all amazing. We had corn mill cakes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, potato fries, and yams.
I was not a big fan of the fried chicken because it needed just a little more seasoning and the wings seemed a little to large for my linking. The fried catfish and the homemade tartar sauce is a MUST EAT. Friendly staff, excellent server, and Ms. BJ is so sweet, she gave every patron a hug and kiss on the forehead and thanked us for patronizing the business, incredible!

One of my must-​stops in Memphis.
This is true Southern cooking. Catfish, chicken and waffles, pork chops, and veggies. You can’t go wrong ordering anything here. The sweet tea and Kool-​aid are way sugared up, southern style. Be warned you’ll be drinking diabetes but it’s worth it. BJ is the sweetest and you know she makes everything with love.
With that said, don’t eat here if you’re in a hurry. It’s old-​style, cooked to order. Expect to wait, play a game, put on some music, or chat and enjoy the day. For the more relaxed Southern pace. Be sure you stop here for authentic Memphis food.

We love the food and a kiss from Betty is always appreciated. Fine Southern cooking!

The reviews were on point everything is delicious, my favorites were the fried catfish, Mac n cheese, YAMS! Also tried fried green tomatoes and of course they did not disappoint.

First off, only go if you have some time to spend visiting, reading, or hanging around. Service is slow (took about 40 minutes for food to show up), but worth it. The catfish is up there with the best (some like it seasoned differently, but I loved it the way it was), the green beans are wonderful, the mashed potatoes and gravy are comfort-​of-​home good, and the fried green tomatoes the best I have ever had anywhere. B.J. Was very warm and sweet (surprised me with a kiss on the cheek).
Look, the bad reviews are for service. It is not a quick to serve and eat place. It is more a place to relax, visit, and let the world pass by for a bit kind of place. I doubt it will change soon and that is fine by me. If you wish to rush in and out, go somewhere else. If you want to relax and make an instant friend in B.J. while enjoying TRUE Southern Comfort food, this is the place to go. Let the rest of America have the corporate everyday restaurants, I will stop here whenever passing through and MAKE TIME to eat.

The food here was great. First place we ate when we got into town. The food was fantastic. My sister and I had the fried chicken and my mom had the meatloaf. they were both amazing. You can tell that everything is home made. Very good food.

I found Alcenia’s from a Google search of best restaurant in Memphis and after my experience, I concur! My husband and I walked here from our hotel which was downtown (the walk took about 15 mins). We dined at Alcenia’s for brunch and the food was great!!! While the food did take a little while to come out, it was understandable considering that the food is made to order. I ordered salmon croquettes with grits, eggs and a biscuit. The portion sizes are generous, the food is flavorful and the service was amazing!!! We were greeted and well taken care of from the time we walked in the restaurant until our departure. Additionally, when it started raining we were offered a ride back to our hotel — the kindness extended to us was a TRUE testament of southern hospitality… If you are looking for a REAL home-​cooked southern-​style meal, you must eat at Alcenia’s!

If you have A LOT of time to spare, I would recommend checking this place out. The food is very very tasty, and it really has the feel that you’re in somebody’s kitchen kind-​of-​a-​place. An extra bonus is that everyone seated gets a kiss on the head. A unique touch is the «ghetto aid» on the menu, which is pretty much a very sweet Kool-​Aid. The one negative is that it was an extremely long wait, and not because it was busy. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that apparently two people called in that day, but they may want to give people a heads up ahead of time, as two different groups left while we were there due to the wait. There are also a few games like Connect available as you wait. I would return because the food was good enough to give it another shot.

BJ was there to greet us with a kiss on the cheek! This is like being family at Sunday dinner after church! Warm and friendly. Food that is made to order which takes a while, so sit back, relax and enjoy the atmosphere, share a story while you are waiting for your delicious down home food. The meal is not complete without a hug and a request to come back, just like Grandma’s house! Highly recommend.

Ugh. Hate to leave a two star review. The food is mostly good and the tomato gravy is the bomb! I will go back at some time but that’s the rub. It takes a long time to eat. Took at least an hour and a half to get food and then the chicken was burnt to a crisp. The waffle was cold and old so it wasn’t as good as it could have been. The sausage omelet was good. Have stopped in a few times through the years but may be a while before I have time to eat here again.

Walking back to the downtown core from the pyramid, we decided to stop in for a Saturday brunch. We figured this was finally a good chance to check this place out. It was 1pm and there were only 2 tables in front of us — one with food.
We sat at a table and took a look at the brunch menu. 15 minutes went by until we were greeted. By then, of course, we were ready to order. The only problem was we had to order just from the brunch menu. My friend was eventually able to negotiate just an order of fried green tomatoes. I admit, at this point we were warned it was 30 minutes for food.
38 minutes later the fried green tomatoes came out. We had a ridiculously tough time getting silverware, drink refills (they ran out of unsweet tea) and hot sauce. About another 10 – 15 minutes later, and over an hour since we sat down, a partial brunch order came out. The food we received was excellent, but in no way did it trump the wait and lack of service. We gave up on the rest of the order and paid the bill.
If you want to go, relax, take a novel and wait for the food. And be prepared to get a kiss from a stranger!

Visiting Memphis, and while on foot, happened to pass this place, peered inside and Viola it was open! The décor is colorful and bright. The service was spot on. The chef and owner came out to talk with us, take pictures and just thank us for coming in.
The food was great soul food cooking! I got a fried pork chop, and it was big, well salted and fried to perfection. Along with black eyed peas and mac and cheese. Yum Yum on it all. Great lil spot to dine near the convention center. Will certainly check it out the next time I’m in Memphis

We had to wait over 20 minutes just to order drinks and there was only 1 table in front of us. It took almost 40 minutes to get our food and the vegetables lacked any imagination and were served only lukewarm. I was very surprised at the lack of seasoning since this spot is supposed to be geared toward authentic Southern cooking. (The service was slow and no apologies were offered.) To top it off, after the long wait for an anticipated great meal, we received our food in take-​out containers! Very disappointing!
The one bright spot was when one of the managers came to check on everyone. However, at this point it was too late to have saved our less than stellar experience. Because of the service, I probably won’t return, but the restaurant is cute and gaily decorated in a cute theme.

First things first, the service stinks. 20 minutes before we were even acknowledged. We were the second table even there (the first came in moments before us) so it’s not like they were busy. Not to mention once we finally did get served, no apology for why the sole waitress didn’t bother coming out from the kitchen for that long. So things didn’t start off on a good note.
Then after finally getting to order, it took 40 minutes to get food and drinks. They said when we ordered that the meats are cooked to order. But still, I know how long it takes to cook catfish.
When the food finally came out it was good. It wasn’t worth waiting add long as we did, though. The catfish was good but I’ve had better. The macaroni was bland and really just noodles with a hint of bland cheese. The yams tasted canned. Also very odd, my food came in a to go box? Like were they assuming I’d been waiting so long that I wouldn’t have time to eat? It was just weird and cheapened it. When I get food at Jerry’s I know and expect to go containers. But at a sit down restaurant? Umm.
And the service was severely lacking. I’ve already talked enough about the speed of service, but the service itself wasn’t great either. No one was particularly friendly and everyone seemed like they didn’t want to be there. Definitely won’t be coming back here.

When you think you can come out an HOUR after I ordered my food with some kisses and crap you have me all kinds of messed up! I never received my food and the lady who ordered after me got her food before we did and before this other family who had been waiting longer than us!! I want to guess its bc she was a regular! *side eye* This is no place for people who only have an hour lunch. I couldn’t believe that mess!!!
Food looks good but NOBODY has food that I will wait over an hour to try. NOBODY!

After seeing this place on DDD, I had to stop by while in Memphis. I ordered the fried catfish with mac n cheese and green beans as a side, which was a part of their Wednesday lunch special. The verdict: the food wasn’t bad by any means, but it was nothing special. I probably would’ve felt a little better if the bill didn’t total out to $ 28 for two lunch specials and two drinks. Seemed a little expensive for what it was. However, their «Ghetto-​aid» was yummy. All in all, I was just a little disappointed considering how much hype this place has gotten on tv. Maybe their Saturday brunch is the deal maker, which features chicken and waffles and salmon croquette.

Quaint little spot. brightly decorated, very friendly staff. the owner Ms BJ is on site, with a kiss and conversation, all the time. She has written a cookbook, which YOU can get in the restaurant and has appeared on the Food Network’s «Diners, Drive-​Ins and Dives».
Food is made to order so be prepared to wait a little. but it is ABSOLUTELY worth the wait. DELISH. Definitely will be a regular spot during my stent in Memphis.

Luckily, I read other reviews before I went in. When the owner came in for the kiss-​and-​hug hello — without sufficient warning — I might have ended up in the fetal position on the floor. The hello-​hug makes me feel monumentally awkward… Tone Loc (who I recently was on a plane with and appeared to be the coolest person on the face of the earth, in my opinion), I am not.
After my skillfully-​handled forehead-​kiss taking, it was business time (
). The owner asked me if I was ready to taste the love… and I double checked this was indeed a restaurant. When I realized it truly was… I said «Yes. I am ready to taste it» in what must have seemed to be the whitest-​white-​guy response ever.
Anyway, I now know what food-love-in-a-non-9−½-weeks-style can be.
I ordered:
–One white and one dark piece of fried chicken: OMG THE BEST TASTING CHICKEN I HAVE EVER, EVER, EVER HAD. I even called ahead to double check they didn’t use peanut oil… you know what the owner told me? «No way I use peanut oil. Too many people have allergies.» OH YEAH! Someone who understands me… and still wanted to kiss my forehead.
–Cornbread: Most unique cornbread I’ve ever had. And not «unique» like that guy in third grade who really needed to be in another school after he killed our class-​hamster unique. Unique like, HOLY SHIT… that is bomb-​cornbread. It must have been made in a different style… like not in an oven? I’m not sure.
–Mac and Cheese: was ‘ight.
–Coleslaw: Thank god they were out… I ended up getting sweet potatoes instead. I’ve never liked them before, but I thought I would see what REAL home-​cooked ones were like. They taste like love, I presume. Love and butter and brown sugar? Whatever. They were amazing.
The wait staff came over again and again to see if I needed anything… the cook even came out to see what I thought. Honestly, I thought this would be a good last meal for a prisoner on death row. I’m not kidding. That’s what I thought. I just said «Delicious,» though. Didn’t want to go freaking anyone out. Yet.
A completely spectacular experience. I loved every second of it. Next person I see… I’m totally going to hug and kiss hello (Please be Tone Loc. Please be Tone Loc.). I just want to try it out (especially if it is Tone Loc).