Belle A Southern Bistro

The waffles were fresh and light. On Father’s Day, it was not a line and the service was impeccable. I recommend the grits in a bowl a delightful dish.

Belle was a great choice for our large party brunch. The staff was attentive and incredibly polite. The food was great and I had lots of compliments from others in our group. Personally I got the chicken and waffles and the waffle was about as perfect as you could make. I highly recommend a visit especially for great brunch options.

We were only in Memphis for two nights and wanted to try some local fare and pulled up the local restaurants on Unilocal and started to weed out our choices and decided on Belle A Southern Bistro. It was a Wednesday night and only a few customers and we wondered why and after eating here I am still wondering why. We had the BBg shrimp and grits and the meatballs for an appetizer and both were exceptional. We moved on to the brown sugar glazed brisket and Mac and cheese and we were not disappointed. The Mac and cheese was so good that one person in our party ordered it for dessert. We also had the daily cheesecake special that was a blackberry cheesecake with a home made graham cracker crust, once again amazing. Our waiter Johnny was attentive and very friendly. We were all happy that we picked this for one of our dinners while in Memphis. Thanks for a great meal.

Our first time here and it was wonderful. The drinks the bartender and the food phenomenal. The atmosphere is nice and quaint. It is definately a place for good breakfast and bloody Mary’s. Prices were great too.

I got the bfast sandwich and my egg wasn’t quite cooked the way I ordered but was still good. The andoulli sausage hash was the best thing I tasted that we ordered. Pretty delicious! And u cant beat 15 $ mimosa buckets. I will go back to try different dishes.

Best cheese grits in the world. Do yourself a favor and order them

Warning! For Large groups they are a bit slow. There is a small staff, but if you aren’t in a rush… order these affordable Mimosa buckets ($ 15) and you’ll be fine.
The food here is a great mix and I like to frequent here for a Sunday brunch with friends. Nice to walk from here to the river or to a Red Birds game.
Vegetarian and Pescatarian friendly. My meat eating friends LOVE LOVE LOVE the chicken and waffles (they requested me to put this 3x)
Whitney

The food was good. The service was slow and just plain awful. I saw three people get seated and then leave after not being acknowledged by the wait staff. If you don’t mind a long meal (two hours) then you’ll be fine. The venison was good. I doubt I’ll return because the service was so bad. Hopefully they fix their issues.

On this trip to Memphis I visited Belle twice. The first evening, I had the Macaroni and Cheese side, the Goat Cheese Ball appetizer, and a bowl of Sweet Potato soup. The Mac and cheese was passable, but nothing extraordinary. The cheese balls were good, but two were cold, like they had been frozen and not fried enough to totally warm them through. The soup, was too spicy for my liking, but can not say it was bad. Someone who likes extra spicy would enjoy the soup.
Today, returned for lunch/​brunch. Tried the Belle Burger and a side of the Andouille Hash. Again, the burger was nothing of note. Not bad, but not great. The side of chips were a little soggy with oil in places. A little more time in the dryer might have been in order. My burger was cooked a little more than it should have been, but ordering a rare burger is sometimes tricky for cooks. The Andouille Hash was good with nice seasoning.
The highlight of the brunch, which I saved for last comment was the Bloody Mary. It was one of the special drinks for the brunch, and it was yummy. It had extra citrus flavor, so it was definitely not a boring out of the can mix. A definite have!
Finally, I have to make a comment about the service. While everyone at the Belle (and in Memphis in general) were exceptionally nice, the service was very slow and lacking. It took about 15 – 20 minutes to get my drink, refills were never offered. Food service on both visits were very slow. Neither time was the restaurant full, so I can not contribute it to capacity issues. That definitely needs to be worked on by Belle.
Net: if in the hood looking for a spot with better food and more quiet atmosphere than something on Beale street, definitely stop in. But do not expect a fast meal, or the best meal in Memphis. Do make it a point to have the Bloody Mary during brunch, I do not think you will be disappointed.

Yes, this is the experience that finally got me onto Unilocal.EVERYTHING about this experience was absolutely perfect. David made our cocktails himself; they were perfect. I had the special, which was a pork dish; Son had brisket; Husband had short ribs. It was all absolutely perfect.
Not one single bite would I change.
My only problem now is finding excuses to make that drive from Little Rock to Memphis on a regular basis. (Anyone need a writer?)

Already my favorite place in downtown Memphis. The location is smack in the heart of downtown Memphis, and is within walking distance from most hotels on Union, which is a plus if you travel for business, or hate fighting for parking downtown.
The ambiance is nice; it feels upscale, but isn’t at all pretentious. Lots of cool artwork decorates the walls, and the HUGE antique bar takes up most of the main wall.
About that bar… the thing that struck me when I first sat down at the bar was how expansive the selection was. I always love a bar that has more selection than «vodka» or «whisky», and this one does not disappoint. The cocktail menu was developed in house and it’s clear from the selections that a lot of work, time, and thought went into them all. I’ve had «The Baby Maker» and the «Orpheum» on separate occasions — The Baby Maker was amazing and probably dangerous because it goes down very easily (probably the reason for the name…). The Orpheum (named for the Memphis theater) is a play on a Manhattan and comes with a bruleed orange — a nice touch. This drink was good — and I did drink it all — but very potent and very whisky-​ey. They also have a great selection of wines, which they will happily (and again thoughtfully) help pair with your meal.
Now the food… I’m not a salad person. It’s not my thing; it’s pointless in my opinion, so I was shocked when I loved — and at pretty much all of — the «Deconstructed Iceberg Wedge» salad. The pecan ranch is darn right drinkable, and the grilled cherry tomatoes are divine. It’s a HUGE portion — probably more than enough to share — but I wouldn’t judge if you ate it all yourself.
Shrimp & Grits are my go-​to dish when I’m in the South. If they are on the menu, my selection is made, as was the case at Belle. They are amazing — the grits are flavorful but not overly salty or mushy; the sauce is smoky and delicious (also maybe drinkable) and the sausage bits are a nice touch. The shrimp was perfect as well (it says six shrimp are included in the order, but both times I’ve had this, it was a few more than that). This is on the «Appetizer/​Small Plate» menu, but it’s definitely more than enough to make a meal out of.
All in all, I highly recommend Belle if you’re in downtown Memphis. Great atmosphere, great food, great drinks. If nothing else, come for a cocktail; I promise you’ll end up staying for dinner.

Awesome meal, both the chicken and the brisket were fantastic. The service was quick and speedy too.

We tried Belle for the first time last night and had a mixed experience.
Started with trying «The Baby Maker» and have to say it was spectacular! Notes of ginger with a honey back end was excellent.
We ordered the meatball appetizer which was meh. The meat could have used more seasoning and for not being busy should have piping hot, which it wasn’t.
Onto the main course. We had the sliced brisket and angus steak. Both were really really good. The brisket had an amazing glaze with the meat being moist. The angus steak was cooked a perfect medium with an excellent charred crust and generous dollop of truffle butter = YUM!!!
Note — the chef seems to be enamored with onion straws which can thankfully be pushed aside.
We finished up with the molten lava cake and desert of the day being bread pudding. The lava cake was so lava’y (sp?) that it was more like a chocolate soup. The bread pudding was OUTSTANDING! Candied pecans on top of vanilla ice cream made the whole desert to die for.
So a work about the service. I made a reservation through Open Table and the restaurant called to confirm which was a classy touch. We were greeted and seated promptly. Our waitress, however, was not so great. Friendly enough but sloooooow.
Overall, we had a decent experience with excellent drinks, main course, and one good desert. We will definitely come back to try again.

I was visiting a friend in Memphis and we were walking back from the Peabody Hotel (know for the famous duck march) and just happened to see Belle. I’m so glad we took a quick glance at the menu and decided to step in for brunch!
The décor of the restaurant is very cool, lined with paintings. Just has a neat vibe.
My friend and I ordered a couple dishes to share:
1. Egg scramble with Andouille hash & buttermilk biscuit. We added a few veggies to the scramble, which was a nice choice. Can’t really go wrong with Andouille added to any dish. The biscuit was buttery and flaky.
2. Garden Grit Bowl: stone ground grits, spinach, mushroom and caramelized onions and provolone. This one was really unique and fantastic. The grits on their own were creamy and tasty, and the veggies added nice texture and flavor. I would recommend this dish!

My daughter and I were visiting Memphis on a very short trip. Our main purpose was to visit some of the local micro-​breweries but one on the list we compiled was not open so we ventured downtown. It was still fairly early in the evening I was interested in visiting a wine bar but it was packed and there was going to be an hour and half wait. We walked around and almost every place was the same story. Full with a long wait. We were almost going to give up when we spotted Belle’s. Surprisingly there were seats available at the bar. We ordered drinks and small plates. The food was delicious. We just barely scratched the surface of what downtown Memphis has to offer, but it looks like a very vibrant city.

My husband and I came here for Sunday brunch… The atmosphere is relaxing and the décor is alluring. My husband ordered chicken and waffle and I ordered a waffle only… In hindsight I wish I ordered the chicken and waffle because it was delicious, I was still a little hungry after eating only the waffle. The chicken and waffle was served with a side of gravy which was savory; the flavor of the chicken, waffle, syrup and gravy blended well… The service was exceptional also, which further enhanced our experience.

«Super» dry martini had too much vermouth
but it was big and filled to the brim.
4 stars
Bread basket is not worth the carbs.
2 stars
Menu is creative without being crazy.
Memphis artwork is worth going just for that.
Appetizer menu was so interesting that I almost ordered all appetizers.
— I wish I would have
«We» decided on the short rib tamale.
It was the best tamale I’ve ever had.
5 stars
Service was excellent.
4 stars
My future wife had some problems with the steak.
But
they gave us free dessert because of it
See Mary H. review
for more details on the steak.

I had the grouper.
The flavor was good but
the edges were severely overdone.
3 stars
Hot Lava cake for dessert.
6 stars

Lovely place. I really wanted to love this place. The staff are very warm and friendly. Our appetizer the short rib tamale was delicious. Unfortunately, every thing fell apart from there. I ordered the rib eye steak with blue cheese gratin potatoes and brussels sprouts as a side. I had to send the steak back not once but twice. I ordered it medium rare. The first time it was well done as in grey, the second time raw in the middle, like steak tartare. the quality of the meat was sub par at best, think some casino buffet… definitely not worth 27 dollars. My husbands entrée was ok. Grouper with cheesy grits, which tasted like they were out of a box. The waitress was very kind and gave us a complimentary dessert. This is a beautful restaurant and I hope they step it up on the food. Everyone has an off night. We will try it again.

We kicked off the 2014 Downtown Dining Week at «Belle: A Southern Bistro.»
The room has a cozy feel with a lounge area up front, a full bar and two full seating sections.
The host seated us within a minute of our arrival.
The staff has a team mentality. Everyone steps in to help make sure the operation runs smoothly.
The three-​course meal was pre-​set for DDW.
The salad had the usual mixed greens, but the lemon vinaigrette salad dressing was scrumptious.
We shared the brisket and shrimp main dishes. Both had great flavor, and beautiful presentation.
The dessert, a fried fresh fruit pie a la mode was flaky on the outside, and tender in the middle. Yum!
The ambient music switched from blues to jazz to Frank Sinatra.
The restaurant has beautiful art on the walls for sale.
I learned Belle has live music Friday nights, brunch on Saturdays and on Sundays brunch includes live music (I hear the biscuits and gravy are great and that brunch is delicious).
FYI…you can ask for substitutes for all kinds of issues like gluten allergies or not eating a certain type of food.
#Yelp901
#DowntownDiningWeek
#Memphis
#Downtown

Walking into the huge restaurant around 11AM on a Saturday morning for brunch, my family had our choice of tables. Sitting close to the door and enjoying the slight breeze on a humid, summer Memphis day, we had the undivided attention from the staff and the owner.
The menu offered the standard brunch fare — grits, biscuits and gravy, waffles, chicken and waffles, steak and eggs, a burger and salmon. There was certainly nothing too inventive there but the prices were excellent, with nothing costing more than $ 12 and most items were less than $ 10.
I went with the chicken and waffles, which was nicely prepared with a crisp, fried chicken breast and a Belgian waffle dusted with powdered sugar. While the chicken lacked a bit of seasoning, the gravy was thick and rich and it was the perfect accompaniment to liven up the chicken. The waffle was lightly browned and soft and it had a good flavor.
Having read about the mac and cheese, yet knowing that it wasn’t on the brunch menu, I asked if they had any in the kitchen. To my delight, the chef was in the process of cooking it. By the time that we finished eating, a to-​go container of mac and cheese was on our table for a mere $ 3. Although I like my mac and cheese with thicker cheese sauce, their preparation with rigatoni hit the spot, despite the fact that it was a bit oily.
This relatively new restaurant has a few kinks to work out but the hospitality is great and the venue is grand. It certainly has the potential to positively add to the downtown Memphis food scene.