South of Beale

Another city, another «gastropub» filled with good intentions derailed by indifference and poor execution. Seat yourself after you figure that out, order and wait. Oily, duckless, duck fried rice topped with a rubber fried egg. Mildly seasoned except for the Sriracha (which, along with bacon, has to appear on every menu). Meat stew over rice minus the stewing liquid and the flavor. A meat and cheese platter with dry hummus, an overly-​deep-​fried egg and some decent crackers and cheese. Our server was pleasant so I added a star. Otherwise, complete waste of calories in a town full of better choices.

Any restaurant with duck on the menu is a friend of mine.
Pros: Popcorn served upon sitting (we seated ourselves for lunch). Beer samples are only 50 cents. My duck patty melt with gouda and mushrooms was ridiculously tasty. My husband’s duck confit fried rice was delicious — moist, flavorful, and the perfect portion size! The ketchup they served my fries with was the BOMB.
Cons: Our waiter wasn’t as friendly as I’d have hoped. He seemed like he didn’t enjoy his job very much, and that gives a really unwelcoming vibe, but it didn’t ruin our meal. The fries were a little limp and under seasoned. The tables didn’t have salt or pepper shakers on them. The fried avocados were bland, and the tapenade was too salty — very odd combination.
We’ll be back for dinner! I want to try the seasonal menu, and the local beers on tap look great.

I went to this restaurant on Tuesday night and it was pretty empty. I ordered the black bean burger and my sister ordered the Reuben egg rolls and spinach salad. The black bean burger was good it had American cheese fresh pickles dill seasoning and they made their own ketchup. The fries were also good they were seasoned well. I took the top bun off of my burger cuz I thought that there was too much bread for a black bean burger. Everything tasted fresh.

Well the food was fantastic and the service was even better. All the reviews had me set on trying the Duck Patty Melt, but it was sold out. I wanted something just as good and our server recommended that I pair the Duck Fried Rice and a side. I choose the mac’n’cheese and it was definitely the RIGHT CHOICE.
The rest of my party each tried something different as well: pan-​fried pork chop, the SOB burger, a special pizza with salmon and spinach, the fish & chips. A+‘s all around. I highly recommend this place.
If I had to come up with a down side: the room gets loud and it’s hard to hear your group or even the waiter.
I’d love to come back next time I’m in Memphis!

I’ve never had a bad meal at SOB. But my favorite dish is the Duck Patty Melt. Its legit. So basically go try it.

I’ve had a great lunch special here before and it literally blew me away and I’ve had a few lunch specials that left me like meh… South of Beale is definitely a gastropub with a full bar and a few unique eats like fried deviled eggs and of course the duck fried rice. They can really keep the popcorn bc I never get the hot batch lol… It’s okay though… Service is fast and friendly so that’s always good. Food just hasn’t been mindblowing or consistent over the past few years. For some reason I keep going back though.

Love the free popcorn. I’d even be willing to pay for it, it’s that good! I tried the pork chop, but it was a little too thick for my taste. The duck fried rice was de-​lish!!! Not crZY bout runny eggs but for this dish it worked! We shared it as a table, but I needed more for myself! I plan to go back to have that as my main entrée. It was really convenient that they have their own private parking lot.

Burgers, Bar Pies, brunch, lunch, dinner… It’s all good. The staff is friendly and accommodating. We have had many we’ve brought here proclaim the burgers the best in town. I love the homemade ketchup!

SOB is truly A-​OK in my book!
I’ve only had one entrée here but several times. The pork chops and its a really good cut of meat. It comes with the infamous Gouda mac & cheese (I’m super picky with Mac & cheese so I’m not a fan— I only like mom’s and grandma’s). I sub for the maple bacon braised Brussels sprout — super good but on sweet side. For dessert I like the chocolate mousse pie — light & fluffy & oh so good.
This a great place to hang with friends, meet after work, and stop by prior to Grizz games.
Bartenders are super attentive and nice!

Everything we have had is awesome including the beers! Except the bar pie. Don’t get it.

Creative menu that changes seasonally. Recently had the scallops with beet couscous and candied jalapenos. Not only the most beautiful dish ever, but quite delicious. My mom had ordered the pork chop before and was craving it this visit. It’s now fried, different than before, but still tasty. The mac and cheese was a little bland this visit, but is historically hit or miss.

SOB might be the most underrated restaurant in downtown Memphis. I’ve been telling my boyfriend for over a year that we need to come, and he was a bit skeptical. After the 1^st visit we were both SOB believers.
The popcorn. The food selection (as healthy or as unhealthy as you want to be). The service. The flavor. Everything about this place close to perfect to me. I’ve sat on the patio and at the bar, and both experiences were great. I can’t wait to come back (hopefully very soon).

Super solid place. Nothing just over the top spectacular but very tasty. We leaned toward most of what we got being too expensive for the portion sizes you get but overall good. The 15% discount you get by checking in on Unilocal was a bonus.
What we ordered:
Duck fried rice– tasty but not anything extra special in the fried rice category.
Pork chop/​Gouda mac– yummy. Overpriced for size.
Salmon cake/​cucumber sauce/​grilled squash&zucchini– delicious! My favorite entrée we ordered.
Andes mint ice cream– overpriced but good.
Jack and Coke bread pudding– delicious! Could have used a lot more coke sauce so that flavor wasn’t really prevalent thru the whole thing but it was very moist and tasty. Ice cream was great. Overpriced for size.

That popcorn! I cannot get enough of this salty/​sweet goodness they bring to your table upon arrival. Seriously, I could eat just this and be happy. However, I am glad that I decided to order something from the menu. We started the meal with fried avocados. They were pretty yummy but I probably wouldn’t order them again. For my entrée I got the SOB Burger. It was cooked perfectly and the bun was toasted a bit, which I love! The fries were great and the ketchup they serve is phenomenal. They offer patio seating and our server was incredibly nice. It was pretty noisy inside so after being in there for a bit we asked to switch to an outdoor table. It’s in a great little area with a plethora of things to do nearby.

S.O.B. was a last minute date-​night dinner, so we went in without any real expectations. It was a Monday night at prime dinner time, and we were seated right away.
The restaurant is small, which was nice but could be noisy during busier night I’m sure.
The beer selection was good and apparently they have a decent happy hour ($ 3 pints from 3 – 6). They also had a few mixed drinks on special.
The menu was very interesting & I had a difficult time choosing! I decided on the duck patty melt with Gouda Mac & cheese instead of fries. Holy mother of Mac & cheese, that was the best Mac & cheese I’ve ever eaten! I’ll be returning if nothing more than for the Mac & cheese. The patty melt was alright but nothing spectacular or terribly interesting. My boyfriend tried the fish & chips, which he felt were unique (catfish instead of traditional white fish) but I think we would both try another entrée next time.
Overall, S.O.B. was an enjoyable date-​night dinner.

Very interesting place to say the least. Shady at best neighborhood.
Food was good, I had the pork chop and my brothers had the fish and chips. My brothers commented on how well seasoned the fish was. Good fry on it. I guess I made a bad choice. My pork chop was good. Juicy but imo not enough for the price. The Mac and cheese served with it was better than the pork chop it self.
Why I gave it three stars is because I showed my waiter the Unilocal 15% off and he even acknowledged it. But then when I got my bill it wasn’t on there. My mistake for not checking but it’s the principle of things.

I always find some really good places in Memphis when my sole purpose for being there is to make BBQ. That’s probably why I don’t have a lot of Memphis BBQ reviews as it is the last thing I want after a day on the pits.
Thanks to some research I found South of Beale or SOB as they like to be called. It’s a gastropub with quite the liquor selections and massive bar, I was hungry and they did not disappoint. They have outdoor seating as well and do take reservations via the popular reservation site.
So the food,
I was in between the Shrimp and Pimento Cheese Grits and the Seared Scallops. Upon asking my helpful server he said they are both good but recommended the Scallops, so that is where I went.
The order is 4 large seared scallops on red quinoa that on top of a corn salsa kind of thing. This was just what the doctor ordered it was filling but not heavy and the flavors were light so you tasted the scallops and the quinoa and the corn. I plan to try this one at home as it was something I would like to eat again and again.
For dessert since I had a light sensible entrée I had a scoop of Andes Mint ice cream, you know the little mints you used to get at restaurants. They make it in house and it tastes just like one of those little mints if you froze it (which I used to do) and added it to ice cream (this is I do at home as well)
I know that you probably don’t go to memphis to find this type of place but if you find yourself there or dare I say if you live there and want a great meal before Beale street or other social event this might be a place for you.
check it out, now off to get some scallops

Appetizer:
Reuben egg rolls contain some of the best corned beef I’ve tasted in Memphis.
A little more Swiss would have been nice.
If they had embedded caraway seeds in the egg roll wrapper, I would have ran through the streets telling random strangers of its goodness.
Don’t get me wrong, these are fantastic, order them.
5 stars for this appetizer
Main Course:
Scallops with chipotle beurre blanc and black beans.
It has chipotle, so guess what, it’s spicy.
But the chipotle is drizzled, so it’s a nice kick,
but not overwhelming.
Scallops were cooked perfectly and tasted smoky
5 stars for this dish
Main Course for my date:
Fillet with Parmesan asparagus
Filet was very tender but almost too black on the outside. 4 stars
Asparagus was very tender
and I love the Parmesan cheese on it.
It might have been a little salty
Server was excellent.
He was friendly without being too familiar.
I asked him to bring me the most popular beer.
Instead of freezing like a deer in headlights,
he brought me a Ghost River Gold.
It is now my favorite local beer.
Dessert:
Jack and Coke:
Bread pudding with Jack Daniels ice cream,
covered in Coke syrup.
6 Stars

A great place for happy hour on Friday afternoon. This place is busy. The popcorn is addictive. The Reuben egg rolls are divine. A perfect reuben sandwich in an egg roll wrapper, super tender meat and crispy sauerkraut and a light wrapper not at all greasy.
For an entrée’ I had a perfectly cooked super tender Filet and roasted asparagus with pine nuts and Parm.
We could not pass up the Jack and Coke Bread pudding, it will make your tongue slap your brain out, it is so good. The homemade Jack Daniels ice cream was so light and creamy with just a hint of Bourbon flavor. This is one of the best desserts in town in my opinion.

Our first visit was at 2 PM on a Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving.
When you sit down, they bring out a bowl of cinnamon sugar popcorn, which is very tasty. Especially the dark pieces, which have extra sugar in them. Mmmmmm-​be the first in your party to pick these out, but be sneaky about it! :-)
Our server told us that everything is freshly made and prepared — there is a difference, by the way!
We ordered the SOB burger with house cut fries, the risotto with braised brussel sprouts and the gouda mac & cheese. Oh, my gawd! Each and every one of those things were absolutely amazing, right down to the fresh-​made ketchup — that’s, right, even the ketchup is amazing!
Since everything else was outstanding, we fought through the uncomfortable fullness and went all in and ordered a single slice of the chocolate caramel mousse pie for dessert. Oh, and 2 moonshine cherries. Great and good!
The server (Vera) was friendly and attentive and guided us to all the things we ordered and she didn’t steer us wrong!
The food here is simply amazing… no hyperbole… just great food!