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Blues City Cafe

Item: Blues City Cafe
Author: Sally Walker Davies

Type: Bar, Late Night / After Hours, Live Music

10Best Says

Blues City Cafe, in the heart of Memphis's nightlife scene, offers the right ingredients for a perfect evening � terrific food and great blues (played right next door at the Band Box). While some folks may dispute the place's claim to the title of "Best Meal on Beale," Blues City does in fact serve a wide range of tasty, down-home delicacies, like barbecued ribs, chicken, steaks and fried catfish. If the rustic interior looks familiar, that's because you saw it in the film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm.

Address:

138 Beale St
Memphis, TN 38103

Phone:

901-526-3637

Website:

bluescitycafe.com

Hours:

Daily 11am-3am

Admissions:

Cover Charge: Free - $10

EXPERT TIPS BY: Sally Walker Davies
Memphis Local Expert

Early Entertainment: "The Band Box is a small but excellent venue - so arrive a bit early and anchor your spot by ordering a drink."

Best for Early Entertainment Because: The Band Box at Blues City offers an early show most days, with start times of 5, 7:30, or 8 p.m.

Main Menu
- Beale Street Appetizers
  Sausage and Cheese Platter
  
  "The Beale Street Throw Down" – Hickory smoked sausage, assortment of cheeses, kosher dill pickle chips, crunchy bread and butter pickle chips, & mild pepperoncinis w/ BBQ sauce for dipping ($10.95)
  
  Cheese Fries
  
  A mound of steak fries smothered with our melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend ($8.95)
  
  Chili Cheese Fries
  
  Our cheese fries topped with our homemade chili ($9.95)
  
  BBQ Pork Fries
  
  Our cheese fries topped with our Famous BBQ Pork ($10.95)
  
  Gumbo Cheese Fries
  
  Our cheese fries smothered in our World Famous Seafood Gumbo. NBA Great Chris Webber has tweeted about these babies ($11.95)
  
  Stuffed Mushrooms
  
  A cast iron skillet filled with fresh button mushroom caps stuffed with a shrimp and crabmeat mix and sauteed in garlic butter ($8.95)
  
  Seafood au Gratin
  
  Lump crabmeat, shrimp, and crawfish in a white cream sauce topped with bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese. Served with garlic croutons ($8.95)
  
  3 Way Skillet Shrimp
  
  Half dozen mouth watering shrimp served 3 ways! Your choice: Garlic broiled, Cajun BBQ'd, or Golden fried ($8.95)
  
  Memphis Soul Stew
  Delta stew made with strip steak, onions, carrots, potatoes and more. Served with Texas toast
  
  Cup: $4.50
  
  Bowl: $6.95
  Seafood Gumbo
  Very spicy! Roux based gumbo loaded with veggies, shrimp, crawfish, catfish, and more. You'll either Like it, or Love it!
  
  Cup: $5.95
  
  Bowl: $8.95
  "Chef Larry's" Down South Turnip Greens
  Turnip greens, Italian sausage for flavor, hot sauce, and a special blend of spices make these greens something you will never forget
  
  Cup: $4.50
  
  Bowl: $6.95
- World's Best Tamales
  World's Best Tamales
  Blues City's own blend of choice beef, peppers, and spices, rolled in cornmeal, wrapped and steamed
  
  3 For: $5.95
  
  6 For: $10.50
  
  With a Cup of Homemade Chili: $7.50
  
  With a Bowl of Homemade Chili: $13.95
  Our World Famous Homemade Chili with Texas Toast
  Cup: $4.50
  
  Bowl: $6.95
- Salads
  
  BBQ Chopped Salad
  
  Lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onions chopped and tossed in the dressing of your choice. Topped with a mound of our famous BBQ pork and garlic croutons ($9.95)
  
  Blues City's Caesar Salad
  
  Romaine lettuce chopped and tossed in Blues City's Caesar dressing and topped with parmesan cheese and garlic croutons ($6.95)
  
  Southern Fried Chicken Chopped Salad
  
  Our fresh salad mix chopped and tossed in one of our dressings. Topped with two hand battered and Southern fried chicken tenderloins and homemade garlic croutons ($9.95)
  
  House Salad
  
  Iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onions served with a side of dressing and garlic croutons ($4.95)
  
  Marinated Salad
  
  Our fresh salad mix smothered in our secret lemon garlic marinade and topped with parmesan cheese and homemade garlic croutons ($4.95)
- Hand Cut and Oven Broiled Steaks
  
  Cowboy Cut Ribeye (24 oz)
  
  So good it'll make a bull dog bust his chain! ($33.95)
  
  Memphis Strip Steak
  
  Over a pound of choice hand-cut strip loin cooked to perfection ($24.95)
- Family Style Sirloin, T-Bone, and Porter House Steaks
  
  T-Bone (2 Lb)
  
  ($18.50)
  
  Porterhouse (3 Lb)
  
  ($18.95)
  
  Sirloin (4.5, 5.62 or 6.75 Lb)
  
  Sirloin Steaks serve up to 6 people ($18.50)
- Shrimp, Fish, and Chicken
  Golden Fried Catfish Plate
  
  A generous portion of our "Simmons Brothers" Mississippi farm raised catfish, filleted and hand battered with our own cornmeal and spice breading, then golden fried. Served with coleslaw, new potatoes or steak fries, homemade tartar sauce, and Texas toast ($16.95)
  
  Southern Fried Chicken Tenders
  
  Ripped, stripped, and hand battered. Served with steak fries and your choice of honey mustard or BBQ sauce ($9.95)
  
  Iron Skillet Shrimp
  Served 2 ways: Garlic broiled or Cajun BBQ'd. Served with cole slaw, new potatoes or steak fries, and Texas toast
  
  Half Dozen: $9.95
  
  Dozen: $15.95
  Golden Fried Shrimp
  Served with cole slaw, new potatoes or steak fries, and Texas toast
  
  Half Dozen: $9.95
  
  Dozen: $15.95
- Beale Street's Best BBQ Ribs
  Beale Street's Best BBQ Ribs
  Tender, juicy pork ribs rubbed with our secret seasoning, hickory smoked & basted with our maple BBQ sauce. Ribs are slow-cooked to perfection so the meat slips right off the bone. Served with baked beans, steak fries, coleslaw and Texas toast
  
  Half Rack: $15.95
  
  Full Rack: $25.95
- The Best Meal on Beale Combo
  
  The Best Meal on Beale Combination Platter
  
  Can't make up your mind??? Get the best of the best. Half rack of our world famous ribs and a catfish fillet served with baked beans, cole slaw, new potatoes or steak fries, Texas toast, and tartar sauce ($19.95)
- Down Home Desserts
  
  Apple Dumpling with Ice Cream
  
  Baked apple wrapped in pastry seared with butter in a cast iron skillet. Drizzled with cinnamon and served with vanilla ice cream ($6.95)
  
  Hot Fudge Brownie with Ice Cream
  
  Brownie and vanilla ice cream drizzled with hot fudge ($6.95)
  
  Southern Pecan Pie ala Mode
  
  Generous portion of pecan pie. Served with vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon caramel drizzle ($6.95)
Sandwiches
- Po Boys and Sandwiches
  BBQ Pork Po Boy
  
  A heaping portion of our in house smoked pork shoulder served on a fresh baked hoagie roll. Smothered in our famous Blues City Cafe BBQ Sauce with a side of coleslaw ($8.95)
  
  Catfish Po Boy
  
  A locally raised Simmons Bros. Catfish filet coated in our own signature cornmeal breading and fried to a golden brown served on a fresh baked hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato and onion. Served with homemade Tartar Sauce ($9.95)
  
  Fried Chicken Sandwich
  
  Two freshly breaded chicken tenderloins golden fried and served on a freshly baked Potato Bun with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle chips and onion ($7.50)
  
  Cajun Style Grilled Chicken Sandwich
  Grilled chicken dusted with Cajun seasoning served on a freshly baked Potato Bun with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle chips and onion
  
  $7.50
  
  W/ Cheese: $8.00
  Blues Burger
  A Beale Street favorite. Hand patted ground beef served on a freshly baked Potato Bun with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle chips and onion
  
  $7.95
  
  W/ Cheese: $8.45

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