Memphis at the Beach

Bring quarters for metered parking. Great chicken salad. DJ Friday night.

Imagine a cozy restaurant in a trendy part of Manhattan Beach, serving piping hot, steaming cornbread with warm, spreadable barbecue honey butter.
Imagine hurricane lamps surrounding the restaurant, flickering in the evening light.
Imagine waiters and busboys fully available to address your needs in a warm, southern hospitable manner.
Imagine feeling like you’re sitting in this beach-​side restaurant, wondering if this location feels more like your living room than someone else’s business.
Sadly, none of this is Memphis at the Beach. NOTHING.
I came here because I had purchased a discount from Living Social ($ 20 for $ 40 of southern beach-​side cuisine). I had intended to bring my family here the week of Christmas for a fun outing. But being the good Unilocaler I am, I read that it’s a good idea to call the restaurant ahead of time to make sure they were open. Thank goodness I did… their hours are extremely limited during the holidays. I only had one day left before my coupon expired (December 30), so an adventurous foodie friend and I set out to try this restaurant, thinking it would be another fun place to eat near the beach.
We arrived at 6 p.m. We waited at the door for about 4 – 5 minutes before a waiter came up to tell us we could sit anywhere. There were only two other parties of two there at the time and a party of 7 or 8 at the lounge/​bar. We sat ourselves at an empty booth against the wall and waited another 5 – 7 minutes before someone came by with a menu. No waiter. It was another 10 minutes before the busboy came by with our silverware, napkins, and waters.
A few minutes later the busboy came by with cornbread pieces and barbecue honey butter. Still no waiter. The cornbread was lightly warmed and the butter was COLD. How were we supposed to spread the butter on the crumbly bread without it falling apart, let alone seeping into all the little nooks in the bread? Sad.
Finally, the waiter came by and apologized for the wait we experienced. We asked about any specials on the menu we should be aware of. He explained that due to the limited holiday hours and the fact that they were switching restaurant concepts they were out of about 4 – 5 menu items. We ordered our drinks (my friend ordered a cocktail) and the waiter left.
5 minutes, 10 minutes pass… where is our waiter?
Oh! Here are our drinks… My friend orders the ribs with coleslaw and mixed veggies. I order the Bison burger with mixed veggies. We ask for more cornbread and ask that we receive WARM honey butter. It’s 6:40 p.m.
More parties are seated, the place is starting to fill up, but nothing too crazy.
6:50 p.m. …7:00 p.m. We haven’t yet received our food. Nor a refresh on our beverages, nor been seen by our waiter in a good 20 minutes. A party of four walks in and they are standing by the door, unhelped. In my irritation, I walk up to them and explain to them the horrible experience my friend and I are having. One of the four explains that she ALSO has a Living Social deal and this was her last opportunity to use it — after, like me, trying to use it throughout the holidays.
7:10 p.m. Still no food, no beverage refresh. The kitchen staff is chuckling in the kitchen. The waiter is no where to be seen. The busboy is trying to expedite orders.
7:12 p.m. A table that was seated 30 minutes after us receives their appetizers. We still haven’t received a refresh or our Cornbread. How long does it take to slap some sauce on pre-​made ribs and grill a burger? Certainly not this long… you’d think.
7:16 p.m. FINALLY! The food arrives — via the busboy! The lettuce on my burger looks like it’s been sitting under the heat lamp for some time. My friend and I agree that the food is tasty (though the coleslaw, which we were told was dressed with a vinaigrette clearly is bound with mayonnaise, sucks). My friend and I eat our meal and are done by 7:30.
The table that received their appetizers are now on their second course. The waiter comes by their table with a beer one of them had ordered, apologizes for them having to wait, and tells them that their drink is comped due to the wait. Oh reeeeallly?
I call the waiter over to us and ask what the heck is going on. I explain that we haven’t seen him in over a half hour, we’ve been in the restaurant for over an hour and a half, and how come our drinks aren’t comped? The waiter explains that they are short staffed (it was just him, the busboy, and the three cooks left to manage the bar, restaurant, and kitchen) and the owner is «at home with his babies.»
The waiter comps our drink and I ask for the bill and a box for leftover ribs. 7:40 p.m. …no check. 7:50 p.m., as we’re ready to walk out because we know we’re under our spending limit for the Coupon, the waiter finally delivers the bill.
Let’s hope the new concept that is put in this space is 1000 times better!

There was something missing here… what was it… ummmm…it’s hard to explain… oh yeah, that’s it… FLAVOR!!! Where in the world did all the flavor go? This is supposed to be southern food? Are you kidding me?
Before I even get to the food, let me expound on the space. I called forty minutes earlier to get a reservation, and the guy who answered the phone merely said «hello?» I was like, «uhhh, hello? Is this Memphis??» I mean, seriously, what kind of greeting is that for a business? For all I knew, I could have called up someone’s house, since he didn’t announce the restaurant name or ask how he could be of assistance.
When we got to the restaurant, it was empty. It was so dark inside, and they were busy doing some sort of decorating with wires and ladders. The boyfriend literally asked me if they were open, and I hesitated, because I was unsure.
Our booth was VERY dark, and unlike most, it’s long instead of deep. Instead of sitting across from each other, or on the same side feeling like a private area, we were at a shallow table facing the rest of the seating area. The space is so strange with these awkward booths and this sheer curtain dividing the eating area from the bar and seating/​waiting area.
The cornbread wasn’t too bad, but the butter was strange. I read a review mentioning raspberry butter. I’m not sure if that was what we got, because I couldn’t identify the flavor. Moreover, my water was sweet (the boyfriend’s wasn’t), and that totally turned me off.
The pork sliders were «meh.» There were onion strings on top (which were barely flavorful) and bbq sauce on the side. However, nothing about this was impressive. I’ve had better bbq sliders at the sampling tables at Costco. If you want bbq pork sliders, goodness gracious, walk down the street to Mucho’s. The carnitas sliders here are SINFUL!
The fried okra threw me into a spin. Wtf IS that? I thought we were eating crunchy air that tasted like water. Not sweet water, but flavorless water. It was truly flavorless. Even though it was supposedly fried, they use some sort of cornmeal batter. Maybe it’s healthier, but it tasted like solid air, covered in tasteless crunchy/​grainy stuff. The dipping sauce didn’t help either, because it was likewise bland. We tried adding salt to it or putting some bbq sauce in it. It was hopeless.
The shrimp tacos were bad. I didn’t want to throw up or anything, but the breading was the same used on the okra. The only memorable flavor from the dish was the cheese. That’s it!!!
The fried chicken was the only redeeming factor in our entire meal. The collard greens were left pretty much untouched, but the chicken was nicely breaded and fried. It was almost perfect. EXCEPT the price tag on this piece of chicken is a whopping $ 17!!! Are you kidding me??? I guess that would be okay on Sunday, when it’s half off, but that’s way too much. It was the best thing we ate, but still…
We didn’t even try dessert, and I’m doubtful we’ll ever come back to do so. :(

I was treating my friend out for her birthday, so she picked this
place after she glanced at the menu online.
We came around 6 on a Wednesday night, and there were about 4 people
in the entire restaurant. I was skeptical at first because of the lack
of diners, but proceeded to grab a table. My friend and I ordered:
+ Southern Crab Cakes: $ 4 for 2 pieces (HH pricing). Good flavour,
with corn and some Old Bay seasoning probably.
+ Goat Cheese & Beet Salad: $ 4 for half order. Good portion for a
starter. It was an arugula salad with light vinaigrette, fried potato
chips, goat cheese and beets. different kind of salad than I had ever
had, but good.
+ Jambalaya: had shrimp, mussels, veggies… It was good but not exceptional
Overall, they had good prices during HH, decent to good food. They
gave us a free dessert of a brownie with a scoop of icecream for my
friend’s bday. The décor is a bit random, but I wouldn’t mark them
down for it. I wouldn’t mind returning, but not my first choice. 3.5
stars for Memphis.

Memphis completely confuses me. From the outside its covered with astroturf and on the inside it looks like a club. Its like hollywood meets the beach and neither side winning and just throwing stuff on top of each other. The food is southern but the servers are dressed all in black. What ever. The space is divided in half one side being the bar and other being the eating side.
They served up some corn bread to start off and as for the food the wife and i ordered a cup of gumbo and split the ribs. The gumbo was actually pretty tasty and the ribs came right off the bone.
The fries on the other hand were a bit oily and i didn’t think they let them sit before they double fried them because they were really limp and not crispy.

After reading that LA Weekly article about Happy Hours (
), I decided to try to hit those places up. The first one listed was this place. After calling to confirm, they indeed have hh and they have it 7 days a week!!!
We arrived probably at 6:20pm, traffic was pretty bad on Highland, and sat our cute little butts down at the bar. The restaurant looks trendy overall and has a clean nice vibe. Nowhere can you spot that it’s supposed to be some southern comfort food place besides the name. Music selection became better with older classics that kinda went with their modern twist.
Everything is $ 4– beers (bottled and drafts), wine, and well cocktails. There are 4 – 5 drafts including Stella, Kona Pale Ale, Shock top, Racer 5 IPA (and ?). The appetizers, also $ 4, include burgers, mini pulled pork sliders (2), chicken wing, gumbo, salad, crab cakes, mussels n clams, etc. There are also daily specials during happy hour (3−7pm), which are more like meals than drinking accompaniments.
We got the gumbo, chicken wings, and pull pork sliders. They were kinda bland and needed some spices that I associate southern food with. The pork sliders were the best with hawaiian sweet bread. The gumbo had a nice consistency but no okra in it (it was described as having some). The chicken wing was cooked well with a nice batter but someone forgot to season it for there were no flavor. Please tabasco it asap!
The bartender was friendly, atmosphere was great, but food wasn’t up to par as I thought it would be. Also, there weren’t many people there as I thought there would be. I suggest that they work on seasoning their foods so that they come with a refreshing kick! Cz you know… you can only drink so much before you get hungry.

Almost rubbed my eyes in disbelief, awe-​struck, & dead-​stop in my tracks when I saw the beloved name & sign while on a casual date stroll. Really? Could it be… spawned another sibling to the Memphis family of Southern Comfort Foods? Turkish companion & I are all too eager for that comfort! And of all places to discover a fond fave after having fun HH time w/​bar scensters:
Good thing we got hungry… to order all this yum stuff, all ab/​$ 40 split for 2:
1) Cajun Trio ‘Tizers — giant prawns bask in sauces w/​sausages & arugula?
2) Fried Sesame covered Okras — yup, some okies are super ok!
3) The Filet Steak Chef Special — served w/​mashies & finger-​thick plump green asparagus.
4) Complimentary CornBread Cubes w/​Raspberry Butter? Speaking of butta –service was top-​notch smooth too!
Dang-​nabit! Sooo goood — like their other 2Memphis — lite fare, saved desserts for another random, happen-​2b-​da-​hood day.
Conclusion: As w/​most siblings contending for spotlight attention… can’t really choose… since all reasonably outstanding children deserves luv equally!

I’m a huge fan of the Costa Mesa Memphis, so when I saw Memphis at the Beach while walking around the Manhattan Beach area, I dropped all plans and got a table.
The food at this location is possibly even better than at the other location. Yes, the menu is a little different from the other locations, but there are some great dishes that you can get here and not at the other.
I had a dish off their BBQ menu, which is a selection of barbecued meats with their home made BBQ sauce and a choice of two sides. I had the beef, which was tender and delicious, and chose the gumbo and mac & cheese as my sides. Both were great, and I was finally able to convince my partner that mac and cheese can be delicious. To drink I had a Kona Fire Pale Ale.
Since I’ve only been once, I can’t say anything about the wait staff in general, but the waiter we had was attentive, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the menu.

My friend and I ended up here because Mama D’s was closed for lunch. After driving past Mama D’s, we spotted Memphis and I remember that they were known for their fried chicken. I was in the mood for fried stuff, so that was how we ended up here.
Memphis is a super contemporary restaurant. Very, very trendy inside. I can go on and on about how contemporary it is, but it is better to look at the Unilocal pics, as pictures are worth 1000 words.
When my friend and I stepped foot into the restaurant, we were a bit surprised that we were the only ones. It was noon time, so I expected more people.
Moving on to the food. I ordered the infamous buttermilk fried chicken and substituted my sides with fries and onion straws. When the plate came out, it looked really promising, but after one bite of the fried chicken, I was disappointed. It really wasn’t flavorful for me. Personally, I think my friend, Thi N., makes the best fried chicken. So when I eat fried chicken, I can’t help it, but compare it to hers. And the french fries and onion straws was a big disappointment for me too. The french fries looked and tasted like In-​N-​Out fries. Now, I usually like In-​N-​Out fries, but I wasn’t expecting a copycat at a nice, contemporary restaurant. As for the onion straws, it was too oily and flavorless. Biting into it tasted like eating oil. I ended up finishing all my chicken (since I paid a lot of moola for it).
My friend ordered the pulled pork sandwich and gumbo. She said that she finished it, only because she was hungry.

I… don’t…get…it?
Soooooo let me get this straight so that we’re on the same page here.
The concept is to serve soul food, at the beach, in California while the establishment is decorated like a bad German Airport lounge playing Nelly and glowing like a fashion show runway?
What???
Like a man who leaves the house wearing «skinny jeans» the inventor of the concept should be slapped in the face, told to go home, change and try again.
Sorry Memphis.

I prefer the original Memphis in Costa Mesa. Most of the menu is the same but they do not have the ahi tacos which are so good at the other location.
The food was good but the flavors and overall experience was not up to par with the other location. I would still go back, the pulled pork sandwich is good, the cornbread is awesome, and the food overall is good. Just not great.
Give it a try, I am sure you will like it. I am just spoiled with the other location.

Rolled into here yesterday for lunch with my workmates, it was on a suggestion from one of them as there was a bet htat had to be paid off.
Parking was a bit of a walk when you’ve got a big truck, lots of metered parkiing about.
We got her what I though was a bit late but there was no one in the place so seating was where ever we liked. Tables where moved with no fuss and we settled in nicely in the modern deco place. Our server was friendly and attentive, even when more patrond began to populate the spacious place.
I chose the barbeque chicken sandwich and a house salad… I read the previous review and I agree with her remarks for the most part though the dressing wasn’t so heavy for me, I found I did finish it completely! And that what i did with my sandwich! I picked out some of the onion and the pickles, just not my thing. The chicken was cooked just right, it was a good portion, and it had a sauce on it that had a great tang to it to not get lost with the thousand island dressing that is also dressed with. No iceburg! Iceburg is good but not on something on the higher price end, so, this sandwich brings the top end!
My coworkers all ordered the fried chicken and it looked great, my friend remarked that the green with it too also rocked with plenty of butter and salt!
$ 3 was really too much for ice tea even though it’s hot brewed and chilled. Just leave a few jugs out each day with some tea bags fo gosh sakes! That much for icetea makes me wonder about the bar prices… Well, I’ll update this when I hit there bar one evening. So yeah, I’ll come back. :o]

I first discovered Memphis when I worked in the OC several years ago, and was thrilled to learn that they opened a new location in LA.
The décor and vibe in this location is completely different – very trendy and cool. They were projecting the TV onto the sheer curtain separating the space. Costa Mesa location was mostly patio if I recall.
My friend and I decided to go the small plates route, after sharing a bottle of wine (half price wine Wednesdays!):
1) Popcorn Shrimp Tacos were just as great as I remembered. The shrimp are lightly fried in a cornmeal batter, and there is a great blend of tastes.
2) Cornmeal Fried Chicken Salad: Also a winner. Great dressing, not overdone, and also full of flavor.
3) Smoked Chicken and Brie Quesadilla: Too heavy on the brie cheese, but the avocado salsa is great.
4) Pulled pork sliders: Covered with yummy onion rings. I didn’t actually have one of these, but my friend said that the pork wasn’t overly shredded, and he enjoyed them.
Service was fast, friendly and efficient. I’ll definitely be back.

Excellent Southern food with a cosmopolitan twist! It’s not pure Southern, but it is delicious none the less. The atmosphere is very modern, which I like.
Try the meatloaf with the country gravy, not the red wine gravy.
One question, how do you call yourself Memphis and not even have ribs on the menu? Memphis is famous for dry rub BBQ.
FYI…I just heard ribs are coming to the menu. I’ll be back to try for sure.

Memphis at the Santora in Santa Ana has long been one of my fave OC watering holes, so I jumped at the chance to grab a drink (or three or four) at this location when I was in MB last week.
All I really have to say is, helllooooo astroturf walls! Love, love, LOVE it! Other than that, splendid service, Shock Top on tap, and some good ol’ fashioned bourbon. Definitely a friendly bar to hang out at and the atmosphere inside is a just peachy.
Looks like they’ve got a one helluva happy hour too, definitely comin’ back to try those sliders and cornbread.

Did not partake of the food here, but… I did fall in for a drink at the bar and loved the beachy space full of funky art and green turf lined exterior as well as the absolutely solid cocktail I had… a light and refreshing, vodka spiked muddled blueberry lemonade. If I hadn’t had a drive home to look forward to, I could’ve easily sipped down two or three and happily stumbled down to the beach… or to the little nail salon I spied across the way. Definitely one of the better cocktails I’ve had in a while.
Given my rather strong opinions on Southern food outside of the south, it’s probably just as well I stuck to drinking here, but for that, the vibe and the über friendly service alone, I’d definitely come back.

I have now officially been to every Memphis and I must say, they are consistently good all around.
The menu is pretty much the same at each location but the quality and down-​home feel of their food is exceptional.
Price: Dinner $ 7 +
Try this: Fried baby spinach as a side order. If you like seaweed, you’ll like this. I’m a big fan of Haricot Vert (french green beans) and theirs are delicious. Fresh squeezed OJ is a hit with the kids.
Service: This location is the only time that I’ve ever questioned their service. Our waitress was either flirting with my cousin for a good tip or just flirting… either way not cool in front of his wife and kids and he was definitely uncomfortable. It’s possible that she was just an airhead because I asked for iced tea three times and finally got it half-​way through my meal.
Kid Friendly: Kid’s menu/crayons…and a changing table in the restroom.
Downside: Parking in Manhattan beach can be brutal.
Overall impression: I go for the food… it’s down home southern food with an edge. I have never had anything there that I didn’t like. Great place to hang out with friends and family.

Trendy up-​scale Southern style food. The décor is weird for this type of food, but it’s cute. Very spacious. Really close to the beach. Stopped by to chill after a long day at the beach. They serve some decent cocktails, yummy desserts and their sweet potato fries are amazing. Their carrot cakes are a must try as well. Nom Nom.

This place used to be Towne. But Memphis at the Beach did a much better job making the most out of the space. They took out all of the dividing walls and really opened it up, which is nice. However, noise in this place echos, and it gets really loud. I was there for drinks and apps, so that didn’t really bother me, but if you went with a family or on a date, it might be a little much.
The bar /​cocktail lounge area of Memphis is pretty cool, even though the bar itself is small. There are 10 or so tables surrounding the bar, with room to stand if its really busy. Pretty standard drinks for MB in terms of quality and price.
The menu was a little bit disappointing, but was happy with what I ordered. I was expecting more southern gumbo-​esque dishes, but there was only one gumbo, and didnt have the stomach to order it last night. I got the Bison burger, and it was good. Nothing too special, but overall a good experience. Its definitely worth checking out, especially if you live in MB.

Ok so I’ll be honest, I was not expecting a lot from this place when we turned the corner and I saw the awkward looking building façade. I expected even less when we actually entered the restaurant. It’s hard to describe, but the theme/​décor is just off here. It’s supposed to be Southern food, so one would expect brown leather sofas, a warm and cozy atmosphere, and a 300 lb Southern man nursing a goblet of Bourban on the porch (ok, maybe not the last part, but you know what I mean).
Instead, you’re greeted with this funky grass wall covering on the front of the restaurant, and the inside has this almost weird, Star Trekky type feel with a glowing wall partition, and a bar and tables/​seating arrangement that looks like they were attempting to go for the «modern clean» look, but didn’t quite make it. At some moments when the sun was shining through the blinds I really felt like we were in an office building caferia.
ANYWAYS– appearances notwithstanding, I always rate the food at restaurants, not the lack of proper interior design. With that said, the food here was surprisingly good.
We started off with the crab cakes and pulled pork sliders as apps. Both were very, very good. The sliders come on those little Hawaiian bread rolls: strong to quite strong. Everyone enjoyed those.
Next up, I got the fried chicken with potatoes/​gravy (this was the favorite among our table, soild solid choice). My friend ordered pan roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, while our other friend ordered the ribeye, which was good, but I guess slightly on the dry side.
Our waitress underplayed the carrot cake and talked up the chocolate soufflee, but I felt the opposite: IMHO the carrot cake was PHENOMENAL while the soufflee, was good, but not great.
Overall, the food was great. The restaurant just opened two weeks ago so I think they’re still working out the kinks in terms of service and getting everything streamlined. For instance, when we received our appetizers we had to flag down a server to bring us plates. But overall, the service is quite good, and the owner Kevin is very friendly and cordial. Highly recommend this place and I’ll definitely be back.