Escape Alley Sundry

Nice friendly place, great atmosphere.

Open only 4 weeks, Escape Alley takes the name of the Alley that runs beside it, «General Washburn’s Escape Alley”(something about the Civil War — Google It.), and is kind of like visiting a friend’s home for beers, food and music.
A few things to know up front: This spot will surely become a popular Edge neighborhood hangout; it is currently CASH ONLY (ATM on premisis); Free WI-​FI, and hours 11AM-​10PM Tuesday-​Saturday (some other times by special arrangement). Live music on the weekends will start at 7PM, for those who like to grab dinner and move on to the later venues, or for folks like me who like to be home by 10PM.
To describe Escape Alley in one word: Comfortable.
The menu even contains items you might fix at home: Hot Dog, Bologna lettuce and tomato, pimento cheese and peanut butter and honey sandwiches, plus garden salads with homemade dressings and other comforting menu items.
With the free Wi-​Fi, daytime hours and coffee, this will be a great place to chill during the day or catch lunch with friends, as well as for early dinner and beers in the über-​artsy Edge District. Owners Jo Boone and Russell Wild seem very flexible for private gatherings and welcome your ideas on how to make the place even cooler. Check it out! See you there!

Friday afternoon was the grand opening of the brand new Escape Alley Sundry on Marshall in that strange little neighborhood between Downtown and Midtown.
The Escape Alley is part café, part bar and part venue. Sitting in the restaurant part of the building is like sitting on a classic Southern front porch on a summer evening. There’s stuff everywhere — old maps of Memphis, paintings of rock’n’rollers, an old bike hanging from the ceiling. There are baskets of Moon Pies and jars of pickled things on the counters, and some soft bluegrass was playing through a stereo in the corner.
I must have gotten there before the grand opening festivities got underway, because there were only a few people in the restaurant. The menu is small, but everything on it is less than $ 7. There are tamales, shrimp cocktail, salads, nachos and sandwiches, as well as a cereal of the day and a few dessert choices.
I ordered an all-​beef hotdog with mustard, ketchup and relish and a Pabst.
The hotdog was huge — it stuck out over both sides of the bun. It was really good, though. You can get chips or fruit on the side. My lunch companion had the tamales, which were covered in beans, cheese and onions.
Right now, the Escape Alley is cash only. According to their menu, they’re open from 11 a.m. — 8 p.m., Tuesday — Saturday (and «maybe some other times»). They’ve got free wireless internet.