Newby’s

Just visited the new and improved Newby’s after waiting over a year for my favorite bar to reopen. The renovations are great! It still feels like Newby’s but just an updated version. I think the most important thing is that they have bathrooms you don’t have to be scared to use! While I wish they had kept a pool table and the dart machines, I digress. The menu is still filled with classic bar staples; burgers, pizza, wings, etc. My boyfriend and I shared the wings and a bbq chicken pizza (even though we ordered buffalo chicken). The wings were great and are ordered by the pound. The pizza was also really good with the exception of the edges being burnt. I was told by the owner that they will be working on that. They have 18 beers on tap using the newly popular «bottoms up» system. Believe them when they tell you not to press the button on the bottom of your cup! They salvaged the stage from the old Newby’s and they plan on having live music multiple nights each week. All in all I’m proud everything the new bar has grown into. It may not be the same dive so many of us regulars grew to love, but I’ll definitely be back to catch a band or two and watch this place grow! Congrats to Larry. Thanks for keeping Newby’s alive!

Newbys is now closed after many years. I had many great memories there. My favorite and highest honor was my band, The Jimmy Hudson Band opened up for Col Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit as our first gig. They had 2 great stages and many national acts performed there.

I have lived in the University District/​NS since 2009 and have never been in the restaurant/​bar area. Aside from dingy, dive-​like interior, they had polite bartenders and games to play. The space was accommodating for the large crowd at an event they hosted. I would go back with a group should we be walking in that area.

I was a regular, then an employee! Loved it so much, I bought the place! One thing I’ll never forget, Newbys is your Bar!

I recently had the most fun night ever here at Newby’s! Great drinks (try the Rockstar) and friendly bar tenders and WOW is this place HUGE! Great place for parties and events as it seems the rooms never end, plus they have a back patio with an outdoor bar. I hear they have bands perform here as well, which I can’t wait to check out. We played foosball and they have pool tables so there is always something fun to keep you entertained. Though we decided to play charades and some man got extremely angry that we were being loud… We were nice about it and moved into another area of the bar (because it is a bar and people are expected to be loud…) and the manager couldn’t have handled it better! He followed us to our new table and treated us to a round of drinks as an apology for the rude patron at the bar. How nice! We will for sure be back! Thanks Newby’s for an awesome night!

This place is great. Heart of Memphis. Rocking out on the Touch Tunes jukebox. Great bartenders. I recommend this place for sure.,

It’s been years since I’ve been in a college bar so I’ll admit that my opinion may be swayed by age. The staff was pleasant, the pricing was fair but the place needs some work. Water was pooled in the restroom floor and the ceiling leaked on me in the stall and while washing my hands. The air was out which may have been a temporary issue and may have been why my feet were sticking to the floor. I have seen a few memorable shows there and I’m sure I’ll be back to see another at some point.

I’m going to step away from the norm here and write something positive about Newbys.
It is a grungy spot with a little bar, and standard bar food. You’re at a spot in the university district, that is the entire area out there. So, plan your shows accordingly. If you want a polished place, go to one. They exist, but don’t complain when you’re also paying $ 15 a drink.
That being said the staff over at Newbys actually gives a damn about the community, the owner Todd routinely donates the spot for fund-​raisers, and benefits of various types. Depending on the engineer the sound is great, the drinks are affordable, parking isn’t wonderful, but it isn’t the worse in Memphis. I actually get excited going into Newbys. I dig the stage, I dig the lights and I have fun going here because it is just a grungy dive bar with a great stage… I don’t expect it to become Cinderella and become alchemy with a stage.

Dive bar with occasional good music. Decent beer prices, not overly grumpy bartenders, and a good location.
They do allow smoking, and most bands have covers.
Not bad, but nothing special.

So on one Monday night, a coworker of mine and I were hungry as hell but we were sick of eating the usual late night WaHo. So we decided to check out Juicy Jim’s, which hours posted open til 3AM. We were so excited since pizza (and not the chain BS) was on our mind. When we got there, our hearts were broken when they weren’t even open– and this was around 1AM. F’in tease.
Since we were parked, we decided to walk up the street and see what in the hell else was around. We stumbled upon a place that looked open, so we decided to check it out. I had no idea what the place was called, but they had drinks and that’s all that mattered (since it’s not like we were going to get food). We got carded, but didn’t have to pay a cover (I would hope not, it’s freakin 1AM on a Monday). Upon entering, I was excited to see the vibe. It reminded me of one of those old school bars you always see in a movie.
We went to the bar, loaded up on brew, and noticed there was a room with foosball, darts, and pool tables. That is where we decided to hang out. In there, it dawned on me this place may or may not be called Newby’s.
They have some interesting mixed drinks– like the rockstar and the zombie. I dare you to drink a few of each. You will probably be stumbling! The Monday night bartender is pretty cute too, but I have no idea her name. All great reasons to come back.
So for the next 3 Mondays, we decided to go back. And believe it or not, we still got carded by the same guy every visit. You would think the same tall white guy coming in with a short black guy 4 Mondays in a row you might put 2 n 2 together and realize it’s the same 2 people ordering the same damn drinks tying up your pool table– but whatev.
On our last visit, it almost seemed like we were getting kicked out, claiming its a «Monday» and they want to wrap up. It was like 2 – 215. What if we wanted to keep drinking? Not like we were stirring up trouble. Hell, we were tame that night compared to the other nights we were there. That rubbed me the wrong way, enough to prevent it from getting 5 stars (almost enough to knock it to 3).
Another thing about this place, is that they have a lot of bands play here as well. I got to see a band called Bone Jugs and Harmony, and believe it or not they weren’t half bad.
Oh yea, and one last thing, the bathroom here, well, I hope you aren’t a germophobe or wear a diaper or go in the alley because it is charming to say the least.

Thanks to Newbys for doing the crawfish platter on Wed nights during the season. Thanks also to Todd, for the special emails getting 3 lbs for the cost of 2!
Good service, good food, I’ll be back.

This place is DISGUSTING! I’m not even sure where to start. Should it be the slopping concrete floor, the «ambiance» of darkness so you can’t see exactly what is causing your shoes to stick to the floor, the bar is tiny, overpriced and dirty. Careful when you use the restroom, the doors don’t close, the toilet I’m not sure has ever been cleaned and when you wash your hands the sink drains onto your shoes.
The stage doesn’t seem too bad, although I have never seen it up close. I refuse to pay $ 30 for «VIP» seating that should be somewhere around $ 5, at least for the shows I have seen. I would never recommend this place to anyone for anything but as long as Groupon keeps selling tickets I will keep attending, I have high hopes that «it’ll be better this time».

Wow. This place puts the «grunge» in grunge rock. I have been here a number of times now, and it always amazes me how amazingly gross this place is. On the plus side, the music is usually so loud it wont allow you to focus on what’s floating in your drink, and the train wreck you’re probably watching on stage (if your experience is anything like mine) will leave with the dubious impression that you would rather watch paint dry. All five coats.
I don’t know how this abomination continues to survive on Highland. And I don’t know why I have the sudden desire to defend it. But i do. Sure, Newby’s is gross. But they unabashedly accept their grossness. They thrive on it. It’s almost a point of pride, it seems. They want to out-​gross, out-​seed, and out-​slime the grossest, slimiest, seediest places there are. You remember watching the movie Snakes on a Plane? A movie so terrible the whole crew made an effort to OWN the terribleness? Newby’s is the real life embodiment of tounge in cheek over –the –top comically bad everything. The bathrooms? So disgusting they must have been staged. The seating? So terrible it’s literally non existent-​unless you pay for a VIP pass, which is not worth it. The beverages? Well, a can of PBR starts at $ 3.50. ‘Nuff Said. The «talent»? Imagine Samuel L. Jackson’s worst movie. Even worse than Snakes on a Plane. Are you thinking The Man, starring the always terrible Eugene Levy? OK, now imagine a live reenactment of The Man, with every character played by Eugene Levy, with musical accompaniment by Eugene Levy, and written, directed, and produced by Eugen Levy. Can you imagine how terrible that would be? That’s pretty much every show at Newby’s. And we haven’t even mentioned the obviously-too-old-to-still-frequent-this-place-but-i-still-come-to-show-I’m-cool old people that permeate the crowd.
I’m always anxious to go back, though, just to see how terrible the next visit will be. Ill be the guy who is obviously too old to still frequent this place, but still comes to show he’s cool drinking a $ 3.50 can of PBR.

Great place for shows but NO SEATS OR WINE

Newbys– the college bar you never graduate from :) Love the place! So many memories made here. And seen SO MUCH great live music!

I’m a bit of a priss. I’ll admit it. That’s why people are always surprised I hang out at Newby’s. Yes, it is a hole in the wall, and yes, it is not fancy. It doesn’t have to be… because it is awesome! Plus that whole dive thing is part of its charm.
Newby’s has fantastic live music with reasonably priced drinks and just good, greasy bar food (not to mention pool, but that’s not really my thing). Some nights they are jam-​packed and other nights it is low-​key. It doesn’t matter. Both ways are great.
As far as alcohol… I’m normally a champagne girl, which of course they don’t have, so I had to venture out of my comfort zone. I typically don’t drink liquor because I hate the taste, but what they make with flavored vodka tastes like grape juice and gummy bears. Delicious!

This is probably my favorite live music venue in Memphis. I’ve had some epic New Years in here and had some damn fine times on many other regular occasions as well. This is the first place I was introduced to the chilled Jägermeister tap machine. They have one side that is more of a bar/​restaurant while the other side is a giant theater room for live music. This is a great dive that always seems to draw an energetic crowd and I’ve danced the night away on more occasions than I can count.

Performing at Newby’s stage has been some of the greatest times that I’ve had. The lighting & sound are great. The staff is very helpful. My whole troupe loves Skinny! He is so helpful!

I’ve been going to Newby’s for more than 15 years, so giving it less than 5 stars just seems wrong. An institution on the Highland strip, Newby’s is a favorite with U of M students, neighborhood regulars, and live music fans.
The place is huge, with a regular bar area complete with dining tables, a large pool room, and a gigantic room with stage for live music. I’ve frequented them all.
The food is pretty good for bar food. I love their cheese fries– a big plate of crispy fries topped with tons of melted cheese and sour cream. Good times.
When I was in college, Newby’s was the place to be during the holidays, as old friends came back to town to celebrate the holidays with their families, stopping in at Newby’s after hours. Super T plays every Thanksgiving (at least I think he still does) and always draws a huge crowd.
I don’t go as much as I used to, but I’ll pop in occasionally to see a great live band. Love me some Newby’s.

Oh, you can’t help but like this restaurant/​bar. I’m about 5 plus years out of college, but it makes me miss the ‘old’ days.
It’s kind of a rough and tumble place, with signage randomly placed around, the cushions a little worn, and a slight scent of ‘let’s drink away the exam panic’, mixed with flirtation, and the excitement of youth and possibilty. So, basically I felt a *little* out of place, as most were early twenty-​somethings, but no one gave me the side-​eye.
I watched a drunk student attempt to plug in the punch-​out game for a good ten minutes. People were easy-​going, and enjoying the relaxed hang-​out vibe.
The alcohol situation is basic, but decent, and prices are reasonable. I wandered a bit and saw a decent-​sized outdoor patio with a few tables, and adorned with Christmas lights, and at the other end, walked into an area near a performance area featuring (for $ 5 cover) a decent-​sounding rock band.