Restaurants that opened and closed in February
Six restaurants — plus one candy shop — opened in Memphis during February. Here’s a look at what is new, along with two restaurants we said goodbye to.
OPENINGS Guthrie’s Golden Fried Chicken Fingers
On Feb. 3, Guthrie’s Chicken opened its second Memphis location. The new restaurant is at 180 S. Germantown Parkway, across the street from the Agricenter.
Guthrie’s Chicken opened its first Memphis location on Dec. 19 in Cordova at 8705 Dexter Road.
The Alabama-based chain is known for “golden fried” chicken fingers. Guthrie’s famous chicken fingers can be ordered as a three-piece snack, by the box in a dinner portion or by the bucket (with 25 pieces).
180 S. Germantown Parkway; (901) 249-7175; guthrieschicken.com
Takashi Bistro
Takashi Bistro opened its doors on Feb. 4. The new 78-seat restaurant at 1680 Union Ave. features Japanese and Thai cuisine, including sushi.
The restaurant is owned by veteran restaurateurs Roy Ng, Tony Leong and Sonny Mei. Mei is the executive chef.
Located in the space that was formerly a Pei Wei restaurant, Takashi features an open kitchen for customers to watch the chefs in action. The new owners added a full-service bar and a sushi bar to the space.
The menu is similar to that at their Southaven restaurant Akita Sushi and Hibachi Steakhouse. The main difference is there is no hibachi table in the dining room. Instead, hibachi items are made to order in the kitchen.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
1680 Union Ave.; (901) 800-2936; takashibistro.com
Dinstuhl’s
On Feb. 6, Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies opened a new location in Downtown Memphis. It is the first Downtown storefront for the 118-year old candy company in more than 40 years.
All its famous candies such as cashew crunch, chocolate-covered turtelettes, pecan rolls and hand-crafted cream and nut-filled chocolates will be available at the new 1,600-square-foot shop at 147 S. Main St.
The new store is located between Lenny’s Grill & Subs and The Majestic Grille near the corner of South Main Street and Peabody Place.
147 S. Main St.; (901) 552-4505; dinstuhls.com
The Wing Guru
The Wing Guru opened its third Memphis-area restaurant on Feb. 14. The new Southaven restaurant (7090 Malco Blvd.) is located just down the street from the Malco Desoto Cinema Grill.
Expect all the favorite menu items that can be found at the Bartlett and Mt. Moriah locations.
The Wing Guru’s menu offers 21 flavors of wings, with more in the works.
Owner Billy Richmond pays attention to every detail. The boneless chicken served is fresh, never frozen and cut in-house. The Wing Guru uses only premium gluten-free oil in its fryers. Customer service is also a priority. The restaurants are neat and clean with fun branding on the walls.
In addition to party and whole wings, the menu includes boneless wings, fried chicken sandwiches, fried catfish and burgers.
7090 Malco Blvd., Suite 113; (662) 253-8716; thewingguru.com
Porch & Parlor
The long-awaited Porch & Parlor opened Feb. 17 in Overton Square.
A Southern steakhouse, Porch & Parlor is the fourth restaurant for Tom Powers and Russ Graham. The duo also own award-winning restaurants Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar, Southern Social and Coastal Fish Company.
The new restaurant at 2125 Madison Ave. is located in the heart of Overton Square in the 6,500-square-foot building that was formerly Bar Louie.
The renovation to the building was extensive, and the end result is a white tablecloth restaurant with seating for more than 200 people inside and out. The restaurant is totally unrecognizable from its former life as Bar Louie.
All the traditional prime cuts of steak — from filet to New York strip to a bone-in rib-eye — are offered. A selection of entrees, that includes dishes like Louisiana Redfish with a Jambalaya Risotto Cake and Roasted Joyce Farms Chicken with Boursin Stuffing, are also on the menu.
An assortment of sides, including dishes like Lobster Mac-n-cheese and Truffle Honey Tater Tots, is available to accompany your steak.
The restaurant is open for dinner only.
2125 Madison Ave.; (901) 725-4000; porchandparlor.com
Crazy Cactus Mexican Restaurant
Crazy Cactus opened Feb. 17 at 4090 Summer Ave. in the building that was formerly La Herradura.
The new restaurant features traditional Mexican fare and a full bar. It is the second restaurant in the Memphis area for the restaurant; the first location opened four years ago in Olive Branch at 7142 Mississippi 305 North.
Gone is the store in the back that La Herradura was known for, instead you will find more seating and a stage for live entertainment, such as Crazy Cactus’ weekly Friday karaoke nights.
The restaurant is open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner.
4090 Summer Ave.; (901) 207-2881
Fam
Downtown Asian eatery Fam has expanded to East Memphis.
On Feb. 21, the restaurant opened its second location at 521 S. Highland St. on the Highland Strip.
“We had such a good year Downtown, then this space opened up and it was such a good opportunity,” said coowner Ian Vo of the decision to open a second location near the University of Memphis.
Fam opened its first location in Downtown Memphis in November 2018. Located at 149 Madison Ave., the fast-casual restaurant quickly became a favorite for Downtown diners.
The new restaurant, which has a light-filled dining room with a comfortable and casual vibe, is slightly larger than the original location, with seating for 58 guests.
At both locations, Fam serves Asian fare such as sushi, rice bowls and noodle bowls with a healthy spin and an emphasis on freshness.
521 S. Highland St., Suite 101; (901) 249-2636; orderfam.com
CLOSINGS Elemento Neapolitan Pizza
Elemento Neapolitan Pizza permanently closed its doors Feb. 16. The fastcasual pizza shop, located at Crosstown Concourse, announced the news in a Facebook post.
“Thank you to the patrons who have made Elemento your pizza destination since 2018,” the company said in the post.
Co-owner Adrian Arcuri is also the chef and owner of Ciao Baby! Neapolitan Wood-fired Pizza & Italian Kitchen in Collierville. Ciao Baby! remains open.
Red Fish Sushi Asian Bistro
On Feb. 10, the Red Fish Sushi Asian Bistro closed at 1433 Union Ave. The restaurant was located in the historic Nineteenth Century Club mansion. The Red Fish locations in Lakeland and in Olive Branch are still open.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.