The Ultimate Guide to a Manhattan Chinatown Food Crawl – bring cash!

Date Published: Sept 2nd, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 11th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA

Manhattan Chinatown is full of amazing authentic Asian food but in a neighbourhood full of Chinese signage and shop keepers that barely speak English, it can be daunting to find the best food spots amongst the literal hundreds of restaurants in this neighbourhood. This food guide highlights some of my favourite places to eat in Chinatown including local must-have items! Many of these places are known for only 1 or 2 items on their menu, so we often like to jump from restaurant to restaurant, ordering only a couple things at each place to sample our way through Chinatown. Come hungry as you journey through this food crawl with me!

Before you head to Chinatown, here are a few tips to follow to ensure a good time:

Always bring cash. Many of these hole-in-the-wall joints only take cash and most won’t have ATMs on site. Even if they do take card, often there’ll be a discount if you pay in cash!
Don’t hold up the line. Chinatown operates like many hustle and bustle places in Asia. It’s often about speed and high turnover in many of these OG places. Try and figure out what you want before you get in line (the lines can move very quickly!) or take a photo of the menu and step to the side to take your time deciding what you want to avoid holding up the line.
Don’t expect good service. Time and time again so many fantastic authentic Chinese food joints get poor ratings due to poor service. In Asia, many of these authentic hole-in-the-wall eateries and old school joints are about serving up food quick and cheap and turning over as many tables as they can, street-style. Don’t expect table service, don’t expect niceties, just go in and expect good food and the rest is a bonus. Don’t take it personally, it’s just a way of life that has been ingrained in our cultures. If you prefer a good sit down service, then I’d recommend finding a larger fancy Chinese restaurant – but I have none in the recommendations below, this post is all about quick, cheap, delicious food.
Be prepared to stand or take away. Not exclusive to Chinatown, many food shops in NYC are standing room only or takeaway only, so be prepared to do either. Keep this in mind especially if you’re coming from a day of walking or exploring the city and you’re looking for a place to sit for lunch.

Where is Manhattan Chinatown?

There are a few Chinatowns around NYC (ie Flushing and Bay Ridge), but there’s only one in Manhattan. A quick Google search will show you the outline of this neighbourhood that borders Little Italy. I’ve highlighted the neighbourhood in the maps below.

If you’re feeling like exploring the city and working up an appetite before lunch, my favourite morning route that we take visiting guests is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from DUMBO in Brooklyn, walk around the Financial District/Wall Street area, then head up towards Chinatown for lunch. Afterwards you could walk through Little Italy then up to SOHO. You can also consider doing a day of exploring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island then have dinner in Chinatown afterwards.

Zoomed out map of Chinatown in Manhattan

Although Chinatown spans a relatively large area, many of the popular eateries are concentrated around Grand Street, Bayard Street, and Bowery. I’ve mapped out the eateries in this post below to give you an idea of where these places are located (I’m a visual learner – I like maps to orient myself when planning 😊).

My favourite Manhattan Chinatown eateries:

Without further ado, here’s a list of my favourite Chinatown eateries in Manhattan. Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed something you think should be included here!

Matcha Cafe Maiko (the best matcha soft serve we’ve ever had)

Address: 132 Bowery, New York, NY 10013 (multiple locations)
Hours: 12pm-10pm, daily
Website: https://www.matchacafe-maiko.com/eng/
Average spend per person: $5-$15
What to order: matcha and hojicha soft serve

When we first moved to New York, we stayed at an AirBnb for a few weeks until we were able to find an apartment. Matcha Cafe Maiko just happened to be right below our AirBnb. They have some of the best matcha and hojicha soft serves we’ve ever had! Matcha Cafe Maiko uses high quality matcha that allows the strong flavours to come through in all of their desserts. Highly recommend! (Although not a “Chinatown eatery”, this place is so good that I just had to include it in this post!)

Sanmiwago (a Taiwanese spot with great dumplings)

Address: 90 Bowery, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 9am-2am, daily
Website: https://sanmiwagomeals.com/menu
Average spend per person: $10-$20
What to order: signature pork and chives pan-fried dumplings

We found this place randomly because we were super hungry and it was around the corner from our AirBnb at the time. They advertise themselves as Taiwanese food which was what attracted me to them in the first place, but there are items on the menu that can be from other areas of Asia. It was a small shop and food came out quickly, I honestly can’t even remember everything we ordered, but I remembered that their signature pan-friend pork and chive dumplings were really good!

Xi’an Famous Foods (great spot for cumin lamb and noodles)

Address: 45 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013 (multiple locations)
Hours: 11am-9pm, daily
Website: http://xianfoods.com/
Average spend per person: $10-$20
What to order: spicy cumin lamb noodles, cumin lamb burger

Xi’an Famous Foods serves up delicious food with unique flavours from the Xi’an province of China (read: spicy & lots of cumin). They originally started off in a tiny hole in the wall shop and grew such a large following that they now have 16 locations across the city! A large part of their success can be attributed to a visit from Anthony Bourdain in an episode of No Reservations. Xi’an Famous Foods is known for their spicy cumin lamb noodles and the spicy cumin lamb burger. Both dishes are similar in flavour (one has the cumin lamb served over noodles and the other has the lamb stuffed inside a bun). The noodles are fresh and hand-pulled with the perfect texture so I prefer it over the burger. There’s also a side table with self-serve sauces – I would HIGHLY recommend slapping on their chilli oil and then buy a couple jars to take home. It has a great smokey flavour without being too spicy.

I first came here about 10 years ago and I’m happy to report that although their meat portions in the burger have gotten much smaller, the flavour of the food is just as delicious.

ChiCha San Chen (the best bubble tea we’ve had)

Address: 72-74 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 11:30am-9:30pm daily
Website: https://chichasanchenny.com/
Average spend per person: $8-$12
What to order: bubble milk tea, dong ding oolong tea latte

This is a pretty new spot in Chinatown that only opened in May 2024. It’s a Taiwanese bubble tea company known for their high quality teas and strong flavours and they have a pretty strong fan base. As a Taiwanese person from the land of bubble teas, I’ve had more than my fair share of bubble tea so I’ve got some pretty high standards. At first glance, it’s a fancy looking shop decorated with the theme of marketing high quality Taiwanese tea. The menu is small compared to many bubble tea shops but I didn’t mind because it helps to avoid choice paralysis. We ordered the ding dong oolong tea latte and the bubble milk tea. It was pretty expensive, at about $10 per drink and only comes in the medium size. It took a while for us to get our drink but as we sat there waiting, you can appreciate how much care they take into brewing each cup of tea. The end result paid off. It was indeed one of the most tea-heavy flavourful bubble teas we’ve ever had. If you’re into quality tea, I’d highly recommend checking this place out, but be prepared to wait (it was about 15-20 minutes before we got our drink) and spend $10 per drink.

Kong Sihk Tong (Hong Kong street food)

Address: 65 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 8am-9pm Sun-Thurs, 8am-10pm Fri-Sat
Website: https://kongsihktong.com/
Average spend per person: $10-$20
What to order: Golden lava French toast, beef chowfun in brown sauce, baked rice

Kong Sihk Tong is a place known for serving up Hong Kong style street/fast food. We came here for the first time based on online recommendations. Food was overall average (some fantastic, some just okay) but the prices were great and the service was fast (as you’d expect from a Chinatown joint). There’s a large menu and they take cash only. We went during winter around 11:30am and we were able to be seated right away. Some reviews say that there are often lines out the door in the summer!

We got a few dishes:

Curry fish balls: One of their most highly reviewed dishes. It was decent, but similar to the other curry fish balls you can find in Chinatown so I didn’t feel like it was anything special.
Golden lava French toast: Another popular item on the menu. It tasted great, but it was definitely on the sweet side. It’s better eaten as a dessert rather than breakfast.
Beef chow fun in brown sauce: Fantastic. Great wok hei flavour. It was Toby’s favourite dish of the meal.
Baked rice with pork chop: You have an option of 3 sauces: cream, tomato, or black pepper. I ordered the cream base for nostalgia, but was pretty disappointed. I’ve definitely had way better. The pork chop in it was pretty good though! I saw many people order the baked rice – perhaps I’ll try a different sauce base last time since the waitress said it was one of their more popular dishes.

Overall, some dishes were great, some were just okay, but they’ve got a huge menu and we’re open to coming back and trying some of their other dishes!

Bánh Mì Saigon (a damn good Banh Mi)

Address: 198 Grand St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 10am -5:30pm, Tues – Sun (closed Mondays)
Website: https://banh-mi-saigon.restaurants-world.com/
Average spend per person: $6 – $10
What to order: Banh Mi Saigon (BBQ Pork sandwich)

If you’re looking for Banh Mi in NYC, you’ll be met with countless options. In the search to find the best Banh Mi NYC has to offer, two places kept popping up in my research time and time again: Bánh Mì Saigon and Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli (see below).

For those that are unfamiliar what a Banh Mi is, it is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a French-style baguette-like crusty bread that is filled with a myriad of ingredients that include pickled vegetables, paté, and an option of different meats (no cilantro on mine please). This flavourful combination make it a staple in many Vietnamese restaurants in NYC.

Between the two shops, Bánh Mì Saigon is a larger shop that’s brightly lit with lots of standing room, but no place to sit. Their most popular is the “#1 Banh Mi Saigon” which includes BBQ Pork as the protein. It’s only $8 for a decent sized sandwich. They had by far the best Banh Mi bread I’ve ever had. It has such a perfect crust and texture. and there was a good balance of flavours. Highly recommend!

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli (another damn good Banh Mi)

Address: 369 Broome St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 7am – 7pm Tues – Sat, 7am – 5pm Sun, closed Mon
Website: https://www.saigonvietnamesesandwichdeli.com/
Average spend per person: $10 – $12
What to order: #1 House Special (Grilled Pork, Vietnamese Salami, Vietnamese Ham)

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli is a much smaller shop compared to Banh Mi Saigon. This tiny shop has just enough room for their ordering counter and a large fridge with cold drinks and unlike most Chinatown shops, they actually have a small table by the window and 2 chairs for sitting. Their specialty sandwich is the “No. 1 House Special (grilled pork with Vietnamese ham and Vietnamese salami)”. Although the bread is not as perfect as the bread at Banh Mi Saigon, their filling was really flavourful. My favourite part was the Vietnamese ham 😋. Also highly recommend!

Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle (the best rice noodles I’ve ever had)

Address: 83 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 7:30am – 6:30pm
Website: none
Average spend per person:
What to order: Tonii’s special rice noodles (pork, chicken, and dry shrimp) with all the sauces

ChangFun or rice noodles are something I’ve only ever had at dim sum places. It’s usually a rolled up long white noodle dish with a protein wrapped inside and soy sauce drizzled overtop. I had never had fresh rice noodles until coming to New York and Tonii’s (yes, with 2 i’s) blew my mind! At first glance, this hole-in-the-wall shop has no seating and the inside looks a bit suss. There’s a crappy half-fallen down outdoor area with a couple of old chairs and tables that you can maybe clean off yourself if you want to sit and eat, but all the food is packaged as takeaway. I was skeptical, but upon first bite, I was in love! The fresh rice noodles here are so much softer than any dim sum place I’ve ever had. They offer a few different protein options, but their most popular (and my favourite) is the ‘Tonii’s special’ which has pork, chicken and dry shrimp. The rice noodles comes with 4 sauces that are packaged separately and you pour it on yourself: chili oil crisp, sweet soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and peanut sauce. I would highly recommend adding all 4 sauces and mix it all up. It’s seriously delicious and one of my favourite chinatown gems!

Mei Lai Wah (the best pineapple BBQ pork bun you’ll ever have)

Address: 41 Mott St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 8:30am – 7:30pm
Website: http://meilaiwah.com/
Average spend per person: $3 – $10
What to order: Pineapple BBQ Pork Bun

Mei Lai Wah has hands down THE best BBQ pork buns (charsiu bao) in the city. They come in a regular bun or pineapple bun. The pineapple bun is a misnomer and is named due to the buttery crackled crust on top of the bun that resembles the pattern of the side of a pineapple, but has no pineapple flavour at all. I’d highly recommend getting the pineapple BBQ pork bun – it’s their number one seller. The sweet buttery topping paired with the fatty savoury charsiu pork filling is out of this world!

This place if often very busy with a line up out the door, but the line moves quickly. There’s usually 2 lines, one for cash only and the other for card payment. The cash line is usually much shorter and you can often walk right in to the counter. The shop is quite small, with very limited space and can fit about 5 or 6 people in the store at one time and it’s takeaway only. The buns are baked fresh and served right away, piping hot!

Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles (a place for fishballs and rice noodles)

Address: 55 Bayard St Store B, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 8am – 5:30pm, daily
Website: https://changlaifishballnoodles.dine.online/locations/6703032?fulfillment=pickup
Average spend per person: $10 – $15
What to order: A1. Curry fishballs with rice noodles

This fishballs and noodles shop started off as a food cart and operated on Grand Street for 30 years and only recently opened up this location in 2023. It’s run by a lovely husband and wife (?) team that are so proud of their food and so friendly. Their most popular item on the menu is the “A1 curry fishballs with rice noodles”. I thought the fishballs were just okay but Toby loved them. The rice noodles were my favourite. They’re rolled up and cut into small pieces and mixed with a combination of 4 or 5 sauces that’s a perfect portion for a snack. This is a small shop with limited seating, enough for about 3-4 people.

The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (ice cream with Asian flavours)

Address: 65 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 11am – 10pm daily
Website: http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/
Average spend per person: $8 – 16
What to order: anything! Free samples of their ice cream – popular flavours are pandan and black sesame

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is a small shop on Bayard Street that serves, you guessed it, ice cream! There are a TON of ice cream shops throughout NYC but nowhere else will you find unique Asian ice cream flavours such as durian, black sesame, matcha, pandan, lychee, ginger, red bean – that’s just to name a few. There’s usually a small line out the door in the evenings, however it moves quickly. There’s only enough room for about 5-6 people in the shop at one time and there’s no seating available. You can sample as many flavours as you like but note that popular flavours can run out earlier in the evening, so I’d recommend coming earlier if you’ve got your eyes set on something. Although a bit pricey at $8 a scoop and $11.50 for two scoops, their portions are quite generous.

We’ve been here twice now and although there’s no doubt better quality ice cream elsewhere with a creamier texture, the flavours they infuse into their ice cream knocks it out of the park and keeps us coming back.

Double Crispy Bakery (great steam buns and egg tarts)

Address: 230 Grand St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 7am – 7pm, every day
Website: none
Average spend per person: $5 – $10
What to order: egg tarts (2 kinds), pineapple bun, mooncakes

I’m always on the hunt for a great egg tart. Double Crispy Bakery was recommended by a coworker of mine who’s a born and bred local. This bakery offers egg tarts in two different types: a “Custard egg tart” which is more traditionally Chinese with a formed crumbly crust and an intact gelatin-like eggy center, and the other a “Macau style egg tart” which is similar to the Portuguese egg tart, pastel de nata, that has a flaky crispy crust with a softer creamier eggy center. Both were delicious. The custard filling had great flavour with a boost of vanilla, but the flaky crispy crust of the “Macau-style” was preferable for me. Although not my favourite egg tart shop (that’s in Bay Ridge), it’s still pretty good here!

They also have a good pineapple bun (a misnomer that’s named for its flaky sweet crust that resembles a pineapple, but actually has no pineapple flavour at all) and mooncakes year-round in a few flavours (I don’t love mooncakes, so you can be the judge). Their large steam buns behind the counter are also pretty decent and are filled with savoury pork, egg, and Chinese sausage.

Shu Jiao FuZhou Cuisine (cheap peanut noodles)

Address: 295 Grand St, New York, NY 10002
Hours: 8am-8pm, 7 days a week
Website: none
Average spend per person: $3-$10
What to order: No. 5 peanut noodles, fried dumplings, fish ball soup

If you’re looking for great cheap Asian food in Chinatown, look no further than Shu Jiao FuZhou Cuisine. This no-flare restaurant offers street food items served at lightning fast speeds (seriously, the food was literally ready within 1 minute of us paying!) and nothing was over $6. Their most popular dish is the “No. 5 peanut noodles 拌面” for $3.25. It’s a generous portion of well-cooked soft wheat noodles over a peanut sauce mixture – no meat, no toppings, just noodles and sauce. I had my reservations when I first walked in and every other person in the restaurant was not Asian, but I love a good peanut noodle dish so I couldn’t resist. The peanut noodles are simple but indeed delicious and worth the visit! The cashier also recommended the fried dumplings (I thought was just okay, but Toby loved it), and the fish ball soup (which I also thought was okay but Toby enjoyed the vinegar addition to this classic soup). If you’re looking for a seriously quick and cheap place for decent food, check this place out!

The ZongZi/Bah-Chang lady outside of Grand Street Station

Address: Outside of Grand Street subway station (intersection of Grand Street & Christie Street) – just listen for her call of “Baaaah-chang”!
Hours: Usually 2pm-5pm most days
Website: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pVKw4RUNyq7avchf8
Average spend per person: $2-$3
What to order: Taiwan-style zongzi/”rice dumpling”

If you’re unfamiliar with the classic Chinese staple food, Zongzi (or also known as Bah-chang in the hokkien dialect) is glutinous/sticky rice filled with a choice different ingredients all wrapped in bamboo leaves in the shape of a triangle prism. The fillings can be savoury (commonly pork belly, egg yolk, mushroom, peanuts) or sweet (commonly red bean or mung bean). The Zongzi should be warmed prior to eating – most commonly via steaming, but you can also unwrap it and microwave it if you’re feeling lazy to bust out the steamer.

Like a character from a studio Ghibli movie, the beloved elderly Zongzi/Bah-chang lady has been selling zongzi for over 2 decades outside of the Grand Street subway station at the intersection of Grand and Christie. Her husband and daughter in law makes the zongzi and she sells them. You can hear her siren call of “Baaaaah-chang!” rain or shine.

Her most popular savoury zongzi is the Taiwan style (represent!) and the most popular sweet zongzi is the red bean. She sells them at a great price at $3 per meat-filled zongi and $2 for the others. Cash only!

We first heard of this lady when we first moved to New York in early 2023 and stayed in an AirBnB a few blocks away from the Grand Street station and would often hear her “Baaah-Chang” call. Unfortunately our AirBnb wasn’t equipped with a kitchen so we never had a chance to try them until recently! I bought her two most popular types and they were indeed pretty good. There was a decent amount of filling and the texture of the sticky rice was perfect. Although I’ve had better, for the price she charges and the quality of the filling, it’s a pretty good Zongzi.

Here’s a Youtube interview I found if you want to find out more about her story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCbypba4kM&t=386s

Mee Sum Cafe (a breakfast joint with reputable Zongzi)

Address: 26 Pell St, New York, NY 10013
Hours: 5:30am – 5pm, daily
Website: none
Average spend per person: $10-$20 per person
What to order: dim sum, zong zi

Mee Sum Cafe is known as an OG local breakfast spot, open at 5:30am every single day and serves up traditional Chinese dishes including dim sum. If you’re looking for more Zong Zi (glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in leaves) recommendations, Mee Sum Cafe has a reputation for some great ones, offering up 7 different fillings. Unfortunately when we went, they only had 3 of their 7 kinds left, with the most popular ones sold out 😔. We didn’t have time to eat here so I bought a few frozen ones to go and tried it at home – it was just okay. Perhaps the ones that were sold out are much more worthy of their reputation 🤷🏻‍♀️. I debated whether or not to include them in this post since all I had was their Zongzi and wasn’t blown away, but due to their long standing reputation as an old school breakfast spot, I decided to include it so the rest of you can make your own decision on Mee Sum Cafe and also as a place marker to remind me to go back 🙃.

Golden Diner (honey butter pancakes)

Address: 123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002
Hours: 10am – 10pm most days (10am – 3pm on Thursdays) – make reservations ahead!
Website: http://www.goldendinerny.com/
Average spend per person: $20-$30 per person
What to order: Honey Butter Pancakes

Tucked away deep into the non-touristy parts of Chinatown where you need to speak some type of Chinese dialect to order food, Golden Diner is an American-Asian fusion diner that adds a twist to classic comfort foods. You may have seen this diner featured on many Tik Tok and Instagram videos lately showcasing their viral Honey Butter Pancakes – a friend of mine from Canada actually sent me a video of this place which is how we came to find it. I’m not overly excited about pancakes in general, but I am OBSESSED with honey butter chips so of course we had to come and try it. It took two trains to get to this prickly part the lower east side and without reservations, it was a 1.5 hour wait for a table at the bar. I’m glad to report that their Honey Butter Pancakes were indeed worth it. The honey butter syrup really does taste just like the chips and the thick and fluffy pancakes was the perfect light texture to carry the heavy syrup. It comes in a single or double serving. I’d recommend the single – it’s quite heavy and after a while it can be a bit much if you don’t have a sweet tooth.

I’ve written up the recipe for these pancakes that you can check out below:

Golden Diner Honey Butter Pancakes

The Honey Butter Pancakes from Golden Diner in Manhattan are the latest viral sensation! This recipe shows you how to recreate these fluffy pancakes with the unique umami honey butter sauce and a berry compote. Be warned – these heavy but luxurious pancakes may send you into a food coma!

September 9, 2025September 9, 2025

We ordered a few other things here that unfortunately fell short. We had their special of the day which was a asian/cumin fried chicken wings with waffles – way too much cumin and the waffles were dry, and the matcha/hojicha coffee cake which had good flavour, but unfortunately was also very dry.

All-in-all, the pancakes were definitely worth it if you like honey-butter chips, but the rest of the things we ordered fell short. If you plan on visiting, make sure you make a booking, or else it could be over an hour wait for a table!

I hope you enjoyed my list of Chinatown eats! Let me know in the comments if there’s a place you think I should include on this list!

Happy eating!
Abby

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Top Things to Do in Birmingham, Alabama & Surroundings: A Travel Guide

Date Published: July 13th 2025 | Last Updated: July 13th 2025
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA
Date of travel: June 16th, 2025

Birmingham, Alabama is the state’s largest city by metro area (but only second to Huntsville by population). It was a major industrial centre in the 1800s known for iron and steel production that lead to rapid growth and earned the city’s nickname “The Magic City”.

Coming from NYC, Birmingham seemed like a pretty small town, but it’s home to a fascinating history, a giant bare-bottomed statue, and some of the best BBQ around! Nearby around Birmingham there’s a motorsport museum that can’t be missed (even if you’re not into motorcycles), a statue of liberty replica, a national park, and a grotto of miniature holy places.

How many days do I need?

Although you could definitely fit everything within a 12 hour day, but because the museums all close around 4-5pm, it’s impossible to hit them all before closing time. Therefore, you’ll need 1 day for everything in Birmingham (Civil Rights Museum, Vulcan statue and museum, Sloss Furnaces, and the Botanical Gardens), but add on an extra day to do things around Birmingham such as the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum (HIGHLY recommend!) or some hiking – plus, an extra day also lets you try out more local BBQ!

Best time of year to travel?

You can visit Birmingham any time of the year, but it gets quite hot and humid during the summer months, so spring (March – May) or autumn (Sept – early Nov) would be the best times to go, especially if you plan on doing some outdoor hikes. If you plan on only sticking to the museums, then any time of year would be suitable.

Getting Around

The best way to get around Birmingham and the surrounding areas is by car.

Where to stay?

As you can see from the map below, everything is a little spread out so it doesn’t really matter all that much where you stay. The “central downtown” area isn’t really worth paying extra to stay near since there wasn’t much in terms of street shopping, nightlife nor a collection of restaurants. We stayed at a cheap Quality Inn off highway 280 for $90 a night and it was actually pretty decent.

Things to Do

Vulcan Park and Museum

Address: 1701 Valley View Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209
Hours: 10am-8pm Sun to Thurs, 10am-9pm Fri & Sat (gift shop closes at 6pm)
Cost: $6 per person
Time needed here: ~ 40 minutes
Website: https://visitvulcan.com/

Vulcan, named after the Roman god of fire and forgery, is a colossal 56 feet (17m) tall iron statue that sits on top of a 124 feet (37.8m) pedestal that overlooks the city of Birmingham. Weighing in at 50 tonnes (100,000 lbs), it is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the largest metal statue ever made in the US!

Vulcan was made for the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri to promote the city’s abundant iron and steel industry. After the fair it was brought back to Birmingham (after sitting on the side of the railroad for 18 months due to unpaid freight fees 😳) but his spear was lost during transport (how do you even lose a giant spear? 🤔). Vulcan sat at the Alabama State Fairgrounds with nothing to hold and companies used this to their advantage. Over the years he held a Coca-cola bottle, ice cream cone, and even Heinz pickles! In 1936 they found Vulcan its current home on top of Red Mountain where he has stood atop his pedestal ever since. In 1946 they made Vulcan hold a temporary light-up torch to bring awareness to traffic safety, and in 2001 they finally made him a new spear and hammer.

You can drive right up to the Vulcan statue where it’s $6 to enter the park which includes admission into the small museum and access to the observation deck at the top of the pedestal right at the base of the statue. Unfortunately when we went, the elevator was out of order so we climbed 159 steps to the top…only to be mooned by Vulcan. The statue faces towards the city, but from the parking lot and the exit of the observation stairs, all you see is his bare bum 😂. I can’t tell if he’s wearing skin-tight pants or they’ve just decided that he should be bare-assed. It seemed like every angle was of his bum.

The elevator is to the right of the statue

The view from the top over Birmingham was nice. Your ticket is actually good for the whole day and the staff recommended coming back for sunset views over the city – a lovely thought, but no way we were climbing these stairs twice in this heat 😅.

The small museum covers the history of the construction of Vulcan and the history of Birmingham’s industries. It doesn’t take long to walk through. Overall we spent a total of 40 minutes here including the observation deck and climbing those stairs.

Sloss Furnaces

Address: 20 32nd St N, Birmingham, AL 35222
Hours: 10am-4pm Tues-Sat, closed Sun & Mon
Cost: Free for a self-guided tour; for a 1 hour guided tour: $10/adult, $5/child – book early, only 2 tours a day at 10:30am and 2pm
Address: https://www.slossfurnaces.org/

Established in 1881, Sloss Furnace was a huge blast furnace plant where iron was made from 1882–1971. Due to vast deposits of coal, limestone, and iron ore in the area, it was once the largest crude iron producer in the world! It provided thousands of jobs for people from all around the Southern states, including former slaves and European immigrants, but it also had an ugly history of racial injustice, union busting and dangerous working conditions. Sloss played a role in the history of civil rights in Birmingham and it is said that the history of Sloss is the history of Birmingham and the industrial age.

Sloss Furnaces was a major source of air pollution and it was closed permanently in 1970 due to a combination of pressures from environmental regulations and the availability of more efficient and profitable ore sources in other regions. Today the site is a national historic landmark and is the first industrial site in the US to be saved and converted for public use. It is currently a museum, an education centre, and a venue for concerts and festivals.

You can tour the furnaces for free as a self-guided tour with information plaques to read, or you can book a $10 guided tour that walks you through the grounds (book early, only 2 tours a days at 10:30am and 2pm). Unfortunately, as cool as this place looked (it’s huge, you can see it from the highway!), we weren’t able to visit because it was sadly not open on Sundays and Mondays when we were in Birmingham 💔. I’ve included it in this post anyway for anyone else that is planning a trip to Birmingham and may want to check it out!

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Address: 520 16th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Hours: 10am-5pm Tues – Sat, closed Sun & Mon
Cost: $15 per adult
Website: http://www.bcri.org/

Birmingham was known as one of the most segregated cities in the US. It had a notorious history for police brutality and the local KKK was the most violent. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a museum that depicts the struggle for black equality and highlights the civil rights movement in Birmingham in the 1950s and 60s, including the Birmingham Campaign and the Children’s Crusade that included boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and other non-violent protests that were met with brutal violence that shocked the nation and received widespread attention. The events at Birmingham shaped the fight for equality.

Unfortunately this museum was also closed on Sunday and Monday, so we weren’t able to visit when we were in Birmingham, but I’ve included here as another noteworthy place to visit when in town.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Address: 2612 Lane Park Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223
Hours: 7am-6pm, daily (hours change seasonally, check the website for the most up to date info)
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.bbgardens.org/

With only one day in Birmingham, we sadly didn’t make it to the botanical gardens before it closed – it didn’t help that it also started raining. I’ve included it in this post because it came highly recommended by a few people in our research and it also has a great online rating. It seems pretty big, so I’d allow at least 2 hours here!

Food

Saw’s BBQ/Saw’s Soul Kitchen

Address: 6 locations, Homewood location is the OG, we went to the Avondale location (215 41st St S, Birmingham, AL 35222)
Hours: Mon – Thurs 11am-8pm, 11am-9pm Fri & Sat, 11am-4pm Sun
Website: http://www.sawsbbq.com/

This Carolina-style BBQ has been voted the best BBQ in Alabama. Although Toby and I didn’t have time to try out the many BBQ joints on offer in Birmingham, we’d agree that Saw’s did indeed serve up some amazing BBQ! There are 6 locations around the Birmingham area, but the OG is the Homewood location. Each location serves the main popular items on the menu, but each one also offers a little something different, according to our server.

We went to the Avondale location which was closest to us. At first glance we weren’t sure if we were in the right place. The sign was barely visible – half faded on the side of the wall – but once we entered, the unmistakable smell of BBQ assured us this was it. Unlike a traditional BBQ joint where they slice the food by weight in front of you and you self-serve your sides, this joint was fast-food style where we placed our order at the counter/bar, grabbed a number and the food was brought out to our table.

True to our nature, we ordered a bit of everything that’s popular (sadly, no brisket):

Smoked chicken thighs – AMAZING. Perfectly cooked, juicy, slighty crisky and smokey. The sauce was delicious!
Pulled pork and grits – my favourite of the meal. It was hearty and tasted like a home-cooked Southern meal. Goes great with their table BBQ sauce.
Sweet tea chicken sandwich – this was Toby’s all time favourite. Although the bun sucked and kept falling apart, but the flavour of the fried chicken was SO GOOD. I’d come back just for this chicken!
Fried corn, fried green tomatoes, and banana pudding were just okay.

For everything above we dropped $61 which we thought was pretty reasonable! They also had a pretty good red sauce and white sauce on the table that they sell at the local Piggly Wiggly if you wanted to bring some home.

If you’re into BBQ, there are tons of other BBQ places around Birmingham also with very high reviews. Next time, I’d stay an extra day or two just to try out more places!

Just outside of Birmingham

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

Address: 6030 Barber Motorsports Pkwy, Leeds, AL 35094
Hours: 10am-5pm Mon to Sat, 12pm-5pm Sun (check the website for the most up to date info)
Cost: $20 per adult, $15 per child
Time needed here: at least 2 hours
Website: http://www.barbermuseum.org/

If you’re into motorcycles and the motorsport industry, this is the place for you! If you’re not into motorcycles, you should come here anyway!

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has the largest collection of motorcycles in the world. There are over 1000 mint condition motorcycles on display from every era. Neither Toby and I are into motorsports, but this place was so highly reviewed in our research that we had to put it on our list to see what all the hype was about. We’re so glad we did because this is hands down one of the most aesthetically pleasing museums we’ve ever been in. Right from the beginning you’re faced with a shit ton of motorcycles, all perfectly lined up and shiny. The reflection off of all the chrome is mesmerizing. Not only was it cool to see all the motorcycles throughout the years, they also had sections of different type of motorsports such as drag racing, speed racing, dirt biking so you can compare the difference between the different types of motorcycles.

Apart from racing, our favourite part of the museum was actually the history of the invention of motorcycles. They had a steam-operated bicycle that is said to be one of the earliest models of the motorcycle. Back in the day, motorcycles were made by literally adding a motor attachment to a bicycle and as time went on, it became more and more custom and a separate machine on its own. They have war time bikes, Arnott’s biscuit bikes, holiday side car bikes, snowmobile bikes…etc. If you can think of a type and era of bicycle, they’ll probably have it on display! It was honestly such a cool museum to visit and I highly recommend everyone to go! It took us about 1.5 hours here to walk through everything, but if you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, you could easily spend much longer, reading through all of the information plaques.

1867 Roper Steam Velocipede replica – possibly the first true two-wheeled motorcycle with a steam power cylinder and a coal fired broiler 😂

Teeny tiny bikes that Toby remembers from his childhood

2016 Christini 450 II-Track – a motorcycle and snowmobile all in one! 😂

Statue of Liberty Replica

Address: 516 Liberty Pkwy, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, 35242
Hours: 6am-9pm? I can’t really find a direct source on the opening hours apart from what’s listed on google maps
Cost: Free
Time needed here: 10 minutes

View from the parking lot walking up to the statue

Something totally random and unexpected to find in Birmingham is a Statue of Liberty replica that’s one-fifth the original size. This statue was commissioned by the Liberty National Life Insurance Company as their symbol and sat on top of their building in downtown Birmingham from 1958. In 1989 the statue was moved to its current location (I couldn’t find a reason why).

There’s not much to do here apart from gaze at this statue – it actually is a pretty good replica compared to the real lady liberty. You don’t need to spend much time here and if you’ve seen the real thing, it’s pretty much just a smaller version so feel free to skip it if you’re on a time crunch. There’s a small parking lot you can park your car, then it’s a 30 second walk to the statue.

Oak Mountain State Park – Kings Chair Overlook Hike

Cost: $5 per adult for admission into the state park
Hours: 7am-8pm, daily
Park Website: https://www.alapark.com/parks/oak-mountain-state-park

Length: 5.4km total
Elevation Gain: 360m
Trail type: Out & back
Difficulty/Terrain: moderately strenuous, mostly uphill with a moderate incline, nice walking terrain
Estimated duration: 2 hours total
Starting point: North Trailhead Parking Lot (975W+43, Pelham, AL 35242)
Things to bring: water bottle, sunscreen & hat (most of the trail is shaded with some sunny area), good hiking shoes, tick/insect repellent depending on season, screenshot of the trail map
More Trail info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alabama/king-s-chair-overlook-loop (we didn’t do the full loop, just the out and back on the blue trail)

Located just 30 minutes outside of Birmingham, Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest park and offers recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, and biking.

There are numerous hikes in this state park, but due to timing, we only went on the most popular hike, the King’s Chair Overlook. You can reach the overlook through a few different trail paths and make it into a loop, but we took the most direct route by starting on the blue trail and followed the trail left until we reached the overlook (I’ve highlighted our path in the map below) then turned back the way we came.

Overview of the path (blue trail) we took to get to King’s Chair Overlook in Oak Mountain State Park

The trail starts at the North Trailhead Parking lot. It’s pretty easily accessible with enough parking for at least 20 cars. We started at 8am to try and escape the heat and there was only one other car there when we arrived. It was a little busier when we left but still plenty of parking.

Overall the hike was moderately strenuous with a pretty consistent moderate incline almost all of the way. It took us about 2 hours total. It was a lovely walk through the forest and the views at the top were great with an overlook of the tree canopy below, but if I’m being honest, it wasn’t a unique view with interesting structures or special scenery. It was like any other overlook in any other state or country. So if you’re short on time and you’ve done overlook hikes before, I’d probably give this one a miss.

Ave Maria Grotto

Address: 1600 St Bernard Dr, Cullman, AL 35055
Hours: 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11:30am-5pm Sunday
Admission: $10 per person
Time needed here: 20 – 30 minutes
Website: http://www.avemariagrotto.com/

If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, the Ave Maria Grotto is a garden area outside of the Saint Bernard Abbey that is home to handmade miniature replicas of famous religious places around the world.

Created by Brother Joseph, a Benedictine monk of the abbey for nearly 70 years, he built his first miniatures in 1912 and at first they were placed near the monastery, but the large number of visitors that would come to see them resulted in them being moved to their current location in the grotto. The current collection includes 125 small stone and cement structures and is built out of stone, concrete, and unwanted donated materials (e.g., broken plates, costume jewelry, ceramic tile, beads, marbles, seashells, etc.).

The Ave Maria Grotto is located 1 hour north of Birmingham. It’s $10 admission per person and will take you roughly 20-30 minutes to walk through the winding garden of miniature scenes. If you’re really into miniatures, then check this place out – if not, then it won’t be quite worth the 1 hour detour just to get here. We stopped by on our way from Birmingham to Huntsville.

A Sample Itinerary

Double check all opening days and times before going! Some places are not open every day.

Day 1:

7:30am – 9:30am: Wake up early and do a hike at Oak Mountain State Park before it gets hot – it takes 2 hours to do the Kings Chair Overlook trail
9:30am – 11am: Drive half an hour from Kings Chair parking lot to Sloss Furnaces. Reach Sloss Furnaces by 10am for the one hour guided tour (be sure to book tickets ahead of time)
11:30am – 1pm: Lunch at Saw’s BBQ
1:30pm – 4pm: Civil Rights Museum
4pm – 6pm: Botanical Gardens
6pm – 8pm: Vulcan Statue museum & observatory – head up to the observatory at sunset for views of the city below

Day 2:

10am – 12pm: Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (aim to spend at least 2 hours here)
12:30pm – 12:45pm: Swing by and check out the Statue of Liberty Replica
1pm -2:30pm: Try out another delicious BBQ joint for lunch or head to Saw’s again!
3pm+ optional to head to the Ave Maria Grotto depending on time (it’s a 1 hour drive north of Birmingham)

Some Final Thoughts

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum was one of the highlights of the area!
Saw’s BBQ is AMAZING. I still dream about the pulled pork and cheesy grits.
Book tickets in advance for Sloss Furnaces.
Not all the attractions and museums are open everyday. Double check the opening times before planning your trip!
Will I ever know why Vulcan doesn’t have pants???

July 13, 2025July 15, 2025

Abby2 Comments

Exploring Memphis: From Graceland to Beale Street

Date Published: June 30th, 2025 | Last Updated: June 30th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA
Date of travel: April 13th-14th, 2025

Memphis, TN is credited for being the birthplace of rock n’ roll and home of the blues. I’ve heard so much about this iconic city and expected it to be huge, but surprisingly it actually wasn’t all that big nor all that much to do here apart from museums and checking out live music. Overall Memphis seemed very geared toward tourists, but it’s still worth checking out to visit the historic places such as Graceland, Elvis’ home, Sun Studio where so many artists started, and Lorraine Hotel which is the site of the National Civil Rights Museum and also where MLK Jr. was fatally shot. It’s worth a visit at least once to walk through the historic places, especially if you’re a music fan!

How many days do I need?

Although you only need 2 days to see the highlights, most museums will close by 5pm and each museum takes a few hours to get through (especially Graceland where you’ll need at least half a day), so leave yourself 3 days if you want to get through all the places. I’ve highlighted the main attractions in this post with a rough amount of time you’ll need at each place to help you plan your trip.

Best time of year to travel?

Apart from Beale Street and outdoor exhibits, the main museum attractions are indoors, so the time of year isn’t all that important when visiting Memphis.

April to May will be the best season to travel before it gets too hot, but it will also be the busiest season.

June to August will have more outdoor music and festivals, but it’ll get very hot, so be prepared and have plenty of sun protection!

Budget travel times with the cheapest hotel rates: November to February – it’ll be colder and off-peak season but winters in Memphis tend to be mild compared to other states.

Where to stay?

Stay closer to the downtown area/Beale Street for better access to live music at night and you’ll be within walking distance home afterwards. Most attractions in Memphis are not within walking distance, so unless you plan on taking an Uber everywhere, try to find a hotel with reasonable parking rates or a parking garage nearby.

We stayed here:

Caption By Hyatt Beale Street Memphis
Address: 245 South Front Street, Memphis, TN 38103, United States
Website: https://www.hyatt.com/caption-by-hyatt/memcp-caption-by-hyatt-beale-street-memphis

It was a great location, clean, and a modern hotel. It cost us about $130/night in April but there are definitely cheaper options around if you’re looking for a low cost option. The valet parking here was super expensive and not worthwhile but the parking garage across the street had great rates and was easily accessible.

Getting Here and Getting Around

The closest airport is the Memphis International Airport, which is only a 20 minute drive away from downtown and less than 5 minutes away from Graceland.

Side story: We didn’t find many flights coming into Memphis from NYC that suited our schedule (most flew in the middle of the day and we like to either fly super early or super late to get the most out of our days) so we actually flew into Nashville, TN which had more flight options, stayed around for a few days to check out the country music scene, then made the 3 hour road trip to Memphis. If you’ve got time to spare, I’d highly recommend checking out Nashville!

Downtown Memphis is not very big, but most of the bigger attractions such as Graceland or Sun Studio aren’t walkable and will require some sort of transport. Driving is the best option to get around with free parking at most tourist areas, but you can also choose to use ride share such as Uber or Lyft to save on driving.

We parked here overnight:

MLGW Parking
Address: 234-238 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oNvR92fhjKV7Dh1AA

This parking garage was directly across from our hotel and is also a great location near Beale Street. The prices are reasonable and overnight parking is available.

Map of Memphis

Overview of Memphis with the main attractions labelled (blue = attractions, red = food, green = our hotel)

A zoomed in view of downtown Memphis with Beale Street highlighted in Pink (blue = attractions, red = food, green = our hotel)

A Word on Safety

Memphis was listed in the top 3 most dangerous cities in the US. We actually didn’t know this until we arrived on a Sunday night and immediately experienced some wild behaviour from people erratically swerving their cars, yelling on the streets, and grown ass women screaming and crying in a hotel lobby while laying on the ground all within the first 30 minutes of arriving in downtown Memphis. A quick google search highlighted the ugly side of Memphis and put us on our guard for the rest of the trip.

It turns out that the first night when we arrived there was a food festival in town and drew in all sorts of crowds that led to the insane behaviour, but for the rest of the trip we mainly felt pretty safe and just steered clear of any suspicious areas.

To be on the safe side, I’d recommend exploring during the day and stick to the touristy areas and not venture too far off on your own, especially at night. Park your car in reliable parking garages with good security, and stay in hotels closer to the main attractions. Just be on your guard, stay clear of any drama, and avoid sketchy areas and you’ll be fine.

Things to Do:

The top 2 attractions in Memphis are Sun Studio and Graceland. There’s just so much to talk about that I’ve made a separate post for each of them, see below for the links:

Sun Studio

Explore Sun Studio: Rock and Roll’s Birthplace

Sun Studio in Memphis, founded by Sam Phillips, is a historic recording studio where legendary artists started out, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. This guide is an overview of everything you need to know before visiting.

April 29, 2025

Graceland

Graceland: A Complete Guide to Visiting Elvis Presley’s Home

Graceland is the home of Elvis Presley and his family and is the number one tourist attraction in Memphis. My guide contains everything you need to know about visiting Graceland with tons of pictures to help you plan your visit.

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025

Memphis Pyramid: Bass Pro Megastore + Observation Deck

Address: 1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105
Website: https://stores.basspro.com/us/tn/memphis/1-bass-pro-dr.html
Hours: 9am-9pm most days (check the website for updated information)
Cost: Free entry into the pyramid, it’s $8 to go up the elevator to the observation deck

The Memphis Pyramid was built in 1991 and was originally used as a sports arena/entertainment venue. The pyramid shape was to pay homage to the city’s namesake to an ancient city in Egypt that was known for its pyramids. It was closed for some time in the early 2000’s but then re-opened in 2015 as a Bass Pro Shops megastore.

This is the largest Bass Pro Shop and like most Bass Pros, the inside is decked out to look like a wilderness scene, but this is to the next level. They’ve got alligators, a large indoor body of water with large fish, restaurants, and even a hotel on the upper level where you can rent rooms with balconies overlooking the store or even rent an entire small cabin! So if you’re REALLY into Bass Pro, or just a fan of pyramid-shaped buildings, here’s your chance to live in one. 😉 If you’re not into either, there’s an elevator in the middle of the pyramid that takes you to the top for views of Memphis and the waterfront.

In the middle of the pyramid is the tallest free-standing elevator in the US and stands 28 stories/300 feet high. It costs $8 to go up and at the top it opens into a restaurant with an outdoor observation deck with sweeping views of downtown Memphis and the Mississippi River. The line can get pretty long, but it moves quickly. Definitely worthwhile to go up for the price!

Bus Tour of Memphis

For an overview of Memphis, we took a musical bus tour with Back Beat Tours. It was a great tour that drove around the city and pointed out historical sites such as the small apartment where Elvis and his parents lived before he made it big and the Overton Park Shell – THE outdoor performance stage where so many have started their careers. The tour guide was a musician and would sing famous songs that was significant to the area as he talked us through the Memphis music history. There’s an option to get dropped off at Sun Studio at the end of the tour if you haven’t visited yet.

Apart from the bus tour, there’s also an option of a walking tour to get more of an overall history of Memphis rather than a focus on music. We had a great time and I’d highly recommend checking them out!

National Civil Rights Museum

Address: 450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103
Website: https://civilrightsmuseum.org/
Hours: 9am-5pm, closed on Tuesdays (check website for updated hours before going)
Cost: $20/adult

Although there are many civil rights museums around the US, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is considered one of the best ones. You’ll need at least 2 hours to get through most of it here, but set aside 3 hours if you want to read everything (there’s a lot to read!).

If you’re visiting internationally and don’t know much about American history, a VERY basic summary that you should know before visiting is that the American civil war was a significant war from 1861-1865 between the Northern and the Southern states over slavery. The Southern states heavily relied on slaves for cheap labor on their industry such as cotton plantations, whereas the Northern states wanted to abolish slavery and make slavery illegal. Spoiler: the North won and slavery was abolished, however as significant as this win was, racism continued and the struggle for black rights continued for decades to come. This museum is a comprehensive coverage through time of the complicated past and the fight for equality. The exhibits starts off with how slavery came to be in America and ends with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting significant events along the way and important figures.

The museum is actually located at the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot, outside of his hotel room at the Lorraine Hotel. The Lorraine Hotel has since closed down but the outside of the hotel has been preserved, as well as his hotel room. The inside of the hotel is renovated into the museum and it’s actually a pretty cool-looking building from the outside – even if you don’t have time to go to the museum, it’s worth checking out the outside of the building and seeing the site and memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – it’s free for everyone.

Stax Record Company – Museum of American Soul Music

Address: 926 E. McLemore Ave, Memphis, TN 38106
Opening Hours: Tues to Sun 10am – 5pm (tours stop at 4pm), closed Mondays (double check the website for the most updated information)
Website: https://staxmuseum.org/
Admission: $20/adult, $16 for children and seniors

Founded in 1957 by two siblings, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, Stax Record Company (named by combining their last names) became a powerhouse for soul music. They’re known for blending rhythm and blues styles and influential in creating the “Southern Soul” or “Memphis Soul” sound. They are one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time and launched the careers of legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, among numerous others. You can read more about their history here: https://staxmuseum.org/1957-1968/

Although the original recording studio no longer exists, you can visit the Stax Museum and learn all about the history of soul music in Memphis. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to fit this into our itinerary but it was highly recommended by our music tour guide.

The Peabody Duck March at The Peabody Hotel

Address: 149 Union Avenue, Memphis TN 38103
Website: https://www.peabodymemphis.com/
Time: daily at 11am and 5pm, it is recommended to come 30 minutes prior
Cost: Free

Alright, this isn’t a “must do”, but it’s mentioned time and time again by internet reviews so I thought I’d include it for the people that want the “full” Memphis experience.

The Peabody Hotel is a luxury hotel in downtown Memphis that was originally built in 1869 at a location 1 block away from the current location. It housed several historic figures including presidents and generals back in the day. It closed down and re-opened in 1925 one block away and has retained its historical status. Apart from it being a fancy hotel, there’s a long-standing tradition since the 1930s of marching the resident ducks that live on the roof top of the hotel to the fountain in the lobby, called the ‘Peabody duck march’. It’s a 1 minute “show” where people line up along a red carpet and watch these ducks get ushered from out the elevator and to the fountain. I’m told it gets pretty busy, but you can sit at the bar for a better view if you buy a drink. Honestly, it’s not the most exciting, but it’s something different!

Toby didn’t actually tell me about this when he planned this trip because he didn’t think it was that exciting, but I got curious when the tour guide was talking about it and looked it up myself. Here’s a POV youtube video that someone filmed of the march in case anyone’s interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCLMZ_6DSpg. He was right, it didn’t seem that exciting, especially since we had limited time in Memphis.

If you’re REALLY into ducks, for $434, you can book a “Ducky Day” package that includes a 1 night stay and duck-themed souvenirs 😂.

Beale Street

Beale Street is a historic street in downtown Memphis known for live music, restaurants, and shops and is considered the heart of Memphis. If you came to Memphis for some live music, this is the place to go. The entertainment part of Beale Street only runs two blocks between S. 2nd St. and S. 4th St. (highlighted in pink in the map above) with about a dozen restaurant/bar/live music venues scattered between the many souvenir gift shops.

Take a stroll down during the day and check out the shops and restaurants. Read the historic information plaques, check out a statue of Elvis’, get an old school milkshake at A. Schwab, or take a walking tour to learn more about this historic street.

Come in the evening for the iconic experience when the neon lights are lit up and the live music pours out of these venues. We’ve asked multiple locals on what their favourite place is for live music, but it really depends on who’s playing that night and what kind of music you’re into. Some musicians will be seasoned pros, whereas others may just be starting out. Instead of seeking out a specific place, I’d recommend just taking a stroll down Beale Street with open ears and see which artists you enjoy. Although Beale Street is known as the “Home of the Blues”, we not only heard different styles of Jazz, but country music and even a mini orchestra band while walking down!

On our last night in Memphis we settled in at Rum Boogie Cafe and listened to Baunie & Soul perform for a few hours before returning home.

Although a very touristy area, be a bit cautious when walking around downtown Memphis at night. When we arrived on a weekend night, there were some rowdy crowds around with a few suspicious characters, but during the weekday it was a bit quieter and we felt completely safe.

Food

Arcade Restaurant – Memphis’ Oldest Cafe

Address: 540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 7am – 3pm daily
Website: http://arcaderestaurant.com

Arcade Restaurant is Memphis’ oldest cafe, open since 1919! Back in the heyday when Memphis was a bumpin’ place to be, the Arcade was open 24/7, catering to the many resident musicians at the time, including Elvis Presley! It is known that Elvis was a regular at the Arcade and would always order a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich at his preferred booth beside the back door in case he ever needed to make a quick escape from crazy fans! You can actually sit at ‘the Elvis booth’ if you’re lucky enough for it to be free when you’re there!

Even without the Elvis popularity, the Food Network listed the fried PB sandwich on their top 100 sandwiches in the US. We came here early in the morning for breakfast before our day at Graceland to experience this retro-style arcade and to ‘eat like The King’. We got to sit at the Elvis booth! The fried PB and banana sandwich tasted exactly as it sounds – two slices of bread with peanut butter and sliced banana in the middle, then pan-fried on the outside until golden. It was a fine sandwich, but not mind-blowing, something you could easily make at home. They had some pretty good sweet potato pancakes though and the smoked turkey and brie sandwich wasn’t half bad either!

Blues City Cafe (on Beale Street)

Address: 138 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-1am most night, open until 3am on Fri and Sat nights
Website: https://bluescitycafe.com/menu/our-menu/

This restaurant was recommended by our tour guide for some good classic southern food. It is conveniently located right on Beale Street, perfect for grabbing dinner then strolling down the street for some live jazz music.

Being our first time in the South, we wanted to try a bit of everything. Their gumbo cheese fries and BBQ ribs were just okay, the fried catfish was beautifully fried and super fresh, the collard greens were pretty good, but my all time favourite was the gumbo. I originally got a small cup but it was so good that I immediately ordered a full size bowl 😅. They will usually have live music in the back, but we must have just missed them when we were there 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

Address: 310 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-9pm most days, until 10pm on Fri and Sat night
Website: http://gusfriedchicken.com/downtown-memphis-tennessee-location/#menu

We arrived in Memphis pretty late in the evening and many restaurants were already closed, but we found Gus’s that was only a 2 minute walk from our hotel with a ton of positive Google reviews so off we went, excited to try our first fried chicken in the South!

This joint was indeed busy and as usual, we ordered a bit of the most popular items to try it out. Apart from the fried green tomatoes, sadly the rest of the food was very underwhelming. The spicy fried chicken that so many people online rave about was just okay. It was cooked well, but the flavours were lacking. We really wanted to like it 💔.

Memphis BBQ

We’ve heard so much about Memphis BBQ, but unfortunately most of the popular BBQ spots weren’t open on the days we were there so we never got to experience true Memphis BBQ, apart from the okay ribs at Blues City Cafe. Memphis BBQ is predominantly pork-based, although some restaurants also serve beef cuts. From what I can tell, Memphis-style BBQ offers pork ribs that are served either “wet” (with a sauce covering) or “dry” (cooked with a dry rub).

Here’s a list of popular Memphis BBQ places we’ve come across in our research incase we ever head back to Memphis again or if anyone is planning a trip (as you can see, most are closed Sunday & Monday, the only 2 days we were in Memphis 😭):

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous
Address: 52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-9pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://hogsfly.com/

Cozy Corner Restaurant
Address: 735 North Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105
Hours: 11am-8pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://cozycornerbbq.com/menu/

The Bar-B-Q Shop
Address: 1782 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Hours: 11am-8:30pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://thebar-b-qshop.com/

Central BBQ
Address: 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 (2 locations)
Hours: 11am-9pm daily
Website: https://eatcbq.com/pages/downtown

Some final thoughts…

Memphis is very touristy, especially Beale Street
Be cautious of safety and suspicious characters
Graceland and Sun Studios are the two main attractions in Memphis
Don’t visit on a Sunday or Monday if you want to have good Memphis BBQ
Civil rights museum is worth visiting for its historical significance
Check out the bigass Bass Pro Pyramid, if not for the shop, then for the observation deck at the top
If you like ducks, head to The Peabody

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Beef Bulgogi

Date Published: April 18th, 2025 | Last Updated: April 18th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: mains, asian, quick, easy,
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 12 hours (marinate overnight) | Cook time: 10 minutes

Jump to recipe |

Bulgogi is a Korean dish that consists of thinly sliced meat (most commonly beef, but you can find pork and chicken variations too) marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Once marinated, this dish is so quick to cook that it only takes a few minutes on the grill, perfect for a busy quick weeknight dinner if you marinate the meat the night before. Serve it over rice, lettuce wraps, or perilla leaves with a side of veggies. This flavourful dish will surely be a hit!

3 Methods for thinly sliced beef:

For best and most uniform results: Freeze the raw steak for 20-30 minutes until semi-firm, then use a meat slicer to slice as thin as possible. I have this model of meat slicer that I chose for the decent price and its relatively small size.

2. Freeze the raw steak for 20-30 minutes until semi-firm, then use a sharp knife to slice as thin as possible.

3. Buy pre-sliced frozen beef from the hotpot section of most asian grocery stores. This will be the easiest method but will also likely be more expensive.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Marinade:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps freshly grated ginger
- 4 green onions, sliced to 4cm pieces
- 1/2 small pear (80g), peeled and coarsely grated
- 1/4 cup (66g) soy sauce (Kikkoman is fine)
- 1/4 cup (40g) brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps (30g) toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 Tbsps (30g) gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
700g/1.5 pounds boneless rib eye steak, sliced thinly (for cheaper options, flank steak or skirt steak will also do)
Garnish: chopped green onion and sesame seeds

Directions:

Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well: 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsps grated ginger, 4 green onions sliced to 4cm pieces, 1/2 of a pear, grated (80g), 1/4 cup (66g) soy sauce, 1/4 cup (40g) brown sugar, 2 Tbsps (30g) toasted sesame oil, 1.5 Tbsps (30g) gochujang.

Add the thinly sliced steak into the marinade and massage well. Pour the contents into a resealable bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Take out the marinated steak 20 minutes prior to cooking to let the meat come to room temperature.

When ready to cook, use a flat skillet or grill pan on MED-HIGH heat and add a drizzle of oil. Add the marinated steak and cook for roughly 2-3 minutes per side until slightly charred and cooked. Done!

Serve with rice. Garnish with more green onion and sesame seeds.

Summarized Recipe:

Beef Bulgogi

Ingredients:

Marinade:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps freshly grated ginger
- 4 green onions, sliced to 4cm pieces
- 1/2 small pear (80g), peeled and coarsely grated
- 1/4 cup (66g) soy sauce (Kikkoman is fine)
- 1/4 cup (40g) brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps (30g) toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 Tbsps (30g) gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
700g/1.5 pounds boneless rib eye steak, sliced thinly (for cheaper options, flank steak or skirt steak will also do)
Garnish: chopped green onion and sesame seeds

Directions:

Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well: 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsps grated ginger, 4 green onions sliced to 4cm pieces, 1/2 of a pear, grated (80g), 1/4 cup (66g) soy sauce, 1/4 cup (40g) brown sugar, 2 Tbsps (30g) toasted sesame oil, 1.5 Tbsps (30g) gochujang.
Add the thinly sliced steak into the marinade and massage well. Pour the contents into a resealable bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Take out the marinated steak 20 minutes prior to cooking to let the meat come to room temperature.
When ready to cook, use a flat skillet or grill pan on MED-HIGH heat and add a drizzle of oil. Add the marinated steak and cook for roughly 2-3 minutes per side until slightly charred and cooked. Done! Serve with rice. Garnish with more green onion and sesame seeds.

April 18, 2025April 20, 2025

Abby1 Comment

Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Soup)

Date Published: April 12th, 2025 | Last Updated: April 12th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: soup, asian, easy, healthy, low cal, mains, quick
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins