BABALU - East Memphis — Restaurant in Memphis

A last minute Girls Night Out at Babalu’s was a complete waste of time and money. They have the Worst Cocktails and I mean WORST WEAK AS SPRING WATER Cocktails EVEEEEEER!

I honestly CANNOT believe this establishment is still open for business. How? 🙄 These were the WEAKEST, WATERED DOWN, JUICIEST, MOCKTAILS posing as COCKTAILS drinks I have ever sipped in my entire lifetime.

This establishment is a rip off when it comes to cocktails! DO NOT go here for the Cocktails….you will be highly disappointed & feel ripped off as if you literally just spent your hard earned money on a decorated juice cocktail.

The Avocado Rolls and Tacos were pretty decent in addition to, we were starving. That is the only reason I mustered up giving them a 1-Star.

The highlight of the evening was this…the server actually brought a half filled “Overly Sour Pre Mixed” Margarita (as pictured) to the table and expected my Aunt to pay for it. Unbelievable to say the least.

Upon asking the server how long she has worked at Babalu and if other patrons complain about their cocktails. She informed us they have received complaints in the past and patrons have sent their cocktails back. She suggested we buy additional shots to make our cocktails stronger. Lol! I presume that’s their UPSELLING tactic to make a profit on liquor.

In the words of my Great Wise Uncle….”I’m too big of a Cat to be fooled by a kitten.” I’ll gladly stopped by the Package Store and pick up a favor or 2 before I spend money on a watered down additional shot at Babalu. 😉

Once the Manager came to the table, we expressed our concerns and disappointments with our cocktails. He reluctantly took the margaritas off the bill.

I rarely complain about cocktails because I’m a lightweight. However, Babalu East Memphis you guys need to be ASHAMED and shut down for serving $11 weak as spring water cocktails, upselling or suggesting the of purchase additional shots and a 20~25% tip and/or repeat business is INSANE!

Do better BABALU...

First day right in Memphis, we were walking and the square and we cross to Babaloo and me and my wife with the sign to get in to try the food first impression attended we sit down very fast. The place was very crowded. We sit down and we order our first appetizer was a short rib Eggroll was very delicious very well cooked and flavors was exceptional from there. We moved to avocado or guacamole table size they prepare it in our table. and Madison, who was the girl who make our guacamole, she do everything by the book with no escape of flavors and she was very attended on my questions and every curiosity and throw it to say she have an answer for me. Very good job definitely she’s very good girl to do the guacamole table size. She have everything down the pet from there, we moved to another appetizer. There was a crabcakes lump crabcakes. We decided to take it and fry flavor was very good. The salad with the crabcakes was very delicious. We really enjoy it. And from there we order the salad was chop salad with blackening salmon, edit the blackening salmon was perfect blackening. The flavor was amazing and the salmon was perfectly cook not dry, not overcook, perfectly medium size salmon. MN to close the night we order well we don’t order JOHNNA she recommended 100% this dessert no matter what through the whole meal our waitress Johanna she walkers us troop the menu and she tell us what she recommended what she was very exciting to us testing and we follow her instructions by the book and Bellini we don’t go Ron and her choices of plates. She was very attended and she was very understanding what we’re looking for that she was amazing waitress so sweet so attended and she was perfect and whole extension of the service. Definitely un recommend when you come in to this place to Babaloo ask for her and you can get a service. Excellent and recommended and definitely I enjoy all my meal flavors service and...

I’ve been to the Babalu in Overton Square before, but this was my first time at this newer location—and honestly, it’s a step up. The ambiance feels more polished, and parking is way less of a headache, which is always a win.

We came as a group and kicked things off with their signature tableside guacamole. It’s always a fun touch to watch it being made fresh right at the table. We skipped the bacon this time (some of us don’t eat it), but I can totally imagine how adding that would take it to another level. The guac itself was fresh, creamy, and comfortingly classic—my personal favorite kind.

That said, the experience varied a bit. The first batch was kind of meh—maybe the server wasn’t too enthusiastic—but the second round, prepared by someone else, was noticeably better. Small details like that make a difference.

Next came the shrimp appetizer, and wow. Easily the highlight of the evening. Perfectly cooked shrimp coated in a creamy, spicy sauce—it was seriously addictive.

For mains, a few friends went with the salmon and red snapper dishes, and they were pretty pleased—generous portions with roasted veggies, nicely plated. Others went for quesadillas and gave them a solid thumbs-up.

I, however, went with the crab cake Benedict from the brunch menu, and it was… underwhelming. The flavor was decent, but the portion was tiny—like, kid’s-menu tiny. Two small benedicts and a scoop of breakfast potatoes didn’t really justify the price tag. Definitely felt like a miss.

We skipped dessert, partly because we were full, partly because the service just didn’t wow us. It was slow and not very attentive—we had to flag the staff down several times for basic things.

Overall, the vibe was laid-back and pleasant, but the experience was mixed. Some real hits (hello, shrimp!) and a few definite misses. Would I go back? Maybe— just to give them...