The Lobbyist — Restaurant in Memphis

First I want to share there were 3 of us and we thought one of us set a reservations. But the other 2 misunderstood the text. But we took a chsnce at 1715 and did a walk in. We were able.to be seated in a high top in the bar. We were greeted with a man pouring water in our glasses. He spoke no words.. very odd and he reached across everyone instead of going around the small table to fill water. 20 mins passed and had not seen a waiter. 3 bartenders slammed with a full bar with alot of waiters with hardly any tables. The bartender finally asks what we want to drink and even gave us the happy hour list the host didnt provide. We ordered drinks and an app from said list. Drinks come and we added a 2nd app. The 2nd app came out a min later wasnt very hot and the first app came 15 mins after. Our water and drinks were empty 30 mins. I asked 2 people in passing if we can get a waiter. We had a concert across the street and wanted to order food. 20 mins go by a different bartender came over and took our new drink order and since ao much time had past we order something easy to split. A charcuterie board for 4. 30 mins pass and atill no board. We address the waiter again.. he said he was sorry and he would get it out and take it off our check. The manager brought it but couldnt tell us what eat meat or cheese was she has to ask someone. Also the a/c wasnt up tp par for the space. To say i was disappointed in all of it.. makes me sad. The place has a hip vibe, Michael Donahue walked in 20 mins before we left. So you know its a likeable place. But they flow of the place is mis-managed. The drinks were good, the food was okay.. the bartenders were very nice. But the issue was the kitchen and they had the bartenders to heavily worked while others didnt have...

This was a mixed bag for me! I really enjoyed the vibe and the waitress; and the bartender made good drinks! However, I got their bucatini and did not enjoy it. It was very oily and the ricotta and dill that came with it only made the dish more obviously coated in oil and very unappetizing. They put sweet jalapeños on the dish, I think in an effort to balance all that oil but all I could taste was the oil, and they didn’t even season it with enough salt. I took like two bites and decided it wasn’t for me. They only have one other pasta dish running right now and if it’s anything like that one (which it might not be), go to Catherine and Mary’s if you want pasta. But their focaccia bread you get with their board was superb. I didn’t like the carrots. They were very obviously not fresh nor very sweet but everything else was very good and the bread was to die for. Their deserts were worth the price too. All in all, for as nice a place as it is, it’s actually priced reasonably. It’s less expensive than google suggests unless you’re buying a protein based dish. The pasta dish and two drinks only cost me $46 before tip. The staff seemed like they enjoyed their job and were very skilled at handling an obscure menu. That’s my only other complaint really. The menu was a little hard to understand and the servers kept having to explain things not clearly laid out with the menu. Maybe I’m just getting old there and just don’t vibe with minimalist menus but it seemed like I looked at that menu like five times before just giving up and ordering what my friend got. Either way, it was a good time and the service was definitely the highlight of the visit. Worth a...

We stumbled into this spot on a Saturday evening—no reservations, no plan—just a spontaneous dinner idea. Despite it being the weekend, we were seated right away. The place was buzzing but not overflowing, which was a pleasant surprise.

Now, parking was a bit of a pain. It’s in the downtown area, and between the street closures and a few events going on, we ended up paying a ridiculous amount for a nearby lot. Something to keep in mind if you’re planning a visit.

The menu had a fun, modern fusion vibe. We kicked things off with the focaccia shareable platter. The bread itself was great—light, fluffy, topped with flaky sea salt—but the rest of the platter felt a little underwhelming for the price. Think a few veggies and dips, nothing too exciting.

We also tried a non-alcoholic cocktail with mint and watermelon—super refreshing and surprisingly well-balanced. Definitely a highlight.

For mains, my friend went with the chopped steak and mashed potatoes—cooked perfectly medium rare with a beautiful char. Solid choice. I ordered a pasta dish with braised beef that had a curry-style seasoning twist. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the dish had an interesting concept, but it didn’t completely land for me. It felt like it was almost great—just missing that final spark.

We skipped dessert (too full!), but the vibe of the place was relaxed and lively, kind of laid-back chic. Service was friendly but on the slower side.

All in all, a decent experience with a few standout moments—but probably not one I’d rave about. Still, if you’re in the area and in the mood for something a bit different, it might be worth a try, but...