Mortimer's Restaurant

Memphis

American Restaurant

$$$$

It’s hard to imagine a Memphis without Berclair’s Mortimer’s Restaurant. Though it wasn’t technically established until 1981, its seeds were sown as early as the 1950s, when neighborhood staple The Knickerbocker was founded by Mortimer’s owner Sara Bell’s father. Many of the recipes at Mortimer’s are in fact relics of The Knickerbocker, as are many of its decorations, like the moose taxidermy above the fireplace in the main dining room. The menu is divided into “Starters,” “Soups & Salads,” “Sandwiches,” “Chicken & Steak,” “Seafood,” and “Desserts.” Favorite dishes include the Mort Burger, with a half-pound of hand-patted ground beef that’s charbroiled and served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and Cheddar cheese, and 50-cent chilled oysters on the half-shell. Daily lunch specials change each week, keeping a very traditional Mortimer’s on the culinary cutting edge.