Restaurants in Cordova, TN: Where Locals Actually Eat

The restaurants in Cordova, TN cluster along Germantown Parkway, Macon Road, and the streets that feed them, and they punch well above strip-center expectations: the oldest name in Memphis barbecue moved out here, a Sichuan kitchen in a Cordova shopping center landed in the Michelin Guide, and handmade soup dumplings, Brazilian churrasco, and a 24-ounce cowboy ribeye sit within a couple of miles of each other.

Cordova is part of the City of Memphis now, but it keeps its own name and its own ZIP codes (38016 and 38018), and that matters when you're searching. Plenty of 'Cordova' results are really in Germantown, which is its own city. So this list is 22 local restaurants actually in Cordova, every one verified at its own website or page in October 2026, with hours where the restaurant publishes them. Next door, our Germantown restaurants and Collierville restaurants guides pick up where this one stops, and Southaven restaurants covers the Mississippi side. — Josh

Barbecue and Southern

Cordova has two of the best-known names in Memphis barbecue, plus a soul-food Sunday worth planning around.

• Leonard's Pit Barbecue1100 N Germantown Pkwy

  Memphis barbecue since 1922. Leonard Heuberger opened by trading a Model T for a seven-stool sandwich stand in South Memphis; the pit now lives on Germantown Parkway. Tue–Sun 11am–7pm, closed Mondays. (The citywide pit map is our best BBQ guide.)

• Corky's Ribs & BBQ1740 N Germantown Pkwy

  Don Pelts's 1984 East Memphis barbecue house, with a Cordova room. Hickory-and-charcoal ribs and pulled pork, plus an all-you-can-eat Wednesday lunch buffet (10:45am–2pm) at the Cordova store: pulled pork, barbecue chicken, smoked sausage, catfish bites, spaghetti. Open daily from 10:45am, to 9pm (9:30 Fri–Sat).

• One & Only BBQ153 Timber Creek Dr

  A three-store local barbecue spot, and the one to call for a crowd. Ribs wet or dry, twice-baked potato salad, and family packs: the Super Six Pack (a pound and a half of pork, beans, slaw, sauce, six buns) is $39.99 and feeds six.

• Reservations Bar & Bistro8106 Cordova Center Dr

  Soul Food Sundays (noon–6) and Saturday brunch (noon–4). Sunday means a turkey wing plate ($18) or meatloaf ($14); Saturday means Waffle Mania chicken and waffles. Closed Mon–Tue; Friday and Saturday it runs until 2am.

• Crab Island Seafood1014 N Germantown Pkwy

  Crab legs by the platter, and the house rule is printed on the homepage: 'Food is NOT served in a plastic bag.' The Cordova store is dinner-focused, Mon–Sat 4–9pm, Sun 4–8pm; there's a sister location in Horn Lake.

Around the world on Germantown Parkway

This is the strongest reason to drive out to Cordova for dinner: Sichuan, dumplings, Indian, Vietnamese, and Mexican, mostly in strip centers you'd otherwise drive right past.

• Petals of a Peony1250 N Germantown Pkwy #105

  The Cordova original is the one with the Michelin Guide selection. Real Chengdu Sichuan, dan dan noodles with house chili oil, Peony Chicken, mapo tofu. Daily 11am–9pm, closed Tuesdays. It's also our cheap-weeknight pick on the best restaurants in Memphis list.

• Mingxia Dumpling1014 N Germantown Pkwy

  Handmade dumplings, soup dumplings, and steamed buns in a cozy noodle house that shares a center with Crab Island. Open 11am–9pm (9:30 Fri–Sat), closed Tuesdays.

• Bombay HouseCordova

  Indian cooking built on spices ground in house. Lunch 11am–2pm and dinner 5–9pm, with delivery through the apps. Its own site doesn't print a street address, so pull up the map before you go.

• Le Delights8095 Macon Rd, Suite 104

  Banh mi and pho, the whole menu in the name, from a small Macon Road shop. 11am–9pm, closed Tuesdays.

• El Mezcal694 N Germantown Pkwy #48

  The neighborhood Mexican standby near the south end of the parkway, with online ordering for takeout. Open daily from 11am, to 9pm most nights (10pm Fridays, 9:30 Saturdays).

Date night

Three Cordova rooms that take reservations and are worth dressing up for.

• The Butcher Shop Steakhouse107 S Germantown Pkwy

  USDA Choice beef, aged six weeks in house and hand-cut daily. A 14-ounce ribeye is $47, the bone-in cowboy ribeye runs 24 ounces, and sweet potato casserole is one of the swap-in sides. Dinner nightly, plus lunch on Friday and Sunday. (More beef in our Memphis steakhouses guide.)

• Villa Castrioti714 N Germantown Pkwy

  Italian since 1989, from a family that started with a New York-style pizza stand and now has rooms in Lakeland and Nashville too. Dinner Sun–Thu 5–9pm, Fri–Sat 5–10pm; lunch Thu–Fri and Sunday. Book on OpenTable.

• Tannoor Grill830 N Germantown Pkwy

  A Brazilian churrasco steakhouse with a Middle Eastern twist, which makes it the most unusual dinner in Cordova. Dinner only: Sun–Thu 5–9pm, Fri–Sat 5–10pm. Reservations through its site.

Casual, family, and late

Burgers, pizza, a 3am kitchen, and the brewery that anchors Trinity Road.

• Huey's Cordova1771 N Germantown Pkwy

  The Memphis burger institution (est. 1970), with live bands on Sunday nights. Trivia and music bingo fill weeknights; the kitchen runs to midnight Sun–Thu and 1am Fri–Sat. (Huey's vs. everyone: our best burgers guide.)

• Rock'n Dough1769 N Germantown Pkwy

  Pizza, pastas, and house-brewed beer, on the same stretch of the parkway as Huey's. Open daily from 11am (to 9pm, 10pm Fri–Sat), with weekday happy hour 2–6pm: $2 off drafts.

• Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza2286 N Germantown Pkwy

  Build-your-own fire-fresh pizza, since 2013. Daily 11am–9pm, and there's a private room for team parties and graduation dinners.

• Danver's1380 N Germantown Pkwy

  The local five-store burger-and-salad-bar chain, with burgers cooked over fire and a motto of 'Real Food. Fast.' The move when the kids have a vote.

• Tavern 0188130 Macon Station, Suite 106

  Open 11am–3am, seven days a week, which makes this bar-and-grill the after-the-late-shift answer.

• Meddlesome Brewing7750 Trinity Rd, Suite 114

  The locally owned Cordova brewery, with live music and trivia nights on the calendar. Taproom Tue–Fri 4–10pm, Sat noon–10, Sun noon–7, closed Mondays. (Every taproom in town: our breweries guide.)

Breakfast and something sweet

Cordova is short on sit-down breakfast, so these are the ones worth knowing, plus two dessert stops.

• Waffle & Pancake House420 S Germantown Pkwy, Suite 112

  Family-owned breakfast, brunch, and lunch, waffles and pancakes in the name. It posts specials on its Facebook page; call 901-779-7092 for hours.

• Old Whitten Tavern2465 Whitten Rd, just north by Wolfchase

  Breakfast served until an hour before closing, in a family-owned tavern with a serious bourbon shelf. Opens 7am Mon–Fri, 9am weekends; open mic on Wednesdays and live acts on Friday and Saturday nights.

• Dipsticle Artisan Gelato Cafe694 N Germantown Pkwy, Suite 60

  Italian gelato and sorbet on a stick, served since April 2017. Tue–Thu 3–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–9pm, closed Mondays.

• Jerry's Sno Cones1601 Bonnie Ln

  The second stand of the Wells Station Road original, with the same sno cones on the east side. Mon–Thu 11am–8pm, Fri–Sat 11am–9pm, closed Sundays.

Changed, and the Germantown mix-up

Two names you may find on older Cordova lists: Kooky Canuck's website now lists only its downtown room at 87 S. Second Street, and Sekisui's own site lists East Memphis, Pacific Rim, and Midtown, with no Cordova location. Call before you drive out expecting either one. Both checked October 2026.

The other trap is the map. Restaurants with 38138 or 38139 addresses are in Germantown, a separate city, even when search results call them Cordova. That includes Blue Honey Bistro on Poplar and the Kirby Parkway stores of a few local chains. They're good restaurants. They're just in our Germantown guide instead of this one. If you're spending the day at Shelby Farms Park, the Germantown Parkway restaurants above are the closest dinner.

The honest answers