Italian Restaurants in Memphis: The Red-Sauce Families and the New Guard

Italian restaurants in Memphis come with a family tree. Italian immigrants from around Lucca and the Delta Italians who came up from Mississippi farm country opened groceries, cafes and supper rooms here more than a century ago, and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren still run the dining rooms. Order the toasted ravioli or the barbecue pizza and you're eating recipes that started here.

So here's the full, current map: 25 Italian restaurants across the whole 901, every one checked at its own site in October 2026, from the old red-sauce rooms to the chef-driven kitchens to Collierville and Lakeland. Hours appear only where the restaurant prints them itself, and there's a short closed list at the bottom. (Pizza people, start with our best pizza in Memphis guide.) — Josh

The old-school Memphis Italian families

The red-sauce rooms with family names on the door. Most of them trace back to the same few immigrant families, and several are a cousin or two apart.

• Pete & Sam'sEast Memphis, 3886 Park Ave

  Seven decades of classic Memphis Italian, now in a refreshed dining room that still keeps its Elvis room. Bring a group and order family style. Sun–Thu 4–9pm, Fri–Sat 4–10pm; parties over six should call 901-458-0694.

• Coletta'sSouth Memphis, 1063 S Parkway E

  Memphis' oldest restaurant, serving since 1923, and famous for its barbecue pizza. The fifth generation works the floor now. South Parkway is open Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri 11–11, Sat 12–11, Sun 1–9. The Appling Road location closed in July 2026, though their site still lists it, so drive to Parkway.

• Dino's GrillMidtown, 645 N McLean Blvd

  Family owned on the corner of McLean and Tutwiler since 1973, founded by Dino Grisanti after decades at the State Cafe on Beale and Main. Ravioli, plate lunches, a tiramisu that won best dessert in Memphis, and all-you-can-eat spaghetti on Thursdays after 5 for $9. Tue–Sun 11am–8pm, closed Mondays.

• Ronnie Grisanti'sEast Memphis, 6150 Poplar Ave #122 (Regalia)

  A family line that left Valdottavo, near Lucca, for Memphis in 1909, still cooking Tuscan in the Regalia shopping center. The full lunch and dinner menus, a wine list, and catering trays are on their site. Call 901-850-0191 for a table.

• David Grisanti's on MainCollierville, 148 N Main St

  The youngest son of Big John Grisanti runs his own room a few steps off Collierville's Town Square, with the family recipes (manicotti included) and fish specials. Tue–Thu 5–8pm, Fri–Sat 5–9pm, closed Sunday and Monday.

• Go GrisantiGermantown, 1940 Exeter Rd #1

  The Grisanti fast-casual counter, where family meals for four to six come with toasted ravioli, Miss Mary's salad, garlic bread, and spaghetti, ravioli or the sausage ragu. Mon–Fri 10:30am–8pm, Sat–Sun 2–8pm.

• Brooklyn Bridge Italian RestaurantEast Memphis, 1779 Kirby Pkwy, Suite 5

  The Correale family's room, serving Italian family classics since 1985, near the Germantown line. The lasagna Amalfitano is the order. Happy hour Mon–Thu 4:30–6pm with $6 house wines, and Monday nights take 40% off pizzas, stromboli and calzones.

Modern and chef-driven

Handmade pasta, serious wine lists, and the kitchens that put Memphis Italian in front of national critics.

• Andrew Michael Italian KitchenEast Memphis, 712 W Brookhaven Cir

  Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's first restaurant, opened in 2008, and still the handmade-pasta room the rest of their group grew from. It's in the 2025 Michelin Guide. Dinner Mon–Sat 4:30–10pm; reserve at 901-347-3569. (More big-night rooms on our fine dining guide.)

• Hog & HominyEast Memphis, 707 W Brookhaven Cir

  Italian cooking with Southern roots, across the circle from Andrew Michael, and the metro's only Michelin Bib Gourmand. Lunch Tue–Fri 11am–2pm, weekend brunch 10:30am–2pm, dinner nightly from 4, happy hour Tue–Sun 4–6pm.

• Catherine & Mary'sDowntown, 272 S Main St, Suite 105-A

  Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother cooking from the same chef duo, in the renovated Chisca on the corner of Main and MLK. Dinner nightly 4:30–10pm, with complimentary valet Monday through Saturday. (Making a night of it? See our downtown restaurant guide.)

• Josephine EstelleGermantown, 6695 Poplar Ave

  Ticer and Hudman's Italian-American room at The Standard, a seasonal menu of Southern takes on the classics, with Rosie's Tavern cocktail bar upstairs. Lunch Tue–Fri 11am–2pm; dinner Sun and Tue–Thu 4:30–9, Fri–Sat 4:30–10; closed Monday. Walk-ins welcome when there's room.

• Bari Ristorante e EnotecaCooper-Young, 524 S Cooper St

  Puglian cooking from the heel of the boot, family owned for more than two decades. Chef Jason Severs makes the pasta, bread and desserts in-house, and there are more than 50 Italian cheeses. Rebecca Severs' all-Italian wine list won a 2026 Wine Spectator award. Mon–Sat 5–9pm.

• Ecco on Overton ParkEvergreen, 1585 Overton Park

  House-made Italian in a former Masonic temple, run since 2014 by Sabine Bachmann and her three sons. Start with the meatballs in Italian gravy or the whipped ricotta with hot honey. Dinner Tue–Sat from 4:30.

• Tamboli's Pasta & PizzaMidtown, 1761 Madison Ave

  A Delta Italian family story: Nazzareno Tamboli came to the Mid-South in 1909, and Miles Tamboli went from farmers-market produce to house-made pasta, dough and sauces. Save room for the cannoli. Happy hour daily; reserve online, and email ahead for groups over 14.

• MarcianoEast Memphis, 780 E Brookhaven Cir

  Italian-Mediterranean since 2007, a casual take on fine dining around the corner from Andrew Michael. Open 4:30–10pm every day but Tuesday, with a Wednesday happy hour from 4:30 to 6. Reservations and to-go orders by phone, 901-682-1660.

Neighborhood pasta-and-pizza joints

Red sauce, big portions, takeout trays. The weeknight answer when you want Italian without a reservation.

• Cocozza American ItalianHarbor Town, 106 Harbor Town Sq + East Memphis, 919 S Yates Rd

  The red-sauce joint with two rooms now: the Mud Island original and Cocozza East off Poplar. Generous portions, family platters, and an aperitivo hour Mon–Fri 4–6pm (our happy hour guide has the deal). Both open daily 4–9pm; cashless.

• AmerigoEast Memphis, 1239 Ridgeway Rd

  An East Memphis staple since 1998, with pastas, pizza, seafood and steaks at lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Early-bird specials run daily, and many dishes come in gluten-sensitive versions. Two private dining rooms.

• Ciao Bella Italian GrillEast Memphis, 5101 Sanderlin, Suite 100

  Italian and Greek cooking for more than 20 years, with a patio, a full bar and a grotto room for date night. Open every day: lunch Mon–Fri 11am–2pm, brunch Sat–Sun 11am–3pm, bar from 4 and dining room from 5.

• Lucchesi'sEast Memphis, 540 S Mendenhall Rd, Suite 3

  The ravioli family's deli and prepared-foods store, with more than 30 years of family recipes (chicken piccata, parmigiana and antipasto trays) to carry home or ship. Mon–Sat 8am–7pm, Sun 11am–6pm.

• Little Italy EastEast Memphis, 6300 Poplar Ave, Suite 113

  Pizza, pasta, panini and subs in the Regalia corridor. Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–9:30pm, closed Sundays. Call 901-729-7432 to order ahead.

• Little Italy DowntownSouth Main, 106 GE Patterson Ave

  New York-style pizza and pasta by the slice-shop rules: walk in, get a slice, sit down. Dough made fresh daily, plus calzones, subs and a Grandma's pie. (A separate business from Little Italy East.)

• Venice KitchenEast Memphis, 368 Perkins Extd

  Old Venice, renamed and renovated: Italian roots with pizzas, pasta and Cajun crossovers like the Creole Delight fettuccine. Sunday brunch. Their site lists two different sets of hours, so call 901-767-6872 first.

The suburbs: Lakeland, Cordova and Collierville

You don't have to drive inside the I-240 loop for a good plate of pasta. (Germantown's Josephine Estelle and Go Grisanti and Collierville's David Grisanti's are listed above.)

• Villa CastriotiLakeland, 9861 Lake District Dr W + Cordova, 714 N Germantown Pkwy

  A family that started with a New York-style pizza stand and grew into an Italian steakhouse, open since 1989. Marsala, piccata and parmigiana share the menu with steaks. Lakeland is open Sun–Wed 5–9pm, Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm; check the site for Cordova's lunch days.

• Ciao Baby PizzaCollierville, 890 W Poplar Ave, Suite 1

  Neapolitan pies that cook in 90 seconds in a 900-degree wood-fired oven, with the mozzarella made fresh every day. Soft in the middle by design, so don't expect a crisp crust. Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm; $9.99 lunch special Mon–Thu.

• Cafe PiazzaCollierville, 139 S Rowlett St

  Pizza, pasta and a flight night on Collierville's Town Square, plus half-pan catering trays of lasagna and crawfish pasta for a crowd. (Make a day of it with our Collierville guide.)

Closed or changed

Coletta's on Appling Road served its last meals in early July 2026 after 28 years. The original on South Parkway is open, but the restaurant's site still lists Appling, so don't follow an old map pin. Spindini downtown is gone; its web address is up for sale. The Little Italy that used to sit on Union Avenue is now Slice Midtown, out in Arlington. Old Venice on Perkins is now Venice Kitchen, We couldn't confirm that either Elfo Grisanti's location, on Germantown Road or on Getwell Road in Southaven, is still serving, so neither is listed until one does.

Verified October 2026. If a door on this page has closed or moved, reply to any Hey Memphis email and we'll fix it.

Italian food in Memphis: quick answers