Four Way Restaurant

I had the salmon croquettes, smothered cabbage, boiled okra and black eyed peas. Food was really good, came out quick and was exactly what I was looking for!

Haven not been here for years. Just round corner from Stax. It’s a slice and a good old meat and three, no surprises and no disappointments, tons of food at a good price.

What a wonderful meal. Just don’t miss the Sweet Potato Pie.
Southern cooking for real. Late lunch after going to Stax Museum. Really crowded. A large ladies group caused the service to be slow, however, the wait was well worth the great meal.
Really good chicken fried steak, black eyed peas, dressing and turnip greens AND Sweet Potato Pie…

Had the catfish sandwich and it was good but nothing special. The tarter sauce was a little spicy and lots of pickles which was the highlight of the sandwich. The most interesting part was eating at a place so rich in American history. From Dr Martin Luther King to Jerome Bettis there have so many leaders of the black community here that you have to be in awe of this establishment.

Found this place on Unilocal and we were on our way to Stax, so we gave it a go for lunch. Between myself and my mom we had the chicken fried steak, fried chicken, slaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, smothered cabbage, and yams. Everything was very good! Big disappointment at the end of the meal when the cornbread tasted like cardboard! The service was very good and friendly!

Willie Bates was suppose to be here for our group arrival but was a no show… deep breath.
**We forwarded preorders days ahead, per person. We arrived on time and were seated immediately. However, the food was served cold. 7 guests didn’t receive their dinners 1 hour into visit and was very unorganized. We received no refills on tea or water until we grabbed frustrated wait staff. However, they then ran outta mac’n cheese, chicken legs. No manager was present to assist seamingly untrained staff. Food was tasty for the most part but I recommend finding a backed mac and cheese recipe… they just need help managing large groups and better trained wait staff. Three stars goes for the fish and flat cornbread cakes.

It took a little over ten minutes for my food to arrive. I was anxious to dig in but unlike my last visit (which I will discuss later), I wasn’t in a hurry. My plate looked impressive, for the catfish filets were huge. In terms of taste, the catfish was as good as most places that serve it. The catfish had all the characteristics that most would expect, such as light breading, salty seasoning and firm texture. While it didn’t have anything that would set it apart from catfish served at other restaurants, it was textbook perfect and delicious.
The side items complemented the catfish well. The turnip greens were the usual fare, highlighted by typical pork and salt-​based seasoning. In the spirit of racial harmony, I followed the advice of a white guy by sprinkling pepper sauce on my greens. Bruce’s Green Hot Pepper Sauce sweetened and spiced up my turnip greens. With the pepper sauce, the greens were pleasurable and satisfying. Again, I want to thank Craig of Memphis Que for introducing that wonderful condiment to me.
The Mac ‘n Cheese was by far the best part of my meal. I liked it because it was creamy and sweet with a strong buttery flavor. In comparing it to versions that I’ve tried in the past, Four Way’s mac ‘n cheese is the best. I appreciate the simplicity of it, for it doesn’t rely on fancy ingredients and bourgeois bullshit to make it a great dish. Although it’s unlikely to get the gourmet food distinction or praise from blogs like I Love Memphis (who wrote a brief review of the diner), I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
After finishing my catfish and sides, I indulged in dessert. Just like I did with the catfish, I chose another favorite of Dr. King. His choice of dessert was the lemon meringue pie. Other than its crispy crust, there wasn’t much about the pie that I haven’t experienced before. As expected, it had a sweet lemon flavor that made it tasty. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of it, but I respect Dr. King’s choice of a dessert that likely pleased him.
In all, the meal that I had at The Four Way was good, but the overall experience was great. In addition to the friendly service, I loved talking to the owner about the history of the place and the famous who dined there. I hope more people will take the time to visit The Four Way, for it is an enlightening and memorable experience. As a bonus, one can eat like a «King.»
To read the entire review, go to

The Four Way in South Memphis is no joke!
We came in for a late lunch after visiting the Stax museum, and this unassuming soul food staple did the trick, especially the fried chicken and the cabbage. Prices are very reasonable, and all the classic Southern favorites are found on the menu.
Service is not speedy, but they treat you right at the Four Way.

Let me start by saying the food was Good BUT the service was TERRIBLE. We arrived at 2pm the hostess took our name then forgot about us so 1hr later we were seated then waited another 30min for food, during this time no one came to check on us. 2hrs later we were leaving…
Again, I will say the food was good but not worth the wait or lack of service (and no they were not that busy).

Food is good in this place. Service, however, is not. This place is getting three stars just because of the food is good to somewhat mend the service. Are we coming back? Probably not. Bad service and sketchy neighborhood are not good combination.
Fried chicken is most and crispy. Hard to get that combination. Green is really good. So is mashed potato.

I was a tourist from Philadelphia. I had read an article in the NY Times that recommended this restaurant. I went for Sunday lunch. I was under-​dressed. All the regulars had their best clothes on, apparently coming from church. My turkey and dressing platter was very good. Friendly staff. The owner chatted with me. This place was everything I expected. Authentic. Highly recommended. Prices are cheap!

Found this place through a Google search. I read the Unilocal reviews and decided to give it a try. well I have to say that Jeremy’s review was dead on.
I ordered the fried chicken. white, expecting a breast and a wing. got 4 huge wings. did I mention that I am not fond of wings? I also ordered sweet tea, mac n cheese and yams.
Super strong and bitter. no name brand boxed and pretty but super bland
I am not from the area so I have to do a lot of trial and error. I like BAKED macaroni and cheese, and flavorful food.
I have grown accustomed to waiting for soul food. but at the end of this never ending wait. the food was a disappointment. .entirely.
NO REPEAT. :(

Went today with my dad. We both got the fried catfish. He liked it. I was really disappointed. It seemed like typical food service food — it seemed pre-​prepared. I expected hand battered catfish… maybe it was but don’t think so. The mac and cheese seemed like it was straight Kraft mac and cheese. The turnip greens were ok but no bacon or ham in them.
For desert I had lemon meringue pie, and it was the best part of the meal. Very good. Dad had chocolate cake. It looked very moist, and he like it. The sweet tea was sweat and strong — I thought it was good. The server was pleasant but no tea refills (we didn’t ask), and he didn’t clear the plates when we ordered desert or bring us clean forks. Maybe I’m getting picky but seems like those are basic service items.
The place was clean and people polite but food was not the real deal in my opinion.

Memphis does soul food in a myriad of ways. One of the most popular (and most affordable) is the standard meat and three. There are few places in town that do it better than Four Way Restaurant in the Soulsville neighborhood in South Memphis. This was a popular lunch spot for Civil Rights leaders in the 1960s.
First, select your protein. Popular options include friend chicken, salmon croquet, baked fish, country fried steak, fried catfish, pot roast and liver and onions. My personal favorite is the turkey and dressing. It even comes with a dollop of cranberry sauce — just like Thanksgiving.
After you’ve picked your meat, choose a couple of vegetable side items like boiled okra, green tomatoes (pickled or fried), buttered corn, broccoli and cheese, turnip greens, pinto beans, English peas, mashed potatoes and gravy and macaroni and cheese. And yes, mashed potatoes and macaroni are both considered vegetables. This is the South after all. Then decide if you want a roll or corn muffin, and you’re all done.
For those who want simpler decisions, you can avoid all the choices by going for a burger, hot dog or catfish sandwich.
Finish off your meal with a slice of strawberry cake or some peach cobbler. Any dessert can be served a la mode, as they should be.

This place is to Soul Food what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. From the Jiffy mix cornbread to the sub-​Kraft mac ‘n cheese to the unseasoned greens, bland yams, underwhelming cabbage and yawn-​worthy fried fish and chicken, I can’t understand ANY of the hype about this place. I’ve had far better soul food in Louisiana gas stations.
The history was interesting at least, and the staff were all really friendly.

Can’t get enough of Four Way!
I was in Memphis for the Beale Street Music Festival, as I am every year. I stopped in this place because it had been suggested to me by someone before arriving. So I went the day before I departed. We drove from Germantown to Soulsville just for their food.
We got to Four Way and the location wasn’t everything, but who cares? I’m not eating outside anyway. I went in and the entire staff was exemplary. There was a younger guy who worked at the host stand who was very helpful in helping me to understand their menu, and the older woman (who I assume owns the restaurant) was so welcoming and delighted to have my business.
I decided to do to-​go because they were closing and I didn’t want to hold them up. I ordered Turkey and dressing, sweet potatoes, and greens. All very good! The turkey and dressing was cooked to perfection… turkey has a tendency to get dry and almost gummy if over cooked. Not here at Four Way! These folks know what they’re doing. True soul food! I plan on returning when I get back to Memphis.

We were literally driving through Memphis on our way from Birmingham to Denver. We happened to be there at lunch time and picked the 4 way on a whim.
I could not have been more impressed! Our waitress was a wonderful woman. As a group we had the fried chicken, turkey with stuffing, chicken fried steak, greens, potato salad, pickled beets, pickled tomatos, peas, broccoli and of course corn bread.
Holy cow was it good!
The neighborhood looked like a demiliterized zone, but the patrons were all wearing their Sunday best and I definitely recommend making the trip.

Ahh, Four Way…
The last time I was at Four Way was over 15 years ago when it was «Four Way Grill», a small one-​room restaurant. So, I was looking forward to returning to check out the expanded seating and to enjoy the food.
Twelve of us dined together at Four Way and the two waiters were clearly overwhelmed and exasperated by the Sunday, after church crowd. The service was so disorganized. After placing our drink orders with one waiter, our beverages were nowhere to be seen over 20 minutes later. Finally, the other waiter arrived to take our food orders and to retake our drink orders and after what seemed like forever, our plates came to the table.
Between the twelve of us, we ordered fried chicken, turkey and dressing, liver, neck bones, fried catfish and a variety of sides. My plate had fried chicken with greens and mac and cheese. The fried chicken was good and the greens were decent but it’s a shame for a soul food restaurant in Memphis to use what appeared to be (and tasted like) Kraft mac and cheese. Other sides such as the cabbage and yams were delicious but the mashed potatoes tasted like they were instant potatoes. The neck bone, liver and fried catfish were excellent.
This was a somewhat disappointing return to Four Way but clearly the restaurant is a Memphis staple and the steep history of the place keeps some people returning.

Four Way Grill is a soul food restaurant in the Soulsville area of Memphis. OMG! I just recently ate here, and I cannot believe that it took me this long to eat here.
Their turkey and dressing is to die for. I wish I could have some now. Their peach cobbler is also delicious.
This is hands down one of the best soul food restaurants in Memphis. I can’t believe that it took me more than 30 years (most of my life) to try this place for my first time. This is THE place to go when you need some soul food, especially if its for dressing!

I have been planning to come here for at least 2 years before finally making it. What I had been told is that this is a great «soul food» place. But on this front I was disappointed, because the food here is what you will find at any really good meat-​and-​three (or two) southern country kitchen. Being from the South, I have eaten this stuff my entire life. However Southern Soul Food is a culturally created anomaly due (in part) to what food was affordable or available to the black community in the South at least a couple generations ago. If BBQ ribs had not become mainstream, we would be identifying them as part of the Soul Food menu, because that is where they originated.
As far as this being a very good «southern county cooking» or «southern home cooking» establishment, I will agree that the Four Way ranks high in its class. They did a fine number on their greens and have a well prepared country fried steak. I do think their success may have gone to their head because lunch with tea ran around $ 11/​ea which would never fly in any rural country kitchen restaurant. However their success and good food ensures that people will be coming for years.
As a «Soul Food» establishment I would rank this place at no more than 3 stars; however I do not believe they asked to carry the soul food mantle, and therefore I am classifying them as a Southern Country Kitchen (meat-​and-​two) where despite the cost and the fact that the waitress abandoned us in the final 20 minutes of our lunch I am giving it 4 stars and hope it continues to flourish.