Rum Boogie Cafe

We visited the Rum Boogie several times but particularly enjoyed the Sunday Jam session where we could hear several different musicians. Food is average. Drink selection is somewhat limited. But the music is terrific.

I gave two stars for couple of reasons. Steven, our waiter for this evening as they kicked off the IBC in downtown Memphis, was fantastic! We are in Memphis for the first time. Steven was Very kind, funny, professional and worked his tail off!!! He deserves the two stars by himself actually. The female waitress working my other families table next to us, was rude, condescending and her service was horrible.
The jam itself, seemed to be pretty well organized with as many musicians as were here and wanting to get on stage. The fundraiser and silent auction that they had going on upstairs was also a nice touch for the blues community. The place seems to be set up well and the chairs and tables were pretty nice for this type of venue.
With some really good reasons to visit this place again, we will not spend another dime at this location on this trip or our trips after this. We are here with almost 20 people and less than half of those spent over $ 300 in a very short period of time this evening. We had been warned by numerous people that Memphis often looks for cars to tow and ticket and that we needed to be on point with paying our parking and fees. My sister and her husband left and went to update our parking fees as we were late, upon their return, my younger sister went to walk back into the venue and was tapped on the shoulder and before she could turn around she was yanked off of the step forcefully by the back of the neck of her coat! She turned to find a man standing there that had been previously standing on the corner in front of the venue flirting with a female and smoking a cigarette. She had no idea who this was as he was in plainclothes with no identifying information. He claimed to be the bouncer when she asked who he was and why he was putting his hands on her. He advised her that he needed to see an ID and she needed to pay a cover charge or to see her stamp. She explained that no one said anything to her when she left and that we had been there for hours eating and drinking and enjoying the music. My sister advised him that her ID was in her purse sitting on her table inside the venue and he told her that he had «a fucking job to do» and that if she did not come right back he would come find her and kick her out. Douche. My brother-​in-​law then returned and also went to come right back into the venue and as he opened the doors, the jerk at the front slammed the door shut on him and demanded the same information. No professionalism, no courtesy, no education or understanding as to how you should speak to grown, professional people, hence the reason you’re a «bouncer».
To end the evening, we went to get our rental car and move it closer to the venue to pick up a couple of people that have been in the hospital recently and that have disabilities. There was clearly street parking and when we went to pay for the meter, the meter sign was showing free parking, so we double checked with the person at the front door to make sure that was accurate and instead, the loser bouncer decided to answer us condescendingly and asked us if we considered reading the signs outside. This guy is a tool. Hopefully he is worth keeping around at his minimum wage job to lose high paying customers that could have been regulars with lots of family and friends joining them over years of returning to Memphis. I’m a business owner and don’t take negative reviews lightly. This guy lost you at least 9 of us. I’m sure since he treated 3 of the 9 of us poorly, without knowing we were all together, your odds are not good that he is kind to many of your paying customers.

Trust your ears when visiting a place like Beale street which has a cacophony of sounds assaulting your senses.
Spending only two nights in Memphis, we took ourselves downtown to Beale Street to have a dander and a gander and to find something to eat. Going up the main street and down the same street we wanted to find some live music and the sounds coming from Rum Boogie Café were the ones that appealed to us the most. There was a $ 3 cover charge and an ID check at the door, but it was one of the busier bars on the street so we didn’t mind paying to get a bit of atmosphere — everywhere else was relatively empty at 7p.m. on a Tuesday.
**FIRST THING YOU SHOULD KNOW IS THAT THEY ALLOW SMOKING INSIDE**
This we didn’t mind because there were 4 smokers in our group.
Inside is pretty dark and divey, but the beer was cold and the music was good and there were a couple of guys in the audience who got on stage and jammed with the band who were excellent local talent. We ordered some food, and the fried green tomato must have been the smallest little tomato ever. Four little slices for nearly $ 10 seemed a little exorbitant. They came with little tubs of pimento cheese, thousand island and ranch dressing. I had the pulled pork sandwich with the sauce on the side which came with a side of fries and the meat was good, with the little burntedy crunchety bits on the end… yum yum. We stayed having a few beers and chatted on and off with the really nice waiter who’s grandparents came from Ireland who was filling us in on the history of the Irish in Memphis («The Pinch» being an area of the City where Irish immigrants settled in the 1800’s).
Worth visiting this bar alone to see the autographed guitar collection adorning the walls.

A nice option on Beale, this place had a blues band playing and a $ 3 cover. We sat upstairs initially which was cool because you could see/​hear the band and shoot pool or just sit and drink. While the upstairs was cool, there wasn’t a bar open up there; requiring you to order below and climb a spiral staircase on your way back up.
The two bartenders I interacted with were neither rude nor friendly. They took my order quickly and accurately, that’s about it. Prices were a bit on the high side, $ 10 for a draft PBR and Coors.
The best thing about this place is all the décor, original STAX sign, Isaac Hayes’ cape and all the guitars.

Go there for the music, the food is above average considering music venues…
The place is filled with guitars and other memorabilia… Graffiti and stickers on the walls… Bright colored paint and artistically arranged lights…
We went on Christmas Day, the house band was playing and taking requests… They were very good and we stayed till the end…

It’s one in a sea of many on Beale Street. If you like the music then go there. Unnecessary $ 5 cover charge per person and $ 14 for one mixed drink and 1 bottle of beer. There’s not much about it that makes it any better or any worse than any of the others.

Admittedly, we were quite tipsy and very hungry, but my husband and I devoured these ribs like we’d never see meat again in our lives. They were very tender and flavorful and crumbled right off the bone. We just happened to stumble in here after hearing some great music next door and we’re happy we did. It’s on Beale St. so of course it’s touristy. The vibe was fun and lively, and those ribs were tasty. It’s a good spot for those looking to counteract the Jack Daniels with a snack while enjoying the live music on Beale.

First time on Beale St. I will give the benefit of the doubt that it was a Sunday night. Not a lot of people out in this town. 70 percent of the people in the restaurant smoke and it seemed like it was full of locals. Great live music and the walls are covered with cool stuff. This spot is definitely not a good late night eat. The beans were old and pasty cold slaw was from a can and the ribs were flavorful however dried out and old.

First time visitor to Beale St. Awesome fun to walk bar to bar with each having live music.
This bar had an upper level that you could hang over the edge and see the band down below.

Great food! Love the fried green tomatoes. Guitars hanging everywhere. Jazz music playing. We went at lunch time so it wasn’t crowded. Friendly staff. We will be back.

Since the award winning gumbo is advertised all over the windows and there were a lot of people sitting outside, we decided to pop in for some lunch. My boyfriend and I each got a cup of the gumbo and then I went for the fried green tomato BLT while he went for the BBQ nachos. Our server Holly was super sweet and very attentive, checking in on us a few times even though she had a lot of customers to look after.
The gumbo was served with rice and a piece of bread — it had good flavor but my cup only contained a couple pieces of celery and one piece of kielbasa. The menu boasts that the gumbo contains gator, crab, shrimp, sausage, chicken, and catfish so I was pretty disappointed I didn’t get more of the good stuff. My sandwich was satisfying — the tomatoes had a nice crust and the bacon was crisp. It came with horseradish sauce and I’m unsure if it was house made but I enjoyed it nonetheless. My boyfriend wasn’t impressed by the nachos due to the fake cheese but the pulled pork and BBQ sauce he got on top were pretty tasty. I don’t think we’d come back but overall the service was good and it was nice sitting outside on the sidewalk people watching and enjoying the sun.

Outstanding fried pickles! The red beans and rice were perfect. The gator gumbo was missing a little something. Prices were fair. Plus, they seem to be the only dog friendly patio on Beale, the waitress even brought our little guy a fresh steaming pork shoulder bone. And what a patio it was; an unmatched people watching perch, indeed. Lovely staff and overall it was an enjoyable experience. Cheers!

Fairly touristy given it’s location on Beale Street, but if you’re in that specific area and you’re looking for something that will give you a decent quality music and some authenticity, this is your best bet. They do feature legitimate blues performers from the region. The atmosphere/​décor inside is cool, reflecting a sort of haphazard, slapped together backwoods blues feeling.
The downside here is basically location. The crowd during my time there consisted mainly of people who wandered in off Beale Street. This includes tour groups of older people in the early and mid-​evening hours, then morphs into ‘bros’ at various stages of intoxication later at night.
All in all, this is a solid bet if you want to stick around Beale Street. There are better, more «real «places around and outside of the city, but this place has good music and cold beer.

Rum Boogie Café was a pretty awesome place. I really loved the atmosphere and the decorations. The staff were really friendly. I also really enjoyed the live music. My only issue really was that it’s not a very vegetarian friendly environment. I mean it’s down south so I expected that. However, I’d come here again for the music and drinks.

In a sentence: Go for the music and the beer.
Here’s the thing. The service is mediocre at best, and the food is basically deep-​fried hot garbage. On top of that, all of the liquor drinks ordered at our table seemed astonishingly watered down. We had to ask (and pay) for extra shots just to give them even the slightest kick.
But, if you only drink beer and come for the music, it’s actually worth the $ 3 cover. The house band is really good. They do tend to get cheesy and pander a little («This one is for the troops!»), and it gets somewhat annoying when they beg for tips and walk around the crowd trying to sell their CDs, but mostly they just shut up and play amazingly great music. (Besides, they DO need to make money. So, I get it.)
So, to recap: Drink beer. Enjoy the band. Avoid the food and liquor.

Lovely place, guitars all over; fried chicken is amazing and the sides are great. Fried okra, greens and fried green tomatoes! Zareon, our waiter, made this place special

I will give them 2 stars for the Band, but that’s it. We went there tonight. We ordered drinks at the bar and once tables opened we sat down. We ordered burgers and gator gumbo for appetizer. We waited 30 minutes+ and never got our food. It’s the 1^st time ever I have walked out of a place. It wasn’t even a really busy night. Compared to a Friday or Saturday night. Very disappointed… especially since we paid a cover charge too.

I went here on Valentine’s Day and the band was rockin’!
I know this is mostly for tourists. but it is fun to be a tourist sometimes… especially in your own town… especially when that town is Memphis.
I haven’t tried the food, but the drinks were strong and fairly cheap for Beale. The crowd was SUPER into the band and the band was SUPER into the audience, which created the best energy ever. I have got to say… their house band is good and I wouldn’t mind coming back here a few times a year. And I’ll definitely bring any out-​of-​town guests I may have!

Good dinner! I had the pulled pork BBQ plate. My sides were awesome! Baked Beans and for the first time… fried green tomatoes! Yum!
Then the band started! Great blues band! I just wished the crowd was more lively! Really great blues!

Stopped in for a late lunch on our way home from NOLA. BLT Po’boy with fried green tomatoes and side of fried okra was a winner. He had the bbq pork sandwich and fries, also tasty. Previous visit we enjoyed their drinks, live music and fun atmosphere.