The famed Dyer’s off Beale Street was our most recent Burger Bounce location, as part of our journey out to Memphis. Whenever a trip is taken, we spend plenty of time deliberating over where we should end up going. Best to go to a local spot that can’t be visited anywhere else. And this is certainly one of those cases. Dyer’s is a location that’s been operating there since 1912, and apparently has been straining through the same cooking grease since day one. So, we felt it necessary to try it while we were there.

Given this wasn’t a straight “restaurant” establishment, there weren’t any appetizers to speak of. We went ahead and got a small side of 5 buffalo wings to share because of that. Well, we thought they would be smaller than they were, but these things were massive. What form of chicken these came from I have no idea! They were about as messy as to be expected, and the buffalo sauce was fine. But there was hardly any meat present on those bones. These were some giant, scrawny birds that I would’ve been terrified to encounter in real life. Though maybe more of a smaller thing suits me better. It doesn’t help that I’m the kind of lazy that prefers boneless wings.

The burger, the main event of it all, was simple enough. This isn’t a place that specializes in a ton of toppings and variants. They have single, double, and triple burgers (with or without cheese), and each coming with pickles, onions, and mustard. I got a double, without the cheese as unfortunately they only have American cheese available, but I didn’t mind. It was great, just as they say! Tons of juices without feeling too oily or greasy. The toppings were fresh, and the burger itself wasn’t some large, unwieldy thing that I could barely put my hands or mouth around. It was a great burger accompanied by a nice set of crispy, seasoned fries. I don’t know that I’ve mentioned before, but fries need to be crispy. The more brittle, the better. Wouldn’t you know it, the main draw for the eatery was the best part of the meal after all.

Lastly, before we headed out, we threw all caution to the wind and got some root beer floats for the road. These were fine, a bit of vanilla ice cream and root beer can go a long way. Maybe it was a little too sweet for my liking, though it’s very rare I have sweets like this anymore anyhow. The best thing was the hard, thick plastic mason jars that had the Dyer’s logo on them, as we got to keep them to take with us. Hey, some decent food alongside free merch from the place is good in my book!

Mom’s thoughts:

Our birthday trips have become one of my favorite traditions with Jacob, and this year took us back to Memphis. I grew up spending summers there, but it had been a long time since he’d seen the city, so sharing it together again felt special before we even ate a single bite.

Dyer’s on Beale Street was our Burger Bounce stop , and when a place has been using the same grease since 1912, you just go with it. It’s part history & adventure, and part “please let this be good.” Spoiler: it was very good.

We split some wings first. Great flavor, with just enough spice, but super hot… fresh from the kitchen.

The burger, though… absolutely delicious. Simple, classic, full of flavor, and not nearly as greasy as I expected from century-old oil. The fries were crispy (Jacob’s priority), even though I personally wanted a little more seasoning.

We wrapped it up with root beer floats in the cutest mason jar cups , which we got to keep, and walked around Beale Street full from another great Burger Bounce. Memphis always carries pieces of my childhood, but this time it gave me something better: a new memory with my son.

Sometimes a good burger is really just the excuse to slow down and savor the moment. And this one was exactly that.

With Love,
Mindy