Belle Diner

Belle Diner
117 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38103

Belle Diner is a relatively new restaurant in downtown Memphis.  It is in a space that was formerly occupied by Buckley's Steak Restaurant and later a Mexican restaurant, El Rio Loc.

Belle Diner has a small menu.  I like restaurants with smaller menus.  I hate when there is a book to read.  It makes the decisions difficult to make.  

The restaurant has been totally transformed.  No one would guess that it used to be a Mexican restaurant.  It looks like a very nice restaurant.  

They have a full bar with local beers on tap.  

They have a good dinner price point.  Entrees are $19, appetizers are $10, sides are $4, soups are $5, salads are $7, and desserts are $6.  

When I went for dinner, they gave us rolls and cornbread to start.  

G had the grilled ribeye steak on a bed of spinach topped with an onion ring.  They still have the steak, but I noticed that the menu is slightly different now.  

Instead of an entree, I chose to order 5 sides.  One was the broccoli casserole and mornay sauce.  This was too good to be true.  With the sauce, it was no longer healthy I'm sure, but it was more than delicious.  

I also had the cheese grits, the spinach, and the fried okra.  I love the fried okra.  They fry the whole thing.  

And for my 5th side, I had the mac n' cheese.  It was sinfully delicious.  I got to try a ton of different items by ordering sides.  The mac n' cheese and the broccoli casserole are the best.  

The restaurant space is huge.  It's basically double what you see when you walk in.  

Apparently, they have a good happy hour with cheap house wines, house liquors, and domestic beers.  I also discovered that they have a brunch which sounds good, with mimosa buckets.  I have to find out what that is.  

On my second visit, I went with a Yelp event.  

I tried all 4 drink specials.  I started with the Southern Fashioned, which was their take on the Old fashioned.

The Scarlett O'hara was some type of cranberry drink.  The strawberry sparkle is basically champagne with strawberries.  

I also had the cheap fireball shot.  I like this cinnamon whiskey.  

I got to try the mac n'cheese again, which is still amazing.  I also got to try the greens for the firs time.  They are perfect.  There is plenty of meat cooked with them.  

I also got to try the cheese grits again.  They are still good.  

They also have blackened green tomatoes.  It's like fried green tomatoes but without the fried batter.  They're really good.  

I also still love that fried okra.