earnestine & hazel's

After two and a half hours walking around the Civil Rights Museum, we were hungry! Since we were downtown, I suggested that we knock another restaurant off of my list and grab lunch at Earnestine & Hazel's. I saw it make a cameo in the movie "Elizabethtown" and just last week I was reminded of it again when I saw it on Design Sponge's Memphis City Guide. It's known for its interesting history as a brothel, then drug store, now restaurant/bar.

I was surprised that when we walked in at the peak time for lunch, nobody was there except for the waiter/bartender/cook. We definitely got a sketchy vibe, so Brian whispered to me, "You want to go?" If it weren't on my list, I think we would have left, haha. I'm glad we stayed though, it was definitely a unique experience.

It started by the waiter not asking us what we wanted to eat, but telling us, "So, two soul burgers." Us- "Uh, yeah?" 

I still don't know if there is even anything else on the menu, that is, if there is a menu at all.

The burgers weren't anything to write home about. 

The "special sauce," aka mustard, was pretty overwhelming. 

We could barely even taste the grilled onions on it. 

As we were checking out, I asked the guy if it was true about the brothel history. He was much more blunt and said, "Yeah, it was a whore house. You guys can go up stairs if you want." I had no idea there was an upstairs. Obviously, being curious, we went and checked it out. And I thought downstairs was dumpy...  

They kept the rooms upstairs. There were red lights in some of them, random chairs and tables, a fridge, even a claw foot tub in the bathroom. Weird. But also fascinating. We were told that it was a functioning brothel all the way up until 1991. Definitely had character.