Tug's: A Casual Grill

Tug's is located at 50 Harbor Blvd. in Memphis, TN. The zip code is 38103. The telephone number for Tug's is 901-260-3344. You can visit the website for Tug's here (www.riverinnmemphis.com/dining/tugs/) and you can visit the website for River Inn of Harbor Town here (www.riverinnmemphis.com/index.html). Tug's is the casual restaurant of what is called River Inn of Harbor Town. Currents Fine Dining is located right beside Tug's and it is the more sophisticated of the two restaurants at River Inn of Harbor Town. If you are traveling on I-40 West you will take exit 1A to North Second Street. Turn right onto North Second Street and stay on North Second Street for a little under a mile (go past the Pyramid). You will then make a left onto A.W. Willis Avenue and go over the bridge. After going over the bridge you will enter a roundabout and make the first right in the roundabout onto Island Drive. You will only be on Island Drive for a few seconds and you will make the first right you see. When you make that right Tug's will be right in front of you.

Despite being a casual restaurant, Tug's is still somewhat upscale. It has already been mentioned that it is located on Mud Island. Mud Island is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Memphis. As one would assume many of the island's residents eat supper and lunch there. Tug's does serve breakfast from 8 AM until 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. This was actually our 3rd visit to Tug's and each time we have been there it was for supper. The place has been fairly crowded on each visit but we have never had to wait to be seated.

On this particular visit we had a group of four people. We ordered the Happy Hour Pickle Chips for an appetizer. They come fried with a side of ranch for dipping. They were not out of this world but they were good. I ordered the Happy Hour Buffalo Sliders. This is actually an appetizer on the menu but I had it for a meal. This was basically two buffalo chicken strips on bread. It also came with ranch, celery, and carrots. It was very good. If you are very hungry this is probably not an ideal choice. One member of our party had the chicken pasta. The 3rd member of our party had butternut squish bisque and half a turkey sandwich. The final member of our party had the chicken Caesar salad. Each member was very pleased with their meal. The person who had the chicken Caesar salad stated that it was one of the best Caesar salads they have ever had.

I do not have the price for the butternut squish bisque and half a turkey sandwich or the chicken Caesar salad. I would give you the prices from the menu on their website but this menu does not seem to be updated. The Happy Hour Pickle Chips (appetizer) was $2.95. The chicken pasta was $11.95 and the happy hour buffalo sliders was $4.95. The subtotal for our ticket was $19.85 and the tax was $1.84. The total was $21.69. The total price including tip was $25.00.

I mentioned earlier that we have visited Tug's three times now. Each time has been a pleasant experience. The service has always been above average. On our second visit there we had the same waitress that we had on our first visit. He recognized us the minute we walked in. You are going to be surrounded by working professionals who just want to relax and unwind after a hard day. The atmosphere is classy but relaxed at the same time. I would definitely recommend going to Tug's. After you get done eating be sure and walk across the road and walk along the Mississippi River. You will have a partial view of the Memphis skyline and you can also see the I-40 bridge which is quite pretty at night.