Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Joshua Carlucci

It's taco time: $15 favorites from around the Mid-South

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Tue, 2 Sep 2025 04:00:14 -0500

If you’ve been a long-time reader of $10 and $15 Deals, you know how diverse the regions, styles and flavors of tacos are in this city. We’re lucky for it. Better for it.

$15 Deal: Carlucci returns with a goodbye — and a good burger

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 19:48:05 -0500

Josh Carlucci wrote his first $10 Deal after eating the soul burger at Earnestine & Hazel’s. He didn’t think, at the time, that it would be the start of a terrifying and wonderful career writing about food.

$15 Deal: Cedars' mixed grill platter is a heap of protein

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 17:27:50 -0500

At Cedars Restaurant, they offer big portions that don’t sacrifice quantity for quality — and vice versa.

What to Order: Cocozza's pork Milanese is the star of the show

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Mon, 26 May 2025 04:00:09 -0500

But start with the calamari and split the cannoli.

$15 Deal: Sea snails — yes, sea snails — at Pho 4Ever

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Sun, 25 May 2025 18:37:00 -0500

As food writer Joshua Carlucci says, Pho 4Ever’s sauteed sea snails are “one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. Full stop. And I’ve been doing a lot of traveling recently.”

$15 Deal: Alex's Greek burger has Cavender's, grease and a legacy

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 15 May 2025 20:08:44 -0500

If you’re lucky enough to stumble into Alex’s Tavern, you gotta get the burger.

$10 Deal: Grit Bowl at Barksdale's sticks to your bones

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Tue, 6 May 2025 13:21:12 -0500

From the updated Barksdale’s menu, this one might be the best expression of Bryant Bain’s culinary DNA: Southern roots laced with Tex-Mex flair. Think huevos rancheros meets Delta comfort.

$10 Deal: El Mero's southern fried chicken taco

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:16:54 -0500

This taco nails the crispy-creamy-spicy trifecta. It’s like if your favorite bar snack went south of the border and came back with an accent.

$10 Deal: Mix and match at Great China Market

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:12:00 -0500

At Great China Market, $10 gets you a satisfying variety of combinations of delicious pastries and caramelized pork.

$10 Deal: Ragin' Cajun's fried shrimp po'boy

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:23:12 -0500

This one’s definitely worth the mess.

$10 Deal: ZamZamz's kefta pita

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 3 Apr 2025 19:52:28 -0500

Think a burger meets a kebab meets a wrap, but it’s better than any of those.

$10 Deal: Ricos Tamales in six different flavors. All good.

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:33:37 -0500

Ricos Tamales “El Ruco” isn’t listed on Google Maps. It’s a folding table on the sidewalk. But it’s the real deal.

$10 Deal: Lao Street makes Memphis' foodscape special

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 19:50:17 -0500

Lao Street Kitchen’s papaya salad is a masterclass in balance, hitting sweet, sour, salty and spicy all at once.

$10 Deal: Chukis' hefty, cheese-wrapped Birriburro

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 06:51:06 -0500

A word of warning: This is not a “light lunch” situation. This is a commitment. You’re either going to need a nap afterward or a solid reason to walk around for the next hour.

$10 Deal: Hard Times' chicken Caesar sandwich is a revelation

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 6 Mar 2025 18:45:35 -0600

You’d think all the hype, the endless press and the Instagram carnage of stacked sandwiches might make it impossible to live up to expectations. But you’d be wrong.

$10 Deal: Memphis Crawfish Company knows how to boil

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 18:33:03 -0600

Make sure you get your money’s worth at Memphis Crawfish Company No. 2 — suck the heads.

$10 Deal: Pho 4Ever takes the spotlight again

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:05:13 -0600

Pho 4Ever, which we highlighted two years ago for its bánh mì dac biet, has perhaps the best bánh xèo in Memphis.

$10 Deal: Could the best of the best be Pho 4Ever's bánh mì dac biet?

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:16:56 -0600

Though there is a seemingly infinite number of bánh mì sandwiches, there is but one to rule them all — the bánh mì dac biet.

$10 Deal: Street food at La Salvadorena

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 19:22:32 -0600

The cheese pulls apart in stretchy strands, the meat is deeply savory, and the slightly spicy salsa verde on the side gives each bite a little punch.

New Eats: Crosstown's Bao Toan brings the Bao Bao Shrimp

joshuadcarlucci@gmail.com (Joshua Carlucci) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 04:00:07 -0600

Bao Toan is the kind of place that builds anticipation starting in the lobby. It’s date-night gold.