Tennessee Living: Cooper-Young Is Memphis’ “Historically Hip” Neighborhood

This is the first installment of what will be a long-running series about the places that Tennesseans call home and that make the state a special place to live, work, and play. If you have a suggestion for Tennessee Living, please holler at Toby at toby@stateandbeale.com.

Credit: Isaac Singleton via Facebook

If Midtown Memphis is “funky” (as so many like to say), Cooper-Young is the vibrant, artsy, “historically hip” heart of it.

The neighborhood is actually on the southeast corner of Midtown, an enormous area comprised of many neighborhoods and (roughly) bounded by the Parkways and I-240. Midtown is just east of Downtown Memphis and the Medical District. So, if you see a bunch of skyscrapers or hospitals, head east to Midtown. Then, turn right on Cooper Street, pass under the trestle (you’ll know it when you see it), look for all the cool shops, bars, and restaurants, and… welcome to Cooper-Young.

Cooper-Young is both a neighborhood and an entertainment district. About 4,300 people call the neighborhood home. So do dozens of those bars, shops, and restaurants. But tens of thousands visit each year to soak up its laid-back vibe and eclectic mix of food, drink, arts, and shopping. Heck, nearly 100,000 visit on one day each year, the annual Cooper-Young Festival.

A good place to start a visit to the neighborhood is right on the corner of Cooper Street and Young Avenue. (Sound familiar?) From there, you’re in walking distance of dozens of places to get a bite, grab a pint, peep some art, hear live music, and shop at some stellar, one-of-a-kind stores. (All of it will make your instagram followers So. Jelly.)

Here’s a great day in C-Y:

• Have a great run/walk through the leafy streets of the neighborhood. (Bring your dog!)

• End at Bluff City Coffee at the corner of Cooper and Young for a fresh brew and a small treat (or breakfast if it’s a weekday). Or, you can hit up City Market, an upscale convenience store, for fresh biscuit sandwiches made each morning.

Credit: Bluff City Coffee via Facebook

• Head back for a delicious brunch (and IG snaps aplenty) at effortlessly cool Beauty Shop. It has all the brunch goodness you can imagine and it’s all done so very well. And yes, Priscilla really did used get her hair done there.

• Then, stroll around to shops offering just about anything you could need. Goner Records has your off-menu music tastes covered. Buff City Soap will help get you clean. Grivet Sports has outdoor and running gear. 901 Comics has, uh, comics and more.

Credit: The Beauty Shop via Facebook

Do not leave without a visit to Burke’s Books, one of the oldest independent book stores in the country. You’ll also want to browse the amazing and eclectic selection of books and gifts at Cooper-Young Gallery + Gift Shop.

• For lunch, you can’t say you’ve been to Cooper-Young without a visit to the Young Avenue Deli. It’s a neighborhood icon and a natural watering hole for locals. There’s pub grub galore but look to the sandwich menu for what makes the Deli famous (that and the french fries, zomg). And it’s all good. Not to mention a draft tap wall right out of a craft-beer-lover’s dream.

Credit: Pedro forester Da Silva on Unsplash

• Later, hit Memphis Made Brewing Co. for more craft beer love and another spot to find locals in their natural habitat. The brewery’s beers can now be found all over Tennessee. But the taproom on Cooper is where it all began. There’s a beer for every taste at Memphis Made from light to dark and malty to bitter. (If you can’t choose right off the bat, get the Fireside amber ale. So good.)

• Dinner is a big choice in Cooper-Young. It can all depend on how you feel.

Mexican? Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos. Asian? Mulan Asian Bistro. Upscale? Tsunami. Vegan? Imagine Vegan Cafe. Home cooking? Soul Fish Cafe.

Credit: Memphis Made Brewing Co.

(This list is way too short and is unfair to all the great folks making amazing food everywhere in Cooper-Young. There’s a great but slightly out of date list here.)

• For after-dinner drinks, head to Alchemy if you’re feeling urban chic, or to Celtic Crossing for a casual Irish pint, or to the newly opened The Public for somewhere in between.    

Cooper-Young is a welcoming, homey neighborhood and destination. Expect friendly, unpretentious folks who will absolutely let you pet their dog (but ask first). The neighborhood is unlike any other place in Tennessee and part of what makes Memphis — and Tennessee — so special.