Overview

This tried-and-true Memphis diner offers ample helpings of down-home Southern cooking. You will not find any cafeteria-style okra here - the type with lots of batter encapsulating a soggy bit of okra - but rather the thin-sliced, lightly floured, pan-fried variety. Other standards include chicken-fried steak, fried green tomatoes (in season) and a mouth-watering selection of homemade pies. An out-of-the-way local favorite thanks to its blue plate lunch specials, the restaurant is inexpensive and often crowded. With its mix of country kitchen decor and local university sports memorabilia, the Cottage is a clean and friendly place, but nothing fancy.