For Delicias Tapas, Go East

For Delicias Tapas, Go East

When I think about where to go for a big night out, I don't generally think about heading east. But, my nighttime plans may have to change a little bit now that East Tapas & Drinks is open.

While East is part of Wang's Mandarin House, it's housed in its own space in the storefront next to the Park Ave. location. Yes, it's a bar in a shopping center in East Memphis, but the important thing is that it doesn't have the sort of sad vibe that permeates so many other storefront watering holes. The polished concrete floors, red walls and mood lighting make the space feel way more downtown than Ridgeway.

The tapas menu, which is unique to East, is divided into cold plates, hot plates, pizzas and desserts (there's also a sushi menu, but I didn't try any on this visit). I took a friend, and we ordered a bunch of food to share.

We started with the guacamole and sesame noodle salad from the cold menu. The guacamole was perfection - it was creamy and more than a little limey. The avocados were mashed, but not so perfectly that you couldn't tell that the guacamole was homemade. It was served with a bowl of crunchy fried wonton chips.

Guacamole and Wonton Chips from East Tapas Bar, Memphis, Tenn.

The sesame noodles were served cold and topped with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and cliantro. They were pretty basic, but I appreciated the spicy Sriracha kick.

Sesame Noodle Salad from East Tapas Bar, Memphis, Tenn.

From the hot menu, we tried the mac'n'cheese and Asian-inspired sloppy joes. The mac'n'cheese came highly recommended by East's manager, Lisa Ansley. She told me that she used to make the cheddar, cottage cheese and sour cream covered noodles in college.

Mac'n'cheese from East Tapas Bar, Memphis, Tenn.

I want to eat this mac'n'cheese every time I'm sad or have a bad day. It's the food equivalent of a hug.

If I were a lunch lady, I would go on a crusade to serve East's Asian-inspired sloppy joes in school cafeterias. They're seasoned with an Asian black bean sauce that makes them taste a little more grown-up than Manwich. They come slider-sized and served in a pair, topped with cilantro.

Sloppy Joes from East Tapas Bar, Memphis, Tenn.

Though all of the menu items are small plates, the portions are large given the price. Most of the items on the tapas menu are less than $10, so it's easy to order a bunch to share. My friend and I split four dishes and got full with some left overs to spare.

The menu has a small selection of desserts, but I recommend skipping those and going for the weekly special. Yesterday, it was four hollowed out strawberries that had been stuffed with cheesecake batter.

Cheesecake Strawberries from East Tapas Bar, Memphis, Tenn.

East is open nightly Monday - Saturday. On Tuesday nights, classical guitarist Aaron Brock plays, and there's live music on some weekend nights. The restaurant is non-smoking. They have a full bar, but I recommend starting with one of the specialty drinks (like the not-too-fruity ginger pear martini).

Go there:

East Tapas & Drinks

6069 Park Ave
Memphis, TN 38119

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Sounds great! Cant't wait to try it! East Memphis does actually have great dining, especially since circa moved in and several other restaurants (napa, interim, etc) have revamped their menus. I love all of Memphis, it makes me a little sad that you seem so down on anyplace East of Highland.
July 7, 2011 2:00pm
Ben
Another +1 for dining establishments this side of the parkways. I would venture to say that MOST of the good dining in memphis is not downtown or in midtown.
July 7, 2011 4:20pm
Mona Sappenfield
Thanks! I haven't been in Wang's for years and they are in my neighborhood. We used to go all the time and just really forgot how much we enjoyed the food.
July 10, 2011 4:38am
Jeremy
Great review, I followed Michelle Bush's FB event invite to get here. I love your work, we've met a couple of times at Otherlands over the past few months you may or may not remember. Keep up the great reviews! I didn't Aaron Brock played there also, nice! See you around.
July 14, 2011 1:31am
Cathy Simmons
Give 365 is having an event at this place on Thursday July 21st 5:30-7; stop by for a drink and reduced prices; learn about Give 365, see some od friends and make some new ones!
July 20, 2011 10:46am
handtalker
Finally made it to East Tapas for more than drinks last week. As promised, the Asian sliders & the truffle mac n' cheese were GREAT! I cannot wait to go back....soon! And with more friends!
February 4, 2012 12:26pm