After months of delays, the highly anticipated Iris restaurant opened this week at its new location in Laurelwood Shopping Centre.
The restaurant is open on Mondays, with lunch service 7 days a week, from 11am to 2pm
Online reservations are available for select weekend dinner times. This week is only Friday and Saturday. More days and hours will be added in the coming weeks.
Chef Kelly English and his team transformed the former Grove Grill restaurant space at Laurelwood Mall at 4550 Poplar Ave. into a sophisticated and stunning restaurant destined to be a Memphis destination.
When he first opened Iris’ restaurant near Overton Square in 2008, English quickly gained local and national acclaim. English closed the restaurant in a historic downtown residence last summer and opened a tapas bar at its location called Panta in October, while working on a new rendition of his flagship restaurant.
The new restaurant is very different from the original Iris restaurant.
The main dining room is twice the size of the original Iris restaurant and seats 80 guests. There are four additional private dining areas.
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The spacious 775 square foot bar includes a variety of seating and dining options. Private lounge areas, bar seating (with bar stools for 21 guests), tall cocktail table seating and a beverage bar provide you with options for almost any bar visit experience – for a quick drink, a meal or a night out with friends.
Chef Russell Casey will be in charge of the kitchen. Kathy is a talented and widely recognized Memphis chef who has led kitchens at restaurants such as Bounty on Broad and Interim.
Unique offerings at this fine-dining restaurant include a to-go and toaster oven full of family-friendly pre-made meals, as well as other signature products inside the front door for those looking to enjoy dinner on the go. A 575 sq. ft. demo kitchen will host private cooking classes and serve as a private dining room.
Jennifer Chandler is a food and beverage reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @cookwjennifer.
restaurant iris
Where: 4550 Poplar Blvd.
Hour: 11am-2pm daily; dinner hours only on weekends
online:restaurantiris.com