The Lamplighter Lounge has been on Madison Avenue since 1977, and it has not changed much in that time. Low-lit, a little worn, with a pool table and a jukebox and cheap drinks poured without ceremony — it is the kind of bar that serves the neighborhood and does not particularly chase anyone else. Midtown residents have been coming here for decades; new ones discover it and become regulars. The absence of tourist infrastructure is part of the appeal.
It opens in the afternoon and stays open late. There is no cover charge and no pretension. The crowd is mixed in age and character, united mainly by a preference for a real bar over a contrived one. If you want a break from Beale Street's managed entertainment district and a beer in a place that feels like Memphis actually lives, the Lamplighter delivers.