Silky O'Sullivan's, Memphis

Silky O’Sullivan’s is one of Beale Street’s liveliest nightlife landmarks, set at the corner of Beale Street and B.B. King Boulevard in the heart of Memphis’s entertainment district.

The bar traces its roots to 1973, when it first opened as Silky Sullivan’s in Overton Square, before expanding to Beale Street in 1992. Today, it presents itself as an Irish-themed Memphis party spot where “every day is Saint Patrick’s Day,” spread across a large venue that extends through three old building fronts. Part of its unusual character comes from the fact that two of those structures no longer stand behind their façades, which are now supported by steel.

Inside, visitors find two main rooms, including a dueling piano bar, while the rear opens onto one of downtown Memphis’s largest patios, with live music and a relaxed, noisy Beale Street atmosphere. The venue serves Southern-style food, barbecue, oysters, local beers, and cocktails from a generous bar menu, including its famous “Diver” drink.

Silky’s strangest attraction is the goat park on the west side of the patio. The resident goats have become part of the bar’s legend, especially because visitors often buy them beer, which the goats are said to drink with remarkable enthusiasm. Their party trick is climbing the tower in their enclosure, turning them into one of Beale Street’s oddest photo opportunities.