By the Brewery, the cozy breakfast-and-lunch café on Tennessee Street in Downtown Memphis, has shut down for good. The closure landed less than a month before the little spot would have celebrated its fifth business anniversary, cutting short a run that made its plant-filled dining room and tight, seasonal menu a habit for nearby apartment dwellers and weekday commuters.
As reported by The Daily Memphian on Feb. 16, 2026, By the Brewery at 496 Tennessee St. announced a permanent shutdown. That report appears to be the first local notice that the downtown café had closed after several years in business.
A neighborhood fixture since 2021
By the Brewery opened in 2021 and was founded by Robin Joyce, who previously ran a catering company, according to Memphis Magazine. The café built a steady following with breakfast sandwiches, biscuits and a daytime crowd that flowed in from the Tennessee Brewery apartments across the street.
Where it sat and how it billed itself
The restaurant’s own website described its weekday breakfast-and-lunch service and listed its Tennessee Street address, reflecting how the business presented itself prior to closing. Bythebrewery.com and neighborhood directories alike placed the café at the corner of Tennessee Street near the Tennessee Brewery apartments.
Menu highlights and local role
Local coverage called out dishes such as a Cuban grain bowl and egg-and-avocado sandwiches, underscoring the café’s place in Downtown’s daytime dining lineup, as reviewed by The Daily Memphian. Event listings and dining roundups, including Downtown Dining Week promotions, regularly featured By the Brewery among neighborhood options, and Downtown Memphis included the café in its official dining guide.
What’s next for the storefront
At the time of reporting, there was no public timeline for a new tenant and no statement from the building’s owners about what comes next for the space. The closure removes one of a small group of steady daytime breakfast-and-lunch choices on Tennessee Street.
We will update this post if owners or property managers share details or if staff confirm next steps. For now, downtown regulars are left to track down their morning biscuits and midday sandwiches somewhere else.
