Memphis BBQ nachos are tortilla chips piled with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, sour cream, jalapeños and shredded cheese, the city's defining stadium snack since the 2000s.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
BBQ nachos rose as a Memphis stadium snack at AutoZone Park in the early 2000s, paired with pulled pork from Rendezvous and Central BBQ. By 2010 the dish had spread to most Memphis BBQ counters. Central BBQ codified the home version and the dish remains a Memphis road-trip souvenir from the city's parade of BBQ shops, restaurants and bars.
Common allergens: Dairy, Wheat, Pork
Tip from the editors. Use thick salted tortilla chips that won't break under the pork. The cheese melts faster on a hot tray.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Central BBQ Downtown in Memphis runs the city's most reliable dry-rub ribs and pulled pork from a casual counter across from the National Civil Rights Museum.
Signature: Dry-rub pork ribs, Pulled pork sandwich
Order: Half slab of dry ribs with a smoked turkey sandwich on the side.
Tip: Lines from noon to 14:00; order online and pick up at the express counter to skip the queue.
Central BBQ's Midtown Memphis room on Central Avenue is the chain's original, opened in 2002 with dry-rub ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and BBQ nachos.
Signature: Pulled pork, BBQ nachos
Order: Pulled pork sandwich with BBQ nachos to share.
Tip: The patio is the seat; the dining room fills fast at lunch. Online ordering skips the line.
Frank and Hazel Vernon's Madison Avenue Memphis BBQ room invented BBQ spaghetti and has run dry-rub and wet ribs from a wood-pit smoker since 1987.
Signature: BBQ spaghetti, Dancing Pigs ribs
Order: Half slab of dry ribs with a side of BBQ spaghetti.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The Dancing Pigs sauce ships nationally if you want to keep the meal going.
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