Tops Bar-B-Q is a Memphis chain of drive-in BBQ counters since 1952, with chopped pork sandwiches, onion rings and the city's signature cheap drive-thru BBQ option.
Signature dishes: Chopped pork sandwich, Onion rings
Must order: Chopped pork sandwich, onion rings, sweet tea.
Tip: Drive-thru and counter only, no dining room. The Summer Avenue branch is one of the oldest still standing.
Address: 4183 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122
Central BBQ's Poplar Avenue East Memphis room runs the same dry-rub ribs and pulled pork as the original Midtown branch in a larger dining room with easy parking.
Signature: Dry ribs, Pulled pork nachos
Order: Half slab of dry ribs and a basket of pulled pork nachos.
Tip: Easier seat than Midtown or Downtown locations; Sunday lunches fill the room first.
Pete and Sam's East Memphis Park Avenue room has run red-sauce Italian for the Bomarito family since 1948. White tablecloths, vinyl booths and a steady clientele.
Signature: Spaghetti and meatballs, Pizza bianca
Order: Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, a pitcher of house red.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner; closed Mondays. Reservations advised on Friday and Saturday.
Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza in Cordova runs Memphis-born fast-casual pizza, blistered in 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven with build-your-own toppings east of Memphis.
Signature: Build-your-own pizza, Wood-fired Margherita
Order: Wood-fired Margherita with house red sauce and fresh basil.
Tip: Counter service; ready in under five minutes. The Collierville branch on Houston Levee runs the same menu.
Central BBQ's Poplar Avenue East Memphis room runs the same dry-rub ribs and pulled pork as the original Midtown branch in a larger dining room with easy parking.
Signature: Dry ribs, Pulled pork nachos
Order: Half slab of dry ribs and a basket of pulled pork nachos.
Tip: Easier seat than Midtown or Downtown locations; Sunday lunches fill the room first.
Speros Zepatos's South Main Memphis diner is the city's oldest restaurant, open since 1919 and once Elvis Presley's regular booth. Breakfast and lunch daily.
Signature: Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, Sweet potato pancakes
Order: Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich; sit at Elvis's marked booth.
Tip: Counter service from 07:00 to 15:00 daily. Cash and card both fine; no reservations.
Hattie B's Cooper-Young Memphis hot chicken counter, the Nashville import's second outpost, runs heat levels from Southern to Shut the Cluck Up.
Signature: Hot chicken, Pimento mac and cheese
Order: Hot quarter, dark; pimento mac and cheese on the side.
Tip: Counter service, no reservations. Lunch lines move; Saturdays can run thirty minutes after 12:30.
Pete and Sam's East Memphis Park Avenue room has run red-sauce Italian for the Bomarito family since 1948. White tablecloths, vinyl booths and a steady clientele.
Signature: Spaghetti and meatballs, Pizza bianca
Order: Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, a pitcher of house red.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner; closed Mondays. Reservations advised on Friday and Saturday.
Coletta's is Memphis's oldest restaurant on South Parkway since 1923, Elvis Presley's South Parkway haunt and the home of Memphis BBQ pizza topped with pork.
Signature: BBQ pizza, Spaghetti
Order: BBQ pizza with the side spaghetti.
Tip: Ask for the Elvis Room dining area. Closed Sundays and Mondays. The Appling Road location runs the same menu.
