17 american bbq rooms in Memphis we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Memphis | American Bbq across every city.
Memphis barbecue is its own school, defined by hickory smoke, dry-rub ribs and chopped pork sandwiches with slaw. Downtown anchors the tradition with The Rendezvous, the charcoal-broiled dry-rub room off Second Street, and Central BBQ Downtown across from the National Civil Rights Museum, while Cozy Corner BBQ in the Pinch District smokes its singular Cornish hens. South Memphis carries the old-school counters, with Payne's Bar-B-Que on Lamar Avenue and A&R Bar-B-Que on Elvis Presley Boulevard, and The Bar-B-Q Shop in Midtown still runs the BBQ spaghetti it is known for.
The Rendezvous ★ 4.6
downtown · 52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103
Charlie Vergos's basement Memphis BBQ room off Second Street has served charcoal-broiled dry-rub ribs since 1948. The signature rub is sold by the bag.
Central BBQ Downtown ★ 4.5
downtown · 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
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.
Cozy Corner BBQ ★ 4.7
pinch-district · 735 N Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105
Raymond Robinson's North Parkway Memphis BBQ joint has smoked Cornish hens, bologna and ribs over hickory in a one-room shack since 1977. Priced at $.
The Bar-B-Q Shop ★ 4.6
midtown · 1782 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
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.
Payne's Bar-B-Que ★ 4.7
south-memphis · 1762 Lamar Ave, Memphis, TN 38114
Payne's Lamar Avenue Memphis BBQ counter has run chopped pork sandwiches and mustard slaw out of a converted gas station since 1972. Locals' top chopped pork.
Central BBQ Midtown ★ 4.4
midtown · 2249 Central Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
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.
Germantown Commissary ★ 4.3
germantown · 2290 S Germantown Rd, Germantown, TN 38138
Germantown Commissary on South Germantown Road has slow-smoked Memphis BBQ from a converted general store east of the city since 1981. A long porch out front.
A&R Bar-B-Que ★ 4.4
south-memphis · 1802 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38106
A&R Bar-B-Que on Elvis Presley Boulevard in South Memphis has run Black-owned hickory-smoke BBQ from a converted gas station since 1983: pulled pork, ribs.
Tops Bar-B-Q ★ 3.9
east-memphis · 4183 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122
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.
Central BBQ Poplar ★ 4.3
east-memphis · 6201 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119
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.
Young Avenue Deli ★ 4.2
cooper-young · 2119 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs deli sandwiches, 30-plus draft beers and live music to 03:00 daily, midtown's late-night sandwich stop.
Cozy Corner BBQ ★ 4.7
pinch-district · 735 N Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105
Cozy Corner BBQ on North Parkway in the Pinch District in Memphis serves the city's most singular plate: hickory-smoked Cornish hens, idiosyncratic.
A&R Bar-B-Que ★ 4.4
south-memphis · 1802 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38106
A&R Bar-B-Que on Elvis Presley Boulevard in South Memphis has run Black-owned hickory-smoke BBQ from a converted gas station since 1983, quiet on tourist.
Payne's Bar-B-Que ★ 4.7
south-memphis · 1762 Lamar Ave, Memphis, TN 38114
Payne's chopped pork sandwich with mustard slaw on Lamar Avenue in South Memphis stays under $10, the Memphis cheap-BBQ defining order since the family.
Tops Bar-B-Q ★ 3.9
east-memphis · 4183 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122
Tops Bar-B-Q on Summer Avenue is the Memphis BBQ chain since 1952 with chopped pork, onion rings and a complete BBQ plate for under $10 at a drive-thru.
Young Avenue Deli ★ 4.1
cooper-young · 2119 Young Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Young Avenue Deli in Cooper-Young Memphis runs deli sandwiches under $13, with the Deli Club on sourdough and a cold pint of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb.
Central BBQ pulled pork sandwich ★ 4.4
midtown · 2249 Central Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Central BBQ in midtown Memphis runs the city's most reliable pulled pork sandwich under $13, plus BBQ nachos and a half slab combo that splits between two.