17 editor picks in Memphis.
17 american bbq places 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.
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.
OrderFull slab of ribs, dry, with the cheese and sausage plate and a pitcher.
TipEnter through the alley off Monroe; closed Sunday and Monday. They cook ribs over charcoal, not in a smoker; dry-rub purists call it grilled.
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.
OrderHalf slab of dry ribs with a smoked turkey sandwich on the side.
TipLines from noon to 14:00; order online and pick up at the express counter to skip the queue.
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 $.
OrderSmoked Cornish hen with the slab.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Cash works best; the bologna sandwich is worth ordering even if you came for ribs.
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.
OrderHalf slab of dry ribs with a side of BBQ spaghetti.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. The Dancing Pigs sauce ships nationally if you want to keep the meal going.
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.
OrderChopped pork sandwich, mustard slaw, fizzy red drink.
TipLunch only, Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00-17:30. Cash preferred and the line moves fast.
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.
OrderPulled pork sandwich with BBQ nachos to share.
TipThe patio is the seat; the dining room fills fast at lunch. Online ordering skips the line.
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.
OrderPulled pork plate with the smoked chicken and slaw.
TipOpen daily; the porch fills first. Drive from downtown takes 20 minutes via Poplar Avenue.
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.
OrderPulled pork sandwich with smoked bologna on the side.
TipCounter service. The Hickory Hill branch at 3721 Hickory Hill Rd runs the same menu.
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.
OrderChopped pork sandwich, onion rings, sweet tea.
TipDrive-thru and counter only, no dining room. The Summer Avenue branch is one of the oldest still standing.
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.
OrderHalf slab of dry ribs and a basket of pulled pork nachos.
TipEasier seat than Midtown or Downtown locations; Sunday lunches fill the room first.
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.
OrderDeli Club and a cold Wiseacre Tiny Bomb pint.
TipLate kitchen until 02:00 most nights. Live music in the back room weekends.
Cozy Corner BBQ on North Parkway in the Pinch District in Memphis serves the city's most singular plate: hickory-smoked Cornish hens, idiosyncratic.
TipTuesday to Saturday only. The bologna sandwich is the second order.
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.
TipThe smoked bologna sandwich is the under-radar order; pair it with mustard slaw on the side.
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.
OrderChopped pork sandwich, mustard slaw, fizzy red drink.
TipOpen Tuesday to Saturday lunch only, 11:00-17:30. Cash preferred. The line moves fast.
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.
OrderChopped pork sandwich, onion rings, sweet tea.
TipDrive-thru only at some locations; no dining room. Ten city outposts.
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.
OrderDeli Club on sourdough with a cold pint of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb.
TipCounter service for food, table for drinks. Patio is the spring seat.
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.
OrderPulled pork sandwich with BBQ nachos to share.
TipOrder online to skip the lunch line at the Midtown branch on Central Avenue or use the app.
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