Top Memphis BBQ Spots Everyone’s Talking About
Memphis is legendary for its smoky, saucy BBQ that’ll make your taste buds dance a happy jig. The city’s pitmasters have turned slow-cooking meat into an art form, with techniques passed down through generations.
Whether you’re craving fall-off-the-bone ribs, pulled pork that melts in your mouth, or brisket that’ll make you weep with joy, these spots deliver the goods.
1. Central BBQ: Where Smoke Meets Soul
This joint isn’t just serving food, they’re dishing out Memphis history on a plate. Central BBQ has been smoking their meats low and slow since 2002, creating a cult following that spans generations.
Their dry-rubbed ribs have a perfect bark that gives way to tender, juicy meat underneath. The pulled pork nachos? A beautiful mess of flavors that’ll have you licking your fingers shamelessly.
Fun fact: They smoke their wings before tossing them on the grill, creating a depth of flavor that’ll ruin all other wings for you forever.
2. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous: The Basement Legend
Hidden in a downtown alley, this basement BBQ institution feels like stumbling into a smoky secret club. Charlie Vergos started his legendary spot in 1948, and the charcoal-grilled dry ribs have been drawing crowds ever since.
The seasoning is what makes these ribs magical, a Greek-meets-Cajun flavor explosion that’s totally unique. Presidents, rock stars, and regular folks all line up for the same experience.
When you visit, order like a local, get the sausage and cheese plate to start, then dive into those famous dry ribs without hesitation.
3. The Bar-B-Q Shop: Home Of The Dancing Pig Sauce
Walking into this family-owned treasure feels like being welcomed into someone’s home, if that home happened to serve the best BBQ sauce on the planet. The Bar-B-Q Shop’s Dancing Pig Sauce strikes that perfect sweet-tangy balance that’ll make you want to bottle it up.
Their Texas Toast BBQ sandwich is pure genius, with thick slices of bread that soak up all that porky goodness. The half-and-half plate lets you sample both dry and wet ribs without choosing sides in Memphis’ eternal BBQ debate.
Locals know to save room for the barbecue spaghetti. A quirky Memphis specialty that sounds bizarre but tastes like heaven.
4. Corky’s Ribs & BBQ: Hickory-Smoked Heaven
Though they’ve expanded beyond Memphis, nothing beats the original Corky’s on Poplar Avenue. Their hickory-smoked ribs spend 18 hours in specially designed pits, creating that perfect pink smoke ring every pitmaster dreams about.
The pulled pork melts in your mouth with a tenderness that borders on obscene. Servers in bow ties bring heaping plates to red checkered tables, maintaining that classic Memphis BBQ vibe.
What really sets Corky’s apart is their consistency. The BBQ tastes exactly the same as it did when they opened in 1984, proving that some traditions are worth preserving exactly as they are.
5. Interstate Barbecue: The Neely Family Legacy
Before the Food Network fame, the Neely family was already BBQ royalty at Interstate Barbecue. Jim Neely’s sauce recipe might actually be worth fighting your own family for, a complex, slightly spicy concoction that enhances rather than masks the meat’s flavor.
Their sliced beef brisket sandwich challenges Memphis’ pork supremacy with tender, smoky beef that Texas would tip its hat to. The BBQ spaghetti here isn’t an afterthought, it’s a main attraction worth crossing state lines for.
Order like you know what’s up, get the sampler platter with extra napkins, and prepare for a religious experience disguised as lunch.
6. Cozy Corner BBQ: Smoke-Ringed Perfection
Housed in an unassuming building, Cozy Corner proves that greatness doesn’t need fancy digs. The Cornish game hens here are legendary, smoked until mahogany-colored and juicy enough to make you question why you ever bothered with chicken.
Dora Brown and her family have been smoking meat since 1977, creating a legacy that survived even a devastating fire. The bologna sandwich might sound basic until you taste their thick-cut, smoke-kissed version that’ll convert even the most dedicated BBQ snob.
When the banana pudding arrives, you’ll think they somehow figured out how to smoke dessert, too. It’s that good.
7. Leonard’s Pit Barbecue: Century-Old Smoke
Since 1922, Leonard’s has been smoking meat before it was cool, making it Memphis’ oldest BBQ restaurant. Their pork shoulder gets the VIP treatment, 14 hours of hickory smoke that transforms it into something transcendent.
The Big Leonard sandwich could feed a small family, piled high with chopped pork and topped with their signature mustard slaw. Old photos line the walls, showing Memphis legends like Elvis, who used to frequent this very spot.
Ask about the buffet, it’s the only way to sample everything from ribs to fried chicken without committing to a single dish or feeling like you’ve missed out.
8. A&R Bar-B-Que: Neighborhood Smoke Joint
Where locals go when they don’t want to fight tourists for a table. A&R has been a neighborhood institution since 1983, serving up some of the juiciest pulled pork sandwiches in the city.
Their sauce has a distinctive sweetness with a peppery kick that lingers just long enough. The rib tips here are a meat lover’s treasure, crispy, chewy, fatty little nuggets of pork that deliver maximum flavor per bite.
Don’t skip the hot water cornbread. These crispy-edged patties are the perfect vehicle for sopping up extra sauce and will make you wonder why more BBQ joints don’t serve them.
9. Bain Barbecue: The New Kid On The Block
Though relatively new to the scene, Bain has already earned respect from BBQ veterans with their Texas-meets-Memphis approach. Bryant Bain spent years in Texas learning the craft before bringing his skills back home to Memphis.
The brisket here would make a Texan weep with joy, perfectly rendered fat, a serious bark, and that telltale smoke ring. Unlike traditional Memphis spots, Bain serves until they sell out, which often happens embarrassingly early in the day.
Pro tip: Their smoked turkey is the sleeper hit. Impossibly juicy and flavorful enough to make you rethink poultry’s place in the BBQ hierarchy.
10. Top’s Bar-B-Q: Fast-Food BBQ Done Right
Sometimes you need your BBQ fix without the wait, and Top’s delivers with multiple locations that don’t sacrifice quality for convenience. Their chopped pork sandwich comes dressed with mustard slaw and sauce on a soft bun, the quintessential Memphis quick lunch.
The burger might seem like a strange order at a BBQ joint, but locals know it’s cooked over the same pit as the pork, giving it a smoky flavor that regular burgers can only dream about. No frills, no fuss, just solid BBQ served quickly by people who’ve been doing this for decades.
Bonus points for their drive-thru window. Because sometimes you need BBQ without leaving your car.
11. Payne’s Bar-B-Que: Mustard Slaw Mastery
Housed in an old gas station, Payne’s looks more like a place to fix your car than fix your hunger, until the smell hits you. Flora Payne’s chopped pork sandwich comes with a fluorescent yellow mustard slaw that’s so good it should be illegal.
The contrast between the smoky meat, tangy sauce, and crunchy slaw creates a perfect bite every time. Everything gets served on paper plates with zero pretension, just the way BBQ should be.
Cash only, limited hours, and sometimes they run out early. But these inconveniences only make scoring a sandwich here feel like even more of a victory.
12. One & Only BBQ: Suburban Smoke Shack
Despite the suburban locations, there’s nothing watered-down about One & Only’s approach to traditional Memphis BBQ. Their smoked turkey legs would make a Renaissance fair jealous, massive, juicy, and perfect for channeling your inner caveperson.
The loaded BBQ potato comes buried under a mountain of pulled pork, cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits, basically all major food groups in one glorious carb vessel. Their sweet potato fries with cinnamon-honey butter blur the line between side dish and dessert in the best possible way.
Even their table sauce selection shows they’re serious. Four different varieties, from sweet to spicy, let you customize every bite.
13. Germantown Commissary: BBQ In Disguise
What started as a small country store has evolved into BBQ royalty without losing its humble charm. The Commissary’s deviled eggs topped with pulled pork and BBQ sauce are a stroke of genius that’ll ruin regular deviled eggs for you forever.
Their ribs strike that magical balance, tender enough to bite cleanly but still clinging to the bone just enough to give you something to work for. The BBQ nachos here could feed an army, with each chip carefully constructed to maximize meat-to-cheese ratio.
Take home a bottle of their sauce. The perfect souvenir that tastes way better than any airport magnet.
14. Elwood’s Shack: Hidden Jewel Behind The Gas Station
Tucked behind a Lowe’s in East Memphis, Elwood’s tiny shack produces BBQ magic that defies its humble surroundings. Their brisket taco combines Memphis smoke with Tex-Mex flair, tender beef, tangy slaw, and chipotle aioli to create a flavor bomb that’ll have you ordering seconds.
Though not strictly traditional Memphis BBQ, their smoked turkey and brie sandwich with cranberry relish proves that smoke improves everything it touches. The outdoor picnic tables add to the experience, nothing tastes better than great food eaten in the open air.
Go early for the trout BLT. It sells out fast for good reason.
15. Blues City Cafe: Beale Street’s BBQ Ambassador
Among Beale Street’s neon lights and tourist traps, Blues City Cafe serves legitimate Memphis BBQ with a side of blues music. Their ribs arrive sizzling on a hot plate, a theatrical presentation backed by serious flavor that proves they’re not just coasting on location.
The rib and catfish combo represents Memphis’ dual food obsessions on one plate, smoky pork and crispy fried fish living in perfect harmony. Late hours make this the perfect post-concert fuel, with live music often playing while you eat.
Grab a seat by the window for prime people-watching on Beale Street while you lick sauce from your fingers.
