From burnt ends to brisket and beyond.
While many region can lay claim to the world ’s best barbeque , ranging from the Hill Country of Texas to the Piedmont region of North Carolina , no metropolis can boast of a better overall barbeque finish than Memphis . ( Sorry , Kansas City . You make some great ribs , but the Bluff City has it all . ) From the signature teetotal - scratch ribs , slice , attract , or chopped smoke porc shoulder to unique item like Cornish hens and BBQ spaghetti , Memphis barbecue joints execute the gamut of options . With so many spots to choose from , local eatery still manage to maintain their own unique individual identities and specialty dishes . A smoke-dried meat - eating trip to Memphis is n’t just a vacation ; it ’s a full - on barbecue odyssey .
Germantown Commissary
GermantownThe original Commissary in Germantown was a low country storage for over 90 old age , until Walker Taylor bought it in 1981 and turned it into a barbecue eating house . Their claim to celebrity is the creation of barbecue nachos in 1982 — though this classifiable combination of pork , cheese , and barbecue sauce on a bed of tortilla chips did n’t really gain adhesive friction until the belated ‘ 90 when fans of the local AAA baseball squad first vex their hand on them as stadium food . Now Barbecue Nachos are considered a received offer at eating place all over the metropolis . There ’s also a second position in Collierville .
The Bar-B-Q Shop
MidtownIn Memphis , spaghetti is a common side dish at psyche food and barbeque restaurants . As strange as it may sound to entrant , traditional spaghetti is usually just pasta with a tomato and heart sauce , so why not utilise smoked pork as that meat and tangy barbeque sauce for the tomato plant components ? That ’s how they do it at Eric Vernon ’s Bar - B - Q Shop ( to begin with make out as Brady and Lil ’s . ) Their Pulled Pork Sandwich on Texas Toast and Glazed Dry Ribs are other must eat .
Charles Vergos' Rendezvous
DowntownThe standard for “ Memphis panache ” barbecue ribs was set in the previous ‘ 50s in a downtown basement restaurant when Charlie Vergos make racks of ribs — what was then considered scrap pith — on the charcoal grillroom . He add a vinegar wash to keep them moist and create a dry rub based on his father ’s alone Grecian chili recipe , cajun spice he discovered in New Orleans , and paprika for color and smoky goodness . These costa are a wrack of history , but the Brisket , and the Pork Shoulder Sandwich are also worth your clock time . Pro summit : force a trivial maize over the signature Cheese and Sausage Plate to unwrap the Greek - exalt ingredient of their signature dry wipe that would be stark on a wrack of lamb .
Payne’s Bar-B-Q
MidtownThree generations of Paynes have kept this small cinder occlusion building with a recessed pit filled with hickory coals going for four decades . eff for their mustard slaw and barbeque Bologna sausage , this smirch ’s speciality is process pork that ’s chopped , not pulled . This process includes delightful little crispy chunk of skin in each sandwich , adding extra grain and flavor to the mix . Business matriarch Flora Payne accepted an American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame trophy on behalf of her multi - generational family endeavor in 2023 .
Cozy Corner
UptownA pet of many locals , Cozy Corner is one of the most iconic shops in town and has been hunt by four generations of Robinsons since 1977 . It ’s known for the barbecued Cornish hen , like miniature chickens pack with smoky feel , but you should check that to try the ribs , too . Whatever you ’re getting , though , plan to get mussy . Original proprietor Raymond Robinson built his bequest with a Chicago - style glass “ aquarium ” smoker where heart is localise on the lowest rack , then move more and more upward until it ’s smoked to perfection . His married woman , Desiree , became the part - time pitmaster after his release and was the first African - American woman to be induct into the The American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in June 2020 .
Interstate Barbecue
South MemphisThe Neely family is fabled in Memphis , and James Neely put them on the map when he open up the original Interstate Barbecue on South Third in 1979 . He has a particularly build barbecue endocarp to keep kernel fall - off - the - bone moist . His undercover sauce is so delicious they ca n’t keep bottle of it on the board , lest they disappear . Plus , Interstate is just a few minute from Graceland , so you may hit up two Memphis legend in one head trip . Look out for the second positioning on Winchester Road and a third in Southaven .
Bain BBQ
Cooper - YoungIt take guts to serve Texas - manner barbecue in Memphis , but ironically “ red-hot gut ” is the Lone Star State term for smoked sausage data link , one of the three members of the “ Texas Trinity ” they proudly serve at Bain BBQ . Along with bitch brisket and smoked extra rib , the pitmasters at Bain lean into their Texas heritage to offer something a little dissimilar and every bit delicious from typical Memphis transportation .
Leonard’s BBQ
Fox MeadowsLeonard Heuberger unfold Leonard ’s Lunch in 1922 , and it was later purchased from farsighted - meter employee Dan Brown in 2021 by Wendy McCrory , of the Gus ’s World Famous Fried Chicken franchise , making Leonard ’s the sometime surviving name in Memphis barbecue . Its popularity can be traced to the day-by-day barbeque lunch snack bar . If you ’ve ever wondered how Memphians came to put coleslaw on their sandwiches , well , the custom began at Leonard ’s . Elvis was a regular and is say to have hold all - night company at the original locating .
Central BBQ
Various locationsCentral BBQ , now with five local restaurants and outpost in Nashville and Fayetteville , oft top off local poll for best barbecue . bang for the slow - smoked Memphis style ribs , owner Craig Blondis says it ’s the Barbecue Nachos that top the sales charts . Made with tortilla fries or homemade barbeque chips , two kinds of tall mallow , sauce , and your choice of pulled pork , smoke wimp , or a smoked portabella mushroom cloud , they are hard to nonplus . Vegetarians can also request that portabella as part of a sandwich , marinade in balsamic , vegetable oil and herbaceous plant . Another fillip is the self - service sauces : mild , hot , vinegar , and table mustard .
Corky’s BBQ
Various locationsCorky ’s BBQ sure enough has a local following and has expand its orbit into Mississippi and Arkansas over the last 30 - plus year . Their sauce is in every local grocery and their food can be shipped anywhere in the country . Because of its commercial succeeder , Corky ’s is n’t the “ cool ” place to say is your favorite — but it ’d be foolish to leave Don Pelts ’s life ’s workplace off of any BBQ list . heart and soul are tardily - cooked over hickory and charcoal grey , each slab of rib is trimmed to strict specification and serve up in your pick of style—”wet ” or “ Memphis - mode prohibitionist ” with a spicy dusting of seasoner .
Marlowe’s Memphis
WhitehavenFor more than 50 years , members of the Gigliotti family have die hard this dear barbecue juncture , combining Italian warmth for food for thought with Southern hospitality . In fact , they ’re so hospitable that they ’ll send a Pepto Bismol - pink limousine to theirnearby hotel partnersto convey you to the restaurant and take you back if you postulate nicely ( and give them a little observation ) . You ’ll desire that mount home after you fill up on Marlowe ’s award - winning BBQ pork barrel ribs , kick brisket , BBQ half-pint , and illustrious Italian - style BBQ spaghetti . you could also regulate a slab of Mama Gigliotti ’s honest-to-god - fashioned homemade lasagna if you ’re feeling like alimentary paste over pork .
Pollard’s BBQ
WhitehavenTarrance and Torria Pollard are the majestic parent of local University of Memphis Tigers football game star , Tony Pollard , who now plays running back for the Tennessee Titans just a few hours up Interstate 40 . So , if you care to spill the beans football while you eat your BBQ , Pollard ’s is the place for you . What started as a catering commercial enterprise is now a friendly , welcome Whitehaven home to smoke pork , gripe , poulet , and turkey . You ’ll also find connexion , tamales , and more . moot getting your hot links served Ultimate style : cut up with peppers , love apple , potatoes , and onions , and comprehend with a special Indian mustard sauce .
Tops Bar-B-Q
Various locationsTops is the Bluff City ’s fast food solution to barbeque . Every one of the 16 placement fudge their shoulders over charcoal in undetermined pits . They ’re also known for their cheeseburgers , but it ’s received practice to supply a fiddling barbecue meat ( sold by the ounce ) to the hamburger for the quintessential Tops experience . If you want get out pork on your Warren Burger , involve for “ The Fireman . ” Brisket fans choose for “ The Policeman . ” As far as sides go , you may take from beans , slaw , potato salad , fries , or chip . They have been open for 70 years , so they must be doing something right .
Elwood’s Shack
Audubon Park and East MemphisAt both their Memphis location , Elwood ’s serves a wide variety show of classical southerly dishes ranging from downhome breakfast item to burgers and fish tacos , but the literal magic emerges from the smokehouse . Angus kick brisket , smoked pork shoulder , ribs , volaille , and turkey can all be combined to create party packs or ordered as individual platters . It does n’t get any more basic ( or decadent ) than a smoked beef bologna sandwich on ashen lucre with slaw , and sometimes it ’s good not to overcomplicate things .
Memphis Barbecue Company
Horn LakeWait , what ? Memphis Barbecue Company is actually in Mississippi ? ! It ’s actually just across the state pipeline in Horn Lake , and the pitmasters have garner the right to call their restaurant whatever they require . That ’s because they have garnered ten World Championships at the prestigious Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest . When the ribs are really humankind - course of instruction and brisket and pork shoulder are cooked by accolade - winning master of their craft , why let a small geographic aberration get in the way of some swell ‘ discriminative stimulus ?
Payne’s Bar-B-Q|Photo by Sarah Rossi-Sélavie Photography for Thrillist
The Commissary
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue
Central BBQ (Summer)
Pollard’s Bar-B-Que
