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    A&R Bar-B-Que

    3.7 (157 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 1 week ago

    A&R Bar-B-Que Photos

    Business Info

    A&R BAR-B-QUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Reviews With Photos

    Tiffany J.

    It has been over a decade or more since I have visited and I must say that they have maintained the quality of food and service that I loved years ago! I had a taste for a bologna sandwich with baked beans and potato salad. I must say neither disappointed. I'm glad I was in the area and was able to stop in. The ambiance is really nice, spacious, and clean. They have mad a lot of updates to bring them up to modern times. I really wish I would have gotten one of their infamous desserts. I will be returning for more soon!

    Moriah D.

    Best BBQ in Memphis and not up for debate! I was born & raised in Memphis but have lived in Texas for 10 years. When I come home, this is literally my FIRST stop every time. Everything is soooo good & always fresh. The bbq spaghetti is the delicious, sweet & tangy with a bit of heat, my favorite side. I live for the fried bologna, smoked sausage, and pulled pork sandwiches. The sauce is savory, sweet & flavorful. I purchase the bbq seasoning & sauce every time I go to make sure I'm stocked when I'm back home in Texas. Service is normally pretty quick and sometimes there is a wait, but it's worth it. Perfect for a large group or just a few. I cannot attest for the other A&R locations, because I only go to this location, the original. It is & has always been the best since I was a child.

    Pork rib sandwich (before)
    Solomon C.

    I had the pork ribs sandwich and i gotta say that was annoying. It's four pork ribs with slaw between white bread. It's not like you hold it by the bread and eat it. I had to pick apart each rib and eat the bread and slaw separate. The service is meh! The price is different from the price your asked to pay. Menu needs to be updated. Prob won't go out of my way to come back

    Outside
    Adam L.

    Brisket was chopped up and ok. A little mushy. The sauce was great. The rib tips were ok. The pork shoulder was good. No sides. People were nice. Authentic. Prices were average. It's ok.

    Rib tip sandwich with coleslaw and bbq spaghetti.
    Libby G.

    We were hoping for good barbecue and this place had the kansas city style sauce we love. Portion size was generous (see picture). We both ordered the rib tip sandwich which came with two sides. Their coleslaw was solid. It was the dirst time we had bbq spaghetti and we liked it (it was our first time) but it was a lot of bbq sauce to eat in one meal! The beans were pretty ordinary which is sad because barbecue places could easiiy throw in some sauce and miscellaneous meat trimmings for something awesome. We had never had rib tips before and these were a mix of tender and chewy, some pieces with bark. I have to say I prefer burnt ends because I pick the cartilage out of my rib tips...I guess some people just crunch them up.

    Rib tips, baked beans, seasoned fries
    Ellie F.

    This is a prime example of south Memphis barbecue! I recommend the rib tips - and show up hungry, or you'll never finish the incredible portions of food they dish out. I want to go back and try more!

    Inside area for ordering and waiting.
    Tim M.

    Stopped in while in town in search of the area's best barbecue. It looks like they recently expanded as the dining area is much larger than appearing in earlier photos. Lots of tables in the expanded dining area. There are only a handful of parking spaces out front, but plenty more space in the back. The area has a wonderful smell of smoked meats. Service was friendly and helpful. Being our first time here, we had a lot of questions and the young lady at the counter gave us some great recommendations. Ordered the 1/2 slab pork ribs with sides of barbecue spaghetti, baked beans, coleslaw, and green beans. My wife ordered the rib tips. The ribs were wonderfully smokey and tasty. We arrived later in the day, so the ribs were a little dry and may have been smoked earlier in the day. The barbecue spaghetti was delicious! Worth the trip to Memphis. The other sides were also great, and my wife loved the rib tips.

    Rib tips (4/5) with coleslaw (5/5), baked beans (4/5) and green beans (5/5).
    Randi M.

    I stopped in to try the rib tips as not every place sells them. The staff were friendly and the restaurant was clean even though you could tell they maintain a steady crowd. It looks to have been recently renovated and there was a lot of seating in a second room to the right of the main entrance. With the rib tips I ordered coleslaw, baked beans and green beans with mixed sauce (mild and hot) on the side. The tips had a good amount of meat and a wonderful smoky flavor. They were drier than some but that may have been due to ordering them later in the evening. I liked their mixed sauce over the mild, as combining them seemed to spice up the mild one and dull the heat of the hot one. The sides were all good but my favorites were the coleslaw, creamy, crunchy and slightly sweet, and the green beans, flavorful and tender with some onions. If in the area, I'd return to try the ribs.

    Jason S.

    A & R Bar-B-Que family owners (A)ndrew and (R)ose Pollard (related to the owners of Pollard's BBQ, I'm told), run a handful of old school Memphis neighborhood bbq restaurants that have been smokin' great barbecue since the early 80's. I usually try to make it to the original or at least oldest running location of any restaurant, especially a bbq joint. As I drove up to the smoke house, a few blocks north of Graceland, I had some very good vibes. All the signals were right: -the parking area outside smelled of smoking pork; -a big, happy pig was painted on the exterior wall; -and customers were walking out the front door with arms full of to-go containers. At the counter where you stand to place your order, you can hear the blissful smokehouse lullaby coming from the kitchen: chop-chop-chop on the cutting board as hickory-cooked pork gets hacked into mottled shreds and pieces for plates and sandwiches. The sandwich is the classic Memphis configuration that I have grown to love and respect: pork was lightly smoky and tender, and included some of the bits of the crust from the outer "bark" throughout the meat mixed with tangy red sauce piled high on a bun and crowned with a spill of cole slaw. The cabbage provides such nice little bits of crunch among the velvety heap of pork. Beyond pig sandwiches, the A&R menu is full. You can have ribs (wet or dry), Rib Tips, Smoked Bologna, Chicken, Smoked Turkey legs Catfish dinner, Hot tamales and that only-in-Memphis treat, barbecue spaghetti. That's a mound of soft noodles dressed not with ordinary tomato sauce, but with - of course - barbecue sauce, laced with shreds of pork. It's weird, but in this city, where restaurants also offer barbecue pizza and barbecue salad, it makes sense. The ambiance of A&R is pure BBQ parlor: quiet enough so you can hear the chopping in the kitchen while you concentrate on enjoying the meal.

    BBQ Chicken sandwich
    Nisha L.

    Ok so as a Memphis native, let me just say: Tops is not fw A&R chicken sandwich! Y'all this is the best bbq out of all the states I've lived in. The service is good lmao I mean.. it's home. The woman is quick and sweet and straight to the point, definitely a vet. They've got a few little tables you can sit at but it's definitely not a date night spot. The spicy baked beans and bbq chicken sandwich are perfect. Every time I come home I gotta have it. If the bag ain't greasy, it's not for me

    Mykie D.

    Being originally from Kansas City, I'm a bbq snob. I've been to Memphis before and never was impressed by the bbq. I came back to Memphis and one of the locals recommended this place for bbq. I'm so glad they did! The ribs were delicious! Next time I'll try other items. We fell in love with the ribs. Highly recommend. Next time I'm in Memphis, this will be my first stop! Customer service was great too!

    Smoke wings  highly recommend

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    28 days ago

    So far one of the only places I can get decent brisket from. The sides are delicious as well! Definitely give them a try!

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    5 months ago

    The food is awesome and amazing customer service is amazing . Great place to dine very clean environment.

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    11 months ago

    Some of the best bar-b-que in the city of Memphis, especially in Hickory Hill area. Worth the try.

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    2 years ago

    I will not return to this place. First of all the prices are ridiculous! It took 30 minutes to get some overcooked wings

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    3 years ago

    Stopped in for lunch and had some Great smoked wings! Restaurant was clean and service was quick. Thanks A&R!

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    3 years ago

    First time here-and it was soooo good!! Rib tips were my favorite, and the fried okra was also great. Loved everything we ordered!

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    Ask the Community - A&R Bar-B-Que

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