The place is nice. The service is welcoming, but the food would be a choice if you didn't feel…read morelike cooking. I had the three piece dark chicken with the sweet potatoes casserole and mash potatoes with gravy. The mashed potatoes had quite a few lumps and everything kind of gave a powdery taste (gravy, casserole, and mashed potatoes). When I say powdery... I'm saying that it just wasn't giving "homemade". It's not intolerable but it's not what you look for when you go to a soulfood restaurant. I also wasn't a fan of the wait. We have some made to order items so it was understood about the 20 minute wait, but we didn't get our food until almost an hour after paying. The extra time waiting seemed to be due to fried green tomatoes not being made in tandem with the fried chicken. As a result, everything was luke warm by the time we got the food. It's truly sad because the flavor is definitely there. The texture, the powdery residual taste and the wait time leaves me at this place being a one time experience at the least and a, "if I had to" at the most.

The staff was very kind and welcoming. The food was so much better that I expected and it resolved…read moremy rather bad day. I ordered the catfish with a side of mac and cheese and green beans. The catfish is made to order, was perfectly crispy and well seasoned. Definitely top 3 catfish meals for me in the area. The mac and cheese was some of the best I have had. It was creamy and savory, it wasn't too fatty and had a firm texture. It was definitely the highlight of the meal. The green beans had a bit of a mushy texture but I really enjoyed regular green beans. The meal comes with a side or cornbread which was filling , fluffy and sweet. Fantastic soul food for me. The banana pudding was also delicious. You can also actually taste banana not just sugar. The people working there were honestly so kind and chill. They knew what to recommend and added to the dining experience. My only criticisms come with how some of the food is prepared for example the green been texture being on the mushy side is likely due to it being presented similarly to a buffet. I was also unable to have a whisky due to the bar being closed however it was 2pm on a weekday. Overall great experience

"How the South does fast food!" That's the slogan and I'll be damned if this isn't the best…read moresouthern fast food anywhere around these parts! It's a brilliant concept really. It's a meat and three kind of place with many options of proteins and veggies to choose from. It's a larger and more diverse menu than you will find at any place that is quick like this. It's way nicer inside than any other fast food place, that's for sure. Great color scheme. Floor plan flows well. You can see where to access the bevs, condiments, and rest rooms easily. I personally like these the best in this order: Fried Fish Baked Wings Fried Pork Chop Pinto Beans Corn Cornbread Chicken & Dumplings Sweet Potato Casserole Mac & Cheese Mashed Potatoes They also have: Baked fish and chicken Greens Potato Salad Black Eye Peas Fried Okra Broccoli Casserole Fries Fried Broccoli and many more... Food flies out of the kitchen fast, I am not sure how they do it and keep it all so fresh! The people are super friendly and most helpful. Smiles on everyone's faces makes you know that they are happy and taken care of by management and the owners. I'll be back for sure! Enjoy my years of fried food pictures below! Tehehe '25 - 8/111

This was our first time here. I've driven past that several times, but I'm certainly glad that we…read morestopped in today. First, and most important, the food was hot and tasty. And it served quickly. That's always nice. The restaurant is clean and comfortable. And the young lady behind the counter was pleasant.

There is no way this should be okay. In what world would you pay for this as a finished product?…read moreWould you eat this?

Food was good it was open. Service was friendly. I never saw a bunch of activity. I believe this…read moreplace is permanently closed.

Service was good.. I just recommend going when food is fresh. Our cornbread was like a 'brick' …read more The other food was acceptable however I am sure it was even better fresh not sitting on the table for hours.

On a temp job I found myself out in the barren wasteland that I'm affectionately calling 'the…read morewarehouse district' of Memphis. Ok, so perhaps I exaggerate a tiny bit but working in a building that did not have a microwave required searching for lunch a few days out of the week in that area. I soon realized there where no options other than a few fast food joints. Well, that's what I thought ... until I saw Gary's. From my little box filled office I overheard a few fellows from the warehouse discussing Gary's for lunch. When I had passed the mentioned 'Gary's' on my way into work i had dismissed it as a convenience store 'slash' truck stop? Boy was I wrong. True, Gary's is a convenience store; however it also wears a slew of other interesting unexpected hats as well. It's a brown stone looking building on Getwell road. The parking lot and how you get into the parking lot makes one wish for a four-wheel drive. Don't miss the first turn in as you come from Shelby drive ... it's the only one that will perhaps leave the under-carriage of your car intact. When you walk into Gary's the first convenience store impression does not go away. It is packed ... Seriously packed ... to the gills with stuff. As you walk to your left you notice isles of various things ... Regular grocery items... an isle for Items sold on Bulk.... A small section for produce and Dairy. There is a large cooler/ frozen section for meat... Some non typical. You will find ribs, chicken, decent looking steaks, pork chops, and etc. you will also find pigs feet and other interesting options. There is a deli section in the back with meats and cheeses by the pound. You can also get them to whip ya up a sandwich packed with all ya favorite things. Also along the back of the establishment is a 'hot bar' behind which a few friendly ladies diligently tend; dishing out large helpings of various meat and veggie options for a substantial plate lunch. I hear they do the same for breakfast as well. There is several different meat options fried or baked chicken, meatloaf sometimes, smothered steak, pork chops, fried or baked fish, and etc. The vegetable options are just as numerous and varied. Fried okra, string beans, pinto brand, butter beans, greens, fried okra (have I said that already?), mashed potatoes (real potatoes not powdered like most 'lines' put out in other places), fried okra (not the pre-battered frozen kind you buy but the real battered themselves and fried that afternoon)... Can you tell I have a thing for fried okra, and etc. There is also a dessert or two ... I tried the peach cobbler one visit - pretty tasty. Ive had a plate lunch twice, and though it's not the highest quality food; its like old home cooking (even a little vinegar in the string beans - like granddad used to make). It's pretty darned good. The portions are huge - I can never Finnish everything .... You could quite easily split with someone. The fried catfish fillets are definitely not great ... But passable. There is also a grill in the back ... I haven't really checked out this menu (if there is one) but I have been in line and had folks order hamburgers from the grill and their orders where called back to a fellow working 'said' grill. I read a few previous reviews about the unfriendly service they have received at Gary's. I'm really baffled at this ... I've been in the store several times throughout the past two weeks and everyone is always so very nice and helpful. Everyone -from the ladies behind the serving lines to the fellows on the isles and the folks behind the check-out counter - always smiles, greets, and even chats with me amicably ... No matter how busy they are. There is also a cooler holding store made salads and bowls of store cut fruit. I've had strawberries and watermelon From This cooler a few times - always good. The truth of the matter is that I don't think I have even seen half of the options at Gary's, much less sampled them. There is no telling what else is down those cramped isles. There is one thing that Gary's does not have ... A place to sit. Whatever treasures or culinary delights you may find within must be taken to go. To liken the area to a desert may be an exaggeration; to liken Gary's Market to an oasis in the middle of that desert is not. If Gary's was located in any other part of Memphis this could quite possible be a legidamate three star review ... However, it is not. Gary (if indeed that is the owner's name) chose his location well. Amidst a sparse grouping of crappy fast food establishments and convenience store gas stations ... Gary's is truly a gem 'in the rough' or is that 'amidst the rough'... actually I think they both fit.

Memphis Best Soul Food always has a wonderful array of soul food dishes cooked. I went in to just…read moresnap pictures but I ended up ordering a bacon and egg sandwich. There lunch menu has an excellent assortment of meats and vegetables. I saw fried chicken, chopped pork, turkey wing meat, neck ones, smothered pork chops, hamhocks, and candied yams, rice, snap beans, black eyed peas, butter beans, and they still had a portion of the breakfast menu up. The dinner plates start at $15.00. They also sell sodas, chips, candy and other convenience store fare. The owner is a Q. And he's super friendly. By 9 am you can eat both breakfast AND lunch. It's all cooked by then. I've eaten their lunch before and it was wonderful. You can get hooked. It's just that good.

The food was cold and they didn't telI me I need to warm it up so make sure if you go there. Make…read moresure they warm your food up.

Today is Thursday, August 20, 2026. I called ahead and ordered the smothered chicken with cooked…read morecabbage and purple hull peas. Everything was so delicious! The chicken was thigh, drumstick and breast, all together with bone in. I can't describe how tender and tasty it all was. It also had some cooked carrots and bell pepper with it. The meat just falls off the bone! Do yourself a favor and get it!!!

I tried them a couple months ago supporting my coworker, whose aunt is the owner. When I say the…read morefood was delicious, oh my God!!! I love fresh vegetables, she had fresh cream style corn, purple hull peas, greens, yams... my Lord today!!! The chicken & dressing was good too but when I say, them vegetables and sides were everything. They were everything!!! Yes, there is a wait on Sundays, but the food is worth it! Everyone is nice and welcoming, food fresh, the facility is small, but clean & nice! I highly recommend!

The most delicious meal I've had in Memphis. I recommend studying the menu before you come because…read moreyou'll be asked to order as you enter. You'll pay there and then be offered a table and your food will be brought to you. Your check includes a 15% service charge of course you can tip additionally with cash later if you wish. I've never heard of eating neckbones so of course that's what I ordered. The pork neckbones had been well braised and were super delicious. Truly an ultimate pork experience. You definitely have to pick them up and chew all over. But there's lots of meat. Some of it you can get to with a fork, and some of it can be broken apart for easier access to the meat, but it is not an elegant meal! I found the vinegar at the table really enhanced the flavor. My sides were black-eyed peas and turnip greens, and the greens were spectacular. The corn muffin was very good. The sweet tea was very sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the peach cobbler. The cobbler was delicious with lots of nutmeg, but people really have a sweet tooth in Memphis. I ate on a Sunday and got there just before noon to get in ahead of the after-church crowd and my timing was perfect. The dining room filled up while I was eating.

Went here at the recommendation of two Lyft drivers…read more Easy walk 0.6 miles from Stax Music, safe. Courtney (see photo)greeted us and took our orders. He chatted with us as we waited at our table for our orders. He served our orders and bused our plates too. He does everything and is very personable providing welcoming hospitality. And he's only worked there for a mere 5 weeks. I asked him who the owner is and he directed me to Jerry and Patrice Thompson, two of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. Jerry has a big welcoming personality and a great sense of humor. Fried catfish fillets were excellent! Crust was just right and the fillets were moist. I ate everything in my plate. Peach cobbler was warmed up, we opted to not have it w ice cream, and it is the best in Memphis! Such a long and storied history for this restaurant. We are so glad we came here and will return next time we are in Memphis. My only regret is we were too full to eat fried chicken too.

Wow! Live in Nashville and this is the real deal. Service was as good as you can get. Great…read morehostess and server. Dry ribs were great. Sausage was fantastic. Pulled pork was epic. Green beans were better than mine and very tasty. Cole slaw was the type I like and perfect. Floor felt greasy but looked clean. Very slippery. Did not like any of the 3 Bbq sauces at all. Great Bbq and server was awesome. I will be back.

Updating my review from 4 years ago. We've been maybe a handful of times since…read more Our visit last night though was decent. They don't take reservations, and I even called to inform them we had a party of 9 and they said it didn't matter. Okay... we get there and had to wait 30 minutes for a table. If we had been able to make a reservation, that wouldn't have happened. The employees were all nice though. Our main waiter and the waitress helping him were attentive and got what we needed. One thing that really disappointed me was that they were out of brisket (told us after we placed our orders) and half our orders had brisket. We had family from the west coast here and the whole point of going to Memphis BBQ was for them to enjoy southern BBQ and I feel they didn't get the whole experience. Another thing, our waiter specifically said he put the 3 kids meals on one order so they would come out first... guess which ones came out last out of all 9 of us? Yeah, the kids. And the food was piping hot for them so they barely ate anything by the time we were all done with our meals. Which our meals were actually good. Except the water. Has an awful chlorine taste to it. Lastly, weren't we supposed to get complimentary pork rinds? I completely forgot about that until after we left or I would have asked for them. It wasn't a horrible experience, but we've definitely had better and we'll probably be back sometime.