Phyllis from the Tennessee State Welcome Center recommended this restaurant to my family & she was absolutely right! The meat fell right off these ribs! Mmmm.... When you come to Memphis you need to try ribs & you NEED to try these. So, go to Beale street, grab your souvenir Hard Rock shirt (that's our thing) & have dinner here right across the street from Hard Rock & BB Kings. (Great location) They have a special for $21.99 that includes a half rack of ribs, catfish, hush puppies & 3 sides. My sister & niece shared that but didn't love the size of the catfish or the hush puppies. Their ribs were fantastic but the half rack seemed like a lot less than half of a full rack. My 15 year old niece & I shared a full rack of ribs ($26.99) and WOW.... These ribs did NOT disappoint & the full rack is HUGE! The BBQ sauce is hard to describe. It's sweet yet tangy. It's just so flavorful. Guys, I'm not even a fan of BBQ sauce..... Seriously! We got three sides (double order of new potatoes & green beans). I asked our wonderful server if a serving of new potatoes was 2 or 4 & she noticed we didn't get a double serving. She brought us a BOWL full of new potatoes. (SO SWEET!!!) We barely finished our food & we shared it. My husband got the chicken tenders ($12.99) & was disappointed but he is NOT one to complain. He ordered it. So, he ate it. He said the chicken was dry. Unfortunately, none of the food was hot & the steak fries tasted like they'd been sitting for a little bit so they weren't crisp. There was only one server during our visit. Let me tell you though, she was working hard & she deserved every bit of her 25% tip. We tip for service, We never hold the servers responsible for kitchen errors or situations beyond their control. London is a 5 STAR server! She was never anything other than friendly! London, If you ever see this... thank you so much! You rock! Being a server is a hard job & we are grateful! read more

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Our first trip to Memphis. We tried this spot for lunch. The service was quick and friendly. The food was ordinary, there's not much to rave about. Mostly fried food, some bbq. I'd choose another place for lunch next time. The place was cute and looks better than the food was. read more

Blues City Cafe - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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This is a place i wanted to love. it's on the corner of the famous beale street blues alley. I had a similar experience as another yelper. Ordered a full rack of ribs, they were cooked well, to the point the meat just fell of the bones, but not much flavor. I can only guess they were missing some BBQ sauce, cause they didn't have a "rub" flavor to them. My niece ordered the chicken strips, and wouldn't again. The pork fries (with BBQ sauce) was huge portion, tasty, and made my nephew happy. The "diner" is really something out of the 50's (without an update) which contributes to the character. Our late evening (9pm) wait staff was attentive, but not under foot. The restaurant was busy, but not filled. read more

Blues City Cafe - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The legendary BBQ ribs really lived up to its name. It was the most delicious BBQ ribs I've had, so good that I had to order a second roud of half rack. The super juicy, soft meats were literally falling off the bones. Toast and brown beans were just classic complements. If you are into sweet drinks, green tea shot was a bomber too. Definitely would come back here for more BBQ ribs read more

Blues City Cafe - Legendary half rack ribs - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Food was wonderful! We had gumbo and the catfish plate. Our server, Sasha, was excellent! The ribs looked amazing. We'll have to try them next time! There was a line to get in but it was worth the wait. Homey feeling place. read more

If you're looking for real Memphis style BBQ and catfish look elsewhere. If you're looking for Applebee's type food on Beale St, you've come to the right place. Don't let the photos deceive you. The best thing that I had was the Texas Toast! The catfish was over cooked and flavorless. I've had better baby backs at Chili's. The gumbo would've been good if it didn't taste like aluminum can and preservatives. I wouldn't recommend. read more

Blues City Cafe - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This is a review for Blues City Cafe, but a little backstory first! Arrived in Memphis and wanted to go eat at Hard Rock Cafe. I was thinking it would be busy so I made a reservation for 7pm for our party of 4. We arrived at 6:52 and stood at the door for a few minutes- no hostess or anyone said anything to us. My husband walked over to ask about getting us seated (they hardly had anyone in the restaurant which I thought was weird, but maybe I know why now) & a guy (waiter ??) said it'll be 15 minutes before we were seated (makes no sense since they were not busy- maybe 3-4 small groups seated at tables). My husband said we had a reservation and the guy said, "it'll still be 15 minutes". We walked over to the Blues City Cafe and they immediately sat us even though they were busy. I understand that restaurants are short staffed, but the people at the Hard Rock Cafe didn't seem like they wanted any business. Their loss. Blues City Cafe- they were awesome! Our waitress Rachel was SO nice and helpful with our difficult food order (dealing with picky children and adult). We had pulled pork BBQ, catfish, cheese fries and chicken tenders. Everything was great! read more

Blues City Cafe - Pulled pork - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I was very disappointed with the quality of food at this location. First time here and chose it due to the reviews and convenience of the hours. The ribs: taste exactly like Lloyd's ribs (you know the ones you buy at any grocery store that are prepackaged). Btw, it tastes good for prepackaged refrigerated ribs for $9.99. Then the greenbeans, as a person who eaten canned greenbeans my whole life, you can tell it is canned with added seasoning n maybe butter. Coleslaw: Tastes exactly like grocery store bagged coleslaw with Marie's coleslaw dressing. Fries were good, and the Texas Toast was my favorite. read more

Blues City Cafe - Rib plate with greenbeans/coleslaw fries and TX Toast. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

We were looking forward to eating @ a local Memphis restaurant, and this one was on the well-known Beale Street so we thought we'd give it a try. Among our party of 4 we had the Memphis Stew (rating of 3), Seafood gumbo (rating of 3), and stuffed mushrooms. We were all disappointed in our food. The only good part of our visit was that when we were leaving, one of the staff was at the front door greeting customers, and he was super nice. Overall? You should try someplace else. read more

Ribs were overcooked burnt and dry......sauce not the best, sides were mediocre, hush puppies were horrible..inedible....catfish filet breading had a weird taste to it. I went out of my way to drive to Memphis for their famous Bbq........never been more disappointed with bbq ribs. My previous trip I stopped at another equally rated Bbq and it was unbelievable............CENTRALly located......go there........ read more

Really great good! Ribs, new potatoes, bread. All wonderful. Memphis vibe. Service prompt and friendly. Greeted at door, seated immediately read more

Blues City Cafe - 1/2 rack of ribs. New potatoes - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Excellent I love the food Atención the best ..... I love the restaurant Recommend 100%% read more

Blues City Cafe - Excellent - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I had eaten here for years but we returned yesterday for lunch. I had not expected much but was pleasantly surprised. We got a starter of bbq pork fries. They were delicious although I'm sure our arteries didn't appreciate it. Ha. Several other orders by our table included the gumbo, bbq salad, tamales and chili. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food based on empty plates! Their portions are pretty large so some of us split orders and still had plenty to eat. The service was friendly too. The one downfall of the place was the cleanliness- it wasn't terrible but could be better. read more

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I absolutely loved this place on the corner of Beale & 2nd street. I had the combo. BBQ ribs & catfish. So yummy delish. The best BBQ on had on my 10 day odyssey to Shreveport. Service was fast and friendly. Not rushed at all. Our waiter made great suggestions. I would recommend to anyone visiting Memphis. read more

Blues City Cafe - Cat fish & BBQ ribs. Slaw beans boiled potatoes. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The Concierge at The Peabody recommended the Blue City. It sits on a corner of Beale Street and like most places a dive. There was a short line at 5:30 but we got right in because we would sit at a 6 Top. The waiter was great: helpful, quick, and came back to check in and refill drinks. The food was classic Memphis and really good. We thought the ribs were better than those at The Rendezvous, the catfish was excellent, and my wife, a fried chicken fingers aficionado, thought these were the best she has ever eaten. Sides were lavish and good and the gumbo was excellent. Highly recommend if you are in Memphis. read more

We stopped in based on the #1 Yelp rating listed that day. It was good, but I don't know if it was #1 good. It's not bad - know that. We had steak, potatoes, ribs, chicken strips, and all three desserts. Our server (Brandon) was super great and very nice. We would suggest you try it for yourself! read more

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Food is great The meat is served by the pound with the smallest being 1.5 pounds We had skillet shrimp and chili with tamales All very good. Server was attentive Parking is going to be in a garage around the corner. read more

Went to the International Blues Competition in Memphis Tennessee the end of January. Had the best barbeque ribs and cat fish that I had in years!!! Service was good and price reasonable. read more

First part of this place is a restaurant. The backside is a bar with live music. The bar serves the same food menu. Beer selection was good and it was cold. Food is really good here. I got the catfish plate and it reminded me how much I miss the food of the Mid-South. The live music that night was Blind Mississippi Morris. This guy was damn good. He was the reason this review went from a 4 to a 5 star. I would highly recommend this place. Get there early on the weekends. When we left, the line waiting to get in was out the door. read more

Great ribs and service. Visiting from Wisconsin. Would highly recommend. Cindy Kopplin read more

In planning our couple days in Memphis, this place came up several times on blogs as a good place on Beale for ribs and Memphis BBQ. It's been featured several times on The Food Network and has some pretty famous patrons. It's on the corner and right across from BB Kings. We lunched here on a Sunday when we got in from the airport. Our buddy the Uber driver was a little skeptical when we told him we'd heard this was one of the best places for BBQ and he gave us a couple other recommendations before dropping us off. Luckily it wasn't too busy when we arrived and we were able to get a table right away. It's a pretty old establishment and not super clean. I asked my favorite question to our server upon arriving- what oh what is gluten free. Unfortunately the vast majority of the menu items do not qualify, but I was able to get the ribs without the sauce. Most of the sides had gluten so the server was creative and suggested boiled potatoes and coleslaw. We had a bit of an issue getting the proper plate assortment. First we got naked ribs with fries, so we had to try again. Next plate had the boiled potatoes with saucy ribs..but third time was the charm. The ribs were good and smoky but definitely really dry inside and the meat itself wasn't overly flavorful. The husband went for the fried chicken which had excellent color and crisp factor, but he also complained about a general lack of flavor. Lunch was cheap and service was super quick. Overall it seems like a pretty solid staple for Beale St., but I wouldn't blog it as a must visit. read more

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Fantastic service. LBujica is on it. Topnotch. Barbecue is nice and tender. Catfish excellent. Gumbo mildly spicy. 1/2 tea lemonade to top it off. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

Blues City Cafe - Golden Fried Catfish Plate, Seafood Gumbo, barbecue ribs. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Yum. Yum. We walked in very late after a long drive and wanted to check out Beale Street. This was, TASTY, hot and ready fast. Our server made us a special combo for two with a full rack of ribs to split. We added a salad and we're stuffed. read more

Blues City Cafe - Combo for two with a full rack of ribs and no fish. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Best catfish and ribs on Beale Street HANDS. DOWN. When we walked in, place was packed but even in the crowd, we were spotted by a server who was happy enough to seat us. We were then greeted by another server, who was quite the convivial host. He was very helpful and took the time to get to know us. He even gave me recommendations on local disc golf courses in Memphis! We got the Seafood stuffed Mushrooms to start off with and the catfish and rib combo for two. The Seafood stuffed mushrooms was a perfect creole starter dish that instantly teleported my taste buds to the docks of Louisiana. And as far as the catfish/Ribs combo for two, there's a reason why they call this the best meal on Beale! Ribs were a text book definition of low and slow bbq and the catfish was a perfect balance of crispy on the outside and sexy on the inside. It came with hush puppies, toast, coleslaw, baked beans and fries. All of which, slapped. You as the customer can make the best of bites by pairing the sides with the meats, creating the ultimate soul food experience. If I get amnesia, someone please take me back to Blue City Cafe so I can have it for the first time for the second time! read more

Blues City Cafe - Left: Ribs and Catfish Bottom Right: Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms Top Right: Toast, Fries, coleslaw and baked beans. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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WOW. Killer ribs! The seafood gumbo is also amazing. You should at least get a cup of it. Steak cut fries taste good with their seasoning. Coleslaw and beans also tasty. Five-star meal. read more

Blues City Cafe - Bowl of amazing seafood gumbo - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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The service was good, and the food hit the spot. Keep in mind that it will be packed at all time. Be patient!! read more

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Ohh man, this place rocks! Eaten two nights in a row here. The food is off the charts good! Last night I had the best meal on Beale combo-consisting of ribs, catfish, beans, cole slaw and Texas toast. I added a side of the greens. The greens were some of the best I have ever eaten. The ribs fell off the bone, the beans were top notch. Tons of good food for $21.00. A steal. I'll definitely be back on my next trip through Memphis. read more

Blues City Cafe - The Best Meal On Beale Combination Platter - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Great, classic Beale Street BBQ joint! Had the ribs and catfish combo, the catfish was delicious! Ribs were pretty good too, maybe a little too fatty but that's a personal taste, some might like it that way. Great atmosphere and great service as well! read more

Blues City Cafe - Beale Street, Memphis - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Just tried this as was recommended by two different shop owners. I wasn't very hungry so i knew this was probably not the best choice as they specialize in large rib platters and you can see the preparing it from seat. I stayed anyway and ordered the grilled garlic shrimp appetizer as recommended by the server and the gumbo. Was not impressed with either. Shrimp was edible but barely tasted the garlic seasoning. Gumbo was bland and not good at all.! Left it barely touched on my table. My server was very nice and offered to refund but i told him it was ok. I paid for it anyway. I would like to return next time and try the ribs. read more

Absolutely delicious seafood gumbo! My friend got the tamales and it came with a cup of chili. He loved both and mentioned that the tamales were made with real corn meal and were delicious also. I like my food very spicy and the gumbo was very spicy - just the way I like it!! They had live music playing and it was a great blues band. read more

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Oh yeah, that was some good Memphis 'cue! OK, so it was a rainy Monday night and the well-known Rendezvous was closed, so we flipped a coin between Central Barbecue and Blues City and Blues City it was (it was also the hotel bartender's favorite, so her word played into it too - well, probably, mostly). At any rate, what a treat - I settled on their combo plate which comprised of a half-rack of ribs, a fried catfish filet, sides of beans, slaw, and fries (plus a slab of Texas toast). I also got a cup of their shrimp gumbo - and a mighty fine gumbo it was, thick, rich, full of shrimp pieces, and spicy. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, a terrific tangy 'cue sauce; the catfish was moist and fatty. Service is prompt and friendly; the decor is just how you imagine a rib joint to be, low-key, well-loved and battered furnishings, but knowing that all the love and attention is spend on perfecting them perfect ribs. Yum! read more

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Arrived at Blues City Cafe a couple minutes after they opened and we were seated immediately with very a inviting staff. The server asked for our drink order quickly & we knew exactly what we'd be ordering. Even after just a few minutes of them opening, they had customers coming in left and right. They seemed to be filling their tables quickly. Our food came out to us very efficiently & we knew it was already looking amazing. The waitress checked on us frequently asking if we were satisfied or needed anything else. She even got us lids for our beans to go! As you can tell from the pictures, the Rack of Ribs meal for 2 definitely is worth it! The meat fell from the bones so effortlessly & that barbecue sauce was perfect. Definitely would come here again when I come back to Memphis. We stopped at a gift shop after eating & the cashier told us that Blues City Cafe is the place to eat for sure; and I agree! read more

Blues City Cafe - Rack Of Ribs For 2 - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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My friends and I came to visit Graceland and before heading backing to Nashville, we stopped at Beale St. We walked around but most stores and restaurants were closed due to covid and it being a Tuesday. After reading the reviews, we decided to eat here. I'm glad we did. Between the three of us, we shared two plates; half order of ribs and gumbo cheese fries. Both were delicious and more than enough. The meat was literally falling off the bone and the sauce was very good. For dessert we had the pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and the apple dumpling. Both were exceptional. I drank a local IPA which was good too, unfortunately I can't remember the name. read more

Blues City Cafe - Gumbo cheese fries and half a rack of ribs with baked beans, coleslaw, French fries and Texas toast. - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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i'll admit i was skeptical as to if the food could actually be that good. luckily i was throughly proven wrong!! we were seated right away around 6. the small menu intimidated me, but all you need to get is the RIBS. the service was so efficient we didn't have to wait long. my group of four split two full racks for 2 and let me tell you when them came out we started doubting if we could even eat them all! another mystery solved cause we put those suckers away!! the meat just fell right of the bone- sauced to perfection. make sure you leave room for sides tho cause the fries are another perfectly cooked addition- add the bluescity seasoning to make em even better read more

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Best ribs I ever had. Also had ribs at Rendezvous and they were a close second. The bone pulled right off the meat. read more

Blues City Cafe - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Great Spot & Great Food !!!! Had multiple locals I work with send me here for the "Best on Beale Street" combo, which is exactly what it is called Fried Catfish, Ribs that fall off the bone, literally not figuratively. Hush Puppies, boiled red potatoes & baked beans & Texas toast! Took me a while to walk down Beale after eating that meal ... read more

Blues City Cafe - Best on Beale Comno - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

We took the advice of the street manager that this is the best place on Beale Street and omg the half rack of ribs was fall off the bone darn good!! read more

Blues City Cafe - Half rack of a rainbow of busting flavors - Southern Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Catfish fillets...perfect. Slaw creamy and cool. French fries hot and crispy. My companion found his pork chop dry but he consumed all of it. Shout out to Darrell. Old Memphis vibe. Kinda of dark. Uneven tables. Lotsa of Elvis and B.B. would return. read more

This review is based on a limited choice of the menu. First I will talk about the tamales and chili. The tamales were flavorful with a little bite overall a decent tamale. The chili was average with a strong flavor of spice I could not identify. With the vast menu I would try it again. The music was amazing but walking to the music hall across the rooms the smell of garbage was so strong it almost caused us to leave. I realize old buildings have challenges. But go above and beyond to not smell like a garbage dump. read more

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Okay - so you I was in Memphis for a conference my team was hosting. We got out one evening and we're looking for a quick and good place for ribs. And BAM - Blues City Cafe. So I don't think I'd go here on a slow night. Everything is in steam trays, and while it might work when everything is moving to tables fast, I can't imagine it would be particularly fresh if it wasn't moving. Having said that... Everything was good. Ribs were juicy and I was able to pull them apart without a knife. The sides were yummy. The service was FAST, which I appreciated after a 16-hour day managing an event. So, yeah, pretty good. As they say in Scranton, PA, "Henya or no?" read more