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    Brad's Bar-B-Q

    3.4 (53 reviews)
    InexpensiveBarbeque
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Brad's Bar-B-Q Photos

    Business Info

    BRAD'S BAR-B-Q ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Smoke chicken, beans and coleslaw
    Abby A.

    Eh not so good sadly. Brought family from out of town and we definitely got some of the older portion of bbq and roast chicken. Skin kind of pulling away from the meat which feels like it was under the lamp/heat and got dehydrated. Same for ribs. When it is fresh it is probably good but I'm not trying to test it out again.

    Sign.
    Kevin R.

    A down home "mom and pop" bar-b-q joint with a rustic feel. Wait staff was nice, quick, and kept our drinks full. Meal was grand. Pulled pork nachos. Pork was so tender that it was falling apart in my fingers. Sauce had a hot and mild option on the table. Was sweet bbq, which I enjoy. All in all, a place I would love to take my parents.

    Leftovers from yesterday. I hope no older than that.
    Brian L.

    Thank you for supporting our American freedoms. This is a great nation and it really means a lot that you put a sign on the door actually encouraging that responsible Americans carry a CONCEALED weapon. Our freedoms are eroding and it's very important we as citizens do not have to be totally dependant on government for law, order, and protection. For this I give four stars instead of the three that you have earned on this lunch. Wait staff: incredibly polite and professional. Waitress has served me many times over the years. She took the time to explain the hot sauce, mild sauce, bone plate, and wet naps. Very polite and attentive. She was tipped well. Ketchup bottle was very clean but hot sauce, salt, and pepper were dirty. I understand how they get dirty, but they can be cleaned. Health department score 94. This was also a star. Only one or two stars left for food though. Atmosphere: there is a wonderful smoky smell that reminds me of long winter nights in a cabin in the woods. Decorations are country by nature and very relaxing. Ribs: you can get a half slab with bread and two sides or for a buck and a half more upgrade to a full slab and finish for dinner. My ribs had a wonderful smoky flavor and were really good. Problem was they were probably incredible yesterday when they were cooked. A couple of hints here a: the thin parts are dry and b: they are freshly sauced in the middle, but the edges look horrible. Now the thing with ribs is that you don't have six hours to cook them by the order so you have to start early, early in the morning to have perfect ribs by lunch. Ah but it is so much cheaper and easier to cook them in business hours and serve them the following day. The problem is that if you are serving me leftovers and I save half for later, then they are pretty much expired. Beans: straight out of the can. Period. I might be wrong. That is my opinion. It reminds me of the cans of pork and beans where you have to search every plate to see which person got that little piece of meat. I was not so lucky. I did put a small piece of my ribs in though just to make me feel better. Bread: sesame buns straight out of the bag. It was even slightly stale which would be impossible to tell if only they were buttered and toasted. Onion rings: frozen and bagged- deep fried. Onion rings are so easy to make and so much better made by the order. Price: 27 bucks for lunch including tip. Can't afford to do it often. And now I have leftover leftover ribs to eat later. Now that I factor in the price,I feel like giving one star for food, another for servers, and a third one for the handgun thing. So when I paid, they asked. Told them the sides are just ok, but the ribs were probably really great when they were cooked yesterday. The only response was that I should try the potato salad because it is made in house. That tells me two things: 1: my intuition about eating leftovers was true, and 2: the only thing (other than meat) prepared in house is potato salad. Brads, you are a long standing staple in the Bartlett community and I know nothing about running a restaurant. But I ask you to listen to opinions and respect them.

    Menu
    Matt S.

    Arrived just before noon on a Wednesday to find a mostly full lot and dining room. Great smoke smell inside and out was promising. The decor more closely resembles a country store than a BBQ joint but if had a cozy feel with a mix of tables and booths. I was greeted promptly and told to take any seat I would like. The server promptly took my order with no small measure of southern charm. The table contained small bottles of their Standard and Hot sauces. Ordered a half slab, small pork sandwich, slaw and beans since they didn't have a sampler platter on the menu. Standard sauce: Thin tomato base with a nice hit of vinegar. Not a ton of personality but tasty. Hot sauce: thick tomato with a load of black pepper. As a fan of black pepper this was a verify nice surprise. Not a traditional sauce for the area but quite tasty. Ribs: 2/5 Salt immediately overpowers any smoke flavor in the meat. Moderately overcooked to a grey tone, with the membrane still on the slab. Sauced but at an odd time in the process resulting in a mushy mess of a coating. disappointing. Shoulder: 3/5 Fine chopped shoulder on a toasted bun and optional topping of slaw. Little smoke flavor and not much texture to the meat. Little to no bark bits to be seen. Was fairly moist though with average flavor overall. Rounding up from a 2.5 here because of outside factors. Slaw seems like super minced preordered style. More of a sweet than a vinegar hit. Nice as a topping... But bland as a side. The beans, too, lacked much personality. After adding a tablespoon of hot sauce and some chopped pork they livened up considerably. By 12:30 the place was packed. Good value, fun atmosphere with excellent staff...but the food just doesn't warrant coming back when there are so man better options in the area.

    Black pepper added by the hubs. It doesn't come this way. This is the regular BBQ sandwich plate. Need more food? Order the jumbo.

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    Central BBQ - BBQ pork sandwich with slaw

    Central BBQ

    3.9(2.7k reviews)
    11.7 miDowntown
    $$

    We went to the main Central BBQ location which happens to be across the street from the Civil…read moreRights Museum which we visited before stopping in. This location is a large building with lots of seating options. I had to try Central as it keeps winning awards and is consistently mentioned as the top BBQ place in the Memphis area. Some of their awards were displayed at the entrance and on the walls. Lots of history. My wife ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich and had the slaw on the side so I could have it (she's not a slaw fan). I had the small order of ribs with 1/2 dry and 1/2 wet with sides of BBQ Beans and Mac n Cheese. I tried the pulled pork and it was tender and delicious. My ribs were pretty good with my favorite part being the wet ribs. The dry part was overcooked and really dry and chewy. This was a bit of a disappointment. The BBQ beans were flavorful but a bit mushy. The Mac n cheese also mushy a bit but tasted better than it looked. I love great BBQ so I like Central BBQ but may have caught them on a bad day. Oh, they were out of a lot of T Shirt options/size I wanted too. Darn. I wanted to buy one. I would return and try the brisket, pulled pork or poultry items next time.

    There was a time when Central barbecue was the only place I would eat barbecue in Memphis. But food…read moreand service has ruined that. I visited the downtown location on 5/24/26 at 6:15 PM. I ordered wings and two dry slabs of ribs. When my family and I finally decided to eat the ribs on Monday, they were disgusting. They had seasoning caked all on them, and they were overly salty. We wiped off the caked-on seasoning and tried to eat around the saltiness. I was praying the 2nd slab was not the same. When I opened them on 5/27 to see, they were the same. I was trying to avoid calling because I just didn't feel like being bothered. But I called. I left a message for the manager to return my call that morning because "he is in the middle of an interview." So I called back that afternoon and was transferred to Ethan. I explained the situation to him. As I was speaking, he kept making the noise un-huh. So, I stopped talking and asked him what it meant aside from it just being rude as hell. He went on to explain that they missed a step and did not rub in the seasoning and shake it off. I don't care. It's an internal quality issue that should be handled with the prep and cook staff. Not me. He asked if I had my receipt and, in a tone that suggested he was doing me a favor, advised me that he would replace the slab. No apologies for the inconvenience or anything.   After my long workday, I went all the way downtown to get the slab replaced. In person, Ethan is just as rude. I asked if he was going to replace both slabs. He could clearly see the quality was trash. He said no and that he would only replace one. Then went on to offer me sides and a slice of cake. No, thank you. I can afford sides and cake just like I did those trash slabs of ribs. Those slabs of ribs cost $62.40 before taxes. With taxes probably being another 5 or 6 dollars. Your mistakes and poor quality should not cost me. He had a young lady bring the replacement slab back out to me. She didn't say thank you or anything. One thing I know is that a white man or woman patronizing your business would not have been treated this way. As a result, moving forward I will spend my Black woman dollars elsewhere on barbeque and smoked chicken wings. Also, I removed you all from my company's approved catering list where we spend a nice amount with you all yearly. Tell Ethan, thanks for helping me see the light and not spend money where I'm not respected and where my customer experience isn't valued.

    Photos
    Central BBQ - View of the quasi-outdoor covered seating area

    View of the quasi-outdoor covered seating area

    Central BBQ - I am nkw aware that lean beef means different things.

    I am nkw aware that lean beef means different things.

    Central BBQ - Front ordering counter

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    Front ordering counter

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

    4.5(3.7k reviews)
    11.6 miDowntown
    $$

    Loved everything about Gus's! I avoid meat mostly, but I was…read morenot about to miss trying famous fried chicken! The restaurant is tucked away on a small, empty street. There is plenty of parking in a lot across the street. We went inside and found it to be pretty busy, but we got a table for 4 quickly. The place was clean and homey-feeling and I loved the fact that they used disposable plates, utensils and napkins! It is probably way easier on the crew to clean up, and it adds to the relaxed atmosphere. I had the corn nuggets to start, yum! We finished them easily, they were so good. Then the entree of my chicken tenders, beans, and Mac and cheese came out, along with my sweet tea. The sweet tea was perfect, I drank a whole one during my meal and they gave me another to go in the souvenir Gus's cup. The food was just great, chicken was juicy and perfectly crunchy on the outside. Beans and Mac and cheese, delicious! I ate all of it even though I was stuffed. I even went so far as to order a piece of pecan pie for dessert, but unfortunately our server came back out to tell us they were out of it! Guess it wasn't meant to be (this time)! Our server was really friendly during our whole meal, chatted with us a little and made sure we had a great experience! Bottom line.... Go to Gus's!

    Gus's Fried Chicken was a solid 3 star experience overall. The chicken itself was crispy,…read moreflavorful, and definitely the highlight of the meal. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming, making it a comfortable spot to grab a bite. I wasn't really a fan of the mac and cheese, as it leaned way too heavily on the processed cheese flavor and ended up overly cheesy in a not-so-great way. The texture and taste reminded me more of melted processed cheese than a rich, homemade mac and cheese. However, the service was delightful and easily made up for some of the disappointment with the sides. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcomed throughout the visit. While not everything hit the mark for me, the great service and tasty fried chicken make Gus's worth trying if you're in the mood for comfort food.

    Photos
    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - View from our table

    View from our table

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Up close leg

    Up close leg

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Look for the chicken!

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    Look for the chicken!

    Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

    Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

    3.6(2.9k reviews)
    11.1 miDowntown
    $$

    The Fight Club of the BBQ ring, you'll navigate a short industrial looking alleyway between parking…read morelots enter under the orange marquee, down a flight of stairs into a dark, ornate with historic and kitsch memorabilia, bustling basement with several tables areas off the main bar drag, to meet your rack o rib match. Bring a sweater or ask for one of the side rooms where the icy chill won't kill those rib fighting knucks lol. We had to move into the far back Delta Map room and it was much comfier. Brisket Combo $27 comes atop bread, it was very soft in texture, oily, vs my preferred slab of smoked beef with grainy texture intact. The crispy burnt ends were delish tho accompanied by a rack with about 1/3? less ribs. Ribs $27.50 Lg order became more meaty as I made way to small end and leftovers tasted even better next day. Dry rub is excellent black pepper, onion garlic, baked beans tangy n bit sweet, while the BBQ sauce, Hot and Regular in squeeze bottles, along with a mustard yellow coleslaw in deep plastic solos, were more vinegar forward than I recall. It definitely gave me a pucker and took me to almost end of first sitting to acclimate to that level of tang. By the next day, you are almost craving it lol so it's a building up your sour puss or maybe that it tames and mellows out somewhat next day haha. Mesquite smoke permeates the air and the ribs and that's a good thing, yum! Traffic IPA 12oz draft, a local Crosstown Brewing West Coast paired well, crisp, hoppy, light head, citrus pine & mango notes, Award winning wow just $4.75?!! Mid Coast CA Parker Station is a $10-14 Pinot Noir. Good $10 pour, easy to sip, just ok 3/5 fruity vanilla spice and deep thick color akin to a merlot in taste and body. A bottled GF beer was tasty and v pleasing to our guest. Family reunion dinner for hubby, his brother, niece, & great nephews. Everyone left full and fulfilled in their nostalgia filled bites down Rendezvous lane. Robert Jr gave us excellent service, patient as our guests arrived very late and happy to take pictures, a welcome about face from a previous salty, no nonsense server ;D

    I'm a sucker for any restaurant regarded as a city institution. It's obviously a very popular spot…read morefor tourists, so it should be approached and assessed with that in mind. A very old school entrance down an alley, then down the stairs. Walls and ceiling filled with all manner of bric a brac. Service was a bit slow and perfunctory. There's not much reason to entice people to return since so many are visitors. We ordered the small ribs and a brisket plate. Both were heavily seasoned. The ribs were a little dry but made better with the table BBQ sauce which was nothing memorable. We did enjoy the small tarts, both the buttermilk chess and pecan were delicious.

    Photos
    Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
    Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
    Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous - The Sign.

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    The Sign.

    New Wing Order

    New Wing Order

    4.5(20 reviews)
    11.1 miDowntown

    Coworker had heard of it and we were all impressed when we saw all the awards this place has…read moreearned. Also, the variety and types of flavors looked awesome so I was excited to try it out. When it came to which flavors to pick, I knew I had to try their award-winning flavor, Memphis Buffalo. I'm not a big wing person, so it was just ok to me. It was good, but didn't wow me. Also, I always get boneless, so I'm not sure if the flavor is different on regular wings- so take my review with a large grain of salt if you're a big wing person. The fries were really good but the flavored versions weren't that impressive so I'd rather just stick to the regular fries. The Pineapple Habanero was really good though. I really liked the flavor and the kick. It's one of the spicier things on the menu so I feel like I could handle the spiciest. I'd come back and try more flavors! Loved: - Dipping Sauce: Ranch - Side: Fries Classic - Side: Roll Liked: - Wings (Boneless): Pineapple Habanero Ok: - Dipping Sauce: Blue Cheese - Side: Fries Premium Parmesan - Wings (Boneless): Memphis Buffalo

    Heard a million good things about this place so I had to try them out. They do a good job letting…read moreeveryone know where they will be and when. I like the face that they travel around Memphis so everyone can try the food. I ordered a couple of Buffalo Chicken Tacos, an avocado taco, and 18 wings with the flavors of honey gold, bourbon, and memphis buffalo. The tacos were great. I want to order some more. The wings are smoked with the sauce added later. The wings taste good but they are pretty expensive for what they are. People should try the wings but I prefer deep fried wings that hold the sauce better.

    Photos
    New Wing Order - Memphis Buffalo

    Memphis Buffalo

    New Wing Order - Menu. 4.20.19

    Menu. 4.20.19

    New Wing Order - Nachos!

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    Nachos!

    Brad's Bar-B-Q - bbq - Updated May 2026

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