Great Barbecue meats had by our group of seven adults. The sides were excellent and dessert was chocolate 5-layer cake and homemade banana pudding! read more

Traveling through Memphis on our cross country road trip, we decided to try the BBQ in Memphis. Our choice was Central BBQ, and of the three locations the one on Summer Avenue was closest to our motel. I guess you'd have to say this is the "real Memphis" or at least the real Memphis BBQ, along with Corky's and a couple of others. We shared a full slab of ribs, half wet and half dry, with four sides (pork 'n beans, greens, green beans and fresh mad potato chips.) We also got the slaw, because of a mix up in orders. Central BBQ on Summer has the requisite atmosphere with lots of photos and paintings of pigs, Elvis and various Memphis blues musicians. The walls feature tin roofing. You order at the counter when you come in and then your food is brought to you at whatever table you choose. On a Monday night, the restaurants wasn't real busy, but I would guess it fills up later in the week. Now, to the food: Our full slap of pork ribs ($25 with the sides) was more than the two of us could finish. I don't consider these ribs world class, but they're plenty good. Greasy, sticky (you get a roll of brown paper towels at each table) and probably not the best thing for you, but fall off the bone tender. The beer (a 16 ounce PBR and a Neon Brown each were only $2) was cold. So you might hate yourself in the morning. I wouldn't drive to Memphis just for this BBQ, but if you're here, you could do a lot worse than Central BBQ. With the full slab, what turned out to be five sides and two beers, our meal came to $31 before tip. You can't beat that with a stick. read more

This place is great! Known for their ribs, but we had the pulled pork plate and pulled pork sandwich. Do yourself a favor and stop here! Great service, food and atmosphere! PS- try the coleslaw on top of the pork!!! To die for! read more

Took an entire 14U baseball team there. Plenty of space. Very quick and friendly service. The food was delicious. The place was clean. Exactly what you dream about when you think about Memphis BBQ. read more

I was excited to eat here after all the reviews. I was disappointed to say the least. A BBQ restaurant needs to smoke their pork, not cook it in the oven. I had the pork sandwich, it was plenty of meat, but it was dry and tasteless. The sauce was good but the meat is what should be top notch. There are plenty of other good bbq restaurants that smoke their proteins, head there instead of Central BBQ read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Many rave about the ribs here, but to me they don't compare to Rendezvous or Corky's. I've sampled both the wet & dry several times over the past 3 years. Today I ordered a full slab, & again I was underwhelmed. Charred & dry. My friend ordered the pulled chicken sandwich & slathered hot sauce on it. I liked it too. She mentioned that sometimes the chicken is dry. A Memphis in May winning BBQ team opened this restaurant several years ago, in the popular old Red Lobster location. There is little if any competition by large full-service restaurants in this dense neighborhood, so it fills a niche & does well. read more

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Our party of 7 had a good experience here. Staff was very friendly, responsive and helpful. Food was tasty, right sized portions, and flavorful. Cost was reasonable and ranged from reasonable to pricey. I am not a BBQ expert but this was just about as good as I have had and I would go back again. read more

Love this place! Always go every time I am in Memphis! I got the 1/2 chicken plate and two sides and the two sides were onion rings and mac & cheese. I also got a 1/2 order of the bbq brisket nachos. Everything was as great as always, hot and fresh. The portions are always healthy and the staff always nice. It was a very busy night and the food was coming out very quickly. I was quite impressed with that. They couldn't keep the sweet tea coming fast enough for everyone! Always a sign of a good night. I can't recommend this place enough and will be going back as soon as I can get back to Memphis! read more

Very friendly service, food came out fast and was delicious. I looked up top bbq spots and narrowed it down to this one and I could tell I made a good decision from the moment I walked in. My favorite was the ribs, I got them dry and the meat just fell off, super flavorful! read more

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Though I much prefer the atmosphere at the Central BBQ on Central, this Summer location will do in a pinch. There's not usually lines wrapped around the building like you'll find in the much more popular Midtown location, which means I get to wrap my mouth around that pulled pork sandwich or my pulled pork nachos faster! I'm not a rib girl and have never ordered them from Central. I have only had the pulled pork sandwich and the pulled pork nachos- both of which tickle my fancy and fill my BBQ void and then some. I will say that the pulled pork here is not my absolute favorite, it is missing those crunchy bits I love so much and can tend to run a little on the dry side. In fact, when you order the pulled pork here make sure to get a cup (or 10) of extra sauce next to the drink machines to adorn this masterpiece, as this is one of the very few BBQ spots here in Memphis where you will not find a bottle of sauce on the table for your enjoyment. One of my favorite sides here is the mac and cheese. It is to die for- rich, creamy, crunchy bits on top. Ugh! I'm drooling just thinking about it. You'll have to finish your meal off with a slice of the caramel cake. It's about 6--8 layers of cake and in between each layer is a decadent caramel flavored frosting. It's huge, cheap, always quite tasty and a great end to a meal full of BBQ'd meat. read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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The baked beans were the best item on my plate. The BBQ is mediocre at best and the medium sauce is nothing special. The potato salad is not any better than what I've bought at the grocery store in a tub. I'm sorely disappointed because the place is highly advertised as superior and representative of Memphis style BBQ. There are far better examples in town that put out a better product and have a friendly atmosphere. Just as a side note our experience wasn't friendly; actually pretty close to rude. read more

Look, get the wet ribs. Don't do nothing stupid. Just get the ribs. You didn't go for the sides, or a sandwich, and lord knows you didn't go for a salad. So order the ribs, wet, and go home happy. read more

I'm not a big fan of BBQ, and this place doesn't do much else. My friends who like BBQ tell me it's good here. Apparently their pork rinds are very good. The entire inside of the place just feels greasy honestly. Maybe that's a good thing for a BBQ joint, this is not fine dining. But in true Memphis BBQ joint fashion, each table had a big roll of paper towels on it to help you get clean. The prices seem a tad high to me, about $12 I think for the lunch special, which is a pork plate, 2 sides and a drink. Maybe I'm cheap. read more

Central BBQ - Big Tigers fans. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This was my first stop to eat in when visiting Memphis. I got the recommendation from a visitor stop & pinterest so I decided to give it a try. I was a little sad that they didn't have a baked potatoes bc that's my fav thing to eat at bbq places lol. But I gave their ribs a try & I liked the option of having half dry half wet. I sided it with Mac n cheese which was great and their home fries were awesome! This place was good but I'm from Texas & nothing has beat my my favorite bbq spot in Houston just yet. read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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let's just start with my search. I scanned through multiple reviews on various places to come across the best wings for the BIG GAME. I came down to Alex's Tavern and Central BBQ. I will review Alex's later. I placed my order for pick up. The girl who took my order seemed a little new to the whole restaurant thing, but she was more than nice. I went all in. Sausage Plate, Chips with Bleu Cheese, 2 orders of Wings (all 3 flavours), and a Balogna Sandwich. I also ordered a slice of Coconut Cake, but sadly, this was left out of my bag. I will give them a shot to redeem themselves and bump it up to *****. The food was perfect. The smoked then fried approach to hot wings was great. They held that smoke taste while not being too dry. The sauce was well spiced and carried but didn't overpower the meat. Good Job Central. The price point was what I figured to pay for that meal. I also like the attitude of the cashier when I came in. He was very friendly. Good job. Next time I hope I can actually try the dessert. read more

Ribs were good but the pulled chicken lacked the smoke flavor, little dry and how it was pulled from the chicken did not look as appetizing. Beans and their hot sauce made up for everything that was not good about the place. read more

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You can't go wrong with Central BBQ when in Memphis. It's my go-to place whenever I'm home. I'm not huge on pork, so I always go for the chicken nachos. Get the half order for yourself, as the full order could easily feed 2-3. Their mild sauce is undeniably delicious, but the chicken (and I'm assuming Central's other meats) stand on their own just fine. read more

Central BBQ - Half order of BBQ chicken nachos...the best! - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

During visit: This place has some real good barbecue! We went here because of the high ratings, and the brisket was super good. The beans were not very good but the mac and cheese and coleslaw were great! Low price for a good meal to go. Approximately five hours after: I regret eating there. I have a severe case of food poisoning. I would not recommend it. read more

Pick up a to go order. Get home first thing I do is slap me a bbq sandwich together. Start opening my side dishes. Mac and cheese/cold slaw/bbq beans or so I thought. It was just a large order of the bbq sauce. Checked my ticket verifying that I was charged for a large order of bbq beans. Called the restaurant up and spoke with the manager about it and was informed that I would have to bring the whole order back up there in order to either receive a refund or get my bbq beans that was there policy. How ridiculous. Felt like throwing my made sandwich and all the other stuff back in the sack and taking it back for a total refund. Placed numerous orders with this establishment over the years but never again. That took the cake. They're plenty of bbq restaurants in Memphis. I'll take my business elsewhere. read more

I have been in Memphis for 20 years and 50 pounds. I firmly believe that Memphis is the best BBQ in the world, and I respect other regional BBQ tastes (except that tasteless junk they serve in the Carolinas). My view on Central is simple. It is the best BBQ in Memphis. The best sauce. The best meat. It is home to the best dry rub chicken wing that you would ever consider. You have to stop - see it - try it - you will be devoted. 2 locations, both are good. The original location (on Central) has famously protected the smoker with razor wire. Its a bad neighborhood. Forget your car, protect the meat. read more

It's been a while since I've been and unfortunately the standard has gone down. I don't like writing poor reviews but I spent a good bit of money to 'treat' myself. Maybe because of the pandemic they are selling old food. I got the wet full slab of ribs that tasted old and stringy/tough. The Mac and cheese had that artificial cheese sauce and onion rings were burnt. I got the meal to go but if I were dining in, would have sent back the ribs. I don't know if all the locations are this way...Summer Ave has that magic of being either the best or the worst meal with no in between. read more

Kind of disappointing. But decent. Not an awesome area or ambiance. We got the large BBQ Pork Nachos to split between 4 people, and while they were good, and the pork had good flavor, the chips were stale, and there was not enough cheese on them (big problem for a cheese lovin' fool like me). My husband and his father got the Pork Sandwich and really enjoyed it. My husband asked for the hot BBQ sauce, and they did not give it to him, but oh well. Service wasn't stellar, but we didn't expect too much. My mother-in-law and I had the Pulled Chicken Salad. It was actually very good, and there was SO much chicken on the salad. There are only heavy dressings, so it's not totally light, but it's probably better for you than what's on the rest of the menu. What was most interesting about this place to me was...it isn't a sit down BBQ joint. You order at the front and they bring it to you. There is a patio, which was nice since we brought our pug. read more

Central BBQ - Pork Nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The ribs were really good, but the smoked dry rub wings stole the show. The dry rub was a buffalo dry rub. They might be one of my favorite wings ever. The ribs were good, really like all the sauces they give you with it. read more

Great food, very hospitable, very cleanly, and large portion sizes! I got the chicken nachos and they were delicious!

Worst experience ever. Ignored at the door with no signs or indication whether to seat yourself or wait. It's a real unorganized cluster mess. Was acknowledged by someone who I assume was a hostess as she sat a party ahead of us, asked how many we had and sat us... unfortunately, next to a bunch of patrons loudly having their own personal ukulele jam session with no regard to others... I confirmed with the woman who sat us we would be served by a waitress.... who then ignored us (who took the tables next to us order) for another 15 minutes. Had to leave hungry and find something else. We drove 9 hours and stopped here on a recommendation by someone who clearly doesn't like us because I would never recommend this place to even my worse enemy. A long time fantasizing over "the best Mac and cheese i would ever have" only to end up with the lousiest Burger King I've ever had to choke down. Thanks for nothing, Memphis. read more

Wow this was our first Memphis BBQ! Yum! Good flavor! The pulled pork BBQ nachos are AMAZING! Ribs just fell off the bone! And the beef brisket was nice and lean! And the server was super friendly! Great experience! read more

Central BBQ - BBQ pulled pork nachos are a MUST! - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I was excited to eat at Central BBQ. I had heard and read some good reviews of the place. Our first impression was not too good. The young lady that took our order did not seem too thrilled to have us there. She was not overly friendly nor too helpful to us as first time customers. The young man that delivered our meal was much friendlier and helpful. The food was all good but underwhelming. I read an earlier review that said the meats were not smoked. I don't know whether they are or not, but after eating the brisket and pulled pork, I agree that they do not taste smoky. If not for the sauce and other accompaniments, the meat would be rather bland. I also do not understand all the hype over the nachos. They were good, but certainly not life-altering. The baked beans were the highlight of the meal. Having eaten at Rendezvous and Blues City Cafe on past trips to Memphis, I think Central is my third favorite. read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I ordered a full slab of ribs for takeout and was given a half slab. I didn't notice until I got home and by that time the restaurant was closed. The ribs were made half-and-half like I ordered, so this wasn't a case of someone forgetting to put the other half in my order. I received 7 ribs, and the smallest rib was about 3 inches. The onion rings are clearly not house-made, and I can buy better at a grocery store. The rings also looked and tasted like they had been soaking in oil for a long time. read more

AMAZING. All the locals said "get the nachos" and they were correct- we did turkey with "house chips." Amazing. Wings both wet and dry rub were awesome, as was the BBQ sandwich and the "fixins." Green beans were delicious!!!! Wish I lived here, I'd be back often. And really fat. :) read more

Great little find. Food was good. Ribs.pulled pork, Mac n cheese, potato salad was good. We did not care to much for the baked beans, chips or the slaw. The reason we went was for BBQ and they did not disappoint. read more

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While driving across country we stopped in for some delicious bbq. I ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich and the 3 piece of ribs. The sandwich was eh, I make pulled pork in a slow cooker that tastes similar, but the ribs....oh the ribs. They were heavenly. I wished I had ordered a slab of just ribs. The cole slaw was great too. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/emNsRWLRL060GZc-z3_mrA?select=86KJVCpGZrHO2WKyiqFwDw#86KJVCpGZrHO2WKyiqFwDw Hubby ordered the pulled pork plate [again bleh on the pork] but his sides of beans and the mac n cheese were PHENOMENAL. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/emNsRWLRL060GZc-z3_mrA?select=86KJVCpGZrHO2WKyiqFwDw#RRMdE6hmY12yzYZLVk7LrA If and when we are back in Memphis, it will be a full slab, cole slaw, baked beans and mac n cheese to share. Would've been five stars if the pulled pork wasn't such a letdown. read more

Central BBQ - Pulled Pork Sandwich and three ribs with Cole Slaw - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Fly problem @ 3 pm Other then the bugs it's an old time BBQ shack with outdoor and inside seating Jerk Wings great and spicy Big fat wings Slab of ribs good and wet Pulled porky nachos the hit of the menu Two college kids, wife and me $66 with beers Local IPA very good Historic area of Memphis Cooper Young neighborhood read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Great value! Great portion sizes. Really good Mac n' cheese. BBQ nachos were amazing. Kids enjoyed pulled chicken sandwich. Sweet tea was yummy! read more

Central BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Central BBQ is my favorite BBQ restaurant in Memphis, possibly the country. They have 3 locations around town, so I stopped in this outpost for some dinner and supplies to bring home. As always, the slow cooked BBQ was delicious. I got a brisket and pulled pork combo this time. The meat is always tender and juicy. The Applewood gives it a great taste and each of the sauces has its own tang. On prior visits I have enjoyed the wings, sausage and pulled pork nachos. I loved everything! Well, the pork rinds weren't that great, but were OK if you covered them in BBQ sauce. The place is decorated with a bunch of funky stuff and it is super casual. If you are into barbeque then Central is the place for you! read more

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Our family enjoyed our dinner here last night. This is a very good barbecue restaurant but not the best we've ever had (see my St. Louis review for the best bbq we've ever had). The ribs here are very tender and very flavorful. We appreciated the fact that we were asked whether we wanted the ribs "wet" or "dry". The beef brisket wasn't quite as good...it was sliced too thin and didn't match up to brisket we've had elsewhere. Our daughter enjoyed her brisket nachos however. read more

Whoa boy!! Their ribs are scrumptious!! Fall off the bone and so tender and meaty. I had the wet ribs with turnip greens and Mac n cheese. The Mac n cheese was moist and cheesy and very good. The turnip greens exceeded expectations and were very tasty. I enjoyed using the pepper sauce on them. For the ribs, they were cooked to perfection. I only wish they told me they had sauces in the front of the restaurant, though I should've noticed the little station myself. The service by Myrtle was excellent. She was kind, patient and very courteous. Overall, terrific BBQ. And their banana pudding is outstanding!!! read more

Super disappointed. First, sat on hold for 20+ mins to order. No one picked up so we had to order online. Ordered for pickup and was depending on curbside due to the need to isolate (covid + immunocompromised). Pulled into a curbside spot and called the number; put on hold again. Tried on three phones for 10+ mins before getting through and was told they couldn't come out because they're too busy. We literally had to cancel our order and leave because we were unable to come inside, and they were not willing to come out to bring the food despite having designated curbside spots. Really disappointed in our experience across the board. read more

Coming from Texas this bbq wasn't what I thought it would be! TX Bbq is still king! Rudy's Bbq from TX is better than this place and that ain't saying much. read more

Stopped here for lunch about six weeks ago. The barbecue ribs were excellent we got the dry rub style. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.As we were traveling with our dog we ate outside. It was a very warm day but we were so interested in trying these ribs. The sad part of the experience was the silverware was dirty. Some silverware even had pieces of paper towel on them. And this is where the silverware was stacked in the containers where the customer would take them to then eat their food. That made me feel a little squeamish. read more

This was the worst experience I have had at this place yet. I went before and it was great, but I don't know what happened this time. I ordered a pork sandwich and my meat was as cold as the slaw on my sandwich. It wasn't hot at all. My boyfriend got a brisket sandwich and he hated it. It was all mushy and didn't have any type of flavor. But don't get me started with the Mac n cheese. Ewwwww, probably the last time going there. We spent $28 for nasty ass food. read more