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    Bain Barbecue

    4.3 (219 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    BAIN BARBECUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Bain Barbecue

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    I'm not hungry special
    John H.

    Never disappoints, great food better service, really cool and super clean spot! Beef tallow fries are incredible!!!

    Turkey and Brisket to go
    Sonya C.

    I was on the hunt for some Brisket and I saw that this place had some pretty good reviews so I headed out. Unfortunately the day I went the area had a power outage so I had to go back the next day. The restaurant is cute and casual, I was very warmly greeted and informed about their offerings and what they were sold out of. I decided to get the 2 meat plate so I could try it before a purchased a larger portion for my family. I chose the Brisket and Turkey with Potato Salad and Mac and Cheese on the side. The Brisket was good almost dry but to be fair I did ask for a leaner cut. We all know more fat equals more juicy flavor. The Mac and Cheese was cooked perfectly but I prefer a little more flavor. It tasted like noodles and bechamel sauce it needed a punch of something. Same with the potato salad a little bland. Not bad, I'm sure some folks like it that way. They added pickled onions and it went perfectly with the brisket, I really enjoyed that together. Now, the Shining Star was the Turkey! It was so moist and flavorful, I will definitely be going back for that and the brisket. I did order some brisket and turkey to go and my family really enjoyed it. The brisket was more tender in the to go order.

    Turkey Breast
    Ayanna M.

    I was this many years old when I learned that such a lowkey, EXCELLENT bbq spot existed in Cooper Young. Let's start with the food. My friends got the brisket plate and I got the turkey sandwich. It's a little pricey but worth it! Every bite is flavorful perfection! And my friend also bought banana pudding! IT WAS SO GOOD! I just had a spoonful but I savored it. You order your food and receive it before you sit down, so service is great in that regard. No wait. The restaurant is a house, which (of course) I love. It's Copper Young. What's not to love? I noticed that they had sports on the TV, so the ambiance is laid back and pretty tapped into what the customers like. I will be back!

    Kandis B.

    Amazing again and again! Good, service and vibes are incredible. I love the new options of the smash burger and fried foods. I just love everything about Bain's! Change nothing!

    Not much to really talk about
    Heath G.

    Pulled pork plate with Mac-N-Cheese and Jal slaw and 2 meat plate (1 small slice brisket, very little sausage, jal slaw, Mac-n-Cheese and one stuffed Jalapeño. $87 and change with tip! The bread out of the bag covered most of the tray! Also only one tough piece of brisket. Way too expensive!!! People behind the counter were nice and mustard sauce mixed with hot bbq sauce was good! Nice old house in midtown converted into a bbq joint. Much better in Memphis area.

    Front of house
    David L.

    A good experience at this up and coming Memphis spot. We got there at 5:50pm on a Friday, and we got the last of their brisket for the day. A good sign to be sure! We ordered a pulled pork sandwich with a side of chips (beef fat fried ftw) and a one meat plate (brisket) with rib tip beans and Mac and cheese as the sides. We sat outside on a nice open balcony and enjoyed a selection of 3 bbq sauces with our meal. The mustard sauce was by far the favorite, with the hot sauce lacking in body and the sweet sauce being a bit too sweet. The chips were amazing, the beans could have used more salt and tang, and the Mac was likewise just a touch under flavored. The brisket was fantastic... the perfect mix of lean and fatty. The pulled pork also had a good balance of flavors and textures. All accounted for, a great meal with decent service at a decent price.

    Brisket, potato salad, beans, burnt ends
    Ellie F.

    If you want Texas style bbq, the food here is great! I like the setup - when you order at the counter, they quickly portion out each meat and side dish. I also like the patio and decor. My one complaint is that it is definitely pricey. I understand that they have high quality meat, but we paid $65 for this tray and it was barely enough for 2 of us. Once in a while this place is a nice treat, but for the most part, I prefer Memphis bbq!

    Eda X.

    Bain Barbecue is my favorite BBQ restaurant in Memphis. This self service restaurant offers a generous portions of high quality cuts of meat from well seasoned Wagyu beef burn ends over the weekends, beef brisket, Memphis styled dry rub ribs to sausages. I especially enjoyed the half pound of Wagyu beef. The sweet sauce balanced the gooey caramelization of the fatty rich ends. The thick cuts of brisket were the most equally cut, tender and beefy flavor. The Texas Twinkle is a must try side--a cream cheese stuffed jalapeño wrapped with bacon. Pure bliss. You must give Bain a try!

    Pulled pork sandwich Ribs potato salad
    Geri K.

    I definitely have had some favorites barbecue but this hands-down is the best barbecue in Memphis. I highly recommend wonderful staff very clean well priced.

    2 meat and 2 sides combo...
    Reginald B.

    Love the resturant's look and feel. Had it not rained, I might've sat outside. I ordered the 2 meats and 2 sides and was served in under 3 minutes. So, while the chips and baked beans were great, the meat, while tender, had very little smoke flavor and little to no seasoning (sans pepper). I'll come back and try the burger but the bbq wasnt good to me.

    Spare Ribs
    Jeremy J.

    So far the best BBQ I have had in Memphis. Service was great. We got there right at 11 and beat the rush. Pretty cool atmosphere being in an old house. Everything I had was excellent and I couldn't decide which sauce I liked best. They were all good.

    Kristin B.

    Checked out Bain BBQ for the first time today after hearing all the hype. We got the 2 meat plate with spare ribs and honey garlic sausage. The sides we got were Mac and cheese, greens w/pork and chips. The ribs...FYE. Cleaned the bone on those. The honey garlic sausage was alright. I expected more flavor. Mac and cheese and greens were good, but nothing too crazy. The chips had a good flavor and crunch. I'll give em a 7/10 overall. Prices are a little high but I'd come back to try to Texas twinkies and brisket. They were out of the Texas twinkies during our visit

    Inside
    Julie G.

    Food was exceptional.. very tender brisket with an awesome flavor .. I'm a Texas girl so it's all beef for me ... the service was amazing.. very awesome ... the little restaurant has made its home inside a home .... Very nice

    Pulled Pork, BBQ Beans and Tx Twinkie

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    2 months ago

    Very friendly and nice atmosphere. Food was ok wings were a little dry. We did come at the end of the day was much left.

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    Central BBQ - BBQ pork sandwich with slaw

    Central BBQ

    3.9(2.7k reviews)
    3.9 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.

    First timers here and the service was friendly and attentive. The area was quiet enough that we…read morecould hold a conversation with lots of seating. A nice layout for sure. We had the ribs and pulled pork. The ribs were good and tender and the pulled pork was good but a bit on the dry side. I just used more bbq sauce. All in all it was a very nice place for lunch after visiting the National Civil Rights Museum just across the way.

    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 - Absolutely delicious banana pudding.

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    Absolutely delicious banana pudding.

    Blues City Cafe - Ribs

    Blues City Cafe

    4.0(2k reviews)
    3.8 miDowntown
    $$

    Muy buen servicio! 100% Recomendable! La comida muy rica y…read moreel ambiente es muy bueno!

    We had a nice little meal here at this casual spot right along the western edge of Beale Street…read more Since we visited on a weekend evening, they had the whole road blocked off, so you had to enter from the north or west side to avoid entering the walkable area which requires you to pay a $5 entry. This entire restaurant is built on a slight slope, and they did not level the foundation when building out the restaurant, so if you're sitting at your table and the table is aligned north to south, you will see a slight lean to the flooring. Also, if you have any juices on your plate of food, the juices will flow toward Beale Street. I wanted to try their tamales but will have to do it on a subsequent visit. This visit we ordered the bowl of gumbo and the Memphis strip steak which is pre-cut for you. The gumbo is slightly salty but good. The strip steak was really good, filling and cooked to order. I chose new potatoes as my one side. Service here can be a little difficult depending how busy they are and how wild your fellow patrons in the restaurant can be. It took a long time to pay the bill here due to a large party coming in right when we were wanting to pay and our server was attending to them for about 15 mins while we were trying to flag him down. Other than that, we had no other problems. I would happily return the next time I'm in the downtown area and looking for food near Beale Street.

    Photos
    Blues City Cafe - Downstairs

    Downstairs

    Blues City Cafe - Yummmmm

    Yummmmm

    Blues City Cafe - Memphis strip steak

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    Memphis strip steak

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

    Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

    4.5(3.7k reviews)
    4.0 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!

    The place was a small building in downtown Memphis. Parking was limited in front of restaurant but…read morefree. The service was good. We were seated quickly and served quickly. The waiter was nice and attentive. He made sure we had what we needed and wanted. Seven is his name. The food was not world famous. The chicken was spicy and bland. No seasoning. The Mac and cheese tasted like boxed Mac and cheese with shredded cheese on top. The greens tasted like can greens not fresh. The best thing was the souvenir cup. I will not return. I gave it 2 stars because it was free parking in front of restaurant and the good service from seven.

    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)
    3.8 miDowntown
    $$

    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.

    Charlie Vergo's Rendevous has a speakeasy feel to it with the main entrance in an alleyway just off…read more2nd street and BB King Drive. It's been around for over 75 years (since 1948) and has great staying power. Inside is like a museum of signs, print articles, and lots of eclectic decor but it all seems to fit just right. The Rendevous shows up as a must-try place when in Memphis so, of course, we had to try it. My wife and I really enjoyed ourselves here and for what it might lack in some areas, the character and staff more than make up for it. We had a seat at a crossroads area where two in-restaurant walkways merged and there was no shortage of ongoing activity throughout our visit. We shared the perfect sized Pork Ribs and Brisket Combo with sides of beans and coleslaw. The meats are all charcoal grilled and tasted very good. They put a LOT of dry seasoning on the ribs. I liked the baked beans and mustard vinegar slaw as well. They were a nice compliment to our meats. The ribs were a bit dry but good with the added tangy BBQ sauce that is on every table. I even bought a bottle to take home. Our server was Mark F and was very seasoned and professional. He did a great job. I love these types of old school places with an "if these walls could talk" vibes. Also love their website name: HogsFly.com. Hilarious! Everyone needs to try this place at least once.

    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)
    3.6 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!

    Bain Barbecue - bbq - Updated May 2026

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