The best food by the beat people. It's always a favorite of mine. It's a unique experience & a real group pleaser.

The food was excellent! The service was fast. The staff was friendly. The faculty was clean and ample. I'm from Texas and I thoroughly enjoyed the bbq. Had ribs, brisket and sides. Delicious! read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Brisket, ribs, potato salad, beans and Coleslaw - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I realize it was the end of the day and a holiday however the bbq pork sandwich was way more fatty than I'll eat. The bread was messy and looked like slop. Picked through it and had to throw it out. Won't be back anytime soon. Service was pickup so no complaint there. read more

I have ZERO idea why someone would give this place 3 stars. Like most BBQ experiences, reviews are going to reflect preferences over actuality. "One man's junk is another man's treasure." For me Capital BBQ is now a staple in my future Memphis visits. Having several branches, this Poplar location is my favorite with plenty of seating and serve yourself beverage station. You order first from a counter so service is not really factor but the bussers driving by to clear plates and napkins (you use A LOT) regularly is appreciated! The bbq here is as outstanding as advertised! Moist and tender with great smoke taste, the pulled pork platter I ordered was worth every penny, generous in portion (beans, fries, were my two sides) and reasonably priced. The table shared pork nachos which my wife claimed to be her favorite appetizer ever. The REAL winner for me was the wings that came out smoky, with drumstick and wing together. These were some of the best wings I've ever had! A delicious blend of sauces made the meal a win all the way around! At the End of the Day the south will always tout their bbq as the best. If they know what they're doing most places just add to the experience and the bbq is just great. Capital BBQ give you a great experience along with the great BBQ. read more

While waiting for my food to arrive, I couldn't help but overhear that the table next to me was on a first hinge date so I was already excited for dinner AND a show. The more I thought about it, the more I got to thinking: "ribs on a first date? That's a bold choice...". After my first bite I realized it would be a bold choice not to! The good news? The brisket passed the flop test. The bad news? I myself did not ;) Yep, no doubt about it, we've got some Mötley Qüe™ on our hands! On a scale from 1 to Nikki, I give it a Sixx!! read more

Always so helpful and I have special requests for my planes! They take care of everything and package so carefully to prevent spills! PC Aircater read more

My husband and I were excited to try some Memphis BBQ and boy were we disappointed. My husband got the 3 meat plate with sausage, brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw & banana pudding. The brisket was very dry, the pulled pork had no flavor and we both didn't love the sausage. He normally loves coleslaw and banana pudding and he didn't finish either! I ordered a brisket sandwich and was told I could have coleslaw or no side with it. The sandwich was very dry and came on a cold hamburger bun! I can't recommend the food here. read more

Ribs were tender. Definitely needs sauce to make it all Come together. The peanut butter pie was killer. Love that chocolate crust.

Good food, the ribs were huge and had lots of meat. I would have liked a sweet habanero sauce their sauce was just a little too tomatoey. The potato salad, baked beans, green beans and banana pudding was excellent. Service was good and loved the decor. We will be back! read more

Absolutely delicious, clean and fast! Such a nice atmosphere and friendly staff! We will def be coming back read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Regular Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of baked beans and the slaw on the side instead of on the sandwich. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Food was amazing best barbecue in Memphis. The staff were very efficient and friendly. If you come to Memphis it is a must eat!

We were here visiting Memphis for the first time and thought, "We gotta have bbq!" This place did not disappoint. Food was tasty and plentiful, such a good value for the price. It's half self serve half served, you order from the front counter then sit and the food comes to you. We ordered beers but had to pick them up ourselves. Now for the food: I got the half rack, half wet, half dry. Dry is not very flavorful but the wet side was perfect. Sticky, barbecue-y, and tender with that nice crust. Everyone here was super courteous, very family friendly! read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Half rack of ribs, half wet/half dry - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Been a fan of the " Poplar Crew" for a while. I've only had 1 order with an error and I think it was my mistake not my Central Pop Crew. I love me some you because my service is always A1 whether in person or pickup. Thanks for sharing the love, by loving what you do....it shows!!! read more

After searching for barbecue I stumbled upon this place since Paynes was closed. And I'm not a happy camper. The young lady at the counter needs to smile. Straight faced the entire time ordering. I went with the 3 meat combo with ribs and beef brisket and pulled pork. I had Mac n cheese, greens and baked beans as my sides. Let's start with the ribs! Slightly disappointing lacking in flavor, yet somewhat tender. The beef brisket was dry and didn't really remind me of brisket honestly. Not much smokeyness to the meat if that makes since. The pulled pork was dry and after asking it to be chopped up it was not. So I had huge dry chunks of meat. As for the sides. I know a can of glory greens when I taste them and that's what they are serving which is ridiculous. Mac n cheese is below average at best and they top it with paprika for color. The baked beans were beans with a bit of spice. I spent 45$ and I'm upset about it. I'll never be back.. read more

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The pulled pork was drier than the Sahara desert. Number one in the city for BBQ my behind! The fries were better than the BBQ. I will never go back and do not recommend! read more

I ordered the chef salad with chicken to go. When I got home, I found that the chicken was in huge pieces, full of gristle, and pieces of fat. The salad contained whole baby carrots rather than shredded. I ended up throwing most of salad away because it was just not good. read more

We stopped in Memphis on a cross country road trip and we were excited to try some good Memphis bbq! Unfortunately we were passing through on a Sunday night and most of the classic bbq joints were closed until Tuesday. So we decided to try Central bbq since it was open and made an online list of best Memphis bbq. The pros: 1. It was open 2. I liked that you could do a half dry/half wet rack of ribs to compare the styles 3. It was affordable compared to some other places I've been to 4. Solid pulled pork and ribs (I especially liked the wet ribs). Cons: 1. they were out of almost all of their drinks and bbq sauces 2. The Cole slaw was too sweet 3. The greens were a bit too salty. I enjoyed the first few bites but then I couldn't finish them 4. No corn bread :( the roll was sad looking Overall, decent bbq but I think there are probably better options in Memphis. read more

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Great BBQ the cashier was very helpful and helped me get my order the way I wanted it.

Ribs - unreal. Fall off the bone, delicious sauce and perfectly cooked. Sausage - fantastic, nice spice, well done. Brisket - hard pass. Dry, overcooked, unfortunate. Chicken - no go. Nothing special, dry, simple Easy ordering system at the entrance, regular refill stations for drinks. Fast casual feel, good for business meetings. read more

The food was cold or barely warm. The Mac and cheese was cold and directly from the Kraft box- no baked goodness here. The pulled pork portions were generous- but cold and came out slathered in traditional BBQ sauce. The French fries were battered and cold. The okra was tasty but room temperature. read more

The decor was cute and rustic. The cashier was friendly and did not rush me to place an order. I didn't smell smoked bbq from the kitchen as expected. The kitchen workers were loud. My lemonade was bitter and too concentrated. I wasn't able to drink the lemonade, even after diluting. The pulled pork sandwich tasted bland. I was t able to grasp the flavor or actual seasonings, despite the pork being saturated in bbq sauce. Once I returned to my car to eat the sandwich, the sandwich fell apart. It was too saturated with coleslaw and sauce. There was more coleslaw than pork on the bun. I was disappointed because I do not like soggy, stale, or saturated bread. Also, the potato salad was bland...Another disappointment in Memphis!...No return for me. read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I was so ready to have some good BBQ, but after trying this place (and One and Only and Rendezvous), it's fair to say that y'alls idea of BBQ is very different from what Texans consider BBQ. The ribs were tasty, but disappointing. If you need a knife to separate the ribs, they just aren't up to par.Fall-off-the-bone these were NOT. And strangely enough, the place has no metal knives, only plastic ones that weren't up to the task of cutting open the ribs. The brisket was a tad better, but not moist enough. It was a cool place and I sat at the bar, but 10 of their 12 taps were out of commission. Overall their "bbq" falls short of what I have eaten for decades. Tasty if you don't know any better, but disappointing if you do. read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Damm good brisket sandwich ...lots of tender. brisket. Lg sandwich is way tomuch for one person

Good place to stop. Came in from AZ with some expectations. Stopped at two places for lunch this day to compare. Enjoyed the dry ribs, great rub. The BBQ sauce was okay. The Spicy BBQ was mostly apple cider vinegar. Tried all four. As I enjoyed them they didn't stand out to me. Food was great definitely worth trying. read more

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Work in the nearby area & at lunchtime they're packed HOWEVER you can get in and out in no time! Highly recommend! Everyone is nice and food is delish!! 10/10 read more

Super fast and excellent food! It was ready 10 minutes early so we only waited 5 minutes. Large portions!

It was fine but I would go to tops or try somewhere else before going back. The sausage on the appetizer was extremely salty. There was a lot of fat in the pulled pork. The sauce selection was fun! read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Pulled pork and green beans - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I got the chicken bbq nachos with fries instead of the chips and OMG they were so good! Everything was hot and the portion size was great! I have learned with this central bbq it is best to come before it gets close to closing time as it is usually better. I got here about 6:30 and it was 100% worth it! I only wish they still had the heated sauces on the side, but I digress. read more

I've tried this Central BBQ (Poplar location) twice in the last few months. The first time was OK, decent but definitely not great, and certainly not living up to the hype this place gets. I figured it had to be an off night or they were slammed and couldn't focus on quality. After eating there again today (just at the tail-end of lunch when it was not even close to slammed), boy was I wrong... I can honestly say that I've never had drier meat than the brisket and pulled pork. I've had moister beef jerky. You really have to try hard to dry out pulled pork. I choked down most of the very small portion of pork after dousing it with gobs upon gobs of BBQ sauce, but I literally could not chew the leathery brisket. Aside from being dry as a bone, the flavor on the brisket was non-existent. Luckily, I decided to give the bologna a try as the 3rd meat in the combo, and good thing I had...otherwise, I would've gone hungry. To be clear, the bologna was edible, but not great...mediocre at best, really. Beans were good, but not great...of course, it's harder to mess up baked beans than it is to dry out pulled pork so I guess the quality standards at this place aren't quite at the bottom of the barrel (yet). Oh, did I mention I paid $25 for a combo plate and beyond the fact that the portions were laughable for that price, they didn't even include my 2nd side...not that I would have any desire to try their slaw now. If you're in the mood for BBQ, there are plenty of options for decent smoked meat all around this city. This is not one of them. My vote is less than 1 To the owners/operators: You really need to run a check on QA with your management and staff, or you won't have that reputation to rely on much longer. read more

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I had not been to this location before, it was nice and had a large outdoor seating area. The bbq nachos were totally amazing!! I could not eat all of the half order, they were piled up high!! Their onion rings are delicious and crunchy! You order at the counter but they bring your food to the table. They have a variety of yummy sauces as well. read more

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In Memphis for the weekend Central was recommended by the hotel staff where we were staying. The dry rub wings were recommended and yes they are a game changer. My son and I had the Jerk dry rub and they were very good. And yes the wings are on point. Had the Mac and cheese and they were ok. Baked beans were ok as well. read more

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Perfect experience from start to finish in ordering & picking up a complicated order for 10 people ! Thank you Central BBQ Poplar!! read more

Central was listed as a "must try" of Memphis. My chicken wasn't bad but, it didn't wow me. And some of the sides including the green beans can use a little razzle dazzle. They tasted like someone just poured them out if a can into a pot and served. Now, the sausage sandwich..that's a different story! It was really good read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I'm not sure of if this is how Memphis typically does their bbq but it was not good at all. I ordered the 3 meat plate in which I received ribs (half wet, half dry), pulled pork, and turkey. The ribs were missing flavor and were not tender at all. The pulled pork didn't have any flavor. The turkey was tender and had some kind of seasoning on it but wasn't good enough for me to want to return back to this restaurant. The fries and pork rinds are decent. I'm not from the area so maybe that's why the flavoring was soooo off. However, I do travel quite often to where I've gotten much better bbq in other states/cities than what was served here at Central BBQ. There were no issues with staff/customer service. I don't plan on coming back but I'm sure the locals will continue to show their support. read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Half dry half wet ribs, turkey, Pork Rinds, pulled pork - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Staff was nice and service was prompt. I got the smoked brisket sandwich with fries. The fries were good but the meat on the sandwich seemed to be of more fat than my appetite can stand and I couldn't finish it. Idk, it's not a particular meal I order but it certainly wasn't "smoked". I got it without slaw but the barbecue sauce seemed like it was slung on there. Felt like a last meal of the shift kind of serving read more

Food - Great BBQ! Enjoyed ribs, brisket, & chicken wings. Service - Very nice! Ambiance - Clean, open areas, and nice condiments area! Get BBQ sauce at condiments bar it's warm! read more

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I recommend Central for those that like things other than pulled pork or ribs. I think Central's pork is dry and chewy. That said, they do wings extremely well and have BBQ Bologna sandwiches (my fave!), which are difficult to find at BBQ joints, so I'd recommend them for that!!! When I need either, Central is where I go! read more

Central BBQ Poplar - BBQ Bologna & Wings with Dry Spice - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I haven't been to the location in a while. I stopped in for the BBQ nachos. The service was great and I enjoyed the nachos. I ordered two sides but didn't really care for them. They lacked seasoning so I ate some of it. Central is a good dining spot so I will return for something different on the menu. read more

I had the pleasure of eating lunch at the central on poplar recently and it was absolutely phenomena. The food there is the nectar of the gods. Their sauce is incredible, and the meat is tender but not mushy, and super juicy. The young lady up front who took my order was nothing short of delightful. I sat at the bar and had a lovely conversation with the bartender (I believe Ashley was her name), who was charming and attentive. The music is good but not too loud, the whole place is clean as a whistle, and they have my favorite style of onion rings there, which are completely delicious. The manager, Lucy, came by to check on me and she could not have been more gracious, she even offered to and then went and refilled my soda for me. She clearly has that place running like a well-oiled machine. And if you're a Pokémon fan, central has two pokestops there. I could not recommend this place highly enough, I would argue that central is the best BBQ restaurant in the incredibly example-rich city of Memphis, and poplar is by far the best location. 10/10. Run don't walk. read more

I would eat here again but it was just OK. Brisket and pulled pork was dry, ribs were decent but Cozy Corner's are infinitely better. The hot wings were the best item I had (wet was the best out of wet, dry, and jerk). read more

Central BBQ Poplar - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee