Grille At Hickory Hill

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.

View of the quasi-outdoor covered seating area

I am nkw aware that lean beef means different things.

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Front ordering counter

Blues City Cafe

4.0(2k reviews)

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.

Downstairs

Yummmmm

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Memphis strip steak

B.B. King's Blues Club

4.0(1.5k reviews)

Great location, great food, wonderful staff and amazing music!! Best Ribs ever! Found what we were…read morelooking for in New Orleans in Memphis! Great Music, great food and kind people!

Back at BB Kings again for that MEATLOAF!!! Memphis if you love meatloaf and you havent had it from…read moreBB's then you are missing out. Get downtown and get this in your mouth ASAP! Ask for Shanda's section, she is a HOOT and keeps the laughs coming! All around a great dining experience. Keep up the great work BB Kings

The Venue

BB Bb's Famous Lip Smacking Ribs with Mac & Cheese and Sautéed Vegetables

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Home of the Blues sign

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

4.5(3.7k reviews)

12.1 mi•Downtown

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!

Service 4 Atmosphere 3…read moreFood 2 Had all the chicken setting pre-cooked in a basket along with the okra so they would not have to work real hard and served us as they felt like it cold chicken and bland okra. I was very disappointed this again is the one in Memphis. Conversely, the one in Mesa, five stars all the way across some of the best chicken I've ever had Difference between a good and not good Manager

View from our table

Up close leg

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Look for the chicken!

Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

3.6(2.9k reviews)

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.

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The Sign.

The Pig On Beale

3.0(569 reviews)

A great spot on Beale Street if you're looking for good BBQ!…read more My wife and I got the 1/2 rack of ribs and they were awesome! Perfectly cooked, sauced nicely and full of meat. The side of bbq beans was perfect for my meal - my wife got the fries and said they were very good. Our waitress was very friendly, attentive and timely. She kept tabs on us without overdoing it. The prices here are also reasonable considering the location. The amount of food you get is a very good deal! *We also got a side of dry rub wings. They came out piping hot, but once they cooled down they were delicious!! The next time I head back to Memphis, I'll most likely return to The Pig!!

We made it our mission to have Memphis BBQ and The Pig on Beale did not disappoint…read more There was no wait time for us to sit which was a nice surprised since the restaurant is located on Beale Street. The service was quick and our server came around to check on us often. I ordered the pulled pork with potato salad. I really enjoyed it. I think I got the kids portion and it was still a decent amount of food. I tried my husband's baked beans and they were some of the best I've had. It is a little on the pricey side since it is in a tourist spot but it is absolutely worth the money

Condiments on the table

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Voted the best

Central BBQ

4.1(1.8k reviews)

8.2 mi•Cooper-Young

The food was outstanding! The pulled pork was amazing! All the staff were very friendly!read more

MEAL: potato salad, sliced beef sandwich, chopped brisket sandwich w/t coleslaw…read more PROS: orderly run business, pleasant atmosphere, vibrant easy menu board, warm bbq sauce options CONS: the food (based on my order)... it's not that good, during my Memphis visit I intentionally went to 3 different BBQ restaurants, including Central BBQ and unfortunately, this one falls in 3rd place. The problem is the food lacks flavor, the meat "barely" had a smoked/BBQ'd taste, the potato salad consisted of very firm cubed potatoes in a mayo/mustard blend with no seasoning (except for paprika on top).

$18 for steamed pork!

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Wet Willie's

3.9(166 reviews)

11.8 mi•Downtown

The food was delicious!!! We had tacos and quesadillas! The service was great! The best part was…read moreMemphis James and his guitar! The atmosphere was laid back and cool.

What is more perfect than being on Beale Street during 4th of July? Having a frozen drink in your…read morehand to go with it. Wet Willie's specializes in frozen drinks which is needed when you're walking in the 90 degree heat. I ordered the green apple drink and I loved it. I wish more places carried green apple flavored drinks. The drink did not taste strong but you may feel it after a while. They also provide signature mixes which is their version of a frozen cocktail. They looked good so I may have to try it next time. I love how frozen drink bars are starting to expand from just New Orleans and Vegas. I'm hoping it's a trend that keeps growing.

Bacon burger

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Bain Barbecue

4.3(219 reviews)

8.1 mi•Cooper-Young

They are making some good smoked meats here. The brisket and pulled pork were delicious, I got in…read moretoo late for a Texas Twinkie, maybe next time

Service was extremely quick, has its own free parking. Southern Memphis decor inside and ample…read moreseating. Brisket was pretty pricey ($14 to add on top of nachos versus an extra $5 or so for pulled pork). Mac n cheese was eh. The meats were amazing though (I really enjoyed the loaded nachos and I tried my friend's brisket which was probably worth the price). The Texan Twinkie was also pretty good, very bacon-forward flavor and not too spicy. Overall: solid BBQ spot in a nice part of Memphis, would recommend trying a side besides the Mac

Write on the wall

Love those fries and onion rings!!!

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Smash burger. Single patty.

New Wing Order

4.5(20 reviews)

11.7 mi•Downtown

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.