BBQ is always a unique choice, as you sometimes choose your company wisely. Sometimes. It's a comfort food for some, and the last thing you want is some prude turning their nose up at your sticky fingers and saucy mouth. (a very slight double entendre lol) We went around noon. I feel like there are pros and cons with going earlier in the day. Everyone normally puts on their best face first thing in the morning, so usually the service and food have no reason to be terrible. The downside is the possibility of getting yesterday's dinner for today's breakfast/lunch, but luckily not every restaurant is like that. Upon entry, it could use a little update, but the interior is clean and spacious. COVID protocols are still in place, so dining in isn't really encouraged. It was a bit of a mixed message, as the sign by the door said no but the signs on the tables said yes. We went to order, and we asked the cashier. She was very nice about it, and said that it was fine that we dined in. There were only 2 to go orders and then there was us. We all decided on sandwiches, both pork and beef brisket with sides of baked beans and coleslaw. The brisket was really good. It was tender, and the pork was also tender. The baked beans were also good, and I liked that they weren't super sweet. The coleslaw was...odd. There wasn't much slaw on the sandwich, but as a stand alone side it was...really soggy. I know coleslaw isn't supposed to be dry. I don't know if it was frozen then thawed, but it was unusually wet to be coleslaw. There is a lot to choose from ranging from traditional BBQ, small or large sandwiches, or even loaded potatoes. I feel like pricing is reasonable, but it mainly depends on how MUCH you want. I'm going to peg it between $7-20 individually, with a full dinner being towards the $20 end of the scale. Memphis has a lot of BBQ places to choose from, and it's always good to try others and support local. read more

See all

Nice enough staff, but when I say SLOOOOOOW, I am not talking about low and slow in how they cook the food. 20 minutes in drive thru when I was the 4th car in line. And then all I had was a simple pork sandwich, unfortunately it was no bueno. It fell apart and tasted off. All that for a poor experience and food. read more

See all

When in Memphis...you have to have BBQ, right? We had an hour to kill before boarding our flight back home to O-Town so we decided to hit up Jim Neely's for some lunch. We seated ourselves at a high top and our waitress came over to take our drink orders. Now, I don't come expecting a 5-star experience in an airport BBQ joint, but a LITTLE pep in your step would be desired...our waitress gave us the bare minimum as far as information about the menu and what our options for sides were... I don't know, maybe I was desiring too much? Anyways, we settled for the following: 1st son: Didn't see anything appetizing...so he ordered fries. 2nd son: Foot long hot dog Husband: Pulled Pork sandwich Me: Smoked turkey salad. Fries were "meh"...nothing out of the ordinary. Hot dog: okay- this was probably the best item we ordered. Grilled perfectly, large....and tasty. It was a good dog. Pulled Pork Sandwich- my husband LOVES pulled pork sandwiches, but this was a no for him unfortunately. The pork lacked flavor. I had a bite and I actually felt that it was too soft for my liking. To me, it had a really mushy texture. I like pulled pork to have a LITTLE bite/chew to it. Smoked turkey salad- Turkey was chopped and tender. Lettuce was fresh and crunchy. It came with a large cup of BBQ sauce on the side as the "dressing". You did also have an option to select Ranch, French or Italian dressings as well. It was a little turn off (for me) that it had bacon bits. I feel like the salad needed a bit more to make this a good salad, maybe some cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions etc. The plus side is that it is a very generous helping. I barely got through half of it. I don't really recommend any of the items we ordered with the exception of maybe the footlong dog. The table next to us ordered some wings would actually looked decent! read more

See all

Expectations are always muted when airport restaurants are visited. Likewise we all understand staffing and service woes in C19 times. The challenge for me was a hotdog bun. Yes. So past prime it literally crumbled to tiny bits just trying to pick it up. I can and do respect that employees need some breadth because they are working in understaffed conditions. I do expect the bare minimum of something better than beyond past due date. read more

Theres not too many options at the Memphis Airport , so I opted for Nellys. But if you can, eat before you come or get something from the market next door. I ordered a regular hot dog, and a side of fries. The regular hot dog tasted like it was cooked, recooked, and recooked again. It had a leathery texture and was not moist at all. The bread was super dry and flakey. When I picked up my hot dog and bun the bun instantly broke in half and crumbled at the end. The fries were okay, if you like undercooked soggy fries. They are a medium thickness. I like a good mixture of soft and some crunchy fries and I did not receive that. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

See all

Food options at MEM are simply atrocious, and sadly, I travel through there all the time. Since I like to have a glass of wine with my meal, there's literally only one option in Terminal C (Home Team Sports; 1-star Yelp venue). On my way home Friday, I. Simply. Could. Not. Go. There. Again! Since some of the locals I talked to in Arkansas suggested it, I thought I'd try Neely's at the airport. I should say strike three, but it's probably more like, strike twelve, Memphis International Airport. Wait staff are in no rush to do anything and seem indifferent about your presence. I wanted to try the wings and ribs, but there was no combo that would allow. So I ordered a small wings and 1/2 slab of ribs plate. Wings were decent although they had a salt heavy dry rub on 'em. The ribs were...not good. Fall off the bone, yes, but not in a good way. So overcooked the meat felt like a mealy apple in my mouth. While I feel like I ordered too much food (see picture), my bill only came to $24. I was full, although my palette was definitely not satisfied. Thankfully there is a new grab-in-go bar at the end of the terminal where I could wash away the flavor with some wine. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - 1/2 slab of ribs + small wings - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I want to go to the main location, but every time I am in Memphis at the airport this is a must. I always get the combination platter with Ribs and chopped pork. Service is spot on and if I didn't see planes I'd think I wasn't in an airport. This is not your typical airport food!! Mouth watering tangy bbq sauce! You can actually get frozen stuff to fly back with. (Next time) I may have ate so much that I had to loosen up the belt for the flight home. read more

See all

Having this Gem inside the Airport is Sweeetttt! During my recent, frequent travels to Memphis, I have this spot to fill me up for the journey. Atmosphere: small Airport area near C7 of American Airlines. Every time I come, line is long but moves quickly. Then you hear those friendly southern voices. Of course seating is limited but that's to be expected in an airport. Food: I always order the Large Chop Pork Combo. This sandwich is so big that I almost never finish it. They pile the bun with tender Chop pork & the bbq sauce has a great taste surprisingly. I certainly look forward to returning & hopefully sitting in their actual Memphis restaurant one day to expand my taste of other menu options. Sorry no pictures. I ate it too fast to catch my flight on time ‍ read more

Flawless Brisket and excellent BBQ Sauce - I don't smother it like most people do, I add the sauce as I eat it. The meat was lean and the price was excellent! I love the Cashier too! She is very nice - I see her whenever I come through the airport. I am not a big fan of red meat, but when I eat it, it has to be very good and lean! THIS IS BOTH! read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Excellent Brisket! And not a rip off! - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Ok where to start, the coleslaw was rancid, the turkey was dry and spoiled. The beans were ok but I'm concerned that I will pay for taking a few bites of them later and my beer was skunky. Save your money and do something else. I know business is slow right now but you can't serve spoiled food. Update, yes I'm sick as a dog 4th trip to the restroom. so I paid them to make me sick. read more

I wish I never visited this location. I was in Memphis on business and traveling from the Memphis airport when a coworker and I saw that this was one of the only places open to eat lunch. I was waited on by a young girl, who was on a FaceTime call the entire time. She was smacking her gum, talking loudly to the person on the phone and barely helping me as the customer. I finished my transaction, leaving no tip due to the poor customer service and I was taking my order to go since Covid had the dining room closed. The food was blah at best. The meat was overly wet, the BBQ sauce was tart and the ice machine was not working for the drinks. Several days later, after I submitted my work expense report, I found that someone added a $2.00 tip to my completed transaction. I intentionally did not tip and submitted my report for the exact amount, only to find that a thief added a tip. This is clearly theft. Maybe my $2.00 isn't a lot, but doing that randomly to several customers does add up...and it's wrong. So, from very poor customer service to blatant theft from adding a tip to the closed out receipt...avoid this place altogether. I wish u had. read more

Best airport food I've eveeeer had especially for the price!! I was definitely expecting sneaky gratuity or extra sales taxes somewhere on my ticket just wow!!! The service was great too! Only reason it's not 5 stars is that the floor isn't super clean bc the waitress is bussing and serving at the same time. This isn't "good airport food" it's good food. read more

I have no idea if the food or service is any good, as they were completely dark and closed @ 5 PM. In a busy airport. Absolutely pathetic.

Place is dirty. The staff was rude. And all I wanted was a bologna sandwich. And was told all they had was yesterday bbq. And this was 4:00 in the afternoon No not eat here read more

DO NOT EAT HERE! EVER! If your hungry and it's the only thing open, drink some water and go hungry. It's that bad! I ordered the ribs and my wife had the pulled pork sandwich. They only had three tables so we had to get it to go and ate it in the terminal. The ribs (see attached pic) were so overcooked there was no moisture in them at all. Like eating leather. When things are this overcooked there is not taste left. My wife's sandwich was better except that there was pieces of bone mixed into the meat. I know you throw the dice with food in an airport , but this may be the worst airport food ever in the history of aviation. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Dried out dehydrated ribs on the bone. The bone is easier to eat. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This was the worst experience I have ever encountered at an establishment!! Stephanie M needs retraining on how to treat customer that are buying from this establishment! She was rude to everyone in line. Her barking at your customers is just down right rude and insulting. The minute we walked in she had an attitude with all customer. She didn't have her mask on right was on her chin and would scream at you if you dare asked for anything. If this wasn't the only place open on this concourse I wouldn't come back again. I fly often and this was down right awful customer service ! If I see her working I will not be coming in! read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I knew BBQ in an airport that looked like a ghost town was going to be risky. But I was hungry and decided to give it a try. The chairs on the inside has been moved to the side but there was seating outside the store. It looked kind of dirty to be honest with you. I don't think anyone had been to clean the area for a long while. As for the food, honestly I didn't care for the ribs. I ordered a half rack and they were all dry and tough. The tangy bbq sauce, which I didnt care for flavor wise and that the ribs were covered with, didn't help. The flies really liked the ribs though. Like how did these flies get this far into the airport? One even managed to climb all the way into the little bag where I was putting the bones. Amazing. The slaw had a weird aftertaste. I can't really describe it. After a few more bites I think I got use to it and didn't mind it as much. The 2 pieces of white bread they give, seemed fresh. And the potato salad was ok. Nothing to write home about. But ok. In terminal C there aren't many food options. The other place that was open looked equally dismal. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Half slab dinner with slaw and potato salad - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Stopped in to J Neely's BBQ in terminal C. I ordered the turkey dinner with baked beans and potato salad and my wife ordered the turkey sandwich. The condition of the location was okay, cleaning up the dining area will help with the initial appearance. The food was okay, the baked beans was okay and the potato salad was just okay. I may stop back by Neely's the next time I'm in the area and try some other food items. read more

Super friendly service - chopped pork was teeny slivers and not much flavor - cole slaw was fine. Disappointed since it smelled so good walking by this stand in the airport read more

Easily the best bbq I've ever had at an airport, and among the best ever. Great spot for a beer and some food while you're waiting for that flight. Plus super-friendly staff. read more

Mediocre. Unclean. Rude service. A BBQ restaurant that serves instant tea... smh Items ordered Rib Tips - meh Pork Ribs - meh Sliced Beef Sandwich - dry Chopped Pork - had so much bone pieces I stopped counting Wings - Solid Beans - good Slaw - meh Honestly it was generally disappointing and nothing better that a basic bbq joint. read more

I was visiting Memphis and wanted some good bar-b-que. I ran across Neely's Interstate Bar-b-que. I read the reviews and the reviews were good. In hind sight, were the reviews true? I was disappointed with my entire order as well as the customer service. The tips were not done, therefore they were tough, the potato salad was bland, and the baked beans were okay. Needless to say, my experience at Neely's Interstate Bar-b-que was not a good one. In my experience, when a person does a lot of talking about their merchandise, it's usually not as good as they make it out to be. In other words, "an empty wagon makes a lot of noise". I would not recommend Neely's Interstate Bar-b-que. Visiting from the Chi-Town read more

The pulled pork was good. The potato salad was ok. The cole slaw was super yummy!!! It was a little spicy and hecka addictive. There were lots of different items to choose from on the menu. I really wanted to try many of them, but I am just one person so I had to make due just being a creeper, gazing longingly at other customers' heaping plates of bbq goodness. The employee who helped me was wonderful, and offered suggestions when I stood, like a lump, in front of her in an indecisive stupor. She also worked nonstop between customers, cleaning, organizing, and greeting potential customers. While she worked, there were four other employees watching. One on a stool, and three others standing around chatting. Then another employee, from the kitchen, came out front just long enough to grab a bag of chips from the counter and popped it right open--ooookay, gotta love the freebies at work *sarcasm*. But I liked the food and the young lady who helped me was wonderful. There was plenty of seating available. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Pulled pork, potato salad and cole slaw. My favorite was the coleslaw--it was a bit spicy. Yummmmm. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This place is small and a bit dumpy looking when you walk by. Case in point, some of their tables point right into the storage area so you see cleaning supplies and the like. Not a great first impression. And as I always say you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. But still my daughter and I figured we'd try it. It's not so busy, so we were able to get a better seat easily. Staff was friendly. Oddly even after we ordered they didn't take the menuS off the table. And it's a little two top able so a little cluttered. Food was good but also worth 4 stars. Big portion. We could share the pork shoulder sandwich. Loaded with bbq sauces. Maybe a little too much but good. Coleslaw was quite good. A nice addition for our plate. We're giving it a 4 since it's the airport. But really for airport food, this place could get a 7 on 1-5 scale read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Good food, a nice place to grab lunch while in the C terminal of the Memphis airport. If you aren't eating their, and sitting in the area, you are most likely annoyed by it. They really need to work on the ventilation system there. I always feel like I'm going to leave the nearby Gates smelling like a kitchen. read more

If you are looking for a rich smoky BBQ flavor, this is not the space. Ordered a rib plate and combo plate. Both plates had the meat covered in BBQ sauce but still no flavor. However the baked beans are delicious and the potato salad is not bad. The service was good and the workers were friendly. The order was placed to go but they don't ask your name or have anyway of identifying whose order is whose. Maybe I ordered the wrong items. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Irredeemably horrible, my brother found a chopped up toothpick in his spaghetti, my beef ribs tasted majorly off and horrible (maybe freezerburn), my beans had inedible pieces of cartilage mixed in read more

Not a lot of options at the Memphis airport but there's still never a reason to be rude. The food is ok but the people who work here have no customer service skills whatsoever. read more

Memphis Airport has some of the worst food offerings in the world of airline travel and they stay true to form with this one! I came hungry and I also left that way. I ordered the brisket plate and ribs with a side of beans and slaw. The ribs were gelatinous and had zero smoke flavor. I've never experienced anything like it and not in a good way. The brisket had zero flavor or moisture content. It took me back toy childhood days of chewing my moms shake and bake meats until I had to find a way to deposit the meat inconspicuously into a napkin because my jaw got tired of chewing before I could swallow it all (that's what she said). I literally took two bites of each and didn't even complain because at that point i had already waited 25 minutes and it wasn't even worth it. The only place this restaurant could possibly stay in business is in the Memphis airport with a captive audience. In a day and age where good food is so easily accessible and eating is such an event it's sad that this is what Memphis Airport travelers have to settle for. read more

It was my first time in Memphis so I had to try the bbq but also needed it to be fairly close to the airport so this is where my GPS landed me. It is an older building and a "worn" furniture inside. Not very helpful at first but they were very busy with a large party and not enough servers. Once they told me to sit anywhere I ordered a large sweet tea that was delicious and served in a huge cup with the best crushed ice. I ordered the beef brisket sandwich and it was huge too! It also had the coleslaw on it. The sandwich was delicious, meat was tender and nicely seasoned and the sauce was perfect. I also ordered a side of BBQ spaghetti since it sounded intriguing and it was no disappointment. It was different in a good way and I finished it all. Overall everything tasted amazing and the portions were big which I loved. If I'm ever in Memphis again I'd def stop back in. read more

See all

Horrible service, but it may nit be the fault of the elderly waitresses. They might not be able to walk faster. There was a stench of feces when you first walked in and god help me if that wasn't the worst part. They serve cole slaw in the chopped sandwiches, which isn't a horrible thing, just unexpected, but the slaw tasted like bad fish. The sweet tea wasn't true fresh made sweet tea but god awful powdered tea from a can. Stay far away from this hell hole for the sake of your gut and your butt. read more

Travel Advisory: The ribs at Interstate BBQ inside the Memphis airport are the culinary equivalent of ordering the McRib at a McDonalds drivethru, holding it out the car window to "cool off" then handing it to a 3 toothed bastard to slide the meat out of its bun and onto a styrofoam plate, only to have it "plated" by dripping Hunt's ketchup on top. I should have eaten my own ass. read more

Dear Mr. Neely, Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this location is not very good and is not recommended until you make some changes in the property. First of all the food is very bland and disappointing. Compared to the other restaurants in the airport, I was hoping that this place would deliver but it did not. The beef brisket and the beans did not taste good at all. Tasted like it has been in the crock pot for days already. The potato salad was a blob of food dumped into the tray. I have attached the order so you'll believe me. Second, the customer service here is very bad. The service is slow. There were only two people working and were not doing a good job of cooking, or moving the people along. Did not receive that famed southern hospitality. I would hate to go here and receive the same rude treatment. Lastly, the place seems to be a bit over priced. I understand that its the airport and goods tend to be more expensive than usual however, the quality of food and customer service does not match. Sorry but I don't think I would recommend this place. I hope you get this letter and revamp the restaurant because the workers and food here does not do justice to your name. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Beef brisket. Not flavorful, not good, & not recommended. Beans are not tasty. I don't even remember the 3rd side. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I had eaten at the pretty great Central BBQ downtown the day before and I wasn't expecting anything as good at the airport. I can't speak to the ribs or other meats because I didn't try them. That said, the wings were pretty darn tasty. They know how to spice in this town. I'd be happy with these wings anywhere. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - 3 seasoned wings with baked beans. Highly recommend the seasoning. - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Much better than I would expect from airport food. I had the chopped pork and chopped beef combo with cole slaw and potato salad. I was surprised how good everything was. For my tastes, I think there was way too much BBQ sauce put on my order. It is a decent sauce, but the meat was tasty by itself and cutting back some on the sauce would have been better. I thought the potato salad was awesome. Another person in my group had sweet potato pie which they really enjoyed. The only thing that was "iffy" were the order of onion rings we had. They were what you'd expect from a fast food place. Avoid. All in all a nice surprise overall. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Was it the greatest food ever? No way. But huge portion of really good chopped pork shoulder. It was super tasty my sandwich was huge. It was easily shareable for two people and I'm stuffed now that I'm done. The coastal was good and I made sure to put on my sandwich half. It really helped with the flavor of the whole thing. Whole place is a little dumpy. But the Memphis airport is not so big so you don't get a lot of choices anyway. The lady working was super friendly. I hope not to be in this airport again soon but if I was I would stop here again read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Pork shoulder sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Stopped by while at the airport. Food was not good, Service worse. Ribs were dry with way too much of a sweet sauce stuck to them.. tasted like they had been under too high a heat lamp for hours.. The Beans were way too sweet also.. Slaw not too bad acceptable. The White Bread, was White Bread.. perhaps the best thing on the overpriced meal.. I'll pay big bucks and not be upset... IF the food is Good.. This was not. read more

I travel to Memphis a lot for work. I've been wanting to try this place for a while. I've always said customer service is very important. This place definitely did not care about customer service. Lady at the register was rude. When I asked for suggestions, she ignored my question and started calling out someone's order that was ready to get from the counter. I ordered bbq pork nachos and she immediately gave me my total without giving me a chance to add my drink. When I asked for a small drink she looked very annoyed. People, now more than ever businesses are struggling...make a difference on how well your business does by being pleasant with your customers. BTW, nachos did not save my visit. They piled way too much nacho cheese and hardly any pork. read more

I had the pulled pork sandwich combo, The combo and bbq sauce was good can't complain about it I'd recommend it to anyone. I also ordered the bbq hot-link sandwich and was highly disappointed, who cuts slits in and deep fries a sausage link without it being requested that way, if that is their normal practice I would hope that they changed it. read more

Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I only wish I had the opportunity to try the food, but unfortunately that will not be happening today. Bottom line - if your posted hours say 6:30, you should be open at 6:30! Here it is 6:45, still not open! When I asked the staff why they were not open and when I could expect them to open, the response from the cook was "whenever she (the Manager) finish counting the money". No explanation as to tardiness and definitely no estimates. I would have loved to support this minority owned business as I know they are few & far between, especially in airports! read more