central bbq

best bbq ever! we are from pensacola, florida & passed through memphis for the holidays. we ended up eating here twice. everyone was so friendly, it had such a hip & fun atmosphere. the food couldn't have been more delicious if it tries! we had the ribs, bbq sandwich & brisket sandwich. too die for!

pretty good!. i tried central bbq for the first time since i moved here in 2004. i love bbq and i love memphis for having such great bbq. my husband mo' is a huge fan of cozy corner bbq on north parkway and i must say that he has a reason to. i've often heard people say how good central bbq is and i must say i agree. central bbq has very tasty bbq. it is probably my 2nd favorite bbq in memphis. i think :)...... try it out!

great ribs, ok pulled pork. being a memphian born and bred i love some good home-style memphis bbq, and just tried this original central location for the first time today (i usually go to the one on summer with friends). the food at this location is much better (fresher, better quality/taste) than the food at summer location for sure. this location is a little dirtier though (foor was sticky, they barely had time to clear tables before another group sat down), and smaller (less seating, there was a line when we got there at 11:30 on a sunday), but the staff are friendly and it has a family-style atmosphere.

i ordered the pulled pork plate (which comes with 2 sides and a roll or texas toast) for $9.99; my husband ordered a half-slab of wet ribs which also came with a roll, $13.99. the ribs were great; really well-done smokey flavor and a good sauce. the only complaint was that the meat in both orders was a little dry. the pulled pork was ok (despite being a tad dry), though not the best i've had in memphis; the potato salad was some of the best i've had at a bbq place; the beans were ok.

i tried all three sauces (vinegar, hot, and mild). the mild sauce was nothing special, bottled sauce taste similar. the vinegar sauce was good, liked the unique flavor. the hot sauce was great, i will probably order the hot sauce if i return; it had a nice kick to it (could definitely taste the beer in it, if you're into that kind of thing).

i would recommend it to any memphian or bbq lover, thgouh now that i've gone i probably won't make the drive across town again to try it and will continue going to the one on summer if friends want to try central's.

mmmm mmmm!. damn this place is good! i was in town visiting a friend and told her i wanted the best bbq in memphis and this is where she took me. i got the pulled pork sandwich, greens, and mac and cheese. the bbq sauce is amazing and they make the best piece of cheese cake i've ever had!

wing convert. i've never really been that crazy about wings. i just watch my husband eat them. i've always thought they were too much trouble...that was until i ate the jerk wings at central a few weeks ago. now, i crave them. the wings are huge! i wonder what kind of chicken has wings that big. the meat just falls off of the bone. they have other "flavors," but i think it would be hard to beat the jerk. i don't think you will be disappointed, when you try them.


-----05 may, 2014-----

best in town!. we won't eat bbq at any place other than central. we even had our rehearsal dinner at central on summer and couldn't have asked for better service and accommodations. that was the first visit to central for many that night. they were blown away by how good it was. we are down town a lot and come in contact with a lot of out of town visitors and always tell them to go to central for the best bbq in memphis. we start with the sausage and cheese appetizer. the dipping sauce that comes with that is incredible...honey mustard, maybe, but not your ordinary honey mustard. i always get the pulled pork plate with fries and macaroni and cheese. my husband gets either the ribs or the bbq bologna sandwich with fries. the homemade chips with the blue cheese dressing are wonderful. we've always had great service, even when the place was packed, which it usually is after a ballgame. enjoy!

best?. if this is best in memhis, there are a lot of bad ones. ribs were just okay. had some at b b kings blues club that were better.

smoked turkey sandwich was excellent and the side if mac and cheese was just okay...


-----18 nov, 2014-----

very good barbecue. i had the smokey turkey sandwich which was very good and the pulled pork sandwich which was okay. the pulled pork they claim was voted #1 in memphis so i expected better, but it was still good.

atmosphere is good, service is hospitable, and you get to jam to 70's music while you're there!

i have to say that we were both very impressed with central bbq. i loved the fun and funky vibe to the place, the barbecue was very good to outstanding, and the overall experience was excellent. i knew there had to be better barbecue places in memphis than the old stand-bys the tourists go to. central bbq showed us why they continually receive honors for the best barbecue in memphis.

it's all good!. seriously, anything on the menu is delicious! wings, bbq nachos, bbq sandwich, you name it!

meh. its good by fast food standards but there is defiantly better in memphis. i had the pork sandwich.

when they say 'dry rub' they mean 'dry ribs'. dry, flavorless ribs with the membrane left on. shows an overall lack of pride in their product or just plain laziness. either way no good.

disappointment all around. the ribs were dry, the rib membrane was left on the back, and the fries were cold and soggy. the hot vinegar sauce was decent though and the potato salad was good...but for being known for their bbq i was disappointed.

pretty decent bbq. not the best i've had (ribs were tougher than i'd like) but up there in the top 10. great sauces, pulled pork and chicken were good too.

best i had in memphis. i spent 3 days in memphis and ate bbq 4 times. this was my favorite. i had a rack of ribs and enjoyed all the sauces they had to go with them. the people treated this old texas boy very good.

central is content-ful. we joined some friend at central bar-b-q and all was really good.

we were mixed on the bbq nachos. barbq on chips with cheese just doesn’t appeal.

the main course was very good. we had a slab of ribs, half dry and half wet. i really liked the dry better.
the sides were good. we especially liked the greens and the beans.

while central bbq was really good, i would try a few more on the long list of bbq joints in memphis.