central bbq

one of the best. whenever i am in memphis i have to stop by and have dinner/lunch or pick up a pound of bbq to take back to birmingham. prices are great for the quantity ofporkon the sandwichs or bbq nachos....... always a line at lunch... but it moves fast.... great outdoor seating too....

not the best.. traveling from very northern wisconsin, i wanted to eat the best barbeque when i visited memphis in may. i heard so much about central bbq. i really disliked having to order everything at a service counter. even sitting at the bar, i had to go to the service counter to get a beer. their bbq hot wings were great. i thought their pulledporkwas dry and not special. not my favorite bbq in memphis.

the pulledporkis amazing. the ribs, however, were dry and not close to the best i've ever had. there's a reason they've one best bbq sandwich...get the pulled pork.

worst bbq ever. we read the review on urbanspoon it said it was one of the best bbq establishments in memphis. we are here on vacation from nebraska and we have a great bbq joint in omaha called swine dining. we were hoping to get a great barbeque experience here in memphis. the pulledporkand brisket were dry and had absolutely no flavor. the coleslaw was no different ( no flaavor). very disapointed.

best bbq in memphis. i have had nachos, sausage and cheese plate,porksandwich and brisket. would order all again and can't wait to try the ribs.

so good!! i got some bbq pulledporknachos (half order) and they were so great. if you want some outstanding bbq in memphis this would be the place to go.

visiting memphis for labor day weekend. first time to eat at central bbq and loved it. we didn't want a lot for lunch so just ordered a pulledporksandwich and fries. really good! ate on the misted patio, nice touch!

i can't say enough good things about this place. i've never had a bad experience here. i've had the ribs, pulled pork, sausage, and a few sides. the ribs and pulledporkhave the best smoke and bark of any place in memphis. it's very well seasoned and highly flavorful. ribs had great pull, tenderness, and color. their rub? best in memphis. it's worth buying and ive never said that. the sausage was just sausage. wasn't that great to me. bbq sauces? a nice variety that all pack great flavor. i use the vinegar sauce, which is absolutely great on its own, as a means to get the rub to stick to the meat then use another type of sauce. it's a heavenly combination. the mac n cheese, greens, and fries are also great. didn't care for the baked beans. they were ok but not something i've ordered since my first visit. i highly recommend this place. all the desserts are pretty good as well that peanut butter cheesecake and banana pudding. be prepared for long lines and limited seating. food comes out fast though. beyond corky's off poplar and rendezvous, these are the only places in memphis i can recommend. this being number 1 and corky's number 2.

food: central's been spotlighted on shows like "pitmasters," "the best thing i ever ate," and "bbq with bobby flay." that attention is well deserved. fave: i hardly had the first rib to my lips when my mouth went into full-on, premature foodgasm - and i hadn't even laid on the sauce yet! so smoky those ribs were ... tender, meaty, juicy, with a slightly chewy exterior. i’ve sampled many of the items from their menu, but the half-slab ribs plate, $15.99, is my favorite. flat-out the best ribs i've ever had. juicy but not fatty. beautifully tender, but not completely falling apart. delectable. if you don't find yourself wanting to suck on the bones, i'll be surprised. a few other items worth mentioning: bbq beans (included with the meal). they look like very saucy pork-n-beans, but when you gobble up a spoonful - surprise! it's got a pronounced jalapeño kick, while at the same time, the sauce it pointedly sweet. a very interesting combination, and quite new to me. ghost river "riverbank red" irish-style red ale, $4.50. a local brew. mild, well-balanced, lightly sweet, lightly hoppy. excellent with the ribs. smoked hot wings, $9.99. marinated overnight, slow smoked, then finished in the deep fryer. served dry (with hot rub). in a word: hot. bbq nachos, $10.25. pulledporkserved atop a bed of tortilla chips, topped with bbq sauce, cheese sauce, shredded cheese, and jalapenos. finished off with a light dusting of bbq shake. service: order at the counter, take a seat, they’ll bring it to you. this place gets jam-packed crowded, and they do a great job keeping up. ambiance: everybody comes here, so it’s like a memphis microcosm: lots of diversity, southern overtones, and a thick veneer of low-brow funkiness. you should try: the mild bbq sauce. it’s perfect ... everything you'd ever dream of in a bbq sauce: balanced, sweet, tangy, slightly smoky. if they'd've let me, i'd've bathed in it.

disappointed.. a disappointing visit. we ordered a sausage and cheese plate accompanied with ghost river "river bank red." the sausage plate was good. the ghost river beer was very good but at $6.00 a glass is a bit steep in my opinion.
i changed from my normal and ordered the barbecued bologna sandwich with house made chips. the chips were good and fresh.the sandwich had potential but it was served cold. the bun was as if it were straight from the refrigerator and the meat, luke warm at best.
my companion ordered a pulledporkplate with onion ring and barbecued beans. the meat was cooked well but served cold with 4 small onion rings and beans from a can.i've been to central a couple o times before and enjoyed my visit but certainly not this time.
i've had much better in memphis.

i read a lot of hype and reviews and really expected great bbq, i was pretty disappointed. the ribs where the only "good" bbq we ate. the brisket was cold and rubbery. pulledporkkinda bland. the chips and blue cheese was just bottled dressing and yucky chips!

a top contender for sure!. i live about 5 minutes away in midtown, so i frequent central bbq often. my go to items are theporksandwich, slab of ribs, bbqporknachos, and the chicken wings. i must say that everything has always been great. the slaw and the potato salad are among my favorite in the city compared to other bbq restaurants around town. if you are new, here's some advice. the place gets crowded quickly during peak hours and the parking lot is not very big, so i would get there early if possible. on friday and saturday and peak hours it is not uncommon for the line to be outside the door. when it is nice outside the patio is awesome!

really disappointed. this was my first visit to memphis and, as a bbq lover, i was really excited. central was recommended as the best in town. i lived in eastern tn & western nc where pulledporkreigns, so i ordered a pulledporksandwich. the meat tasted ok, but it was grayish in color, and i could not see any smoke ring. it needed a lot of sauce to add moisture & taste. so disappointing. i've definitely had better in other towns. i know that many in memphis judge their bbq by the ribs, so i wish i had ordered them here to be the judge for myself. bummer.

to die for ribs!!!. since the restaurant in memphis we were planning on going to was closed unexpectedly we went to central bbq and boy and i glad we did! we ordered the half slab of rib plate with french fries andporkrinds but for the two of us, this wasn't enough of the finger-licking ribs so we had to go back and purchase another half slab of ribs a la cart to fulfill our rib craving. if you are a rib lover you are going to absolutely love central bbq!!!

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 pulledporkplate (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 pulledporkwas 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.