elwood's shack

i was disappointed with the food at elkwood shack.  i expected to get mouth watering dry rub ribs, instead my ribs were dry and tasted like it had been heated several times.  the pecan pie, grilled cheese, and rueben sandwich were tastless.  my granddaughter enjoyed the barbeque pizza and cinammon roll.  it was our first and last visit.  i left a $5 tip at the register, which i shouldn't have because it was totally self served.  we had to go to the register for more ice and a carry out containter.  most peopleorderedthe fish tacos, which looked good.

i went on sunday 10/2/16 for lunch takeout.ordereda club sandwich and it was deliciuos. i can't wait to try other items on the menu. i tried going to elwood's shack during the week around noon and it was packed. all tables outside were filled, and parking was difficult.

a few weeks ago, the commercial appeal held a contest for the great memphis sandwich showdown. elwood shack's debris po'boy sandwich bested 31 sandwiches from well-known eateries in the memphis area. paul and i left the parkways via sam cooper boulevard last saturday for lunch to find out what the fuss was about.

the menu at elwood's shack in east memphis (enter from lowe's parking lot) is large and overwhelming and you won't find the debris po'boy on it. don't panic. the king of sandwiches is listed on a specials board next to the cash register. we knew that one of us would be ordering the debris po'boy but also wanted to try some other items on the menu. we saw many great sandwiches, pizzas and tacos coming out of the kitchen. after the po'boy, weordereda spicy italian sub, the maytag bleu cheese and jalapeño cole slaw and the tater salad.

we found no reason to question the supremacy of the debris po'boy. everything was right in the world during the minutes it took to eat this juicy roast beef sandwich. nothing else mattered.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

the debris po'boy isn't on the menu. look for it on the specials menu beside the cash register.

the cured meats in the spicy italian sandwich were delicious but no match for the debris po'boy. we ate each half of the entire po'boy and nibbled on the spicy italian. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

lesson learned. save your calories for the debris po'boy. one sandwich really can feed two people.

we really liked the spicy jalapeño peppers and sharp, creamy bleu cheese in the cole slaw (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2). the mayonnaise to mustard ratio made a delicious tater salad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

see placeatthetable.net for more details.

my parents and i tried elwood's last night for dinner. my mother got the small bbq pizza, which was not small at all! she said it was delicious and has brought home the rest of it to eat another day. my dadordereda bbq sandwich and a small wet ribs which he enjoyed. i justordereda hot dog with cheese and i really liked mine! i thought they would have fries as a side, but sadly it's not an option. but it was ok because i got potato chips instead and my parents had potato salad and fruit. i would love to go back and try more things because there is a huge variety for everyone! my only complaint is how crowded it is, but it gave it more of a local feel. i recommend!

doesn't match the hype. blue cheese jalapeño coleslaw was bland and the jalapeño blue cheese burger iorderedcame without jalapeños. it took quite a while to get a cup of jalapeños and never an apology for the error. we find the base prices good, but without even a small side included, the $ is a bit misleading. the burger was extremely large and cooked to perfection, but cooled while i was waiting at the counter for jalapeños. the rueben was good and also large. i'd rather have a side included and smaller portions. won't go out of our way to go back.

elwood's food a costly ripoff. iordered2 regular hamburgers to go $21.85 very ewxpensive for 2 8 oz. pieces of meat. alsoordereda half barb q chicken it included a end piece of white bread pretty sad for premium prices. will not be suckered again.
fed up

no way. iordereda bacon cheeseburger to go. when i got to work i discovered there was no bacon. normally, i would have let it go, but this was an almost $11 burger. i took it back and their solution was to put bacon on a cold burger. i then asked for my money back which they did without any argument. keep your receipt!

divine food in the rough.. when the two guys from redleaf home solutions, who were customizing my pantry said, "wanna get some lunch at elwood's," i didn't hesitate because they had been bragging about how good it is. 
talk about tucked away, elwood's is hidden in the parking lot of a big box building materials store, which is how they found it.
there is a line, was a line, and probably always will be a line to place your food order. the three people in front of me allorderedthe "steelhead trout fish tacos;" definitely a trend, so that's what i ordered. we found a seat at a picnic table outside and a friendly server brought out our food.
on the first bite i experienced culinary nirvana! a perfect balance of flavors that can only be described as umami. i could have rolled in this food; it was so good: flour tortilla which had been toasted in butter stuffed--i mean really stuffed with trout, mozzarella, cheddar, local field greens, avocado, pico de gallo, creamy horse radish sauce, and packed with goodness. i could only eat one of the two they served.
i had to go back the next day to try the "roast beef on a kaiser" roll: perfectly medium rare shaved prime rib sandwich which came with the very best horse radish sauce i've ever had.
memphis is stepping up it's food game, but elwood's is already up the stairs!

a new favorite. i've wanted to eat here for a while, owing to the great reviews. i had my chance a few days ago and i wasn't disappointed. the food we tried is fantastic.

iorderedfish tacos and my date got the sliders. we were both impressed. tender meat, excellent barbecue sauce and fixings.

we'll be back to try the pizza.

the only negative i found was the cost of our meal. order of two fish tacos with a side of cole slaw, three sliders, and two drinks. the total was almost $30. oh, and it's really hard to find. easiest way to get there is to park on the north side of the lowe's parking lot.

iorderedthe fish tacos. they were 2 huge fish tacos, i mean huge. they were made with a 10 inch long flash fried flour tortilla. my mom got a brisket wrap sandwich but she had lunch envy. the fish was steel head trout, it had nice a texture. it also gave the taco a fresh taste. they had it seasoned and topped with fresh avocado and salad stuff. there was a rea

never judge a shack by its name .. even if 'shack' is in its name.... my first impressions of elwoods shack was not based on its appearance (i had been to this location when hollywood pizza occupied it) - i knew what to expect ... sorta.

my true first impression of the place was not exactly pleasant ... the girl taking orders behind the counter was pushing the 'maple bacon cupcakes' to the fellows in front of me and in her spiel she told them not to go to muddy's for a less tasty five dollar cupcake. i found this little speech had given me a bad taste in my mouth ... i piped up and said 'but they are tasty'. i happen to love muddy's. she was young i told myself and not really thinking what she said ... though i wanted to just walk out thinking on how many times she told people that... in my opinion local businesses should not do that ... i stuck around andorderedanyway. i mean she was just an employee right, and i have heard great things about the nice guys that run elwoods.

iorderedthe citrus smoked salmon sandwich, a side of pimiento and cheese, and a side of their potato salad.

the way elwoods shack works (for newbies like i was) is you walk in and immediately bypass the dining room to enter the room off to the left and place your order at a counter in front if the kitchen. after you order and pay turn directly around and gather whatever utensils, napkins (i recommend a lot), straws, and etc. you may need and return to either the small dining area or outside and have a seat.

i hadorderedthe potato salad which was handed to me immediately from a cooler. it was not your typical potato salad ... it was kinda vinegary and very tasty, i took only a few bites saving room for my sandwich, it had came in a resealable little container - very convenient.

the pimiento and cheese was more like cheese spread. i took one bite and was a little disappointed. it was good ... i mean its shredded cheese, how could it be bad! it was not pimiento cheese ... i could see one little pepper piece in the container but even after letting it sit in the fridge overnight - still tastes just like a shredded cheese spread not at all pimiento'y'.

the smoked salmon sandwich came out on a sesame seed beagle looking bun, creamy tasty saucy stuff, capers, and an entire fillet of chilled smoked salmon. now the board advertised it as citrus smoked salmon. i detected nothing citrus about it ... but let me tell you ... oh me oh me oh my ... was that sandwich good. if you like cold smoked salmon ... you are gonna love this sandwich. i would only change one tiny thing next time i order ... a little less capers. i love capers, just not quite so many.

i was so into that sandwich that i had forgotten my new doctor who episode was running on my phone ... not many things can make me forget doctor who (yeah i'm that kinda nerd).

the sandwich itself was huge (hence the necessity of a mound of napkins) ... i had to not eat some of the bread as i had already decided i was bringing my sister back for supper.

that night weorderedthe margherita pizza... and i just had to have a taste of that blue cheese coleslaw. oh and an ibc root beer ... seriously i was like a kid in a candy store when i saw they carried those!

two bottles of water, a pizza that could easily feed three it four people (unless one is my mom - she'd have to get her own), and a thing of spicy coleslaw was only about sixteen dollars. guess who just found her new pizza place??!!??

the coleslaw was all i'd been told and perhaps more ... sweet, spicy, tangy, earthy, yummy, scrumptious, and umm well you get the point. can't wait to get home and finish it for supper.

the pizza? fantastic. could have used some more basil ... but that's just personal preference. is it absolutely the best pizza i've ever had ... no ... is it easily one of the top ten ... yes!

a true test of good pizza to me is in the leftovers ... we had half a pizza left ... so i definitely had leftovers today. it held up beautifully and flavor wise - even better.

we had a slice of pecan pie ... i only had a few bites. it was pretty and yummy. came to the table all drizzled with sauces and surrounded by a fanned strawberry and a scattering off raspberries.

actually when i think about it ... all of their food is aesthetically pleasing. before you take a bite your brain says 'this is gonna be good' ... and boy is it!

i don't really need another reason to enter into lowe's parking lot (having purchased a foreclosure in constant transformation by us do-it-yourselfers) ... but in the future i just may start using lowe's as an excuse to go to elwoods.
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*update*

it is about time i update my previous review ... why? fish tacos. yes it's that simple. in fact, that's pretty much my entire review ... hurry to elwood's and partake of the yumminess that is their fish tacos! not exactly typical but perfectly scrumptious none-the-less!

be sure to tell them torri sent ya.

a hidden gem. weorderedfish tacos, bbq brisket sandwich and blueberry cobbler. this food was out of this world. we eat out a lot and love unique farm to table and this is some of the best i've found!

what a great experience. i decided to check out elwood's shack after hearing their ad on the radio. while it is bit further than what i would normally travel for lunch, i won't have a problem doing it again. i got to elwood's about 12:20 and they had a pretty good crowd which was encouraging that is place was well liked. iorderedthe beef brisket sandwich and have to say it was one of the best that i have ever had. i give this place 2 thumbs up for both food quality and service and would recommend this place to anyone.

great jerk chicken wings. so many things on the menu sounded great so iorderedseveral items to last the weekend. i got the pulled pork sandwich - pretty good but not the best sandwich i've had. the jerk chicken wings were fantastic! the smoke goes all the way through the balance of the smoke and the jerk seasoning was great. my husband and i agree these are the best chicken wings we have had. wish i hadorderedmore! the maytag blue cheese jalapeno cole slaw was also right up our alley - there was not a drop left between us. good depth of flavor. we alsoorderedsome pimento cheese to which i added a few bits of jalapeno and cayenne pepper (once i got it home) - with those additions, it was so good! we also tried the beef brisket (i told you we bought for the weekend!). it was flavorful and moist. would have liked a little more heat but it was good.

we will definitely be back. very nice staff - helpful and knowledgeable.