Central BBQ

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#8 of 110 Quick Bites in Memphis$$ - $$$, Quick Bites, American, Barbecue

+1 901-672-7760+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Mon

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,588 reviews

#8 of 110 Quick Bites in Memphis

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

American, Barbecue

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103-4399

+1 901-672-7760

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Main

Smoked Hot Wings

Our wings are marinated overnight, slow smoked, then finished in the deep fryer. They are served wet (with wing sauce), or dry (with our hot rub), jerk (with a dry caribbean jerk seasoning), sweet heat, and sometimes are ordered naked (with neither)

Half Order

$6.25

Full Order

$10.99

BBQ Nachos

Pulled Pork served atop a bed of tortilla chips, topped with BBQ sauce, cheese sauce, shredded cheese, and jalapenos. The nachos are finished off with a light dusting of BBQ Shake. Also available with chicken, beef or turkey

Half Order / Pork

$6.25

Full Order / Pork

$10.75

Half Order / Beef, Chicken or Turkey

$6.5

Full Order / Beef, Chicken or Turkey

$11.49

Chips and Bleu Cheese

A large plate of our home made potato chips made fresh daily and seasoned to perfection. Served with a generous portion of chunky bleu cheese dressing

$5.25

Sausage and Cheese Plate

Smoked Sausage, cheddar, pepper-jack cheese, pickles, pepperoncini peppers, and honey mustard sauce. Served with crackers

$10.49

Ribs

Our Memphis Style ribs are rubbed with our special "rib rub", marinated overnight and slow smoked to perfection. They can be served wet or dry, or ½ and ½

Half-Slab

$15.99

Slab

$23.99

Slab for Two + Four Sides

$25.99

Pork Plate

7 oz. of pork. Our pork shoulders are dry rubbed with Central BBQ's own Hot Rub, marinated, and slow smoked for over 14 hours. Our pulled pork is served pulled but may also be served chopped, as all white meat, or with extra bark (the outside, heavily smoked meat) upon request

$10.49

Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

American, Barbecue

Special Diets

Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Accepts Credit Cards, Live Music

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4.5

1,588 reviews

Excellent

888

Very good

447

Average

159

Poor

Terrible

Paul B

Princeton36 contributions

Outstanding barbecue

May 2024 • couples

While planning a couple days stop over in Memphis we saw that Central barbecue was often getting great reviews. During the 2 1/2 days we were in Memphis we ended up eating there twice and taking some with us when we left town, The system of ordering as you enter is very efficient and let’s large groups get served quickly. On the first visit, we had a delicious full rack of ribs and pulled pork nachos. I’ve had some great barbecue and this is definitely at the top. Our second visit was to get ribs and pulled pork for the friends we were going to visit in Louisiana, but we also had to have some more other fine cooking - a loaded baked potato and Caesar salad. And added surprise was to be one block from the historic Lorraine Motel in the infamous balcony in front of room 306.

Written May 6, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lee S

Australia3978 contributions

All meals outstanding

Sep 2023 • couples

We were on a river cruise & on arrival in Memphis our American friends picked us up & took us to Central BBQ. On arrival the menu is on a wall at the entrance, you choose what you want then go to the cashier & pay. Between the 6 of us we ordered, pulled pork, rib combo plate, full rib plate, plus a side plate all portions were large. All arrived promptly you self survived your drinks & tucked in. There was so much left over we got take away boxes & the other two couples took them home. Plenty of parking, all meals were outstanding if we are even back in Memphis would definitely go back.

Written September 26, 2023

Jennifer C

Warwick1 contribution

Great food & dining experience

Sep 2023 • friends

My friend & I are in town for the weekend. We were craving some BBQ and decided to give Central BBQ a try. The pulled pork was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The portions were huge. I had ordered banana pudding for dessert. Unfortunately, they were all out. By the time we had finished eating and packing up our leftovers, the manager Ethan approached us and asked if we had ordered the banana pudding. I told him we did. But they were all sold out. He handed me a container and said I made some for you. I could not believe that he went out of his way to make me dessert. It was absolutely delicious!! The staff at Central BBQ are top notch. They really care about their customers and their experience. Thank you again Ethan!!

Written September 2, 2023

Craig M

Austin50 contributions

Disappointed

Jun 2024 • family

I came here b/c this restaurant received high marks from several websites (including the coveted Trip Advisor!) and I wanted to know if this Memphis bbq was worth the hype. I certainly hope that this restaurant does not represent some of the best bbq that Memphis has to offer. Coming from Texas, which is home to some of the best bbq in the world, I was sadly disappointed in Central BBQ. The brisket was shaved thin, which is a weird way to serve brisket in my humble opinion. The ribs were not very "meaty" and the sausage tasted like it was store-bought from the local supermarket. The cole slaw was bland and the mac and cheese was horrible. The baked beans were the best I've had in a long time and their bbq sauce was actually quite good. I would not eat bbq here again. Very disappointed in light of the reviews and awards this restaurant has received.

Written June 4, 2024

teeville51

Kenner294 contributions

Not a place to go if you like Smoked Meats.

Oct 2024 • couples

After receiving a couple of recommendations about this restaurant what a dissapointment. We love smoked food and came to Memphis to taste some good Memphis Smked BBQ. The one thing we did not find at Central was any taste of smoke in our pork or brisket. We know smoked food. We have a big smoker and love to use it. The pulled pork was really bland and tasted like it was just cooked in an oven. The brisket was no better. We later found some good Tennessee smoked meats, but not at Cenral.

Written October 14, 2024

fred

Conyers1 contribution

Size does matter when it comes to sides.

Jul 2024 • family

I was visiting friends in Memphis and I had a taste for barbecue. I did a Google search for best barbecue in Memphis and Central had 41/2 stars. My spouse and I headed down to Central to pick up take out. I ordered 1 slab of ribs, turnip greens and mac&cheese for take out. For the amount of money you pay, the ribs were very good, the portions were horrible. Not only did the greens and mac lack flavor, the portions to feed 2 adults would just barely fill up a tablespoon. The lack of flavor and proportions are enough to make it my first and final.

Written July 14, 2024

Anita M

1 contribution

Nasty Barbecue, don’t believe the hype!!!

Sep 2024 • couples

We decided to eat here after touring the Lorraine Motel and it’s absolutely the worst barbecue we have ever had. I had the ribs and my husband had the pull pork and the meat was not seasoned and bland. The ribs were overcooked and dry and the turnip greens were watery with no flavor. The Marconi and cheese and the barbecue beans were ok but overall, stay away from this place, the food is horrific.

Written September 2, 2024

Barbara M.

Southaven43 contributions

Such a disappointment

Jul 2024 • couples

There is no consistency. It just depends what staff is on duty at the time you order barbecue sandwiches to go. We ordered two regular chopped White sandwiches. We got two pathetic Brown burned ends pork sandwiches. This is the second time we have been burned. Not going back. We ordered from the store on Getwell Road in Southaven Mississippi.

Written July 12, 2024

Sherwin M

Brooklyn158 contributions

Customer service isn’t good.

Nov 2024 • solo

Let me start by saying the food is overall consistent. The service isn’t good. I patronized Central BBQ the butler location on November 4th and had a great experience. The food was excellent and service matched. I flew back to Memphis on Thursday Nov 14th and thought I would visit again because of the great experience I have on Nov 4th. Horrible mistake!! I walked into the restaurant, the young man taking the orders was not pleasant. He didn’t greet me or ask me what I would like. He stared at me. I said how are you today? He mumbled something under his breath. I then realized that customer service wasn’t his strong suit. Anyway, I placed my order and had a seat. Unfortunately, I noticed people coming in after me that were being treated way differently. The young man at the counter and the others bring the food out looked a lot like me. The other people that came in were not like me. They were asked if they’re enjoying their food. If they need anything else please let them know. No one came to ask me those questions. It’s like I was invisible. No problem, good thing Memphis is filled with BBQ joints with better service. I will spend my money at places I am treated well. I don’t want to discourage anyone from trying the food. Like I said, it’s consistently good. The customer service needs work or I should just visit on Mondays.

Written November 15, 2024

Chandra P

Jefferson City398 contributions

Disappointing

May 2023 • family

We are here due the place being rated the best bbq in Memphis when passing through. We are Rendezvous lovers so the standard was high as well as we have excellent bbq back home. The staff was pleasant but you order like a stand and then they bring the food. The quantities were large but overall not very tasty. Flavor was muted and dull. Sauce was served out of a community container and very low on flavor. Overall a not so great impression. We will try another place when in Memphis or go back to the rendezvous.

Written May 31, 2023

DanaRN2014

Mahwah120 contributions

Best BBQ of our trip

May 2023 • none

We were on a BBQ quest. We had heard good things about Central and we were not disappointed. The ribs were cooked to perfections - juicy & tender - right off the bone. My husband also had the brisket which was good. The pulled pork was quite delicious also. The sides were standard.

Written May 24, 2023

Fantajan

Pretoria351 contributions

Vegetarian friendly BBQ

Jun 2024 • family

We wanted to try Memphis BBQ but it was hard to find a place that also caters for vegetarians. While it still isn’t heaven for those of who don’t eat meat, Central was better than most. I had the portobello mushroom sandwich with smoked gouda, cole slaw, and BBQ sauce and it was awesome. As you might expect, some of the sides also have pork or another animal product in them so be sure to ask before you order. I loved trying the different BBQ sauces and liked them so much (the mustard and mild sauce, in particular) that we bought a few to take home with us. They aren’t cheap at around $10 a pop but they should last a long time.

Written June 26, 2024

Cheketa D.

Atlanta367 contributions

Zero flavor!

Jul 2023 • solo

This was my first trip to Memphis. And because of other commitments, I only had time to fit in one barbecue restaurant. The food at Central BBQ had zero flavor. I took one bite of the collard greens and said, “Nope.” They had no flavor and the texture was like mush. I immediately knew they were canned. Speaking of sides, their sides come in containers that most restaurants use for condiments. Never seen sides that small before! The mac and cheese was okay. Oddly enough, they sprinkled the mac and cheese with what appeared to be seasoned salt. The ribs were edible. I gave this place two stars because of the variety of barbecue sauces and the sweet tea was good. I truly regret that this was my first Memphis barbecue experience.

Written July 18, 2023

CabKings

Tampa572 contributions

Central BBQ on Butler ave Memphis. A let down

Aug 2024 • solo

I had ribs ( half wet, half dry) brisket and chicken along with bbq beans and green beans. A little pricey at 60.97 that includes a tap beer and tax. Ribs had decent flavor (spices and a little smokey) but over cooked and dry. Brisket was juicy and was the best item on the plate…but no salt or pepper and no smoke flavor. Chicken was WAY over cooked and dry. Bbq beans good not to sweet and green beans very nice. Over all a 5 out of 10. I was hoping for so much better, it was ok. The staff was very friendly and attentive, 10 for the staff!

Written August 12, 2024

Linda P

Massachusetts515 contributions

Get Yourself Some Memphis BBQ

Apr 2024 • family

Was told by my nephew this was the best BBQ joint in Memphis. It did not disappoint. Exactly what you would imagine, casual, cool atmosphere and TV's galore to watch your favorite sporting event. Location right across from the Civil Rights Museum. Everyone raved about the dry rubbed ribs and slaw, pulled pork sandwich and amazing home cooked potato chips, to die for. The pulled chicken was just pulled chicken nothing special. A great stop for lunch before our flight home!!!

Written April 24, 2024

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CENTRAL BBQ, Memphis - 147 E Butler Ave - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor