The Bar-B-Q Shop

Recommended by a random fat man in the parking lot of the Pharaohs sorting goods pyramid we descended on the Bar-​B-​Q shop for lunch. Many other people had recommended many other joints but a fat man knows his ribs. Polite and kind service, we were taken care of well. My slab arrives half dry rub, half wet and I dig in. Holly hell I am in a meatpocalyse extravaganza of pork goodness. Meat falls from the bone and down my gullet faster that you can say more sweet tea! The flying pig sauce is so spicy good that I could drink it from a cup. Smoky beans, tangy coleslaw. I overindulge so excessively that I must be wheeled from my seat to my vehicle and spend the rest of the day in a meat coma/​food baby fueled wet dream. I was actually a bit uncomfortable the rest of the day as the meat sweats took hold. I dream of the Bar-​B-​Q shop now. I shall return.

Delicious BBQ. The service was mediocre. Especially since they weren’t busy. It was 8:30pm and they closed at 9… On a Saturday? The brisket was delicious and the coleslaw and sour cream potato salad to die for. The food was great. And the lemon 5 layer cake. Mmmmmmm good. Coming from a professional baker, that’s high praise. Loved it. Just wanted a little better service for the bill.

Very decent tasty food at reasonable prices. I was with a party of 11 and the service was excellent considering the size of our group.

This place was amazing highly recommend. Great ribs and potato salad. Spaghetti was interesting but the ribs were out of this world.

I had been here a few years ago and came back this past weekend with sons. It was a great meal with great service. We tried a full mix of the BBQ. The dry ribs were tasty and meaty. The chopped pork and brisket were good too. My sons and I both prefer leaner meats. So the amount of fat in the brisket was not great — then again, I know that’s a plus for many BBQ fans!
My favorite was the BBQ spaghetti. It was just like I remembered it and could have had a plate of that for my whole meal. The beans and slaw were excellent too.
I gave this 4 stars because the place is a bit of a dive and doesn’t seem that sanitary based on that. Again, this is a plus for some. That said, it can’t get 5 stars looking like it does.

Went on a recommendation of a friend. I took 15 people and we all loved it! I had the dry ribs and they were the best I have ever had. I have had ribs from Texas to KC to NC and these were the best! I stuck with the spicy sauce and it was very good. Not near as spicy as I thought it would be, but it was excellent! This meal made my day and weekend.

I don’t come here very often, but when I take my lunch in memphis I like to stop by around 11. I can only speak for the 11 – 12 timeframe, but I have enjoyed every meal here.
The staff is always friendly, and works quickly to cash the check, get your food and drink, etc.
The food itself is tasty and has a unique flair. The sauce is somewhere between a typical bbq sauce and… a sloppy joe — style sauce? It’s hard to describe exactly, but it has a slight red coloration and a different character from the norm. The sandwich buns are Texas toast (or regular ones if you prefer). The Cole slaw pairs nicely with the bbq pork as does the sauce.
The sides are solid though limited. A sandwich can come with slaw, beans, or potato salad by default (pick 2). All are good, but it would be nice to have corn, collard greens, sweet potatoes, etc… maybe I just miss NC too much haha.
Of course, if the only thing I can complain about is the breadth of sides at a bbq shop then it’s probably a good place. I highly recommend The BBQ Shop.

Awesome ribs! My daughter and I split an order of the ribs, half dry rubbed and half glazed! Dry with a little of the house sauce is a perfect combo! My wife had the pulled pork sandwich and it looked awesome too! The service was very good and the place was really busy! We will definitely be returning soon!

I’ve had ribs across the city and in every major BBQ town in the south/​Midwest… These ribs can stand with (and beat) any of them. Get them dry and sauce them yourself at the table. Extremely meaty. Perfect tenderness. Excellent smoke. Phenomenal dry rub.
If you want to avoid the crowds at central, the commissary, or rendezvous… Come to the shop and they will give you a rib meal for the record books

BBQ in this place is not bad. Their world famous spaghetti BBQ is not exactly mind blowing. In fact, there is a lot more chili/​BBQ spaghetti out there that tasted better in my opinion. Their ribs are actually decent. Combined with their hot sauce and you a good dinner.

This was pretty mediocre barbecue. So I guess 3 stars is appropriate. There wasn’t anything particularly bad about the experience. I ordered takeout and it took about 15 minutes to get the order. Pretty unnecessary since I’m pretty sure the barbecue as well as the sides were precooked. I just got a pork sandwich and baked beans and coleslaw for the sides. I think it was about $ 10. But it definitely wasn’t worth it. The sides came in a really tiny portion.
Once again, the flavor was okay, there was a good amount of barbecue on the sandwich (although I could have used more sauce), but nothing was particularly horrible. It was just average. The service just below average. I was asked what did I order 3 times before it came out.
There are better places in Memphis to get barbecue.

Okay, I usually wait to review a place until after I’ve left.
…But i just can’t wait.
First, the food. WOW! The Pork plate with coleslaw (which pairs perfectly with the pork), bbq beans (so sweet, smokey, and delicious), and Texas Toast. Holy crap, just freakin’ order it. It’s so much food. Order a Ghost River beer and dive into Memphis Barbecue bliss.
Second, the staff. Yes, yes, yes… they have been amazing. I have been in Memphis for 36 hours and this is the first place to make me feel 100% welcome. They, along with a local patron, have been warm, engaging, and a damn pleasure to be around, especially for a solo traveler.
So Eric, if you reads this, please tell Rebecca, Holly, and Carl, thank you for making my time with them most memorable. And thank you for steering me to the pork, I will be back to try the beef, as promised. Be ready for more St. Louis folks, y’all, I’m sending them your way.

I’m not sure how it happens but some of the places with the best food have the worst service. I think there’s a cockiness that develops as a place begins to get recognized. At The BBQ shop the front of the house is a hot mess. It apparently only takes a line 3 – 4 deep to throw the hostess into a panic.
We were seated in front, next to to the hostess, once they worked things out. And were promptly ignored for 20 minutes before a waitress from another section stopped by and helped out. We could not have been more visible but we felt like ghosts.
I tried to order ribs but for some reason they were out of them. A BBQ place in Memphis out of ribs early on a Saturday evening (side note they were also out of potato salad somehow).
I ordered the beef brisket instead. We then waited for another 45 – 50 minutes for them to bring us food with no silverware. When we flagged the waitress down again we got silverware.
At this point I would normally rate the food. I’m not going to. You can read what other people say. Generally the food was fine.
When you get service this bad and watch a house this poorly managed the food doesn’t matter. Based on my experience this place should be out of business.

The bar-​b-​q shop is by far the best place for bar-​b-​q!
They have an amazing glaze that is sweet and citrus flaved, the only way to get it on your ribs is from the kitchen. I get my tibs this way and top them off with a little of the mild sauce at the table. Superb is all i can say. No wonder they received the award for America’s #1 ribs… per the food network.

My family and I had a frustrating visit to the BBQ Shop this past weekend. After a well spent afternoon at the STAX Museum, we decided to take the advice of some friends and get a meal at The BBQ Shop. We arrived at 6 PM on a Saturday night and just barely beat the dinner crowd. We were able to get seated right away. Just a few minutes later, I heard the hostess telling guests that it would be a 45 minute to one hour wait for a table.
The reason for the wait probably had to do with the extremely slow service. After sitting down and getting our drink order in, it was literally 20 minutes before our drinks arrived and we were able to place our food order. Once we placed our order, it was at least an hour before our food arrived. This was completely unacceptable but as this was my first visit, I let it slide.
The food was pretty good. We had some sliced brisket, some pulled pork, some bbq spaghetti, some beans, and an appetizer plate with bbq bologna, polish sausage, peppers and cheese. The brisket was nicely cooked with a good smoke taste but a touch on the tough side. The pulled pork was tasty. My son loved the appetizer plate and made a meal on it by itself. I had never had bbq spaghetti and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. The noodles come out slathered in a doctored up bbq sauce and with a touch of pulled pork. Other than not being piping hot, it was good.
I’ll have to give another shot and then possibly revise my review if the service is better the second time around, because the grub was good.

The wife and I went one afternoon. It was around 3 o’clock so the lunch rush was gone. The establishment was rustic and old but… seemed very clean.
Our server (Robert) was the same gentleman that sat us. This is a common practice in restaurants during the slow time in between lunch and dinner. While seating us he took our drink orders and said he’d be back. After a near 10 minute delay, he brought out our beverages. He was very informative when it came to the menu. He gave us recommendations and told us what to expect… flavor profiles and such.
After looking at the menu and considering Robert’s insight, we ordered the sampler platter. This platter included:
Glazed ribs (Robert’s suggestion)
Pulled pork
Sliced brisket
BBQ spaghetti
w/​slaw & bbq beans and texas toast
The flavors were genuine. You could taste the smoke in each of the meats. The glazed ribs I was skeptical of initially, but pleasantly surprised. The pork and brisket were of Memphis quality (that’s a great compliment). The BBQ spaghetti was disappointing. I’m not sure what my expectation was but, it was nothing spectacular. The sides were better than «just sides». The beans were good and the slaw… the slaw stole the show. A sweet slaw with a great mix of ingredients.
Our afternoon was a succulent success. The flavors met our expectations and the slaw… yeah, it stood out. One thing that was nice, and unfortunately it’s not more common, was our service. Robert stumbled at first and even tripped up at the end (don’t ask if your customer wants change!). However, his knowledge and ability to direct his clients towards having a great experience are missing in the service industry. Great job overall Robert!
When in Midtown… stop in and ask for Robert.

Good BBQ (but had better!) Went for lunch around noon. No wait.
Got mix platter with half rack (half wet, half dry) and brisket with side of coleslaw, beans, and BBQ spaghetti.
Rib was delicious. Meat was tender, falling off the bone. I know Memphis is famous for their dry rub, but I liked the wet better. BBQ spaghetti everyone talked about on the review was ok. Interesting, but was not that good. Very sweet and greasy and over cooked mushy spaghetti.

We are New Orleanians by way of NYC and came to Memphis for Blues and Que. I don’t know if that makes us BBQ experts or even worth listening too. However, I would say the ribs at BBQ were better prepared and less dry than Central. The dry rub at Central and the BBQ sauce at Central are significantly better than at BBQ shop, but the actual ribs are better here. I wasn’t too much a fan of the pork sandwich or the BBQ spaghetti. Verdict is to go with dry ribs and you won’t be disappointed. 4 stars on the basis of dry ribs alone.

Excellent BBQ– had the pork sandwhich with a side of spaghetti– because I had never tried it and they are one of the co-claimer’s of the «original» BBQ Spaghetti.
After so many poor retail BBQ experiences in my short time in Memphis (just a few weeks, but i’ve been coming to compete in the Whole Hog competition at MiM for 6 years) i’ve finally found one I look forward to returning to.
Service was a extremely polite, though they seemed to be out-​of-​it, maybe it was shift change. I also overheard a patron tell one of the staff that she and her husband had been waiting to be served for 15 minutes. So if you aren’t helped right away you may want to make eye contact with someone… but i’m not going to knock the 5-​star rating cause that was an awesome sandwich (get it on Texas Toast).

Zero stars, they advertise bbq spaghetti and at 2pm they are out!!! I wait for my order in the bar, 15 min later a woman gives it to the bartender. I’m sitting where he can see me, he knows I’m waiting. Instead he continues to chat with another employee. My food suits there for 5 minutes. The employee sitting at the bar asks do i need help. I tell him I’m waiting on an order. They look at each other and know they made me wait longer than i should have. I get home and find they did not give me my bbq bologna on my order. I forgot to mention, I told the bartender he was fired when he made me wait.
The end

Hands down this place has the best ribs in America (food network did not lie). The ribs are so moist and juicy with a great bark on the outside. The pulled pork isn’t bad either. The sauce is vinegar based as well as the coleslaw. If you are looking for a good place for BBQ (the best you’ve ever had) then this is the place for you!
P. S. The BBQ spaghetti is amazing as well!

Nothing but great things to say about the food. Love the pulled pork on toast. The potato salad is some of the best I’ve had. The service is… surly. But maybe that’s just authentic?

While I usually champion the BBQ Shop for their sauce, tonight’s experience just ended that for me. Went to order a meal to-​go at 6:30pm and was told I could not be accommodated because the Food Network was just in… As a long time Memphian customer, I’m pretty angry at the lack of customer service, not that it was ever on par to begin with. Next time I’ll just go to Central BBQ — which incidentally, I just picked up a to-​go order effortlessly.

Waitress and overall service was good. Pork was tasty with slight smoke to it. Not overwhelming.
I wanted the sandwich plate but sides were charged ala carte. Slaw was homemade but homemade greens came out of the can and were marginal plus expensive up charge as a side.
This place should serve fresh fries not frozen and real greens not canned. Advertising the greens as special ain’t right.

The best BBQ in Memphis hands down!!! They have the best homemade potato salad out there. The brisket is melt in your mouth delicious! The service is always quick and staff are always friendly and helpful. You won’t be disappointed after eating here.

If your ever in Memphis you have to eat here but be warned it will ruin all other BBQ. The BBQ here is to die for!
Get you ribs DRY and brisket sliced!!! Trust me. This is the way to do it!
Ask for Rob or Robert. He’s been with BBQ Shop for 15 plus years. He’s great.
Ate here countless times and I can’t get enough. It’s amazing! Do it! Go eat here!

I bought 2 lbs. of pork shoulder, baked beans and cole slaw to contribute to the spread at my family’s Christmas Eve dinner and everything disappeared — they were asking why I didn’t bring more so they could have leftovers! Great food — a friend claims they have the best ribs in town — and I love their crunchy, flavorful, slightly sweet slaw.
Oh, and the Dancing Pigs barbecue sauce is addictive! I bought 4 bottles at Kroger to bring back to NOLA with me. It’s that good.

It had been a long stretch since our last visit. I remembered the barbecue nachos and ordered them again. They are the perfect combination of chips, pork and sauce. We were fortunate to get seated before the crowd arrived. The main room is quieter than the side room. The wood bar is neat. Our server told us business has picked up from recent food network mentions. Be sure to support this local business

The bbq ribs wasn’t bad but the sauce was disappointed. Bbq spaghetti was basically pulled pork on top of the noodles and their bbq sauce. Coleslaw was ok a bit too sweet. Service was good.

Some of the best BBQ in Memphis, right along with Cozy Corner and Central.
The location is great, in a good area and with a parking lot. The inside is cozy and nice, but the table I got was kind of too close to others.
Me and my girlfriend have a perch for trying everything we can (don’t try this unless you have money to spare and time for the gym), so we ordered a sort of sampler platter and shared. It was very, very good. The BBQ spaguetti was delicious, and everything else was on point.
The waitress was also very talkative and friendly, but in an annoying, intrusive way. The only reason I’m not giving a full 5 stars rating is the price. The food was good, but the quantity was lacking considering the price. Despite this, I would come again.

So I took my team here for lunch — 9 of us. Would have given them 5 stars, but…
The ribs were very tender, but no smokey flavor at all. Great ribs if you’re ok with just baked ribs. –1 star
I ordered appetizers for the team. One was a combo plate of smoked sausage and cheese. There was about a cup of each — 15 bucks. –1 star
The check included an automatic 20% gratuity. I might have been ok with this, but we had to beg for drink refills and the waitress seemed to be too dang busy to help us. I had to practically yell across the restaurant to get her to stop and listen. NOT 20% service level. –1 star
Will not return.

2009 was my first time at the BBQ Shop, and I was here right before closing time. So I ordered shoulder and spaghetti to go and ate at my gf’s place about a minute or two away. So I forked some spaghetti into my mouth, and vomit… I figured that the spaghetti had gone bad because it was toward the end of the night, so maybe I ought to give them another shot. And now, after 6 years, I’ve finally decided to try them again, for lunch!
And, boy, I really like this place. I don’t know where I would place BBQ Shop in the list of best Memphis BBQ, but they are clearly top 10, if not top 5.
The BBQ spaghetti was nice this time. I hope that they’ve learn to not let things that has gone bad out the kitchen. Which makes me kind of torn between giving this place 3 or 4 stars. On one hand, I really enjoyed their ribs, shoulder, brisket, sauce, and spaghetti for lunch. On the other hand, things that had gone bad should have never been let out the kitchen! But that was 6 years ago. So let me just judge them for now.

The only thing worth eating here is the BBQ spaghetti. And I would get it to go. To start as soon as you walk it there is a weird vibe the place is so old the chairs and tables need updating badly I know the best food comes from run down whole in the walls but the food here sucks. The ribs to me had to much rub on them and the BBQ sauce I did not like. I like a sweeter sauce. I had the rip off special I mean BBQ shop special $ 26 and both meats tasted the same. One was beef brisket the other pork shoulder the only difference is one was harder to chew. The claw and beans were just ok. Surprisingly the BBQ spaghetti was not bad. It look gross but taste good.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the BBQ Shop. So with friends in from out of town I thought this would be a good place to give them a taste of Memphis BBQ.
The BBQ shop did not disappoint. My friends loved the place.
We started off with racks of both dry and wet ribs which were moist and meaty. (The dry are by far my favorite). We then all ordered the ½ and ½ plates with pork and BBQ spaghetti. The spaghetti was not as good as I remember but it was still very tasty. I also love their «Dancing Pigs» sauce. It’s my favorite BBQ sauce in town.
They need more beers on tap. We have too many local breweries that would compliment their food for them to only have two draughts.

I stopped in for a quick lunch and was not disappointed in the food! It came out pretty quickly and looked great on the plate. One gripe that I had was the water… It tasted horrible! I am not sure why but I am sure they need to be filtering it STAT! If all beverages are mixed with the same water, yuck!
I fell in love with the Texas Toast that the sandwich came on instantly! I have had other places BBQ sandwiches in Memphis on T. Toast, all being crap IMO, and I was hesitant in trying this one. I usually appreciate a bun with BBQ. I am glad that I changed my mind! Awesome! The Pulled Pork was in nice thick strips and was so tender and juicy it could have been mistaken for a much better cut of meat than the shoulder. The beans were just the right mix of spicy and sweet, I really dug them.
Now, this is where I got excited! The hot BBQ sauce! That stuff has got a kick! I told my server I liked it spicy and he said, ok, be careful. I loaded that stuff on and was pleasantly surprised when I started sweating from the heat. This is what Hot BBQ sauce should be like! Hot! It was great!
All in all, I will be back for many more meals as soon as I can!

Delightful ribs. Lacking on the ambience though. And then there’s the fact that they ONLY serve beer… you can bring wine though for a corkage fee… which I think is a little silly given they don’t have wine… but whatever.
The food here really is amazing but it is the definition of a hole in the wall. I say that with all of the love in my heart. But the ribs? Yeah, those babies are good. Arguably the best in the city.

Amazing spot for Memphis Ribs. The portions are huge here. We had half in bbq and the other half left dry. Going back again, I would have it all dry with bbq on the side.
Service is good. The bar looks funs. After seeing this place on Unilocal I expected b-​b-​q shop to be a lot busier than it was.