Where to Eat in Memphis on a Budget: BBQ Picks
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Memphis BBQ, done right, and what it actually costs
Memphis barbecue means one thing specifically: dry-rub ribs, a spice rub with the sauce served on the side rather than mixed in, plus pulled-pork sandwiches, often topped with slaw, distinct from Kansas City, Carolina or Texas styles. Below are the verified spots worth building a meal around, plus the one number that changes every bill here: Tennessee’s sales tax is a steep 9.75% combined in Memphis, and unlike some states, it applies to restaurant food too, so the menu price isn’t the final price.
Where to get the ribs
Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous (52 S 2nd St, downtown, in an alley) has been serving dry-rub ribs cooked over charcoal since 1948, the single most famous name in Memphis barbecue and usually worth the wait. Central BBQ is the modern favorite for ribs, pulled pork and brisket smoked low and slow, casual picnic-table seating. Cozy Corner brings its own signature tingly hot sauce to the same dry-rub tradition, a genuine local institution rather than a tourist stop. Payne’s Bar-B-Q, cash-only, is the cheapest of the bunch and treated as a Memphis institution in its own right, budget accordingly since cards aren’t an option.
Hot chicken and soul food
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken put Memphis hot chicken on the map, though it’s worth knowing the original location is in Mason, Tennessee, “near Memphis,” not the city itself; Gus’s also runs a downtown Memphis location if you’d rather not drive out. Soul food staples, fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese and fried catfish, are worth seeking out beyond the BBQ list too, standard comfort-food fare across the city’s casual kitchens.
What a BBQ meal actually costs
A plate at any of the spots above runs well below a sit-down dinner elsewhere in the country, and Payne’s or Cozy Corner in particular keep a full meal on a genuinely shoestring budget. Tipping follows the standard US 18-20% at any sit-down table, no service charge is built into the bill, worth knowing if you’re used to a country where tipping is optional or already included.
Is Memphis BBQ cash-only?
Not across the board, but some of the most authentic spots, Payne’s Bar-B-Q especially, are cash-only institutions, so carry some cash even if your hotel and the bigger restaurants all take cards without issue.
Pair a BBQ meal with a walk down Beale Street before or after, and check Memphis travel tips for the full breakdown of that 9.75% tax and standard tipping expectations. Building a full day around food, the 2-day itinerary pairs a Central BBQ or Rendezvous dinner with Beale Street at night.