Central BBQ (Downtown)
| Address: | 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, USA |
| Phone: | +1 901-672-7760 |
| Site: | cbqmemphis.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Lin Gan
Dont come here expecting efficiency and a customer-oriented experience. Their fame and popularity has certainly gotten to them. The line out the door was 30 deep. I asked if I can get it to go or sit at the bar and the guy manning the door agreed. Upon walking in, the whole place, I mean aside from maybe 4 tables out of 20, was completely empty. The bar had about 10 seats and all of them were empty. So why are people waiting in line you ask? Inefficiencies, uncaring workers, and terrible design. The hold-up is apparently the result of there being two cashiers and most people in line only seeing the first cashier and taking forever to order because they dont have a menu until they are in front of the casher. What about providing menus to people in line? What about the other cashier actually making half an effort to announce to people in line that hes open, or having an intercom system so people can hear him? He couldnt care less. When I ordered from him he was apathetic, unsmiling, and unhelpful. The bathroom had tons of toilet papers all over the floor like a mummy was attacked in one of the stalls. The half a rack of dry rub ribs I ate in the car was mediocre. Kind of dry and sinewy. Memphis, you can do better.
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Richard Pawlowski
Ok Ill be the one who doesnt get the hype. Walked over excitedly after visiting The Civil Rights Museum across the street because the reviews are so solid on Google. Wow was I disappointed. Between 2 of us we split a pulled pork sandwich, a half rack of ribs, brisket, pulled chicken, mac n cheese and baked beans. The good? The mac n cheese which was the only thing that was remotely warm, not hot but warm. The pulled pork sandwich was good but again I had to spit out 4 very small pieces of what seemed like bone. Plus it might have been deceiving good because it was covered in bbq sauce. The bad. Everything else. Really. The chicken was moist only in small parts and mostly dry. Brisket? Dry. Ribs? Again dry. Beans? Bland and tasteless. The worst part was all of these items were room temperature when they came out and by the time I ate the pork sandwich the rest of the items were absolutely cold. Unreal. Thank goodness a trip to Graceland washed the bad taste out of my mouth!
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Christian Minnery
The food here maybe great, but it in no way compensates for the contempt the hourly staff display toward the guests nor the Managers attitude of indifference. Utterly awful experience at this location and subsequently would urge others to avoid it at all costs. Frequent visitor to Memphis and I had brought a tour group in for The World BBQ Championship. With several groups interested in dining we attempted to speak with both an hourly employee and then a Manager before walking out. It should be noted that this was at 430 pm and the restaurant was not busy. In the end The Rendezvous happily accommodated our groups. Central BBQ was the worst guest experience of my life and I suggest fresh Management and employing an hourly staff that dont feel the guests are an inconvenience
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ladyajt8
We are from out of town visiting and opted for a BBQ place since we were in Memphis after checking out the Civil Rights Museum. We always dine within our budget and this seems to be a good place. It has a friendly upbeat atmosphere. We got a little confused at first though coz we didnt know we had to order and pay first before looking for a table and sit ourselves. The menu prices vary from less than $10 and up. I had a full order of wings (6 big wings), hubby had a brisket plate but complains that its not much but still not bad for the price. If you are really hungry and wanted more meat then get the 3 meat combo which is also not bad for $18. All in all it is a good Place with really Good BBQ and we will definitely be back when we visit Memphis again.
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Michel-Oliver Huard
First of all, the place looks awesome! People are pretty laid back. Now here is my tasting note: Dry ribs (5.5/10) Taken To go, I would have expected to be informed that it doesnt come with a side of sauce. The surface is a little dried and the meat is distinctive of undercooked ribs, it needs at least one or two hours more of cooking. "The smoke colour and light flavour are present. Seasoning is ok. Slaw (9/10) Good slaw! Beans (6/10) Would have given a 5/10 since they taste just like plaine canned beans in molasses, but their is a little marinated jalapeños in there that is not too bad. I would have appreciated a little bit of meat chucks in their and some bbq flavour.
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A McKinney
We are from the South and have definitely had better bbq. We ordered a slab of ribs and left them on the table. They were bland. The turnips tasted like they were just boiled in water and served. Mac and cheese bland, baked beans no seasoning and potato salad blah.... The mild bbq sauce was good. The atmosphere is definitely southern, like slave share cropper southern.. They had all black servers with cotton for decor. A white guy even walked in with an afro wig when we were there today. This may be entertaining for some and the atmosphere might make southern whites happy, but for me it is just a tourist attraction.
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Donna McCartney
08/05/2016 - 50th high school reunion event. Food was average. I was worried about parking the most. Found a parking space right in front of the main entrance, on the corner, under a light with a security camera nearby, and a security guard posted at the front door!! Went in at 6:15 pm and went to car at 9:00 pm. Walked out and found that my car was missing its hubcaps!! They need another security guard to cover when the guard walks around the building to check the back parking lot. Im sure thats when it happened. I dont like this downtown location at all!! Beware of thieves.
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KEA MCKINNEY
Walked out of the Civil Rights Museum and Googled places to eat and this one popped up with a great review, and in walking distance so we decided it was a go. Walk in to the counter, order, and wait to be seated. All staff we encountered were nice. Quick service, self serve condiments and drinks. Ordered the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and bbq sauce on it, baked beans, and potato salad. The sandwich was a great choice, baked beans were good, potato salad was decent. Everyone enjoyed there selection so it was a good pick. Will return if ever in Memphis again.
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Joseph Travers
This is the place to go for a BBQ pulled pork sandwich! It is the best in Memphis by far. The tender smoked meat is complimented by the tangy house sauce. On top of it some of the greatest BBQ sides are here. Toss it all together and you get an amazing BBQ Nacho platter as a menu item. The BBQ definitly runs away with the show here but the simple dinning area and southern smoke house feel is a pleasant accent. Dont be intimidated if the line is out the door. The building downtown is large, service is quick, and customer turn around keeps the line moving.
