Central BBQ Poplar

My recent visit to Central BBQ was a bit of an adventure - and all for one special reason: their famous Banana Pudding! I had heard a rave review about it that I decided to make it my personal mission to try it. On my first attempt, I stopped by the Downtown location, but unfortunately, they were already sold out of the pudding. That alone was a sign of how popular it must be! Determined not to miss out, I made my way to their Poplar Avenue location the next day. To my surprise (and delight), I noticed about 6–7 customers already lined up even before the restaurant officially opened. It created a fun anticipation—clearly, this is a place beloved by locals and visitors alike. When I finally got my hands on the Banana Pudding, it absolutely lived up to the hype! It was perfectly creamy, with just the right balance of sweetness and flavor. The texture was spot-on, and it tasted homemade in the best possible way. Overall, Central BBQ is a Memphis staple for good reason. Whether you’re there for their iconic BBQ plates or, like me, for that unforgettable dessert, the atmosphere is welcoming, the service is efficient, and the food is clearly made with love. I’m already looking forward to my next visit and yes, I’ll definitely be ordering serving of that incredible Banana Pudding!

The food was OK, but I was not truly impressed my meal. My dry ribs were a little overcooked and somewhat dry. The pulled pork I got was pretty good once I added sauce to it. The sides were good.

I visited here on my work trip to Memphis last week. This was my first trip to Tennessee in my life and I was very excited to try the BBQ. I got a pulled pork sandwich which was decent 7/10, but the sides were extremely bland. The sides were Mac and cheese and green beans, both lacked seasoning in my opinion 3/10. I don’t like lots of salts in my food either so if I think the salt and seasoning is lacking, that’s pretty bad. The young lady at the counter with the braids was extremely pleasant and her customer service was 10/10. She knew everything about the menu and while being very professional. Keep her at all costs. Overall this place is pretty decent but not my favorite.

Pretty quick service. Metal chairs not very comfortable and moving them on a concrete made quite bit of noise. The delicious food makes it all worth it.

Best pork barbecue in Memphis. Not a great picture because I started eating before I thought about taking a pic. Big sandwich is absolutely stuffed with barbecue always get it with a slaw too. That just makes it.

We stopped here while passing through Memphis this afternoon. I was excited because I have heard good things about Central BBQ and really wanted to try it. We ordered the rib and meat platter with two sides and a pulled pork sandwich with one side. When we got the food, everything came out but one of the sides for our rib and meat platter. We noticed it right away, so we asked one the employees about it. That employee asked what our number was, and I told him “62” He left and never came back, then another employee came out and asked what the problem was, we told her the order and said we we were missing a side. We were missing a side of pork rinds. She went away, and we waited.. after a while and we were nearly done with our meal, my mom said to me, “I don’t think they are bringing out our pork rinds.” Well, I paid for them so we are either getting them or we are getting a refund. At that point I went inside and asked the cashier if we were getting our pork rinds. She told someone to get the manager. When the manager came out and I told her, we got all of our food but I am missing a side of pork rinds for our meal, she proceeded to tell me “Well my employees in the back said they gave you your side of pork rinds” Basically she accused me of lying. Wow, just wow. I told her exactly what we ordered, a rib and meat platter with baked beans and pork rinds and a pulled pork sandwich with pork rinds. My daughter did get her pork rinds, but I did not get mine with the platter. She them just looked at me and walked into the kitchen, no “I’m sorry for the confusion.” Or “Let me make this right.” She just walked into the kitchen and after a couple of minutes came out and handed me a side of pork rinds without saying anything. I literally felt like she still thought we were pulling a fast one on them. I haven’t stolen anything in my life, nor has my mother.. but to be treated like we were was unbelievable and insulting. Sad thing is I was going to order a To GO order to bring to my husband back home because he really wanted some Memphis BBQ, even brought a cooler to put it in because we were transporting it back to Chicago, but I sent him a message that I will never buy anything from this establishment again and sorry he could try our leftovers if he wanted. That being said the BBQ was only mediocre. The brisket was moist and tender but lacked flavor. The ribs also were fall off the bone and tender but lacked flavor. The smoke was there, and I agree BBQ done right doesn’t need sauce, but a bit of spice a.k.a salt would have been nice. Not too much but a bit of salt and pepper enhances the flavor and can bring out that smoke flavor. That being said we tried the sauces due to the lack of flavor and they were ok. I enjoyed the vinegar based sauce the best. The smoke flavor was there.. but it wasn’t seasoned at all. If you are a super low sodium diet them this is place for you. The only good thing I’ll say about this place is the outside porch was nice and overall atmosphere was nice. We talked to a really nice man who gave his recommendations as he seemed to enjoy it. The other customers around us were very nice, but I will never come back to this location again. Being treated like a thief because they forgot a side. A simple mistake, that happens.. we weren’t mad at first, just wanted what we paid for, but to be accused to trying to pull one over on them. That upsets me.

The atmosphere is fantastic with very friendly staff. Not sure why they smothered the turkey in bbq sauce but my mom didn't care for it and she didn't care for the green beans either. My husband ordered the half & half ribs and preferred the half with the sauce a little more than the dry rub half. My brisket was good just a little dry. The mac & cheese was good.

Personally, I like to smoke my own meats and enjoy them with a cold beverage in my backyard. But, sometimes, I’m lazy and want it immediately. Central is my favorite place to get smoked wings, honey gold for the win, and a big ole pulled pork sandwich. Dan the bartender is awesome, and Brent made sure everything was perfect. Heck, I’ll probably swing by this week, I could use some wings.

everything was great, especially the cus service . Food was very good, the vibe and atmosphere was amazing

Just in the interests of simplicity, predictability, and efficiency, my wife and I dropped by here on an early Saturday evening prior to our music concert. Ordering our food eventually became fairly efficient when they added a second cashier to help with the long line of patrons. It took about ten minutes for our food to arrive, which seemed reasonable. My wife quite enjoyed her half order of hot wings and onion rings. I thought that the onion rings were perfectly prepared, and would love to sample them again! I ordered the three meat combo plate ($25.00). The pulled pork and beef brisket were delicious. I wasn't altogether impressed with the smoked turkey, though. It seemed like merely sliced sandwich meat. My wife said that she really liked the smoked turkey. Go figure. There were two sides included with my plate dinner. The slaw was delicious, but the portion size was minuscule. However, in the same sized serving cup, the greens were substantial, due to the higher density of that food. The iced tea here was fresh and delicious. They even sell delicious, locally-made cupcakes out of a refrigerator located near the cash registers. Overall, a solid three-and-a-half stars, rounded up to four stars (due to friendly customer service), with a probability of returning again.

I read great reviews on Central BBQ having the best pulled pork in Memphis. I ordered the pulled pork plate with 2 sides of greens. My hubby had the pork sandwich with coleslaw and fried okra. I found the pulled pork to be tasteless, not the slightest hint of smoke or seasoning. The greens were plain as if they were just cooked with salt. The restaurant was clean and friendly customer service.

Tis time I did try the ribs and was mostly pleased - fall off the bone, great taste, decent service. Why only mostly ? $22 for a half slab, that's with no sides/drink. A bit pricey.

It's been two years since I've been back. I stopped by the other day for a pickup order and it was a fast and easy process. I ordered the smoked wings dry and the wings dipped in hot sauce. They were delicious! I also had the greens and potato salad to go along with them and they were good. I would say the greens were even better than before. My husband had the loaded baked potato. It was huge and really loaded! Lol! I can't wait to try other menu items. We will definitely not take two years to return.

I was so ready to have some good BBQ, but after trying this place (and One and Only and Rendezvous), it's fair to say that y'alls idea of BBQ is very different from what Texans consider BBQ. The ribs were tasty, but disappointing. If you need a knife to separate the ribs, they just aren't up to par.Fall-off-the-bone these were NOT. And strangely enough, the place has no metal knives, only plastic ones that weren't up to the task of cutting open the ribs. The brisket was a tad better, but not moist enough. It was a cool place and I sat at the bar, but 10 of their 12 taps were out of commission. Overall their "bbq" falls short of what I have eaten for decades. Tasty if you don't know any better, but disappointing if you do.

Heard about this and tried this place. Uhm....I don't wanna be too rough in comments....but this place is nothing special at all. Brisket sandwich: The meat isn't some slow smoked meat. I'd bet this is some meat they buy from a food service, that's already pre-done, and Central just wakes it up. It has the pre-processed texture. Smoked sausage: It was ok. Pit beans: These were canned beans, like Bush's beans! Putting a few shreds of pulled Popek on top; hardly fooled us! Unfortunately, I got nothing out of this place.

The food was cold or barely warm. The Mac and cheese was cold and directly from the Kraft box- no baked goodness here. The pulled pork portions were generous- but cold and came out slathered in traditional BBQ sauce. The French fries were battered and cold. The okra was tasty but room temperature.

I can see why this location has low ratings--the counter service leaves a lot to be desired. My cashier didn't smile, offer suggestions or up sale--what she has is a great stare down as you decide what to order. The good news is the good is still good and flavorful. I ordered to go, about 15 min wait for food on a Saturday night, and got half rack of ribs with a side salad, plus sides of house made potato chips and pork rinds. Meat was tender and decent flavor. Chips and rinds were really good! The salad was odd, 2 big quarters of a tomato, small pile of baby carrots, generous sprinkle of cheese blend and an odd mix of dead spring mix with a romaine blend. It was generous, but definitely not a great salad--darn my need for greens! Overall a good stop for take out if you like a side of staring from your cashier.

Central Bbq has very nice interior, very open and comfortable. You order at front counter. Employees were very helpful and efficient. They bring the food to you very fast. The brisket sandwich was little dry but had nice bbq flavor. 3 meat combo was also little dry but the seasoning was excellent. Cole slaw and beans were fresh and delicious. Best part was the pulled pork. It was fresh and moist. They also had nice selection of sauces. Enjoy!

First time having Memphis BBQ and it was delicious. There are so many options at Central so we tried it all! The nachos are made with potato chips and are decadent! The pulled pork was moist and tender and the dry rub chicken wings are amazing.

Unfortunately when you screw up an order, you can an uber-critical review. Staff was friendly, but it took an act of Congress to get some sauce which was out at the station. Brisket definitely needed sauce as it was on the drier side. Pulled pork was sooo dry. Ribs were NOT fall of the bone. The only real meat on the ribs were on the cap. No real meat in between the ribs. Luckily I got these wet and the sauce was nice and sticky. Asked for mac and cheese as my side and was given baked beans. The kitchen ticket even said mac and cheese, so not sure how that got screwed up. The banana pudding is banana-forward, but more in the flavoring of the pudding than actual bananas. With so many BBQ joints in the Memphis area, I'll try something else before coming back.

We stopped in Memphis on a cross country road trip and we were excited to try some good Memphis bbq! Unfortunately we were passing through on a Sunday night and most of the classic bbq joints were closed until Tuesday. So we decided to try Central bbq since it was open and made an online list of best Memphis bbq. The pros: 1. It was open 2. I liked that you could do a half dry/half wet rack of ribs to compare the styles 3. It was affordable compared to some other places I've been to 4. Solid pulled pork and ribs (I especially liked the wet ribs). Cons: 1. they were out of almost all of their drinks and bbq sauces 2. The Cole slaw was too sweet 3. The greens were a bit too salty. I enjoyed the first few bites but then I couldn't finish them 4. No corn bread :( the roll was sad looking Overall, decent bbq but I think there are probably better options in Memphis.

I have ZERO idea why someone would give this place 3 stars. Like most BBQ experiences, reviews are going to reflect preferences over actuality. "One man's junk is another man's treasure." For me Capital BBQ is now a staple in my future Memphis visits. Having several branches, this Poplar location is my favorite with plenty of seating and serve yourself beverage station. You order first from a counter so service is not really factor but the bussers driving by to clear plates and napkins (you use A LOT) regularly is appreciated! The bbq here is as outstanding as advertised! Moist and tender with great smoke taste, the pulled pork platter I ordered was worth every penny, generous in portion (beans, fries, were my two sides) and reasonably priced. The table shared pork nachos which my wife claimed to be her favorite appetizer ever. The REAL winner for me was the wings that came out smoky, with drumstick and wing together. These were some of the best wings I've ever had! A delicious blend of sauces made the meal a win all the way around! At the End of the Day the south will always tout their bbq as the best. If they know what they're doing most places just add to the experience and the bbq is just great. Capital BBQ give you a great experience along with the great BBQ.

Ribs were tender. Definitely needs sauce to make it all Come together. The peanut butter pie was killer. Love that chocolate crust.

We were here visiting Memphis for the first time and thought, "We gotta have bbq!" This place did not disappoint. Food was tasty and plentiful, such a good value for the price. It's half self serve half served, you order from the front counter then sit and the food comes to you. We ordered beers but had to pick them up ourselves. Now for the food: I got the half rack, half wet, half dry. Dry is not very flavorful but the wet side was perfect. Sticky, barbecue-y, and tender with that nice crust. Everyone here was super courteous, very family friendly!

This was good but not great. The other two locations are much better. Maybe the kitchen can't keep up with the demand. The sauces are great and the pork nachos would have been better with cheese sauce and no shredded cheese and chips on the side (deconstructed). They were soggy and cold. There are better spots for barbecue in Memphis.

Perfect experience from start to finish in ordering & picking up a complicated order for 10 people ! Thank you Central BBQ Poplar!!

Excellent BBQ sandwich and beans. Hot and fresh with a good smokey flavor. Service was polite and attentive.

I'm not sure of if this is how Memphis typically does their bbq but it was not good at all. I ordered the 3 meat plate in which I received ribs (half wet, half dry), pulled pork, and turkey. The ribs were missing flavor and were not tender at all. The pulled pork didn't have any flavor. The turkey was tender and had some kind of seasoning on it but wasn't good enough for me to want to return back to this restaurant. The fries and pork rinds are decent. I'm not from the area so maybe that's why the flavoring was soooo off. However, I do travel quite often to where I've gotten much better bbq in other states/cities than what was served here at Central BBQ. There were no issues with staff/customer service. I don't plan on coming back but I'm sure the locals will continue to show their support.

It was fine but I would go to tops or try somewhere else before going back. The sausage on the appetizer was extremely salty. There was a lot of fat in the pulled pork. The sauce selection was fun!

Ribs - unreal. Fall off the bone, delicious sauce and perfectly cooked. Sausage - fantastic, nice spice, well done. Brisket - hard pass. Dry, overcooked, unfortunate. Chicken - no go. Nothing special, dry, simple Easy ordering system at the entrance, regular refill stations for drinks. Fast casual feel, good for business meetings.

I haven't been to the location in a while. I stopped in for the BBQ nachos. The service was great and I enjoyed the nachos. I ordered two sides but didn't really care for them. They lacked seasoning so I ate some of it. Central is a good dining spot so I will return for something different on the menu.

Ventral BBQ has some of my favorite ribs in Memphis. Everything I've tried there has been outstanding. My husband and I ordered pork rinds and rib plates to go from the Poplar location and weren't disappointed. The ribs were tender and smoky and we were happy with the sides we ordered. The potato salad at Central is some of my favorite and the greens are awesome. The wait time for my online order wasn't long at all and the employees I encountered could t have been any friendlier. I'll definitely be back! Excellent!

I'm from Kansas City and don't like saucy bbq so while in Memphis I was excited to try dry rub. I guess Central BBQ took that literally as this was the most dry bland meat I've ever had in my life. Between the $70 my wife and I paid for we tried Ribs, Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, and Brisket. Every meat was dry and flavorless. The only saving grace was the beans which is why I am not giving this place a 0/10.

After searching for barbecue I stumbled upon this place since Paynes was closed. And I'm not a happy camper. The young lady at the counter needs to smile. Straight faced the entire time ordering. I went with the 3 meat combo with ribs and beef brisket and pulled pork. I had Mac n cheese, greens and baked beans as my sides. Let's start with the ribs! Slightly disappointing lacking in flavor, yet somewhat tender. The beef brisket was dry and didn't really remind me of brisket honestly. Not much smokeyness to the meat if that makes since. The pulled pork was dry and after asking it to be chopped up it was not. So I had huge dry chunks of meat. As for the sides. I know a can of glory greens when I taste them and that's what they are serving which is ridiculous. Mac n cheese is below average at best and they top it with paprika for color. The baked beans were beans with a bit of spice. I spent 45$ and I'm upset about it. I'll never be back..

I would eat here again but it was just OK. Brisket and pulled pork was dry, ribs were decent but Cozy Corner's are infinitely better. The hot wings were the best item I had (wet was the best out of wet, dry, and jerk).

I've tried this Central BBQ (Poplar location) twice in the last few months. The first time was OK, decent but definitely not great, and certainly not living up to the hype this place gets. I figured it had to be an off night or they were slammed and couldn't focus on quality. After eating there again today (just at the tail-end of lunch when it was not even close to slammed), boy was I wrong... I can honestly say that I've never had drier meat than the brisket and pulled pork. I've had moister beef jerky. You really have to try hard to dry out pulled pork. I choked down most of the very small portion of pork after dousing it with gobs upon gobs of BBQ sauce, but I literally could not chew the leathery brisket. Aside from being dry as a bone, the flavor on the brisket was non-existent. Luckily, I decided to give the bologna a try as the 3rd meat in the combo, and good thing I had...otherwise, I would've gone hungry. To be clear, the bologna was edible, but not great...mediocre at best, really. Beans were good, but not great...of course, it's harder to mess up baked beans than it is to dry out pulled pork so I guess the quality standards at this place aren't quite at the bottom of the barrel (yet). Oh, did I mention I paid $25 for a combo plate and beyond the fact that the portions were laughable for that price, they didn't even include my 2nd side...not that I would have any desire to try their slaw now. If you're in the mood for BBQ, there are plenty of options for decent smoked meat all around this city. This is not one of them. My vote is less than 1 To the owners/operators: You really need to run a check on QA with your management and staff, or you won't have that reputation to rely on much longer.

I recommend Central for those that like things other than pulled pork or ribs. I think Central's pork is dry and chewy. That said, they do wings extremely well and have BBQ Bologna sandwiches (my fave!), which are difficult to find at BBQ joints, so I'd recommend them for that!!! When I need either, Central is where I go!

This is supposed to be good Memphis BBQ, but it was terrible. If this is standard Memphis BBQ, then no thanks! We got the full slab of ribs - half wet half dry - terribly over cooked and flavorless. The brisket was covered in sauce but also lacking in flavor. The green beans were over salted. The onion rings were though and over cooked. The Mac and cheese and potato salad were ok and standard. The banana pudding was not good - mostly pudding and cream - barely any bananas. The smoked wings with dry spice rub was the best thing we had - cooked well, definitely spicy.

Food - Great BBQ! Enjoyed ribs, brisket, & chicken wings. Service - Very nice! Ambiance - Clean, open areas, and nice condiments area! Get BBQ sauce at condiments bar it's warm!

The decor was cute and rustic. The cashier was friendly and did not rush me to place an order. I didn't smell smoked bbq from the kitchen as expected. The kitchen workers were loud. My lemonade was bitter and too concentrated. I wasn't able to drink the lemonade, even after diluting. The pulled pork sandwich tasted bland. I was t able to grasp the flavor or actual seasonings, despite the pork being saturated in bbq sauce. Once I returned to my car to eat the sandwich, the sandwich fell apart. It was too saturated with coleslaw and sauce. There was more coleslaw than pork on the bun. I was disappointed because I do not like soggy, stale, or saturated bread. Also, the potato salad was bland...Another disappointment in Memphis!...No return for me.

I had a pretty good experience at Central BBQ! Nice outdoor seating that's accommodating for big groups and a casual ambiance. I really enjoyed the dry ribs and tried them with all four sauces they offered. It's a nice touch that they keep the sauces warm. However the brisket was lackluster. I would recommend sticking with the ribs.

Good place to stop. Came in from AZ with some expectations. Stopped at two places for lunch this day to compare. Enjoyed the dry ribs, great rub. The BBQ sauce was okay. The Spicy BBQ was mostly apple cider vinegar. Tried all four. As I enjoyed them they didn't stand out to me. Food was great definitely worth trying.

Ok I already know I'm about to get a lot of grief for this post. I broke the carnal rule of barbecue in Memphis- I ordered the beef brisket. I know, bad, bad, bad! The beef brisket here was so dry and without a single redeeming quality of good Texas brisket that I'm mad at myself for even eating it. I dumped my slaw on top of it to give the brisket a semblance of juice. It didn't work. So I went in for the fries. How in the world do you screw fries up too? They were cold, dry, and mealy. C'mon Central! However, the staff were awesome and friendly. It was 6pm and the place was practically empty. Everyone knows something I don't. But now I know.

In Memphis for the weekend Central was recommended by the hotel staff where we were staying. The dry rub wings were recommended and yes they are a game changer. My son and I had the Jerk dry rub and they were very good. And yes the wings are on point. Had the Mac and cheese and they were ok. Baked beans were ok as well.

What an awesome BBQ joint! So glad we tried this one, there are so many to choose and we were just passing through. Very cool atmosphere, great food and great location. They have a nice covered outdoor are and the weather was great so we sat outside. I had the brisket and wife had the pulled pork. Both were awesome, large portions and lots of sauces to try.

A great example of Memphis BBQ. Love their pulled pork. Great cheese plate and pork salad. Just great Memphis foods.

Back in town to visit our daughter. Def a place we plan to visit for lunch every time we are in town. The service is top notch! 10!

Usually a good place in the past, this time the meat was dry and loaded with sauce to offset, greens were very soggy, lots of paprika on the Mac n cheese. Service was great and cashier very friendly and helpful.

This is always my go to in Memphis. Although all the locations are good they are not all equal. Favorite was the original but last time I was there it was closed for renovation. Next favorite is the one in the germantown area.

I had not been to this location before, it was nice and had a large outdoor seating area. The bbq nachos were totally amazing!! I could not eat all of the half order, they were piled up high!! Their onion rings are delicious and crunchy! You order at the counter but they bring your food to the table. They have a variety of yummy sauces as well.

Nice atmosphere, service and food. Prices are high but I guess that is a lot of BBQ joints? It was a solid 3 stars for me. My husband really enjoyed it.

We've had the ribs from mail order Goldbelly before but figured since we were in Memphis we should try the place. They were really good the dry rib ribs and very flavorful. The sides were piping hot and stayed warm. This was a pre order for pick up and it stayed warm until we got to our hotel. Great service, food came immediately, and overall everything was really good. Much better then expected

An embarrassment to Memphis BBQ. Not only did the register lady state she doesn't eat pork and can't suggest anything but the place was a mess. The ribs were old, the brisket wasn't cut against the grain and the pulled pork tasted like it was smoked for years. I wouldn't feed my dog this dry bbq

Came to Memphis to try ribs. I absolutely loved the dry ribs. Had them at a few places. You really have to try here. The staff was nice. The food came quick. The poplar ave location was perfect. A quick drive from Graceland You need to try the bbq bologna. Excellent. I'm hooked. The greens were also good. I love greens with bbq

Central was listed as a "must try" of Memphis. My chicken wasn't bad but, it didn't wow me. And some of the sides including the green beans can use a little razzle dazzle. They tasted like someone just poured them out if a can into a pot and served. Now, the sausage sandwich..that's a different story! It was really good

This week's Wienermobile stop is Memphis, TN! From many locals I've heard that Central BBQ is the place to check out so with local recommendations I did! Food was great! Really enjoyed the Smoked Sausage and the Mac. Staff were friendly and the place had a nice aesthetic as well.

The food was fantastic everything I tried from the menu was fantastic. Service was quick and friendly. This is my nee go to spot while in Memphis.