A & R Bar-B-Q

Leaving NOLA this morning, we decided we wanted to try real Memphis BBQ since we would be driving thru. We were very happy with our choice to stop at A&R. We all had brisket sandwiches. The beef was very tender and not at all dry. We really liked how it was cut into pieces instead of slices. Slaw was a good topping. Fries and O rings were delicious, too. I recommend stopping if you are near there.
Kurt from Kansas City

Great spot in South Memphis. No frills. friendly service. Delicious pork. Exactly what a bbq joint should be! Try the rib tip sandwich

This has to be some of the best bbq in the city. When I worked at University, I would travel over there and pick up some ribs. The staff was always great to me. The building is a hole in the wall, and there isn’t much parking, but damn it’s amazing!

Visiting from Dallas, TX BBQ was awesome… Food was fresh and hot. Prices was good will return.

I’m from Louisiana and this is not what I call good Bar-​B-​Q. The pork shoulder was tender but lacked flavor. What smoky flavor existed was covered up by the sauce which did not appear to be homemade. The BBQ sauce tasted like any bottled sauce. The salad and slaw tasted like any commercial brand out of a bag.
On the plus side — the service was great while the prep was slow.
Not a place that I would suggest. But again, I know BBQ :).

We wanted try some local BBQ while visiting Graceland. We found this great BBQ just down Elvis Presley Blvd. For two people we had a full rack of ribs, two sides, two sodas and for $ 22. Even tried fried pickles for the first time… tastes better then it sounds! Ribs so tender and flavorful! While enjoying our lunch in the modest dining area, a mailman, FedEx driver, business man and 2 different law enforcement officers came in for take out. Locals must love it too!

Great barbeque, but most of all awesome rib tips and shoulder sandwiches. I come to this barbeque restaurant before I drive anywhere else. A&R is worth the drive!!!

The food is yummy… however, my boyfriends ribs were served in sooo much grease. I had the pulled pork sandwich, it was delicious. Very very heavy lol so come ready to eat.

Rib tips amazing! My husband had the turkey leg and it was overcooked and a bit disappointed

Working my way through the Memphis BBQ scene, this place is actually one of the best in terms of ribs and, more specifically, rib tips. The location is shady enough (note to tourists) but the staff is efficient and the food is good. In terms of ribs in Memphis, if we don’t make them ourselves, we’ll probably head out here for some pretty decent grub.
Note to tourists– Memphis is known for PORK not BEEF, so if you order brisket anywhere (a cut I NEVER had growing up until I visited TX) you’ll probably end up being disappointed.

Mediocre. My ribs were fatty, cold and I asked for spicy bbq sauce and the sauce I had was barely spicy. The baked beans and slaw was pretty tasty. I would go back and try something different off their menu. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?

I have very high expectations when it comes to bbq in Memphis. This spot did not meet those expectations.
I ordered the brisket with green beans and potato salad and a smoke sausage.
My mom ordered the smoke chicken wings.
The briskest was cool. It was tender and the sauce was good. Overall the brisket was good but not amazing.
I was very disappointed with the smoke sausage it lacked flavor and tasted like it was very low quality grocery store brand. I would recommend nobody order this!
The smoked wings were good and they were the best thing out of everything that was ordered.

There is no doubt I had the best rib tips of my life here. A & R being the staple that it is, I should not have been surprised.
They were large, crispy and meaty. They had a perfect balance of meat, fat and bone/​gristle. Add to that they were smothered in a spicy sweet BBQ sauce and it was little wonder that I sat there and devoured them.
The BBQ pork nachos were just ok though. The meat, obviously was amazing. It was moist, flavorful and they gave you a lot but the sauce wasn’t great and the cheese on the nachos wasn’t very good either. Stick to the basics on the menu and you can’t go wrong.

We rolled into this ‘cue joint after visit with the King at his house down the road. Honestly, we debated not reviewing this little bit of awesome, as we didn’t want this hidden gem to be found.
The place has all the makings of a classic joint — old and little bit worn out. It also has that former service station feel that a lot of awesome barbecue places seem to have. Someday, I’ll probably try to figure that one out. The inside is clean, well worn, and bright.
The ‘hood probably isn’t the greatest, so avoid going there to eat in the middle of the night. That and they’ll probably be closed anyway. During the day, all was good in the ‘hood.
We wandered in at the start of lunch and ordered something small — and sadly it was not the ribs. We got a hot chopped sandwich with coleslaw and a side of potato salad. The potato salad was another rookie mistake — the beans are the way to go. We also ordered two fountain drinks. The total was under ten bucks.
Anyway, let’s get on with it!
THE MEAT!
Chopped Pork Sandwich — This was pretty clutch. An excellent texture, not mushy, and it had the nice crunchy pieces of bark. This with the lightly toasted bun was delicious. The slaw appeared homemade, but was not mustard-​based like a lot of them around town. It worked great with the sandwich. Anyway, back to the meat — it was smokey and ‘cued perfectly. No complaints. Since we ordered «hot» the sauce had a nice kick, but not enough to singe your tastebuds.
THE SIDE!
The potato salad was standard issue of the mayo/​mustard variety. We are guessing it was not homemade. It did the job, and made us regret not ordering the beans.
THE VERDICT!
We leave with only regrets and a promise to return — the rest of the menu will be dominated soon! What’s a six hour drive for good ‘cue? The chop was awesome, the service was great, and the atmosphere was classic ‘cue joint. The location is fine, and everyone was friendly. Once again, we almost hate to preach about this joint — but the gospel of the ‘cue must be spread far and wide!
This place is ringing is just shy of the promised land, and will probably be there after our next visit — a very respectable FOUR STARS!

A hole in the wall restaurant that was absolutely delicious! This restaurant has some of the best tasting BBQ I have ever had. Not to mention the equally delicious sides: beans, potato salad, slaw, and fried pickles.

Next time I won’t get the smoked sausage. I’ve not been there in years so I decided to stop by. I remembered their pulled sandwiches were excellent but decided to go with something different. I got a smoked sausage and was scared to eat it when I got home. It was VERY done on the outside but the inside was extremely wet, dripping with oil and what looked like water and was too pink. I paid $ 10.00 for my meal which included a drink, onion rings and fried apple pie. I probably won’t go back any time soon… if I do I’ll just stick with the beef pulled bbq sandwich.

No. Ribs-​terrible. String beans-​you think would be good with all the seasoning and meat but totally tasteless. Beans-​nice flavor. Don’t go for the food but RUN for the cake! The lemon cake is absolutely devine, not too lemony, not too sweet and very moist. Very disappointed.

Just OK. Our only stop for memphis bbq and sad this was what we picked. Flavor behind the sauce good. Sauce sweet not spicy at all. Pretty bland. Wait for food was lengthy for a less than crowded eatery. My kids got Ticee wings… tough meat with bbq sauce. Ribs with not tender. Bring a sharp knife to cut them. Cole slaw not tasty. But BEANS pretty good. Best thing we had. but didn’t knock our socks off. Previous reviews rated banana pudding high. So we ordered the pudding and paid for it but later they told us they ran out. Great disappointment. Go elsewhere if you want Memphis bbq.

Stopped by on a road trip from New Orleans to St. Louis and it was awesome. Typical awesome BBQ with quick service. I got the rip sandwich smothered in BBQ sauce.
Definitely one of those «hole in the wall» places. Doesn’t have much going for it on the outside and it’s in a sketchy area, but it’s the food that matters. Only been there once, but I’m sure everything is good.

In reading some of the reviews for A & R, I laughed a little bit at some of them. «crappy part of town», «sketchy», etc. —– some people need to get out more! There is nothing wrong with this stretch of old 51 highway. Is it a little bit run-​down? Yeah — -but that’s just how Memphis looks.
I am a big fan of the beans at A & R. They are among the best in town. Very nice sweetness mixed with flavorful bits of pork. They are definitely the side to get in your combo.
The Jumbo Pork Sandwich is a worthy effort. The sauce is really good, and they do put a lot of it on the Sandwich before they wrap it in wax paper. If you are worried about a messy sandwich, order the sauce on the side. The pork itself had a nice tender quality without being mushy. The pork had good flavor with what seemed like a mixture of wood and charcoal flavor. In any event, it’s a sandwich that holds up to any in Memphis.
This is a true Memphis place. Lots of sweet desserts to choose from — - cakes and pies being featured in the case out front.
A & R is a top 10 Memphis BBQ joint. Definitely better than most!

This is a town obsessed with q, cue or BBQ. It is American as Jack and Coke, but Memphis citizens take it to another realm. You can get caught up in the dry rub versus wet sauce debate and visit all the tourist joints like Corky’s Ribs or Rendezvous. Everyone has an opinion on the best one. I ain’t from here. But I would probably throw my vote this direction. This little place is hands down porky goodness: a «locals”-“word-of-mouth”-kind-of-space. You can also pay your respect to the King, as he is buried down the street; and Elvis would have loved this place. It is small and cozy, perfect for his Mafia. No bones about it.