Papa Kayjoe's Bar B Que — Restaurant in Centerville

After spending the early fall morning cruising the Natchez Trace Parkway south of Nashville, we navigated the winding two-lanes along and across the Duck River into the little town of Centerville. It was one of those moments that feel like you are in a movie when we pulled into the gravel parking lot under a cloudless sky. We were greeted by the official scent of autumn-sweet hardwood smoke-as we walked towards the unassuming wood-sided smokehouse.

Inside and outside, the walls are covered with a mix of barbecue, family and hometown sports memorabilia- which is pretty commonplace, but the difference is that here it feels real instead of being a cheap reproduction. In fact, some of the décor was salvaged when the original structure was gutted by a fire in 2015.

Upon entering the museum/restaurant, you place your order at the counter directly in front of you. A menu board is at the top of the wall, with a chalkboard listing daily specials beneath it. This day’s options included baby back ribs (a Friday-Saturday special) and banana pudding. These were obvious choices, and we rounded out our meal for three with a pork plate, which includes two sides and cornbread.

We took a seat at one of the small tables. Soon, our food was brought out. The ribs were a thing of beauty. These were the dry-rub ribs- they offered the choice of dry or sauced when ordering, and this was the right choice. Gigantic bark and additional rub encased tender meat that pulled cleanly off the bone. I personally prefer a little more smoke flavor, but they were definitely a top 5 for me.

The pork was also well cooked and perfectly moist. If I was forced to find something to complain about, it would be that again, I would want more smoke. That is a personal preference though, and not a critique. A flavorful hot sauce and an unusual sweet sauce (maybe a hint of molasses?) added plenty of interest to the delicious bites of pork. Added to the corn cake, it made a heavenly combo.

The sides and dessert also exhibited the attention to detail practiced here. We enjoyed a vinegar slaw which complimented the pork perfectly, and fresh, crisp fried okra straight out of the fryer.

I’ve eaten a lot of banana pudding at barbecue places- probably the most common dessert- but this was the best one I could remember. Only the pudding was premade; the bananas were freshly sliced and vanilla wafers just out of the box so nothing was soggy.

I don’t know whether this had anything to do with the fact that the National Banana Pudding Festival was being held in Centerville the next day, but I think this one would have been a contender in any contest. I briefly considered going back the next day for more, but other plans were already being made. But man, I hope to get back sometime. The food and the people here have a special ingredient. It’s love, and you...

Im back!!! Today after my first covid vaccination I treated myself to lunch here. I asked 3 different people in town where was the best restaurant in town and all three said "Papa Kayjoes" and believe me they were right!! I ordered their Papa burger with an extra patty and grilled onions. It came with cheese and a generous amount of bbq on it along with cheese and bacon. I also ordered an order of tater tots, and as all my regular readers know I ordered them cooked extra crispy. I ordered it to go as I suspected I couldn't finish it all. I was right. The tots were done to perfection and was honestly all I could eat on the spot. It was a really generous order!! Boy do I love crispy tots and these were wonderful!! I took the burger home and sat down to eat it about an hour later. It was simply delicious!! The bbq pork was a very tasty addition to top off a first rate burger. The beef had a great chew and it was hand formed and a good portion of it. The lady taking my order was new so it took a little doing to take my customized order but hey... We all gotta learn sometime. She was friendly and personable. I couldn't ask for more. The owners daughter was cooking and I had to clear my order with her to get a ruling on the cost of an extra patty. She was a doll and very upbeat and friendly. All in all it was a wholehearted 5 star experience! So if your feeling the grumbling hungries coming on and your anywhere near Centerville TN. Stop in and enjoy a great dining experience at a truly wonderful...

I called two weeks in advance to place a large order for my sister’s rehearsal dinner. The person on the phone didn’t even ask for my phone number, which I thought was odd, so I made sure to intentionally give it to her in case she had any questions or wanted to confirm my large order closer to time. Apparently all of that was for nothing because when I arrived to pick up my order, no one even knew I had placed one (though I did see that they found my order sheet- apparently it was somewhere but no one looked at it). They did not have all of the pulled chicken I ordered so they had to give me bone-in chicken, which was not ideal. The thing that made me the most upset, though, was that they did not really apologize to me. I understand that mistakes happen, but having been a restaurant manager, I know the most useful phrase in this situation is “how can I make this right?” I would have liked to have been on the receiving end of that question. You made a mistake and I am clearly unhappy- offer me a drink while I wait, apologize, try to make it right…just do something! The food was good, but my overall experience was disappointing.

Edit: I spoke with Devin on the phone, and I very much appreciate his apology. As I said, overall, the food was good! I appreciate his willingness to...