Central BBQ - Midtown — Restaurant in Memphis

Highly recommended by a friend, we stopped in to try the BBQ. We especially like hole-in-the-wall eateries, so we were excited when we pulled up outside. However upon entering things were not up to our expectations. There were many staff members on hand and they were not very busy. We ordered the pork sandwich- the menu said it was award-winning- and asked if we could substitute anything for the coleslaw. We were told that no substitutions were allowed. I would've been happy to pay extra to sub fries or anything, but that was not an option. So I ordered a side of onion rings. We ordered hot dogs for the kids. As soon as I was given a receipt and asked to sign, the young man at the cash register proceeded to text on his phone which was conveniently laying on the cash register. He didn't even notice that I had signed the receipt and handed it back to him. There was a plastic number lying under my receipt so I assumed it was for our order and took it to our table. As soon as I got to the table I realized that I had not ordered drinks so I went back to the cash register and asked the young man if drinks were included in the meals. He mumbled something and handed me 4 cups and 2 cookies which he had forgotten to hand us (mind was involved in texting, not serving customers). The sandwich was good but The Onion rings were all batter and not that good. The restrooms were so disgusting that we all waited and used a bathroom at another establishment after we left. However our 4 year old couldn't wait so my wife had to take her. While in the restroom a young man -employee- walked in without knocking. We...

Central BBQ was pretty good for the most part. We intentionally visited a bunch of BBQ places and compared all of the food. Central was one of them. First, I have to say that, true to their claim, Central has the best ribs that we found anywhere! So good! The dry rub and the glaze were all great!! Unfortunately, likely due to COVID, they did not have beef. But they had everything else. The other meats were good, but not great. They played it safe with the sides, meaning that they were all good and you will enjoy them all, but most of them are special or unique. Although Central was the only place that we found turnip greens. They were good. Prices were pretty standard for BBQ places. We got enough food to feed 4 hungry dudes for $64, including some tip. They also have excellent sweet tea!! We shared a gallon jug! The outdoor seating was pretty standard for BBQ as well. Nothing fancy. It feels like you're in your back yard with friends. I think that's a good thing, especially for BBQ! Go to Central. Enjoy it. But make sure you...

Kids got kid food and was standard although my kids loved being handed a cookie. Wife got the portabella salad, so the Vegan was happy. I felt lucky and got the ribs. I got half dry half wet. I'm a bbq guy, so I can be picky. The ribs consistency was perfect, but the meat was dry. The wet side hence was better and the dry side was... Pretty dry. I won't extrapolate and then say everything is over cooked, but I have a feeling they rely on the sauce instead of the cook for juicyness. The mustard BBQ sauce was really good and the regular sweet sauce is above average. I would like to come back and try their brisket to see, but I'm not confident. They get +1 star for being a bbq place with a vegan option, but sadly kinda average overall. The service was efficient, friendly and on point. Inside can get pretty packed, and the outside tent is comfortable, however there is a bit of an unpleasant smell in the area that I can only assume is going to get worse as the...