Central BBQ Poplar — Restaurant in Memphis

Poplar Ave location-3.75 stars-Review based on one visit to this location. Part of a very highly rated local chain. Nice smoky aroma on arrival. Hickory and pecan woods used here. Menu has all usual proteins. Smoked chicken in many forms a pleasant surprise. Unique items include BBQ bologna and a sandwich & salad with grilled portobellos. The pork ribs are the most talked about item here. They advertise no sauce in the pit so it’s all produced dry rub only during smoking and you get to choose which & how much sauce to use. Sauces are actually served warm, in a dispenser similar to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor style hot fudge pump. A nice innovation to be sure. Choices include mustard based, vinegar, mild, and hot. And be aware that they only provide PLASTIC eating utensils here. DW chose a Chicken BBQ Chef Salad. Basically their house salad topped with smoked chicken. The unique aspect of this salad is that it is served in a sun-dried tomato-basil tortilla shell bowl-similar to what you might find in a Mexican restaurant. Not a lot of variety in the salad veggies. Lettuce, cabbage, carrot, and a small bit of tomato. Also includes pepperoncini peppers. Something to be aware, the juice can be a big surprise. The salad was covered profusely with delicious moist slices of smoked chicken. Very generous portion. My choice was the half slab of ribs plate with two small sides and a roll. I attempted to add a single sausage link to my meal but was told they don’t sell them that way. Disappointing. The sides offered here have a couple of interesting choices. House cooked chips & pork rinds. The usual slaw, beans, potato salad, mac & cheese, and green beans. Choices for me were the potato salad & green beans. The first thing I noticed when served my plate was the offered small sides were very small. Like 2oz portion cup size. Smaller than any sides served from any of the half dozen bbq spots hit so far. Not a good value for a $25 meal. The next thing I noticed quickly was that the end rib on the rack was overdone on the outer edge to the point of the meat being brittle. Big turn off. The sides were nothing to write home about. The slaw to my taste was not good at all. The wife tasted it and pronounced it ok, but I only ate one bite. She felt maybe it was too much celery seed. The beans had little flavor but they were edible. Now comes the part where separating the ribs with a plastic knife comes in. I know you can probably tear them by hand but that’s not my preference. The plastic ware is truly annoying imo. Makes cutting anything into bite size pieces a chore. And it creates ridiculous amounts of plastic trash. The ribs themselves were definitely above average but-and this may be different at different locations or on a different day-you better be ready for a heavy dose of black pepper. On the edge of being too much & I love pepper. Beyond that, a good smoky flavor with a clear smoke ring. Wonderful tenderness with a nice pull from the bone. Not mushy. The heavy pepper flavor can be relieved by the warm roll that comes with. These are pretty typical mass produced white bread rolls. Again, quite small and you only get one. After sharing a bite with DW, it was gone. So I went to the counter to see if you can order separately. Yes you can for .25 each. I asked for four. No waiting, they are brought out while I wait. The young man brings a basket and says “they gave you six”. Which means to me that there were six left in the bag and the kitchen chose not to leave two before opening the next one. Fine by me. But the questionable piece to that was once back to my table the rolls were not even warmed! That was my expectation after our first roll. I chose not to make a big deal of it. Another sign of poor value to me. The rolls also turned out to be an excellent way to enjoy the smoked chicken by making little sliders. We enjoyed many things about our visit here. The value on the plate was not good. And there were enough things that were just off enough to make it a...

They Come in Droves!!

I had a chance finally to try out Chain of Barbecue joints during a trip to Memphis this year. In Memphis there are so many Good Places to choose from, some are established, some are fancy, some are holes in the wall. Central BBQ is a Good 'Ole Memphis BBQ joint. They do they're best to make BBQ that anyone can enjoy. The people that ran this location were very passionate about their craft. I walked into Central after a Long drive in from the Blytheville area, got stuck in traffic and was very hungry by the time I got there. The location on Poplar is a newer location and they put effort into making this a great place to eat. There was a line up for take out and you also have to line up to get food even if you're sitting in the restaurant to eat. The place is busy so be patient as during my visit I had to wait for a bit to get food. Please note there is table service and there are people to get you more BBQ, beer or sides.

I didn't really know what to try so, as usual, I got a platter as this was the only way to try a bit of everything. My choices were Ribs, half sauced and half dry-rubbed, Smoked Chicken and BBQ Brisket with sides of green beans and baked beans. The Plate was huge and I thouhgt...how am I going to eat this all? First off it tried the ribs, and for mass-produced products, it wasn't bad at all for a chain restaurant. The ribs had a smokiness to them, and they were tender. I tried a few different sauces on them to experiment a little all in all they were pretty good ribs. For the brisket, I made a sandwich with a few of the sauces, to keep it interesting, and was lucky to get a good cut of brisket that wasn't too dry, I mean we all know how finicky brisket can be right? The sandwich was delicious!! I then when to town on the chicken, which I tried with a hot sauce, which made the chicken very tangy and a little spicy. The Green beans were a good size and were alright, a little soft the baked beans, however, had a nice sauce, so they were enjoyable as well.

Central BBQ is a staple here in the Memphis area. I saw people bringing out armloads of takeout, so you know folks love the food. Is it the best in Memphis? I would say it one of the better places to go. If you're looking to watch the game and hang out with friends or just take some BBQ home for the fam, this...

I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed.

There is no sign or indication that you should seat yourself or wait to be seated. I came in, wandered around, ate a whole meal and left still unsure of just how they operate this restaurant if you are not just there to order takeout. I actually managed to do that by accident, so that's really easy.

The self service kiosks when you walk in on the OPPOSITE side of the takeout counter did not indicate that they are for takeout only. They are, apparently. We found that out by placing our orders and being unsure of what to do afterwards and asking around. Both my friend and I then had to ask for our drink cups before we could get those after being handed our bags. The service was almost non-existent. Even the self-serve takeout order kiosks were badly implemented. Why would a full sized order of nachos be under a section labeled "Small Bites" and why were there no spuds in a section called "Salads & Spuds"?

We took our big awkward takeout bags and ate out on the patio which was nice, except for the tables, which were not. Don't make crappy picnic tables out of rough wood and folded sheet metal. Maybe some people find that cute, but we found the bench seating awkward and uncomfortable. It's a restaurant, not a state park. Invest in tables and chairs.

The food was okay if you ignore the fact that it is overpriced. I know the economy is tough and you're on Poplar but $14 for some pork BBQ nachos? Y'all charging FedEx Forum prices out here in East Memphis! $18 for a six piece whole wing? $3 a wing?!

I think Central expanded too aggressively. The quality is not there for the price. For BBQ in Memphis there are far better options. My barber makes better ribs. I hate to say it, since I lived in Cooper Young for years and frequently ate at the original Central BBQ, but I felt like this location was a one-and-done tourist trap.

However, I have to show Central love for keeping BBQ portabellos on the menu. That is still worth something to me. It's a bold strategy to offer a legit vegetarian BBQ option in Memphis, TN. I respect that enough to give Central on Poplar three...