Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous — Restaurant in Memphis

A Rib Mecca in Downtown Memphis.

I have been to Memphis so many times over the past seven years as I have to fly into Memphis to visit customers in the area. I have been to almost every rib joint in the Memphis area from restaurant chains, to Ma and Pa places to hole-in-the-wall places. When you are in Memphis and looking for Ribs and Barbecue, Charles Vergos' is one of those places you have to try. Keep in mind that this place has been around since 1948 and they have their way of making ribs which has worked for them. The ambiance, the location, and the aromas when you are inside are what enhance their take on Memphis Barbecue.

The Rendezvous is located in a back alley in downtown Memphis. There is valet parking for the restaurant, street parking as well as Public Parking nearby which I warn you, you should use at your own risk. Once you walk down Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous Alley you will find the entrance which takes you downstairs. When you arrive, a team of hosts and hostesses will help you find a table or seat at the bar and take you to your table. Once you sit down, you can take in the history, the decor and the wafts of aromas from the barbecue.

Once I was seated my server came to my table in under 5 minutes, which was enough time for me to look at the menu and start deciding on what I should eat and drink. My server took my drink order and helped guide me through what was popular on the menu and his recommendations. I settled on the Brisket and Rib Combination from the 'Main Things' section of the menu. I chose the beans and the slaw as my sides. While I was waiting for my food, I had the chance to walk around the restaurant, take photos watch the Kitchen staff make the food and take in the vibe of the place.

When my food came I had a hot-off-the-grill rack of dry-rubbed ribs and my slow-smoked brisket, made with the Rendezvous proprietary sauces and rubs. The ribs were not super-moist and tender but had a nice consistency between fall-off-the-bone and firm so that the rub could penetrate the meat and add to the flavour. The ribs were fantastic and needed no sauce, although I did try them with a little sauce just to see what they tasted like with the sauce. The brisket on the other hand was slow-smoked, tender and juicy and cooked to perfection, with a softness and tenderness and covered in barbecue sauce. I liked the sauce on the brisket as it had a little tanginess, just enough to open up your palate. The beans were good, not great and the slaw was edible. Overall, a great meal and manage your expectations and keep an open mind when you eat here. Charlie Vergos' has a method and a formula to their success and people still come here in droves, some to try it and most because they make barbecue the way they like it. If you are in Memphis, I highly suggest you try this Iconic rib mecca...

Head down the stairs to the basement of 52 S. Second Street to this rustic Memphis BBQ spot with a jukebox and plenty of memorabilia adorning the walls.

Overall, they were not too busy on Wednesday in the late afternoon/early evening. Our group enjoyed the experience and left satisfied with the food and the service.

Chicken BBQ Nachos: the chicken was flavorful and moist, the cheese was a liquid nacho cheese, but the chips were just round tortilla chips probably from Sysco or US Foods. Nothing super impressive, but still tasty. 7/10

Rendezvous Special (Ham, Cheese, Salami, Sausage, Pickles & Peppers): in my opinion you should just get the 'cheese and sausage plate' with extra sausage. The only difference is you don't get the ham and salami, which adds nothing special to the dish. The sausage had dry rub on it and was good, but not great. The cheddar cheese was in long rectangles, and would have been better cubed so you could make a perfect bite. The pickles would have been better as chips instead of spears for the same reason. 7/10

Half rack pork ribs: the ribs were tender but still had some texture and bite to them. Flavor was good, lots of rub and light on sauce. I didn't LOVE the raw rub being put on when the ribs are served. Also I'm not 100% sure, but I think they leave the membrane on the ribs, which was on the crispy side and wasn't the best mouth feel. I prefer no membrane if you can't tell. 7/10

Brisket: I ordered the "pork ribs and brisket" and the dish came with about 5 slices of brisket. 2 slices were dry as a bone and not good, and the other 3 slices weren't as dry but they were slathered in BBQ sauce which totally drowned out the flavor of the brisket. Not sure if this was a fluke or not, but that was my experience. 5/10

Baked beans: these had nice flavor and chunks of pork which added to the texture and unctuiousness. I don't normally go crazy over baked beans, but these were quite good. 9/10

Coleslaw: vinegar base, pungent flavor. I enjoyed it, but it's not for...

We decided to come back to Rendezvous, as I hadn’t had it in a couple years and I really enjoyed my previous visit.

They did not disappoint. Mario J took care of us as our server. He was FANTASTIC. Really attentive and friendly and took great care of us. Our drinks never got close to empty before he brought us fresh ones, and his timing with getting our appetizer to us and allowing us to enjoy it at the start of our meal before being rushed to order the entrees was a great surprise for me.

We started with the chicken BBQ nachos, these were delightful. The cheese and barbecue sauce added a nice element to the delicious smoked chicken.

For an entree, my fiancé and I shared the Pork Ribs & Brisket, and let me tell you… it’s plenty enough for two! The BBQ baked beans and pickled mustard vinaigrette slaw that accompanied this entree were super enjoyable. I’m not a huge fan of anything outside of a sweet southern Cole slaw, but this was a nice twist.

The ribs are served dry, with a side of barbecue sauce and the brisket is somewhat more involved with the sauce and being more moist of course. The ribs were tasty, but I honestly didn’t get a whole lot of meat from them, or as much as I would usually expect from a slab of ribs. But the flavor was there and I couldn’t be too upset because the amount of food was plenty.

The brisket had a beautiful bark on it. It literally made me comment that I wanted to go home immediately and fire up my pellet smoker to concoct a brisket of my own. The brisket was wet in a sense, and had a super nice savory flavor to it. I am a HUGE fan of the brisket. They should definitely add brisket nachos to the menu.

Overall, Rendezvous was a great choice. I highly recommend it for anyone traveling or in the area looking...