The Bottom Line
- The Summer Avenue restaurant is large with plenty of seating.
- Central BBQ's prices are very reasonable.
- The barbecue sauce is true Memphis-style: tangy and slightly spicy.
- The wait staff only brings food; you order it at the front counter, refill your own drinks, etc.
Description
- Central BBQ is kid friendly with plenty of high chairs, booster seats, and a decent kids' menu.
- The restaurant serves a nice selection of beer by the bottle, draft, or by the pitcher.
- Sunday-Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. - 4375 Summer Avenue
Memphis, TN
(901) 767-4672
Guide Review - Central BBQ
We went in for dinner on a Monday evening and there were only ten or so other groups in the restaurant. As Central BBQ is housed in the old Red Lobster building, there were plenty of tables available. Before we seated ourselves, though, we were greeted by the staff at the front counter who told us to place our orders with them.
I looked over the menu and found that my choices consisted of barbecued pork, chicken, beef, turkey, or bologna. It was a pretty standard selection. I settled on the beef brisket plate that came with a roll and two sides. I chose fries and cole slaw.
Our meals arrived quickly and we were impressed with the portion sizes of the meat. On my plastic plate was a generous pile of thinly sliced brisket, topped with Central BBQ's delicious sauce. The portion sizes of the sides were pretty typical and overall we had plenty to eat.
The brisket was fabulous -- slow smoked and tender. The cole slaw had the distinctive flavor of onions which I didn't care for. Then again, I don't care for onions at all. The fries were just your basic garden variety french fries, served hot but lacking salt. One member of my group opted for homemade potato chips instead of fries and she said they were wonderful.
Our meals were substantial enough that none of us ordered dessert. Had we wanted to, our choices would have been limited to cheesecake, the only dessert on the menu.
All in all, I enjoyed my meal at Central BBQ. Though the restaurant was a bit more casual than I expected, the overall experience was a good one. I will definitely eat there again.
