Which Memphis barbecue joints made Southern Living's annual Top 50 list?
Southern Living magazine revealed its list of the South's Top 50 Barbecue Joints on Tuesday.
Three Memphis barbecue restaurants made the 2023 list: A&R Bar-B-Que, Cozy Corner and Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous.
A&R Bar-B-Que
1802 Elvis Presley Blvd.;(901) 774-7444; aandrbbq.com
A&R Bar-B-Que was the highest-ranking Memphis restaurant, landing in the No. 11 spot.
The description of this Whitehaven barbecue restaurant reads: “Memphis is famous for its slaw-topped barbecue sandwiches, and A&R serves the best in the city. The pork shoulder is slow-cooked on a charcoal-fired pit, then chopped and layered on a soft bun with yellow-tinged slaw and lots of A&R’s signature reddish brown sauce. Even better is the rib sandwich, a delightfully messy concoction with a short, meaty slab wedged, bones and all, between two slices of plain white bread, with plenty of sauce and a dollop of slaw. (It wouldn’t be a Memphis-style sandwich without slaw.) If you still have room, snag a homemade fried pie for a sweet finish.”
A&R Bar-B-Que was listed in the No. 11 spot in 2022.
Cozy Corner
726 North Parkway; (901) 527-9158; cozycornerbbq.com
Cozy Corner moved up the list this year, landing at the No. 25 spot. (In 2022, it was listed at No. 40.)
The post about this Downtown barbecue restaurant reads: “The setting may be bare bones, and the sign on the pale blue awning is battered and rusted, but Cozy Corner is an undeniable Memphis icon. Desiree Robinson, who co-founded the restaurant in 1977 with her late husband Ray, has kept the fires burning well into the 21st century, earning herself a spot in the Barbecue Hall of Fame along the way. The city’s signature barbecue items are all here: smoky ribs and rib tips enrobed in a sweet, tangy sauce, BBQ bologna sandwiches, and BBQ spaghetti, a fusion of tender noodles and savory barbecue sauce found only in Memphis. Cozy Corner offers a few unique wrinkles of its own, too, like smoked cornish hen and sandwiches that pile thin-sliced pork or beef on long sesame-topped sub rolls instead of the usual bun.”
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
52 S 2nd St.; (901) 523-2746; hogsfly.com
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous was listed at No. 47. It holds in the same ranking as in 2022.
The description of one of Memphis' most famous rib joints reads: “Memphis is famous for dry-rubbed ribs, and the Rendezvous is where they originated. Back in the 1940s, Charlie Vergos converted an old coal chute in his basement restaurant into a barbecue pit, and he started cooking pork ribs hot and fast over a charcoal fire. He finished the racks with a spice blend borrowed from his father’s Greek chili recipe, with paprika added for color, and they’ve been a Memphis legend ever since. Equally iconic is the Rendezvous’s setting, from the stylish red and green awning outside to the red-checked tablecloths and photograph-lined walls of the basement dining room. Start things off with a ham, cheese, and sausage appetizer plate and a cold draft beer, then move on to a big basket of those charcoal-crisped ribs. It’s a barbecue experience found only in Memphis.”
Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, TX, was named the best barbecue spot in the South.
The only two other Tennessee restaurants that made the list were Helen’s Bar BQ in Brownsville in the No. 29 spot and Peg Leg Porker, a Memphis-style barbecue joint in Nashville, moved up to No. 38.
The list was compiled and ranked by Southern Living's contributing barbecue editor, Robert Moss.
“Barbecue entrepreneurship continues to flourish, and in the past year many of the Top 50 restaurants moved into bigger and grander buildings or added additional locations. Ambitious new players keep entering the market, too, and they’re incorporating more and more flavors from other culinary traditions, including those from their own families. The result is an array of vibrant new spins on regional barbecue classics and many exciting new dishes to try,” said Moss.
“If you eat at all 50 of these joints, you will not only enjoy some fantastically delicious barbecue but will also experience the full sweep and range of the South’s diverse and thriving barbecue culture.”
The full list of winners can be viewed at southernliving.com.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 3 Memphis barbecue joints make Southern Living's annual Top 50 list
