[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey guys!
The family and I are going on a driving vacation in the coming months and will be passing through Memphis TN on the way back to St. Louis.
It has been my dream for many years to have some of this famous BBQ from Beale Street.
Does anybody have any recommendations for a place to dine?

Thanks guys
Bob

[bluewax]

Rendezvous   

[gary]

Rendezvous, absolutely. And get the pork nachos as an appetizer... they're unreal good.
If you stay overnight, the Holiday Inn is a nice place (Rendezvous is close by it, not on Beale st.)
just don't stay at the Best Western, it's an absolute dive.

Gary

[lonewolfny42]

Rendezvous, absolutely. And get the pork nachos as an appetizer... they're unreal good.
If you stay overnight, the Holiday Inn is a nice place (Rendezvous is close by it, not on Beale st.)
just don't stay at the Best Western, it's an absolute dive.

Gary

Wow....looks tasty......

[Double Ugly]

Rendezvous   

Rendezvous, absolutely.

What they said, Bob. 

You'll gain about 5lbs/meal, but you'll be too sated to care. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Wow. Three replies and all for the same place. That's gotta be some kind of record!
Thanks guys, Special thanks to Gary for the menu link! 


Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Looks like no more recommendations.
Although it'd be hard to beat the unanimous recommendation you guys came up with, THANKS!

It looks like the family is bound for a "Rendezvous"!  aa

Bob

[Steve Vol]

Bob, the Rendezvous is good but partly tradition/tourist.  Worth going to for the experience.  Another good place to try is Neely's Interstate BBQ, only about 15 min. south of the Rendezvous.  Shoot, go to both of them!  I went from one to the other on a BBQ tasting excursion.

Enjoy

Steve

[Scott F.]

Hi Bob,

I'm with Steve, both are good. A couple of years ago we stopped at Neely's for lunch on the way down to Pensacola. It was pretty darned tastey. On the way back we stopped for a day so we could play on Beale and went to Rendezvous. It was pretty darned tasety too.

Keep in mind (I can't remember how old your kids are), weekend evenings get a little crazy on Beale. Days are just fine, lots of music and shops but the nights tend to give way to the partiers. 

Have fun 

[Bob in St. Louis]

I should have mentioned the fact that the kids are three and eight years old. 

My goal is to experience "The Worlds Greatest BBQ", not visit another tourist trap. Realizing of course that the restaurant that serves the world best BBQ has probably been turned into a bit of a touristy place 
We'll be coming back from Disney in Florida when we make the trek through Memphis, so I'll "be done with" the whole tourist thing and just be wanting some VERY good food that'll make me want to relocate my house to Memphis. 

Thanks guys!
Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

The time is nearing for the trip, a couple more weeks.  During the route planning stage the wife and I referred back to here to get the address for Rendezvous, did anybody else happen to notice the "shipping" button on their web site?
If you order by noon, they'll overnight your food to your door, just in time for lunch the next day. NO charge for shipping! I showed the guys at work the menu.....'nuf said. 

Thanks again for the recommendations guys. 
Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well, we did the "Rendezvous" thing. We went this past Saturday between noon and 1:00pm. I was worried that they (with their reputation) would be packed with a line out the door. Couldn't have been further from the truth. At BEST, 20% of the tables were full. Very surprising. The place was very hard to find, although it was clean and organized inside. All of the employees seemed like they went out of their way to be friendly.

About the food: It was good..........Period.

Please let me elaborate. I was surprised that the bread they give you was the "run of the mill", COLD, dinner rolls. No seasoning, nothing fancy. I found it puzzling that for four patrons, they gave three pieces of bread....  The ribs were good, but a little dry. Tasted much better if individually dipped in the juice that was on the plate (and not much of that).
If Rendezvous was in my city, I'd go again. But the next time I pass though Memphis, I'll try Corky's or Neely's which where #2 and #3 on the recommendation list. (some recommendations given by co-workers)
I have no regrets, price was fair, food was good, atmosphere attractive, beer was cold, comfortable and relaxed experience.

Guys Thanks again!! 
Bob

[twisted karma]

Three other places to consider are:

Paynes- not a tourist trap, no thrills just hardcore bbq, great pork shoulder sandwich, fantastic wet ribs

Cozy Corner- ribs (sweet and tangy)

Central BBQ- both wet and dry ribs are top notch


Rendezvous has lived off of it's name for a long time (so has Corky's), not saying they do not put out good bbq but others now wear the crown in Mempho.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Thanks for the info Mr. Karma! Good to know.

Bob