Central BBQ, Memphis, TN

Central BBQ, located in Memphis, TN.

The rain had already started to come down hard by the time we arrived at our second lunch stop of the day: Central BBQ, another place reputed by many to be the best in Memphis. By the look of the lengthy line out the door (despite the rain), the locals seemed to be in agreement. We wait in line and finally placed our order of a combo plate with ribs, pork, and chicken, with sides of baked beans and macaroni and cheese.

Our meal of ribs, pork, and chicken, with sides of mac and cheese and baked beans.

The ribs were excellent. We were asked if we wanted them sauced, half sauced, or none, and we went with half. They were smoky and tender, cooked just right. They really didn't require any sauce at all; the dry rub was so flavorful and delicious. The pork and chicken were both smoky and moist, very flavorful. Both were served pulled. The beans were sweet and pretty tasty. The mac and cheese appeared powdered and bland, the only disappointing part of the meal. They had 4 ttypes of sauces; mild, hot, mustard and vinegar. The mild was quite good while the other 3 were unremarkable. Really though the meal didn't need any sauce. It also came with 2 rolls.

Central, to this point, was the best Q we had on the trip so far, and worth every penny and minute in line. A must try if you are in Memphis. We rated it 4 stars.

Germantown Commissary, Germantown, TN

Germantown Commissary, located in Germantown, TN just outside Memphis.

Friday morning we left Birmingham and drove to Memphis. Our first stop was Germantown Commissary, famed for being one of the best Q joints in the Memphis area.

The Commissary (a name which used to refer to a general store) is a small place with very limited parking. We were greeted by the manager or perhaps the owner, who was friendly and directed us to sit in the dining room, where we waited a while before getting service. The people were frienly and the place had a very eclectic interior similar to Saw's, only bigger.

We decided to order a rib and pork shoulder plate, with sides of baked beans, slaw, and a deviled egg. We also decided to try something 'unique' to Memphis: bbq nachos.

A rib and pork shoulder plate, with sides of baked beans, cole slaw, and deviled egg.

The pork was pulled and pretty flavorful and smoky, but was definitely on the dry side, and the same applied to the ribs, which were even drier.  The beans were decent, as was the slaw and deviled egg. The meal also came with a bread roll.

The bbq nachos were what stood out. These were excellent, and came in a huge portion. Despite the plate being pricey, you definitely got what you paid for in terms of quantity.

They had 2 kinds of sauce, and both were decent if unremarkable.

BBQ nachos

Overall, Germantown Commissary may have been a little disappointing given the sky-high expectations we had coming in, but it is still good bbq and worth trying if you are in Memphis. We give it 3.5 stars.

Phil ready to eat.

Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, Bessemer, Alabama

Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, located in Bessemer, AL, just outside Birmingham.

After eating at Saw's, we headed over Bob Sykes in Bessemer, a town outside Birmingham to the west.


The place was clearly a popular local joint, and similar to Riverfront, had a sort of 'family' feel to it. It also had a drive thru and the sign outside advertised hamburger steak. These were warning signals to us that the Q here might be lacking.

We walked in and immediately saw the open pit and a fairly large menu.

We ordered half a chicken plate, with sides of baked beans and fried okra. The meal also came with a piece of toast.

The chicken came totally drowned in their dark sauce, which was bland and not very good. The chicken itself tasted briny, with a flavor reminiscent of hot dog and no smoke flavor whatsoever. The beans were even worse, tasting almost straight out of a can. The fried okra was ok, but fairly soggy. Overall the portions were generous.


As the warning signs indicated it would be, this was pretty disappointing Q, and certainly not worth the drive out to Bessemer if you are looking for awesome Q and not just a place to dump the kids after soccer practice.

2 stars.

Saw's BBQ, Birmingham, Alabama

Saw's BBQ, located in Birmingham, AL.

After checking into our hotel in Birmingham, we drove to Saw's.

Saw's is a low key place with a colorful interior and decorated walls. It has a small dining room, accompanied by a small menu. We ordered a pork plate with sides of mac and cheese and baked beans.

We were hungry and forgot to take a picture of the food before we started eating it. Pulled pork, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese.

The pork was pulled and fairly good; quite tender, though no bark was present. A big improvement over what we had had for lunch. The beans were a little bland, and not sweet. They had some vinegar tang to them. The mac and cheese looked very inviting but the flavor disappointed, being bland, dry, and not cheesy enough.

Saw's sauce is a vinegar based-concoction but was reasonably flavorful.

Overall the pork made Saw's worth the visit, but the menu and the sides could use more variety.

A happy customer

Riverfront Bar-B-Q, Albany, GA

Riverfront Bar-B-Q, located in Albany, GA.

On Thursday we drove from Tampa to southwest Georgia, stopping in Albany for lunch at Riverfront Bar-B-Q.

Interior of Riverfront, popular with the locals.

Our expectations going in were not particularly high. We had search for roadside stands to try but failing to find any, we stuck with Riverfront.


Both of us ordered pork sandwiches; I got fries as a side and Phil got cole slaw. They apparently charge for water, so I got sweet tea. Line was minimal and wait was brief for our food to be brought out.

Pork sandwich with fries.

Unsurprisingly the whole meal was a disappointment. The pork was chopped, bland with little smoke flavor and not particularly tender either, with no bark present. The fries were standard store bought frozen fair, and sucked. Slaw was average.

They had 4 different kinds of sauce: vinegar, sweet, mustard, and hot mustard. Somehow they managed to make all 4 of them bland, except that the sweet one actually tasted nasty.

A disappointment, but could it be called one when we weren't expecting much anyways? Unfortunately, it was Georgia's sole representation. We rate it 2 stars.

Al's Finger Lickin' Good, Tampa, FL

Front of Al's Finger Lickin' Good BBQ, Ybor City, Tampa, FL

Al's got its start as a stand run out of a gas station in Brandon. He later moved over to his current building in old Ybor City.

Ribs, pork, baked beans, and collard greens.

Al doesn't label himself any particular regional style other than 'southern', but Al's could probably be classified as Memphis-style Q.

We ordered  pork and rib combo meals. Pictured the meal with sides of beans and collars. The ribs were pretty good. Tender, smoky, well cooked. Pork wasn't as good as the ribs, a little blander. Like most Tampa Q places, Al's beans are 'cina-beans'. They were tasty if sweet with a strong cinamon flavor. The collards are very unique....quite spicy for collards and very flavorful.

Al's is not as well known as it should be in Tampa; it is arguably one of the best BBQ places in the city and it has developed a nice local customer base. Worth trying if you are in Tampa.

Rated 3.5 out of 5.

Old trailer

Chickens