Tops Bar-B-Q

Unbelievable BBQ sandwiches, ribs, and burgers. Classic BBQ joint that does everything well. Definitely try it out.

The ribs just melts in your hand but not too messy for a white t-​shirt. I ate the ribs plain because of my food allergies and never regret doing it this afternoon.
The staff is awesome, friendly plus gives suggestions to «Virgin» customers of their restaurant. I plan on eating here again real soon.
Thanks TOPS!!!

TOPS helped put Memphis on the BAR B Q map. Salute! You can’t go wrong at any location. Best BAR B Q sandwich in town. One of the best cheeseburgers in town, too. We use this location because its closest to our home.

Second time I’ve been this month. Before this month it has been years since I’ve been to Top’s BBQ. Last time I dined in and got the brisket meal. I was great and I was hoping to be a regular customer again. I was wrong. I went through the drive thru tonight and grabbed an 8-​pack meal. First thing that screwed up my evening was that the buns had burned bottoms. They explained that they had none better than that. I don’t understand how you accept a bun delivery that looks burnt. I get home and they left out the baked beans. To top it all of I get a little bitty cup of slaw. I literally said out loud «Really, this to serve 8 people?». If I decide to try Top’s BBQ again, it won’t be the location of Summer Ave near National.

I had a pretty good experience at Tops, given that I’m a native to Memphis and know good BBQ. I did really like my pulled pork sandwich, and the coleslaw and fries were on point. I don’t eat beans, so no insight there.
They did make a minor error in our order, and it was too late to go back, but I would definitely go again.

Tops= old buildings, good staff, good burgers, good beans, great BBQ sammys at a very reasonable price. There is a reason they have been around as long as they have!

I’ve always been a cheerleader for this particular location of Tops. I visited about a week ago and ordered a jumbo BBQ with extra cole slaw, extra cole slaw consisted of about tablespoon of slaw. I visited again today and when I requested extra cole slaw again I explained what happened at my previous visit. The cashier didn’t want to hear it. I checked my sandwich and very little cole slaw and had to argue to get a bit more. When I got home there was much less BBQ on the sandwich, not even enough to make up a regular size, so some got dumped off. I know better than to send food back, lesson learned. The lady preparing the BBQ sandwiches is new to me and I must say she is lousy at her job. Previous to her, I never had any problems with getting a jumbo that was correctly put together. The cashier today has been there as long as I can remember, she is the one with her head totally wrapped up and usually works the drive thru. She could learn some customer service when it comes to customers, kinda nasty to deal with.

lots of fat on sandwich, must ask no fat prior to ordering, tables were nasty, tea watered down,

While trekking across the Country, we made our way through Memphis and said «Hey, While in Rome do as the Romans!» so we ate BBQ!!!
The ribs were out of this world delicious and I didn’t even have to get out of the car to get them. Mind is officially blown. The Brisket was good, little bit of fat just like I like it! I just wish they would have asked me if I wanted the sauce on the side or on the Brisket… I didn’t care for the Brisket sauce at all, had I known I would have requested that it be left off, it was way too mustardy for me and I hate mustard. I would have loved the Rib sauce to be what was on the Brisket. Other than that, I loved it and I will be back with a little wisdom called «Hold the Brisket sauce»
Great meal, Great price. Can’t beat it!

OMG. We were driving through Memphis and decided to find some BBQ. Our son searched the GPS for the nearest shop and it directed us to Tops. What a stroke of luck! We ordered a full picnic-​sized assortment of ribs, pull pork, fries, slaw, beans, and all the sides, etc. This is the real deal. The people at the counter were friendly and helpful and the prices were extremely reasonable.
We had so much food, we were eating it for days — and happily so. For here on, a stop at Tops will be a must when driving anywhere near Memphis.

Tops Barbecue is a Survivor. When Tops started, Memphis BBQ was full of restaurants that have fallen by the wayside. Loebs, Coleman’s, and Leonard’s were the staples of Memphis Pork excellence.
Leonard’s is down to one location, and the others cease to exist in Memphis. Top’s Barbecue has a flavor that harkens back to a simpler time. Barbecue as a food category has gotten very competitive and complex. Spices, Wood, and expensive cookers are all part of the new era of barbecue.
This location is as famous for their hamburgers as their pork sandwiches. The Hamburgers are very good. They get a special-​ground beef from Charlie’s Meat Market on Summer. The burger is a very good example of a simple, juicy burger.
The pork BBQ Sandwiches are decent, and cheap. A jumbo Pork Sandwich was $ 4.15. That’s about a dollar less than most places in town. Tops cooks over hickory and oak lump charcoal. The pork has a charcoal flavor, instead of wood flavor. It is not overpowering. The sauce is very basic and quite tangy. The beans are decent, and have a lot of the flavor of the BBQ sauce. The potato salad is a mayo-​mustard mix and tastes a lot like other places in town.
There is nothing remarkable about Tops BBQ, but it’s good. Their product tastes the way it did years ago, before things got so competitive in the BBQ world. One good thing about Tops is that you can specify what part of the shoulder you like. A lot of places don’t cook the whole shoulder, only the Boston Butt part of the shoulder. On my recent visit I heard orders for «white», «mixed», and «brown». This has nothing to do with the ethnicity of the people — - it’s the type of meat that people prefer on their sandwich. In my experience, it’s usually done only at the old-​school BBQ joints.
This is also the most photogenic of all of the BBQ places in town. It’s a good choice if you want an inexpensive, simple BBQ sandwich that has been served the same way for many years.

I’ve been to this Top’s several times. The food excellent as always at Top’s. However, this Top’s location has had some issues with crime occurring nearby.