The Memphis King

Had Memphis King cater a birthday party this weekend and everyone loved it. Bob was excellent to work with for planning. Had racks of ribs, pulled pork, bbq chicken, brisket, and cornbread. All still hot and amazing when we picked it up. Also ordered their popcorn chicken which is my favorite! Light breaded and so tender, a whole tray went pretty fast! Love this place and recommend it to all my friends.

A must try if you’re in the Schenectady area. I usually prefer to pick up my food since the place is tiny. Don’t let the appearance deceive you though, this place offers awesome food! In the 4 years I lived in Schenectady, I’ve had just about everything they offer. I usually get the 2 meat or 3 meat combo with brisket, pulled pork or ribs. Their chicken is also delicious but when visiting a bbq place, I just have to get ribs or brisket. The best side by far for me is the Mac and Cheese. Holy macaroni do they know how to make some good food. The other side dishes are just okay and the cornbread is above average. Great food for reasonable prices (on the cheaper side)! They do run out of meats so make sure to call ahead or get there early! They also offer some specials which can be of great value. Street parking only.

Ok hittin the review 3 years later. Just sayin… small place 3 years later? In SCHENECTADY?! They are still going strong and awesome. They’ve added some menu items like fried chicken (boneless thighs!) which BEATS HATTIES! Yup on flavor and freshness. Last time I went to HATTIES at exit 15 they gave me fried thighs they’d re-​fried a second time… dried chicken leather. Never at Memphis King. Burgers are loaded on HOUSE MADE BUNS! Really?! Where else can you get that? It just gets better and better. Just get there early, especially Friday night. They do sell out. Let’s keep these guys in business, y’all!

Updating my review. I finally got there early enough and got the smoked wings. Three things added the two extra stars. 1. The smoked wings 2. The chicken fried smoked boneless thighs. 3. The guys that waited on me.
Smoked wings — giant juicy smokey pieces of poultry heaven.
Chicken thighs — crispy juicy perfectly spiced and perfectly smoked. This was the highlight of the food. If you go, get this. Get two or three. You won’t be able to stop. Sooooooo good.
The guys — They worked hard to make sure I was taken care of after a failed attempt at online ordering. Made the food quickly and very apologetic even though the problem was likely me.
Go here for lunch. Get the wings and smoked thighs from these great people. They are all good enough to erase a three star review previosly.
The secret is lunch — not dinner I guess!

Bang for your buck! I called ahead for the two meat sandwich on my lunch break. I actually appreciated that they didn’t put it together until I got there to make sure it was as hot and fresh as it could be. Staff was super friendly. They don’t have much seating if you are looking to go with a group, but who cares, the food was great, go eat it on a bench in a park.
(I realize I am writing this and it is 16 degrees outside)

This is a really tasty BBQ spot with super friendly, family service. It seems that a dad and son run it together.
They serve till they run out and have a couple of picnic tables inside to eat at, as well as some outdoor seating for the warm months. It’s absolutely worth checking out, but go early to make sure they haven’t sold out.

Not too sure what to expect before going here today, hubby suggested we try this place since we are around the area. It was around 2pm-​ish so it wasnt busy. street parking. We got the 2meat, 2sides combo– ribs, brisket, fried chicken –all were good, you can tell its homemade not commercialized! it just have that authentic flavor, how bbq should be! i even got extra piece of fried chicken since the other piece was a bit small, made to order. my potato salad was freshly made too! everything was delish! price is reasonable. Good service, its own by a father/​son team. you can tell they work hard everyday and put a lot of effort in their business. hands down best bbq in town! way better than Shanes, Dickeys and Dinosaur bbq. Must try! i was gonna try their apple cobbler but I was so stuffed!!! We will be back!!! Thanks!!!

If you are going to Proctors stop here for simply the best bbq meat. We had the pulled pork and brisket and it melted in your mouth. The ribs fell off the bone and were finger licking good. The white sauce was our favorite we took some home. The owner shared his story and yes the American Dream is slice and well. This spot is well worth the trip. Casual kid friendly picnic tables

Wow I am a lucky woman. This bbq is close to the house and the best I’ve ever had in Albany. The brisket is amazing just the right amount of char and fat. The ribs tender fall off the bone and the collards though sweet were really good. The baked beans and cornbread both were a little sweet for my taste but still tasty enough to eat. I’ll be back again and again

After checking the web to see if they’re open on Sunday, an hour ride on the bus and another hour walk across town and the Union College campus, I got to Memphis King to find that they were closed for a private party. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. I don’t care how good the food is when restaurants pull tricks like this. Honestly, should we have to call a restaurant every time we go to see if they are actually open the hours that they say that are? I wish I could say I got blisters on my feet for great barbeque, but all I can say is that I wish business people would be responsible and not just randomly close.

LOVE IT! BEST BBQ AROUND! Fast and friendly service! Love the brisket and different flavors of BBQ sauces.
Brandon you do an excellent job keep up the great work!
My boyfriend and I try to dine there as much as we can!
Great prices!
Love the burnt ends and smoked chicken, and of course the Mac & cheese!

Food wise, AMAZING, when you can get it, which is why I took away a star. It sells out all the time.
It’s some of the best Mac and cheese you’ll ever have! The meat is done just right — nice flavor, tender, juicy. TONS of options.
Seriously, the only negative is having your hopes up to have some of this delicious food only to find out they are sold out! Heartbreaking!

The food here is really great. I got ¼ lb Pork & ¼ lb Brisket. Both good, but the Brisket was soooo good. Came with home made house fries, beans, and cornbread. Although I went without my kids, I think they’ll love the cornbread and the meats served without sauce so they can have it plain or any sauce of their choice. Watch out because they sell out of brisket before dinner sometimes.

Excellent Q joint on the Northside of Schenectady. Mainly takeout and don’t be put off by the shabby décor. It’s all about the food baby. Great southern BBQ, ribs, pulled pork and sides. They have delivery throughout Schenectady County. Much better than the overhyped chain in Troy. Hard to find BBQ of this quality north of the Mason Dixon Line.

I’ve had my eye on Memphis King for the last two months, and with no work today, I decided to drive up to this little gem. It’s important to mention that the place looks very unbecoming on the outside, but once you enter this tiny establishment, you are hit immediately by this wonderful, hypnotizing smell of smoked meats. The smell truly permeates throughout the entire place, which I should mention is very small. There are 2 picnic style tables inside which can seat about 10 – 15 people, and 1 smaller bar which looks out the front window, and can seat about 4 people. There are also 2 picnic tables outside, which seat about 6 each.
Now, onto the food. Memphis King has the best BBQ in the capital region. My order consisted of the pork spare ribs, which were smoked to perfection. The bark on the outside of the ribs was so flavorful and full of life that it almost made me forget about the succulent meat underneath. Couple this with any one of the 6 different BBQ sauces provided (House, sweet BBQ, white BBQ, hot BBQ, BBQ mayo, and tangy Carolina), and you’ve found yourself a little bit of heaven. But there’s more of course. I ordered the value meal which consists of 1 meat, 1 side, and cornbread, all for 7.99. Add a drink and your still under $ 10 for lunch. The side I ordered was some of the best mac-​n-​cheese I’ve ever had in my life, and I must say, I’ve had a lot of mac-​n-​cheese. It was creamy, and cheesy, and crispy from baked on cheese, what more could you ask for? The cornbread itself was pretty standard affair, but that’s taking nothing away from it, as it was exactly what I expected from a cornbread muffin.
Now, I was so impressed by the food that I actually placed a to-​go order of the special of the day, burnt brisket ends and a quarter pound of smoked brisket itself. After getting home I had a few bites of both the brisket and the ends and I was not disappointed. I should also mention that I purchased a small mason jar of their house sauce, which is so incredibly good. In total, I was surprised, and elated at the quality of BBQ coming out of this little hole in the wall place, and will surely be back for more. Please continue reading for tips and hints on eating here.
***PLEASE READ***
Parking: on the main street or side street
Paying: $ 10 minimum for credit card purchases
Small note, there is no AC in the place, so it can be hot inside, but hell, BBQ is best in the summer and I don’t know anyone who BBQ’s inside their house, I’m sure they are out there, but I don’t know em.

Our family has ordered from Memphis King a few times and each time we end our meal we look at each other and say OMG that is fantastic. We are looking to use them for catering in the near future and ordering takeout again real soon.
Keep being you Memphis King, keep being you.

It’s dangerous to arrive at a BBQ joint when you’ve just stuffed yourself to capacity at brunch. But sometimes, you have to roll with the punches.
This was the state I found myself in when I arrived at The Memphis King on Sunday afternoon. My plan was to just have a few nibbles of their meets and to get a better sense of the place.
That plan flew out the window after I took my first taste of brisket.
Man, there is not much better than a fatty piece of brisket that has been properly cooked so the fat is succulent and buttery. This was what I found in my slices of the stuff at The Memphis King. Tender, full of flavor, and deeply smokey, this is just my kind of BBQ brisket.
It doesn’t need sauce, but it also pairs nicely with the house and hot varieties.
On my visit, the pulled pork failed to light me up, but the kiddo loved it. I did appreciate the nice chunks of bark that were included in my portion. However, I like my pulled pork to have a bit more fat in it.
I’ll get back there to try the ribs, chicken and a few more of the sides. The style of creamy coleslaw with its large pieces of cabbage didn’t wow me. And I can’t say that i“ll be getting the macaroni and cheese again. But on this visit the restaurant was out of beans and greens, so I was out of luck.
Next time.
And there will most certainly be a next time. However, I may wait until the weather cools off a bit, because in the heat of a June afternoon, the fans inside still left me sweating as I ate. And regrettably there is no shade at the picnic tables outside.

I was up here in NY for work and got lost while looking for a place to chow down and I stumbled upon this place. OMG, Memphis King is by far hands down the best BBQ I ever had, the pork ribs is juicy fall off the bone, brisket is smoky and tender, bomb diggidy fries, coleslaw, and a delicious cornbread. Holy moly Im definitely going back.

I came here on a whim one day. When I went in, I wasn’t sure what to order, and the person at the counter was very helpful and told me the popular option was the pulled pork sandwich.
I thought I’d take a bite of my sandwich in the car to see if the hype was true. IT IS. The sandwich did not make it back to Albany with me… well it did, but in my stomach. I will come back here when I visit Schenectady next.

This is my go to spot when I’m in the mood for some BBQ comfort food. Everything is smoked on premise, and always so fresh!
Today I went in for the pulled pork (my fave) but per the recommendation of the owners went with the daily special which was burnt beef brisket ends. And for a side you can never go wrong with their mac n cheese, second to none.
Truly a good meal when I want to satisfy my craving for BBQ, and the portion sizes are great!