Where to Taste Memphis BBQ

It was the post-war boom, 1948, when two seemingly minor events took place in Memphis, Tennessee: John Vergos, 75, was born, and his father, Charlie, began smoking pork in a half-blocked coal chute for a restaurant he’d name the Rendezvous. Charlie, Greek by heritage, had recently gone on a trip to New Orleans, and so his dry rub married the two culinary traditions: oregano and garlic of the former; cayenne pepper and chili powder of the latter. But meat was expensive for a burgeoning restaurateur. It was a cousin who suggested pork ribs, a rarely eaten cast-off cut that was 10 cents a pound. “I always challenge people to find anybody else who served ribs before we did,” Vergos says. “I don’t think you’ll find it.” The rest, as they say, is barbecue history. 

Today, The Rendezvous is recognized as a Memphis institution and international destination. The restaurant still makes legacy items like its ham and cheese sandwiches, pork shoulder sandwiches topped with a dollop of ‘slaw, and, of course, ribs. But as a third-generation, family-owned small business, it’s adapted to the modern era in part because of John’s daughter, Anna Vergos Blair, with a host of new menu items: lamb riblets, a cheese and sausage appetizer plate, and barbecue nachos, which have been embraced by longtime fans and first-time visitors alike. “When you travel and you say you’re from Memphis, there’s a few things people mention: Elvis, the Blues, and then it’s barbecue,” Blair, 42, says. “It’s become synonymous with [the city].” 

Stretching back almost a century, Memphis barbecue has emerged as one of the dominant strains of American grilling culture. What defines it, first and foremost, is pork: Ribs, of course, remain a favorite, but its flag might as well display pulled smoked shoulder topped with coleslaw and pressed between two bun halves. Dry rubs, rather than glazes or sauces, are also a defining characteristic. Finally, the phrase “low and slow” takes on new meaning, where pitmasters mark off their meats by the half-day. Visitors, therefore, should queue early, because when the meat runs out (and it does at all great Memphis eateries), there won’t be any more until the following day. 

Of course, there are myriad great barbecue options in Memphis and surrounding counties. “I know, because I eat it,” John says. But the Rendezvous remains a must-stop for every barbecue pilgrimage. Its walls, initially lined with whatever Charlie could scrounge from nearby Beale Street, have become an attraction in their own right: posters, old music instruments, and even a gifted shotgun. “Through the years, it’s become almost a museum, with museum-quality stuff hanging all over the place,” he says. Many of the servers have worked at the restaurant for decades, and their individual stories were captured in the recent documentary The ‘Vous, which is touring nationwide. 

Blair, a mother of two, hopes that some day her children will take over the restaurant. (At ages 10 and 12, their current roles extend to folding shirts and eating barbecue.) “Who knows,” she says. “My hope is that my generation and the generation of servers and cooks can keep this place going like the generation before us did. I don’t think there are a lot of restaurants that can say that.”

Here’s where else to eat Memphis barbecue on a visit.