Tops Bar-B-Q
The people's Memphis barbecue since 1952
Tops Bar-B-Q is a barbecue restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee.
Tops Bar-B-Q on Union Avenue is the everyman face of a chain that has fed Memphians since 1952, the antithesis of the destination restaurant. It is where locals go for a quick, affordable, and consistently smoky chopped pork sandwich, and the lunchtime drive-thru line is a small Memphis institution in its own right.
The cornerstone is the chopped pork sandwich on white bread with slaw, the everyday Memphis experience that generations grew up on, cooked over green hickory the way Tops has always done it and finished in a tomato-based sauce. The rib sandwich covers the rack cravings in handheld form, and smoky baked beans and cool coleslaw fill out a tray priced for anyone. There is no pretension anywhere in the room; it is democratic barbecue, fast and honest, and that accessibility is exactly the point.
- Style: Memphis Style
- Price: $
- Neighborhood: Multiple Locations
- Serving since 1952
What to order
- Chopped Pork Sandwich
- Rib Sandwich
- Baked Beans
- Coleslaw
How it scores — 8.4/10 overall
Visiting
- Address: 1286 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
- Phone: (901) 725-7527
Hours: Daily 10am–9pm
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