8.0
Arnold's BBQ & Grill-Memphis TN
$$Downtown,
The Edge District's smoke-filled secret-alley handshake
Tops Bar-B-Q
North Memphis, ·$
AIAI-generated illustration — not a photograph of this restaurant. About our images
8.3/ 10
0 reviews“Green-hickory pork on Jackson Avenue since 1952”
This Jackson Avenue outpost is classic Tops Bar-B-Q, part of the chain that has been the workhorse of Memphis barbecue since 1952. It smokes pork shoulders over green hickory and charcoal and serves them in the city's most familiar barbecue sandwich, from a counter and drive-thru built for volume. The formula is unchanged and unpretentious: pork cooked slow, chopped, and sauced the Memphis way in a tomato-based sauce, plus rib plates and pork shoulder sold by the pound for the take-home crowd. Breakfast runs until mid-morning, a Tops signature that turns the smoker into an all-day fixture, and the Southern smokehouse burger gives the menu a griddle option among the smoke. It is the everyday Memphis barbecue experience distilled to a drive-thru window, and the Jackson Avenue line proves the formula still works after more than seventy years.
Know Before You Go
- Hours
- Daily 8am–9pm
- Price
- Budget-friendly ($)
- Don't miss
- BBQ Pork Sandwich, Chopped BBQ Plate, and Rib Plate
What to Order
1
BBQ Pork Sandwich2
Chopped BBQ Plate3
Rib Plate4
Pork Shoulder by the Pound5
Southern Smokehouse BurgerWhy It Stands Out
Tops has been the workhorse of Memphis barbecue since 1952, smoking pork over green hickory and charcoal for the city's most familiar sandwich. The Jackson Avenue drive-thru serves it chopped, sauced, and fast.
Quick Facts
- Address
- 1383 Jackson Ave, Memphis, TN 38107-4334
- Phone
- +19012748600
- Hours
- Daily 8am–9pm
- Website
- www.topsbarbq.com/
- Price Range
- $
Back to Best BBQ in Memphis
Good to Know
Tops Bar-B-Q — Frequently Asked Questions
What should I order at Tops Bar-B-Q?
Regulars point to BBQ Pork Sandwich, Chopped BBQ Plate, Rib Plate, and Pork Shoulder by the Pound.
What are Tops Bar-B-Q's hours?
Daily 8am–9pm
Is Tops Bar-B-Q expensive?
Tops Bar-B-Q is budget-friendly ($).
What kind of barbecue does Tops Bar-B-Q serve?
Tops Bar-B-Q serves Memphis Style barbecue — Memphis BBQ is rib country. The great debate is wet vs. dry: dry ribs are coated in a paprika-heavy spice rub and served without sauce, while wet ribs are glazed with a tomato-vinegar based sauce. Memphis also claims BBQ spaghetti and the BBQ nachos.
