Skip to content
Where To Eat › Barbecue › Where To Eat Barbecue
Short answer: 23 Tennessee barbecue places, grouped Memphis style, West Tennessee-style whole hog and the rest of the state, each linked to its own website with the days and hours it printed on November 4, 2026. Six more stops from the 2025 state tourism list have no website we could read, so they are named without hours.
- 23Places listedopen, per their own sites
- 17On the state listopen and on the 2025 state tourism list
- 19With hours readas of November 4, 2026
- 2Closedon our closed tracker
How we checked: each place’s own website for its address, hours and style words, the state tourism office’s 2025 barbecue list, and Memphis in May’s winners page. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Coordinates on the map come from OpenStreetMap searches of each printed address. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
Use this list with the styles page: the Memphis places cook ribs and pulled pork, the whole hog group cooks West Tennessee style in its own words, and the third group covers the rest of the state. Many places have several locations; we list one each, usually the first. We have not been to these places and we rank nothing. Hot chicken is on its own page.
The State Tourism Barbecue List
Tennessee has no formal barbecue trail today: the state tourism office’s old barbecue page returns page-not-found. Its newest list is a barbecue bucket list article published October 15, 2025 and updated October 20, 2025, naming 23 places across West, Middle and East Tennessee. We list a place from it below only when its own site is live and readable today: 17 are, marked “On the 2025 state tourism list.” Memphis in May’s world championship crowns competition teams, not restaurants: its past grand champions page names Heath Riles BBQ for 2026 and 2025 and The Shed BBQ for 2024. List last checked November 4, 2026.
List Stops With No Website We Could Read
These may well be open. We could not read their own site, so we do not list hours. Call or check their own pages before you drive.
- B.E. Scott’s BBQLexington. The state list says it hickory-smokes whole hogs. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
- Bozo’s Hot Pit Bar-B-QMason. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
- Exit 87 BBQJackson. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
- Peg Leg PorkerNashville. Its site would not open for our reader. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
- Puckett’sChattanooga, Columbia, Franklin and Nashville. Its site timed out. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
- Couch’s BBQOoltewah. Its site refused our reader. On the 2025 state tourism list. No official website we could read today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
Memphis Style: Ribs and Pulled Pork
Memphis and its suburbs. Where a place describes its own style, its words are quoted.
- Leonard’s Pit BarbecueCordova (Memphis)1100 N Germantown Pkwy., Cordova, TN 38016. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday: Closed; Tues – Sun: 11:00AM to 7:00PM. Confirm before you drive. This is its Germantown Parkway location. In its own words: “Memphis-style Pit BBQ”. Opened 1922, per the place.
- Germantown CommissaryGermantown2290 South Germantown Road, Germantown, TN 38138. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday-Saturday 9:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday 11:00am – 8:00pm. Confirm before you drive. Its site says the current owner bought it in 1981. Its contact page banner showed a 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. day on the day we read it, which differs from the printed 9 p.m. close Not confirmed In its own words: “hickory-smoked, slow-cooked Memphis-style BBQ ribs”.
- A&R Bar-B-QueMemphis1802 Elvis Presley Blvd (South Memphis). Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday to Thursday to 11 AM-6 PM; Friday to Saturday to 11 AM-8 PM; Sunday to Closed. Confirm before you drive. Its second location on Hickory Hill Road lists Sunday hours. The page we read prints the street but not the city or ZIP code. In its own words: “Smoked Flavor”. Opened 1983, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Central BBQMemphis2249 Central Ave, Memphis, TN 38104. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed Its hours load by script on its site, so we could not read them Not confirmed It has several Memphis locations; this is the Central Avenue one. In its own words: “Secret Combo of Dry-Rub Spices”. Opened 2002, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Charles Vergos’ RendezvousMemphis52 S. Second Street, Memphis, TN 38103. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Confirm before you drive. Sunday and Monday are not listed in its hours Not confirmed In its own words: “signature dry rub ribs”. Opened 1948, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Corky’s BBQMemphis5259 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Sunday – Thursday: 10:45 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Friday – Saturday: 10:45 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Confirm before you drive. The Poplar Avenue location; its site lists others in the Memphis area and beyond. In its own words: “Smoked Slow and Low”.
- Cozy Corner BBQMemphis735 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN 38105. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00am to 8:00pm; Sunday and Monday Closed. Confirm before you drive. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
- Jim Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-QueMemphis2265 S. Third Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38109. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday – Thursday 11 AM – 9 PM; Friday – Saturday 11 AM – 10 PM; Sunday – Closed (Third Street Memphis Location). Confirm before you drive. The original Third Street location; its site also lists Winchester Road and Southaven, Mississippi. In its own words: “Specially built BBQ pits”. Opened 1979, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- The Bar-B-Q ShopMemphis1782 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tuesday-Thursday from 11:00am to 8:30pm; Friday & Saturday from 11:00am to 9:00pm; closed Sunday & Monday. Confirm before you drive. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
West Tennessee-Style Whole Hog
The whole hog places in rural West Tennessee that the state list names have no website we could read (see the list above). This one describes its own barbecue as West Tennessee whole hog.
- Martin’s Bar-B-Que JointNolensville7223 Nolensville Road, Suite C, Nolensville, TN 37135. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Open DAILY 11AM – 9PM. Confirm before you drive. It is in Middle Tennessee, but it describes its own style as West Tennessee whole hog, so it sits in that group. It lists restaurants in four states; this is the first one. In its own words: “West Tennessee-Style Whole Hog BBQ”. Opened October 2006, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
Middle and East Tennessee and Other Styles
Nashville, Jackson, Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities, in their own words where they give them.
- Ridgewood BarbecueBluff CityBluff City. Street address: not on the pages we read Not confirmed Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Mon: Closed; Tue-Thurs: 11am-7:30pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-2:30pm (closed 2:30pm-4:30pm) 4:30pm-8:30pm; Sunday: Closed. Confirm before you drive. Its site does not print a street address Not confirmed Its site splits Friday and Saturday into lunch and dinner with a break from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. In its own words: “Hickory smoked barbecue”. Opened 1948, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Sugar’s RibsChattanooga2450 15th Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: 7 Days-A-Week 11 am – 9 pm. Confirm before you drive. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
- KC Finn’s Burgers & BBQJackson1027 S Highland Ave, Jackson, TN 38301. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed Its hours are not printed where a visitor can read them Not confirmed It is in Jackson but does not describe itself as whole hog. In its own words: “wood-fired BBQ”. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- The Firehouse RestaurantJohnson City627 W Walnut St, Johnson City, TN 37604. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tues to Thurs • 11-8; Fri to Sat • 11-8:30. Confirm before you drive. Sunday and Monday are not listed in its hours Not confirmed In its own words: “Hickory Smoked Barbecue”. Opened 1980, as Bucwood Bar-B-Que, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Buddy’s bar-b-qKnoxville5806 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed Opened 1972, per the place.
- Calhoun’s (The Original)Knoxville10020 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; its site prints Saturday as “100am – 10:30pm” Not confirmed. Confirm before you drive. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
- Dead End BBQKnoxville3621 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37919. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday: 11am – 8pm; Tuesday: 11am – 8pm; Wednesday: 11am – 8pm; Thursday: 11am – 8pm; Friday: 11am – 9pm; Saturday: 11am – 9pm; Sunday: 11am – 8pm. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “unique East Tennessee BBQ”. Opened 2009, per the place.
- Sweet P’s BBQ (Uptown Corner)Knoxville3029 Tazewell Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: OPEN DAILY 11:00 AM TO 9:00 PM; CLOSED MONDAY. Confirm before you drive. Its site lists only this location. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
- Stroud’s BarbequeLebanon1400 Baddour Parkway, Lebanon, TN 37087. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Mon-Fri: 9:00AM – 8:00PM; Sat: 9:00AM – 6:00PM; Closed on Sunday. Confirm before you drive. The Lebanon location; its site also lists Cookeville and Franklin. Opened 1994, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
- Shotgun Willie’s BBQMadison1500 Gallatin Pike South, Suite 104, Madison, TN 37115. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: OPEN EVERY WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY 11 AM – 3 PM (OR SOLD OUT). Confirm before you drive. Texas-style, in its own words. It says it closes when it sells out. In its own words: “Real. Texas. BBQ.”. Opened May 16, 2020, per the place.
- Whitt’s BarbecueMadison3933 114 E Old Hickory Blvd, Madison, TN 37115. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed Its site prints the address as “3933 114 E Old Hickory Blvd” Not confirmed and shows only today’s hours. It lists 16 locations; the state tourism list says “since 1988” while its own site says 1978 Not confirmed In its own words: “Hickory-smoked barbecue”. Opened 1978, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Edley’s Bar-B-QueNashville2706 12 Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37204. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Sunday–Thursday 11:00am–9:00pm; Friday & Saturday 11:00am–10:00pm. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Nashville Style”. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
- Jack’s Bar-B-QueNashville1601 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37203. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday – Thursday: 10:30 AM CT – 8 PM CT; Friday – Saturday: 10:30 AM CT – 9 PM CT; Sunday: 11:00 AM CT – 7 PM CT. Confirm before you drive. The Charlotte Avenue location; its site also lists Trinity Lane. In its own words: “a combination of Texas and Tennessee”. Opened 1991, at Broadway and First Avenue, per the place. On the 2025 state tourism barbecue list list.
Closed Places We Left Off
These are not in the list above. Each is on the closed, renamed and moved tracker with its source: Helen’s Bar-B-Q (Brownsville), closed when its pitmaster retired on August 21, 2024, per the Southern Foodways Alliance; Hog Heaven (Nashville), closed in November 2019, per the Nashville Scene.
Map of Barbecue Places
What We Could Not Confirm
- Which style a place cooks, when the place does not say so itself: we grouped those by region and marked them. Not confirmed
- Hours for places that do not print them (Central BBQ, Whitt’s, Buddy’s, KC Finn’s), and the Sunday and Monday status of places that leave those days out. Not confirmed
- Whether the six state-list stops with no website we could read are open today, including the West Tennessee whole hog places. Not confirmed
- Street addresses for Ridgewood Barbecue, and the address Whitt’s prints. Not confirmed
- James Beard “America’s Classics” awards for Tennessee barbecue places: we read none on the award site or on the places’ own sites, so we name none. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a ranking?
No. We list places whose own websites we could read, grouped by the style they describe. No source we used ranks them, and nobody paid to be listed.
Why is a famous place missing?
Either we could not read its own website, or it has closed. State-list stops with no website are named in the list section; closed places are on our closed, renamed and moved tracker. Know a place’s official site? Tell us.
Which Memphis places are open on Sunday?
From the sites we read: Leonard’s Pit Barbecue (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Germantown Commissary (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and Corky’s on Poplar Avenue list Sunday hours. Cozy Corner, The Bar-B-Q Shop, Interstate and A&R on Elvis Presley Boulevard list Sunday as closed.
More Barbecue Pages
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (tnvacation.com), barbecue bucket list article, published October 15, 2025, updated October 20, 2025, read November 4, 2026 (the state tourism list)
- Memphis in May, Past Grand Champions, read November 4, 2026 (contest winners)
- Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Central BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Cozy Corner BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Jim Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-Que, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Corky’s BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- The Bar-B-Q Shop, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- A&R Bar-B-Que, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Leonard’s Pit Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Germantown Commissary, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- KC Finn’s Burgers & BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Edley’s Bar-B-Que, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Jack’s Bar-B-Que, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Whitt’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Stroud’s Barbeque, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Shotgun Willie’s BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Buddy’s bar-b-q, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Calhoun’s (The Original), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Sweet P’s BBQ (Uptown Corner), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- The Firehouse Restaurant, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Sugar’s Ribs, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Dead End BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Ridgewood Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
- Southern Foodways Alliance, Helen’s Bar-B-Q, read November 4, 2026 (closure)
- Nashville Scene, Hog Heaven to close its window for good (November 2019), read November 4, 2026 (closure)
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Where to Eat Barbecue in Tennessee”, itstennessee.com/barbecue/restaurants/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.