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Memphis is my hometown and I've been going to Corky's for years and years. Always bring some back to San Diego with me.
Corky's is great bbq. Have never had a bad meal or experience there. The staff is friendly and prompt and engaging.
Try the tamales - they're wonderful.
The the spagetti - its awesome.
The ribs...ahhh the ribs....love'em!! My preference is the dry rub - there's just something about the texture and flavors hitting my mouth. The wet ribs are awesomely fine as well - try some of both!
Had the dry-rub. The ribs were great..a little on the hot side but on-the-side sauce cooled down the ribs. They were great.
Dog enjoyed all OutStanding
I went to Central and Corky's for my 2 rib jaunts in Memphis, and I've got to say I prefer Central's all-around. Central ribs were tender, without being fall-off-the-bone (i.e. mushy). Corky's was a bit tougher, and with much more hype. Corky's has a drive-through rib joint next to the sit-down restaurant - that's some smooth operating.
But I liked Corky's barbecue sauce better - they have a spicy, and sweet and I used a little of both for each rib bite. I'm just saying - I like my meat juicy and tender, and you won't find that at Corky's.
Our party was seated promptly and our server was a total character. I ordered the Chili with Tamales and it was not bad. I'm from Calif and not what I'm used to. BBQ A-#1! The rolls were to die for. Hubby got upset cuz he took some with his leftovers and I ate them while he slept (snooze you loose!). The brisket was tender and flavorful. The pull pork sandwiches were plentiful. Half brick of onion rings were enough for the six of us. Our server and the biscuits knocked it out of the ballpark. I would eat there again.
Ate here 3 months ago. Came back last week. Mind you I am from Orange County, California. To travel THIS far for BBQ? Memphis? You betcha. Their wet BBQ is what I always go after. Most people in Tennessee will tell you, you don't know BBQ until you have had the "dry rub" Sounds dirty to me. JK. I had the dry rub and for some odd reason I can't get into it. But I did absolutely adore their Wet rub BBQ. Their Apple BBQ sauce I just can't get the damn taste out of mouth! It was so good, I bought a couple of bottles to take home. All the meats there are SLOW COOKED over hickory wood and charcoal. The realest. Corky's has been voted #1 for 25 consecutive years by the town of Memphis.
Start off with some HushPuppies. Hush child, just order them. If you want to be like a native. Order the Sausage and Cheese plate. You'll thank me later. Then onto some RIBS. That's why you came there in the first place right? And you're set.
A good friend of mine just moved to Memphis and says Rendezvouz might be better than Corky's. I didn't have much time. Might head back out there in a couple of months and might have to match them up right next eachother. Everyone who works here at Corky's loves it. They are friendly and always smiling. Atmosphere is great and I had the same waitress as I did 3 months ago. She even remembered me. Now that's great customer service. Pricing is cheap unless you go overboard and then have yourself leftovers for days. I am definitely a fan of Corky's and I even bought some shirts to represent back home.
I'm not from Memphis, and I wanted to eat at every BBQ place I could while on business here (was able to do almost all over the course of 6 weeks). Corky's is my second favorite after Central BBQ.
So if you are reading these reviews to see where to go for Memphis BBQ while you're in town, I would say Corky's is definitely worth your time!
Great BBQ, service, and atmosphere.
Know that BBQ is very personal here in Memphis, and that one person will love a place and another will hate it.
Upon the recommendation of a friend from Memphis, the Squabchop and I tried Corky's and their famous Dry Rub BBQ ribs. I was let down.
The place was not in the city proper and was located along a busy highway type street. It had a TGIF / Bennigans feel to it.
Maybe I'm just more of a wet BBQ fan? We didn't get to try Rendezvous, Interstate, or Neely's, so I don't have a real good gauge of how dry rub should taste.
The meal was super filling though and definitely gives you your Southern-style calorie fill.
Just a'ight.
We ate here just a a minutes before eleven o'clock, the second day of our stay at Memphis, after a long drive from Louisville. The waitress was real friendly and upbeat. She recommended the dry rib which was good, but not out-of-the-world. And portion was huge and the price was fairly reasonable. I wouldn't mind coming back here again.
4 stars for being a tourist staple. Not top on my list for good barbecue, but you will definitely leave satisfied with your meal and probably a few pounds heavier. My favorites here are the ribs, the onion loaf, and corky's very own Memphis Brew, created by the Abita Brewing Company just for them . Downsides are the long waits at times. Corky's will also ship barbecue to you wherever you are, so if you get a craving go ahead and get you some!
Went to Graceland with friends (my boss and his family to celebrate his birthday). We were there for a few days and have tried a few places with BBQ ribs and Corky's was the best one in town. Aaahhh yes, dry rub ribs are the BEST! I didn't like the idea of dry because I am used to having my BBQ drenched in awesomeness, but that, was surprisingly delicious! You can get it wet style too but, dry is the way to go! Reasonably priced! Fast Service! Friendly Staff! Fun place to go to!
Awesome dry rub ribs. If you are wary, get your rack half wet and half dry and call me in the morning. You can buy their sauce for cheap (I think like 3.99) and it makes a good gift.
First time here, ordered a slab with slaw & baked beans. The waiter did not ask us wet or dry and just brought us all the dry. It just slipped my mind and can't remember a time when a waiter did not ask. It almost seemed like he was trying to sell the dry, since food came out in a few minutes. So 2 stars for the waiter, 3.5 for the ribs (suspect the wet would have rated better).
Meat was good, came off the bones easily, though dry in parts - go with the wet. Had to use alot of sauce, which had a decent taste though nothing special. Smoke flavor was not really throughout the meat, only a little on the surface. Ribs were better than the Pig N Whistle earlier in the week, but we all agreed it was not so good that we'd have to come back.
Ordered a slab for 2 to take on the plane and was not disappointed. We ate them "muddy", a mixture of dry rub with BBQ sauce added and the ribs were delicious. Moist, smoky, and super-meaty, I loved every last bite. They were different than Rendezvous, and comparing them would be like comparing apples and oranges. Both were absolutely delicous, but in different ways. I will dream of both.
I heard about Corky's on a Travel Channel BBQ special. I was determined to see what all the hoopla was about. The place had a real country feeling to it--the restaurant was built like a barn! When you walk through the doors you see pictures of every celebrity that has eaten there. At the point, I started to believe that this place must be eminent.
I decided to get the large order of ribs; half wet, half dry. The wet was good, but the dry was remarkable! I was convinced that Corky's has the best ribs out there! I also got a side order of their homemade hushpuppies. Let's just say I left extremely satisfied.
Their outstanding wait service makes this place five stars. I still remember my waiter's name; Thomas. Being a woman I had several request, I wanted lemon water, Tabasco sauce, and BBQ sauce on the side, and he remember everything! They were fairly busy that lunch hour, so it shocked me that he remember all of my request. We were a fairly large group, eleven in total, and he didn't get anyone's order mixed up.
Okay, this place is a 4.5 stars, but you can't do halves and I'm stingy with my five stars, so a 4 star it is.
First of all, if you are going to eat here, you MUST eat the pulled pork sandwich. I don't care if you don't like pulled pork sandwich or if you stay away from pork in general. If the latter is true, you shouldn't be here anyway. I've never liked pulled pork sandwiches, but apparently, it's b/c I never tried pulled pork the way Corky's does it. The pulled pork was like butter. The taste was simple perfection, I don't know how else to describe it. It comes in plain bread as it's meant to, but you should do what my bf did, which is take the warm garlicy bread they serve you when you sit down, slice it in half, put some cole slaw in it, and then fill it with the pulled pork. The taste will stay with you for a long time. If I could drive back to Memphis today, I would do it just to eat the pulled pork again.
For an overall experience, Corky's is pretty family and tourist friendly. It's got a fun atmosphere, you can unlimited hot rolls, and you are not limited to just beans and slaw for your side. Their seasoned fries were really great and baked beans were good as well.
For their ribs, you can order a slab and have half wet and half dry. I did not like their wet ribs. The sauce was too sweet for me. The dry rub, however, was really excellent. I would really recommend you try the dry rub. Remember, in Memphis, ribs aren't sized as slab or half. There's a slab, but you can also order large sized ribs which is 8 ribs, or small order, which is 6. Some places don't even have a slab option, it's just large or small. My own beef with this place is that the ribs were not smokey. If the ribs had that great smokey flavor I found at cozy corners, I may have given this place a five star..
This was my bf's favorite rib spot in Memphis. It was a close second for me, with the first spot reserved for my beloved hole in the wall, Cozy Corner. For the most part, I would skip the dessert in Memphis. The sweet potato pies were not that gone, nor was the Key Lime pie I had at Corky's. It's not worth the money or calories, so just stick to eating the ribs and pulled pork here.
This is the 3rd? 4th? time I've eaten at Corky's over the past few years. This does not include the stuff my friend ships to me. They have never disappointed. Never. Their wet ribs are the reason pigs exist. Their pulled pork is what your mama wished she could make.
I finally tried Rendezvous and they've got nothing on Corky's meats. The only reason Corky's is not getting 5 stars is that Rendezvous has better slaw and I hate thinking about how much better it would all be if only I had their slaw to go with.
Out of towners, skip the downtown tourist trap and head on up to Corky's. And if you absolutely have to because you just couldn't make it up to Poplar, you can at least get a taste of Corky's in the C concourse at airport.
On the last day of our fabulous trip to Memphis, my boyfriend and I took the 15 minute drive from downtown to find Corky's Ribs and BBQ. We had sampled BBQ at joints around Beale Street, but I still wanted to try Corky's because it had been ranked second best place to eat in Memphis by a reputable online travel guide. I think that travel guide got it wrong, wrong, wrong, as Corky's is the best BBQ restaurant I've eaten at, and should rank head-and-shoulders over any eatery in Memphis. And this comes from someone who's well versed in BBQ, having lived in BBQ-infested cities like Houston and Atlanta.
We shared an entire slab of ribs for lunch. You can either order the ribs seasoned in their Memphis-traditional dry rub, or seasoned in more of a "wet" BBQ sauce -- you also have the choice of getting it seasoned both ways, which was our pick. I'd say both styles were astoundingly good, although I was raised eating ribs with more of a wet sauce so I may have eaten one or two more of those ribs. The owner and founder of Corky's still works as their "pit master," and his rubs and sauces are nationally-reknown. They also offer extra bottles of sauce at the table in case you want a little more on your meat -- try the apple BBQ sauce, which is excellent.
The sides that came with the ribs were excellent too - home made baked beans (as my boyfriend put it, just the right combination of tart and sweet), cole slaw and fresh rolls. We finished our meal with a slice of key lime pie, I would say the pie was fine but I don't think desserts are their forte. Oh well, you can't have everything.
And, if you can't make the trip to Memphis, you can actually have the ribs shipped to wherever you live. It's worth trying Corky's ribs. It's that good, it's slap yo mamma good.
These are the best wet ribs I have ever eaten! Practically worth coming to Memphis, TN just to try these. They have an excellent wait staff and their banana bread pudding is something I could never have dreamed of.
As a Texan, there's nothing I love more than being greeted at a restaurant with warm Southern hospitality. I was immediately drawn to the restaurant's quaintness, with a drive-through (a drive-through for BBQ... how freaking ingenious), photos plastered all over the wall of celebrities, and the welcoming nature of our waiter.
My bf has been working in Memphis for 10 weeks now and Corky's was the second barbecue place he took me to as a must go-to restaurant. And I have to say, I enjoyed it more than the first (Rendezvous). Being from Texas, I've been used to brisket, but I was forewarned of all the pork Memphis had to offer. We started off with the barbecue nachos, which were perfection. The pulled pork was pretty tender, and the combination of the cheese & barbecue sauce were pure amazingness. Adding some cut up jalapenos on top of it all added the perfect kick to the nachos. I proceeded to order a regular stack of wet ribs (approximately 8 ribs) that came with sides of beans & coleslaw. Corky's does not lie when they say they smoke the ribs for 18 hours because you can taste it throughout the entire rib, along with their mouthwatering BBQ sauce. My bf ordered a pull pork sandwich, a mere $4!!, which had the same tenderness and satisfaction as the pork on the nachos.
Our waiter was prompt and always refilled our drinks with a quickness, and our dinner of 2 soft drinks, barbecue nachos, a pulled pork sandwich, and regular slab of ribs came out to a whopping $32 before tip. And naturally since it's in the city of Memphis, you can have their famous ribs FedExed to you overnight... but you won't get the experience of the restaurant itself.
I am not used to the dry rub ribs being that I am from MI. But that is what I ordered and I thought they were the best ribs I've ever had. Now, just keep in mind that I am definitely not a rib connoisseur or anything. I just thought they were extremely tender, the seasoning was delicious, and the sides were good as well. It also didn't hurt that they brewed their own beer that actually paired well with the ribs.
Drive up or dine in. Good ribs, my favorite wet ribs in Memphis. Try the potato salad, it has a hint of bacon, tastes great
Hands down, without a doubt, the best baby back ribs I've ever eaten. Ever.
The dry rub was to die for, and the wet ribs were top notch.
I would fly to TN just to eat here.
Two words: pulled pork
If you only have one meal in Memphis, make it Corky's.
I'm in Memphis from time to time for business and my first trip ever I told my associates we cannot leave without going to Corky's. I'm from Texas so the Memphis dry rub style is pretty unique to me and I really appreciate the spices. I have to say I much prefer the pulled pork than the ribs... just so moist and yummy. Also gotta give the sides some love: the smokey baked beans and buttery rolls.
From time to time you'll see the owner Don and his son greet customers at the door. Great service. Parking can be a problem sometimes.
Corky's has some amazing ribs! This is hard for me to say as a Texan, but they might be the best ribs I've ever had. I went with the Memphis dry-rub style, and although they had a tad too much seasoning, they were phenomenal. The hush puppies were also amazing. If I'm anywhere even remotely near Memphis in the future, I'll make sure and go out of my way to eat at Corky's. Great BBQ!
As everyone else has said, It is Great!! The wet sauce is my favorite and the rolls were good too!
Believe the hype, people. BELIEVE THE FU*KIN' HYPE!!!
I have read about it in food magazines, blogs, newspapers, and heard about their bbq on TV shows. You know what? It is all true.
No frills, no complicated menus, no fancy drinks, no table cloths. Hell, why would anyone have table cloths at a bbq joint? All you have is finger lickin' goodness (if you order the wet variety) or a dry humpin' (if you order the dry rub variety).
The nachos are divine goodness. I never imagined a plate of nachos to make me excited. We asked the waitress if she recommends anything on the appetizer list. She immediately knew I am not from the area. She said "oh hon, you will lurve the nachos". Nacho chips piled high with bbq pulled pork and smothered in melted cheese. The medical professional inside me was warning "heart attack on a plate". Who cares? If this is my last day here, I might as well eat these nachos. And, I did. We polished off the plate and were full already. But, that was not going to deter me from trying more food.
Next step in conquest was ribs. We ordered a full slab, half wet and half dry. Tender juicy ribs in bbq sauce on one side and dry rub spices on the other side. The man attacked the wet part while I tackled the dry part. We switched sides half way through.
Is it possible to marry ribs? If so, I want to tie the nuptials right now.
In the end, we had to be fork lifted out of Corky's because we ate too much and couldn't move.
This is a place where the waitresses call you "hon" and "sweet thing" (yes, I am very sweet, thank you very much!)
There is no comparison to BBQ made anywhere else. That match up would be like Mike Tyson vs a Baby.
The BBQ is melt in your mouth good, and the service is awesome.
Buttery rolls, tangy sauce, pecan pie and sweet tea unlike anywhere else. If you are a BBQ fan this place is so good you cannot leave Memphis without trying it.
I have eaten a lot of bbq, cooked a lot of bbq, and let me say that this is about as bad as bbq gets. I had the dry ribs. Where to start? The meat was of the poorest quality. The ribs tasted like they had been cooked elsewhere, a few days prior, then reheated. As opposed to falling of the bone tender, the meat was dry and hard in some places, then semi-dry in others. Now, when you cook ribs you put the rub on before you cook them, not after. Well, at Corky's they reheat the precooked ribs, then coat them with rub just before they serve them. Disgusting. This is a chain with chain quality food. Their bbq sauce is loaded with preservatives, corn syrup and other crap that does not belong in bbq sauce. Overall perhaps the worst bbq I've ever eaten.
I am so glad I happened to book a hotel close to Corky's for a recent pass through Memphis. All I really wanted for the one night I was there was good Memphis barbecue. My prayers were answered - in the form of what many agree is THE BEST Memphis barbecue.
Here's what I liked:
-Very affordable (bill came to less than $30 pre-tip for 2 adults, including a shared dessert).
-Perfect portions: big enough to be full, but not so crazy big you're just sick.
-RIBS! Got combo wet and dry: which you like more is really a matter of taste, not right or wrong.
-Service is down-home friendly and FAST, and they clearly take pride in what they do.
-Desserts are southern goodness: banana pudding was excellent.
-Tasty, buttery rolls.
-Casual, but very clean atmosphere.
What more can I say? This place is perfection.
Went here for lunch on March 9th, 2009 with my better half, her good friend and her kids...The actual rating is 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.
When we first arrived in Memphis from Clarksville...we went straight for the BBQ. After reading several reviews on Yelp in regards to Corky's, I decided to take everyone here. For appetizers, were ordered an onion loaf. It was very good...nice and crispy, it came with a mustard type sauce. We weren't sure what to order so we ordered a half rack of the dry ribs and a half rack of the wet ribs. The ribs came with cole slaw, baked beans, and rolls. I tried the dry ribs first and I was very disappointed. It was very dry and the texture was very similar to beef jerky. The spices in the dry rub were very tasty but the ribs were tough to eat. Next, I had the wet ribs. Now...these ribs were awesome. The sauce was very good and the ribs were very soft and easy to eat. It wasn't fall of the bone soft but soft enough. I wished we had ordered a full rack of the wet instead of the dry ribs. The sides were all very good and tasty. My better half kept telling me that she thought Famous Dave's was better but I felt the wet ribs of Corky's were way better than Famous Dave's. There is one thing that totally surprised me about Corky's and it was the brew. I had a frosty mug of their Corky's "Memphis Brew". I was very impressed with this beer. It was very crisp and clean...very smooth. I didn't expect to have some good brew in Memphis. Overall...the positives outweigh the negative. The server was very nice and friendly. The wet ribs and sides were very good and the beer was a pleasant surprise. Next time I'm in Memphis, I'll give the dry ribs another shot and order one of their pulled pork sandwiches...
Try the dry BBQ at this downtown place, part of a local chain. The dry BBQ has a great rub on it and is an interesting change from the BBQ with all of the sauce.
As a former pig-lover/eater, I was fortunate enough to try this place during my grand tour of the South last year. Growing up, I had always heard about Corky's. My dad's friend would give us BBQ sauce from Corky's and I always found it amazing.
My friend tried the dry ribs while I tried the wet ones. We couldn't figure out which we liked best ---- they're all amazing!! The meat is so tender and easily slides of the ribs. The cole slaw, hush puppies, potato salad, onion blossom ---- everything was amazing!!
If I ever find myself in Tennessee, I will definitely make a stop at Corky's and break my no-pork vow because it's too much awesomeness to pass up on!
We knew we had to get BBQ when we drove through Memphis, so we decided on Corky's for the trip west. I loved the neon out front, it reminded me of the movie Porky's, just no strippers.
We were seated immediately and service was very fast. We ordered a pork sandwich and a slab of dry ribs. And we got our order in 5 minutes.
The pork sandwich had cole slaw on it and it added a cool touch to a hot sandwich. The sandwich was fantastic and we devoured it in a few minutes.
I ordered the ribs dry for the experience and I was pleasantly surprised. They were unbelievable and were cooked perfectly. I will be ordering dry ribs in the future after this experience. The meat came off the bone in my mouth and left me ready for the next rib.
The bomb-diggity. My booty is two inches thicker because of this place it was so good. I ate there almost everyday I was in Memphis. I had the turkey, ribs, and brisket (during multiple trips) and I loved the twice baked potato salad which is the best potato salad I have ever had. The sweet tea was also fabulous. There are few places that I dream of going back to and this is one of them, I can't wait. Yum-O!
"Soo yummy! Esp takeout at the airport!"
Was in Memphis for business, and while in Memphis, you got to try the local BBQ. So I asked around and a couple of people recommended Corky's BBQ to me. So I jumped in the car set the GPS and made the short to drive here.
I got here early on a Saturday (like around 5 PM) and place was already packed with a line out the door. I decided to try my luck and walk in and was able to get a spot at the bar.
Corky's is kind of what you expect from a BBQ shack. Very rustic and has the old time feeling to it. I got my spot in the bar and ordered a beer and got the menu. It was nice because they have a nice size TV screen and was able to watch the game. I sat down and looked over the menu.
They have all your big 3 of BBQ here: Ribs, Chicken, and Pork. If you're looking beyond that, you're SOL. Prices here are surprising reasonable. Most chicken and sandwich options you can get under $10. Their rib plates are between $14 - $17.
So I divided to get the Rib (Memphis style) and Pulled Pork Combo. I must have been there for 5 minutes and the bartender already had my food. DAMN! For a second I thought I was at the drive through at McDonald's that food came out so face. Portion wise, there was a generous serving of food and it came with beans, slaw, and fresh baked bread. The ribs where very tender and you could almost pull the bone out. Definitely didn't need a knife. The Corky's sauce that I added to it made it good. The pulled pork was also done very good. The beans were good and so was the fresh bread, the slaw was ok. very all, very good BBQ.
The Bartender (Kelly) was very friend and nice. She made the experience very memorable. Overall I ended up spending $25 including tip. I would say the 2 draw back to this place is that it's very crowded and you could be waiting for awhile and the parking lot is way too small for the amount of people you get here, so you end up parking someplace else and walking. While I did like the BBQ and thought it was very good, it wasn't the best I've had (I'm probably "tainted" since I've been to the World BBQ Cook Off in Reno and tasted the food there) and while having it dry may be in what they do in Memphis, next time I'll order it wet.
Overall positive dinning experience and Corky's gets a recommended 4 star rating from me.
Too good to be true! In short, so many people have recommended this place and I just happened to be driving through Memphis. How could I resist! The staff makes you feel at home, ambiance is comfortable, and the food lives up to the hype 150%! Here is what we ordered:
- Ribs and Shrimp Killer Combo (Wet): Very good, big shrimp
- Ribs and Beef Killer Combo (Wet): Meat was fall-off-the-bone! I seriously finished the ribs so fast that they had to do a double take.
- Loaded Potato - Memphis Style!: Gargantuan!
Sides
- Spaghetti: Nothing special
- Coleslaw: Very good, crunchy and fresh tasting
- Baked Beans: Good for your heart, but the more you eat them the more you fart... =)
- Twice Baked Potato Salad: Very interesting and good. Not sure what the twice baked means, but it was delicious
- Hush Puppies: Homemade, deep fried, need I say more?
- Banana Pudding: Nilla wavers and good banana cream
- Apple Cobbler: I didn't have any because I was stuffed. I was told that it was good though.
This is a must stop if you are in Memphis, around Memphis, or are within driving distance. I am SO glad that I stopped here, but sad that I am going to be heading back to California and will not be able to get there easily. Luckily, you can order them online and have them delivered!!!
To paraphrase Keyshia Cole, "I used to think that dry wasn't fine enough, and I used to think that dry wasn't wild enough" (sorry Keyshia!); but then I went to Corky's. Holy Christ.
Dry ribs! Christ! I would have never guessed they would have been... this... good... wow. Look, I thought the rest of the meal was good, not amazing... but the dry ribs were UN-REAL. Amazing. Unreal.
I just... well... as DJ Paul said, "there's only two reasons to come to Memphis: pork and women" -- he's right. Pork... dry, rubbed, ribs. Amazing stuff. Amazing.
How can anyone not like BBQ in the South?! Especially if it's done by Corky's!
If you want tender, juicy ribs, tasty pulled pork/beef, buttered rolls (oh heaven!), and yummy beans, this is the ultimate bbq joint. The service is great just the same.
They even have a store at the Memphis Airport in case you want to catch the last awesome bbq meal before heading to your destination. Even better is you can order it online and have it FedEx'ed to your door within 2 business days. Awesome!
Memphis, TN
Category: Barbeque
Memphis, TN
Category: Barbeque
Memphis, TN
Category: Barbeque
Memphis, TN
Category: Barbeque
Memphis, TN
Category: Barbeque
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