Elwood’s Shack

Avocado Skins… Yummmmmmmm
Shack is a good description, but the food is on point… missing 5^th star for lack of wait staff and décor, but let’s face it, who needs those with this food?

You know what the only thing I wrote in my draft of this review was? «Amazing.»
As a first timer of Memphis BBQ, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. It seems like there’s a lot of more seasoned BBQ reviewers in Memphis and coming from NC and knowing NC BBQ my whole life it was a little daunting to finally getting the chance to try the famous Memphis style that I have only seen on TV. So knowing that I, and the GF (it was her first time too), would be taking a road trip across to Arkansas, I definitely put Memphis on the map as a spot to stop and grab and try some BBQ.
We got at Elwood’s around the end of lunch rush, around 1. (Well, when we left there was another line forming) And it’s literally right next to the Lowe’s. A little small shack, barely any seating, some picnic tables out front, and that’s it. Extremely simplistic. Walking in you can see the haze of smoke coming from the kitchen as well as the extra stuffy-​ness due from the heat.
Standing in line we grabbed a menu and started to look at what we wanted to check out. Overhearing from a person behind me on a regular, he was asked himself what he wanted to get. Perfect. I start talking to him and he recommended that we had to get the Spicy Jerk Wings. We order that and well, the whole reason why I’m there in Memphis… dry rub ribs. We only order a half rack as I didn’t think we would finish a whole rack considering we just had breakfast about 3 hours prior.
We sit down and our food is served. I mean I’m not going to score on presentation. It’s a BBQ joint. What do you expect? We got our half rack and we started of with the Spicy Jerk Wings. Perfect. It was moist, tender and had a hint of that spiciness kick in there that was not overpowering at all. The Ribs… it’s a dry rub, but I didn’t expect the ribs to be tender for some reason. I always had a notion that with a dry rub it would be dry? I don’t know why. Anyways, mind blown. It was great! The skin was dry (not a bad thing), sure but cutting through that layer you get to this juicy meat that makes up for the dry rub. The dry rub itself was great for flavor as well.
Anyways, to get to the point. It was awesome. Elwood’s Shack was awesome. Great experience for first time Memphis BBQ triers. If you choose Elwood’s (due to how easy it is to get to off of 40) to try the 1. Spicy Jerk Wings and 2. Memphis Dry Rub Ribs. The end.

My co-​workers and I started going to lunch here way back in 2013. Back then, it was a hidden gem. Now, it’s exploded to a phenomenon. Lunch is always slammed, no matter the day. Dinner is a bit more bearable. My suggestion is to come with at least another person so they can scout tables. The interior seating is small and packed, though they have improved the outside seating with an awning just recently.
The busy atmosphere to this restaurant is a testament to its food. There are so many good things on the menu. Everyone raves about the fish tacos (and the fish taco pizza), and believe the hype. We took my mom’s cousin from NJ here shortly after a trip from Belize and she said these were the best fish tacos she had. The Reuben may be standard fare on most menus, but this one is out-​of-​this-​world good. My friend said he went to Flying Saucer and ordered one and said it just didn’t compare. The hot dogs are very good; I always get the «Go Tiger Go» blue cheese dog. The pasta salad is delicious — just make sure you add some BBQ sauce for a real treat. And last but not least, the ribs may be the best in Memphis. I know Memphis is known for its BBQ, but trust me when I tell you the ribs give anybody in the city a run for their money.
A word of caution, though: if you eat inside, you will smell like the meat smoker for the rest of the day. But it’s totally worth it.

Literally a hole in the wall. This place in tucked away in the Lowe’s parking lot. Don’t look on the main drag for any store front. There is a sign if you’re looking hard enough. Great spot for some Memphis BBQ. The line was long for lunch (as could be expected) but they were very efficient and got our food out quickly. Very tasty food! Try to limit yourself to just one glass of sweet tea — I dare you!

Lunch fail– decided to try the sandwich that was voted best sammich of 2016 today. The debris from Elwood’s shack. How did this win??? This sandwich was DRY and devoid of any flavor. Amazingly the bread was somehow soggy. Save yourself the trip.
Total waste of money.

Stick to the basics and you’ll be happy. Delicious bbq + sweet tea is on point.
Pulled pork nachos are gross. The luke-​warm canned yellow cheese they pour on top absolutely ruins them. Gag.
The place is so dirty, I get that it’s a shack and it’s part of the charm, I appreciate that. Buut having sanitized tables or a swept floor that isn’t covered in mud tracks and used napkins would not take away from that. Their outdoor area has cigarette butts all over. I’m not a germaphobe by any means, but it was enough to dock a star.

Going four stars because they have some really good items on the menu at this point. The shrimp and crab bisque was fantastic. The debris sammy was not exactly a debris but it was very good. Would recommend both. Most of the BBQ seems to have been switched from a Texas style to a Memphis style and is much better than before. Had a piece of BBQ pizza the other day and it was very good. The tamale was not. Tim took it back and brought out some armadillo eggs which were good. The place can be very busy at lunch but the food comes out fast.

I’ve been to Elwood’s a number of times since they opened and for the most part was very impressed with the food but on a couple of visits I was slightly disappointed. The pulled pork is very good and the smoked brisket is the best I have ever tasted. Wings, sometimes great, sometimes not. I had the dry ribs once and they were near perfect.
On this visit we shared pulled pork nachos which were very tasty. My companion had a Ham and Swiss .She reported it to be very good and said the Kaiser roll it was served on was so fresh.
What blew me away was my Debris Po-​Boy. This sandwich recently won a Commercial Appeal sandwich bracket run down as the best sandwich in Memphis and now I know why. This may be the best sandwich I have ever tasted. Think shredded Pot Roast and Gravy served on a perfectly fresh Hoagie roll. It seemed a bit pricey at $ 13.00 but believe me you should share this sandwich with someone. After some Nachos and half my sandwich I was sated! I sadly looked at the second half and though I wanted to savor it. I just couldn’t. So share.

My biggest regret after my trip to Memphis this time last year was that i didn’t make it to Elwood’s Shack or Gus’ Fried Chicken. i went to both this year, and Elwood’s Shack ended up being a huge highlight.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
If you’re a Memphis local you know, but if you’re not know that Elwood’s Shack is exactly that — a shack next to a Lowe’s parking lot. While the service is fantastically friendly, seating is limited, and the line will often run out the door. I rolled in around noon on a Saturday and ended up waiting in line for roughly 30 or so minutes, which wasn’t bad but would have been miserable if it was any hotter or rainy.
Waiting aside, the atmosphere at Elwood’s is brilliant, with sports paraphernalia pasted on the walls with various rightfully deserved acclaims. The seating that’s there is pretty basic and a bit cramped inside, but all in all the food offsets any hassle. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
Elwood’s is a bit on the expensive side, but keep in mind that these portions are huge. One $ 6 to $ 8 taco is a light meal in and of itself, and I ended up ordering two which arguably ended up being too much food. Any way you cut it the prices are fair. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Wow. First and foremost, I had no idea what to order, but two Memphis locals I was with insisted I go for the Steelhead Trout Taco and a Brisket Taco: both were excellent, with the brisket taco actually being my slight preference over the trout.
The tortilla was grilled and flavorful, and the mix of lettuce, chopped tomatoes, excellent creamy horseradish sauce and onions completed the proteins. My only complaint was that both tacos were quite greasy, with all sorts of juices pouring out of every bite to a point that was arguably a bit too much. That issue aside, these were fantastic tacos. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
With such a varied menu and great product and atmosphere I absolutely would. Star Granted.

Holy jeebus is this place good! It is definitely a shack, but don’t let the outside appearance fool you. Their food is fantastic. I had the steelhead trout taco, which was fantastic! The cheese is all melty on the tortilla & the tortilla was perfectly crisp. My boyfriend tried the spicy Italian sandwich, which he said was the best Italian sandwich he has ever had. Italian sandwiches are his go-​to, so that’s quite a statement! If this place were closer to downtown I would probably be here weekly. There is so much on their menu I’m looking forward to trying!

It was just my 1^st try, so maybe it was a fluke; to be fair, I’ll totally be sure to give Elwood’s another try. But I didn’t really like the Fish Taco (gasp!) My husband was okay with his Chicken Philly, but not blown away. I ordered the meal to go, so maybe that was the problem – it didn’t hold up too well on the trip home (which included that Covington Pike construction zone). Service was very friendly, both when I called in my order & when I came to pick up.
I guess my biggest disappointment was the price. I paid close to $ 25 for the taco, sandwich, & a very small side salad. But I will try it again!

For some reason I had never made it to Elwood’s, and I had been missing out. The shrimp taco was delicious and more than enough food for a meal. Everyone I was with enjoyed their food, and the patio is perfect for nice weather.

I never would have found this place if a colleague of mine hadn’t taken me here!!!
I love places like this!!! How in the world my favorite college pennant sits above one of my favorite bands of all time!!!
This place was packed!!! The line was 10 deep the whole time we were there!
I had the Texas Patty Melt!!! Cheese burger with jalapeños and onions!!! Medium. It was perfect!!! Not good, not great, perfect!!!
Wasn’t sure about the potato salad as it looked like it had buffalo sauce on it, but I was wrong!!! It to was great!!!
Benches outside, some seating in, funky décor… loved it!!! Lots of options also!!! Can’t wait to come back!!!

I came here as part of a UYE as Kyle had the brilliant idea for a Memphis Eastside Pizza Parade, whereby we went to 4 pizza places over the course of a Sunday afternoon, and this was Stop Nos 1 on the parade. There were 6 of us, and as I was running late, by the time I got to Elwood’s the Fish Pizza was a sole option, which the other Unilocalers very generously shared with me.
Honestly, I wasn’t a fan. It didn’t stand up to the cold pizza test. The crust was good, but I wasn’t that satisfied about the toppings — why call it a fish pizza if all you are going to get is Trout? Call it a Trout pizza then, y’know? Fish pizza to me implied there would be calamari or mussels or shrimp or crawfish, but all this had was just one type of fish!
I do hope to return however and try some other pizza varieties as the place had a cool Southern vibe going. My rank for the Pizza Parade = 3^rd place
Note: #52 of Unilocal 100 challenge for 2016

Saw the reviews and decided to stop by since we were in town. The service is AWESOME. The man who helped pointed out all the favorites. This place is indeed a shack but a nice one. :) My husband and I ordered the house made pasta salad, potato salad as well as 2 Philly brisket wraps. The plus side is that the wraps have a LOT of meat in them. The brisket was great but the wrap as a whole was just okay to me. I guess I was expecting a little more from it. The pasta salad is average but we really liked the potato salad. The also have Coke in a bottle which I am a fan of. Overall we may go back but maybe chose a different entreé.

Alley find.
This is the kinda place you’d never find without Unilocal!I had a list of Memphis bookmarks and places I wanted to revisit from a previous trip but couldn’t resist the draw of a shack in the shadows of Lowes. We ubered over for lunch before our flight out. There was a short line but had no problem getting a seat inside to savor our eats. I ordered the pulled pork nachos along with a brisket taco, way more than one person should consume in a sitting. The taco itself was packed with tasty brisket and topped with the freshest garnish. The pulled pork was superb but I’d have preferred more upscale nacho chips. I had the slaw too, I’d put it in a category between dry and creamy. I wanted to try the fish taco based on other reviews but was turned off to see that it was salmon-​like. Our über driver there wasn’t familiar with Elwood but our driver back said it definitely is one of the best in town. Each way was about $ 10 from downtown.

Now I know a lot of people just rave about this place, but I’m sorry, I just don’t see it.
First, I will say that the service was outstanding. The people there are extremely nice and were more than willing to give me advice on what to order. All said and done, I went with the bacon cheeseburger. I do love a good bacon cheeseburger. The bun is very good. Very light and toasted just right. The onion, lettuce, tomato and pickle were nice and fresh.
Now to were it gets not so good. First, the cheese was not melted onto the burger. It almost seemed like it was placed on top as an afterthought. The burger itself was cooked just fine but it was way too salty. I took a bite of just the meat to be sure and I was right, too salty. That too much salt took away from everything else. Even though the burger was huge, I still thought it was a bit overpriced and am curious how this came up as the top cheap place to eat. Over $ 12 for a burger and a drink with no side is hardly cheap.
I will say that I at least did get some entertainment while waiting for my burger. There were a group of firemen having lunch and some guy drove by and stopped to complain to the firemen about the patrons parking like they do and that it was a hazard, like it was the fault of the firemen. I found it amusing that this man got so upset about it when to be honest, no one was really in the way of this guy driving into the Lowe’s parking lot. At least I got a show and we all got a good laugh after the guy left.
All in all, I may try it another time, but I am not going to go out of my way to come here again soon.

Dry wings and awesome meatball sub.
At last finally the Elmwood shack, which is quite literally a shack. There is so many additions just pieced together, ductwork hanging from the ceiling, window units, it reminds me of some old shack hidden out in the middle of nowhere but somehow seems cozy in its own way. In fact, I’d never have found it if not for the Unilocal listings. Either that, or if I’d come here to buy lumber.
These wings were obviously cooked on a charcoal grill sometime within the not so long ago past. I’m sure they were really good straight off the grill. I really liked the seasoning. However, they were not cooked today. They were warmed up today, and placed on my table with a slice of pineapple. Most (but not all) of my wings were very dry
I had to try the meatball sub while I was there and I found it to be spot on. The bread, meatballs, and sauce were all excellent. I could actually taste the sauce. The bread was sturdy enough to hold it all together without going everywhere. Of course I made a little mess, but I was able to handle it without a fork. I’m not sure if the meatballs and sauce are made in house, but it was so good, I’d be willing to bet it was!!!
Next time I order any meats, I’ll ask beforehand how long ago they were cooked. I’m not done with your menu yet!

Memphis is a superb food town. People come from all over to eat Memphis BBQ. I get that. That’s what Memphis promotes itself as.
That said, I don’t even think about BBQ when I’m here every week for work. I’m thinking about which flat-​top dive to grab a street taco or a burger from.
Elwood’s Shack is the perfect dive to me. Great food at a great price and portions that dont leave you hungry.
Breakfast burritos, fish tacos, burgers, you name it, if it can be cooked on a flat top they do it and do it good.

Let me start off by saying that NEVER in my life have I eaten a fish taco and enjoyed it — that is, never before my first visit to Elwood’s! I read all the reviews on here and felt some serious peer pressure (It’s real kids) to try out the fish taco. After ordering I sat down and immediately wished I had ordered something else.
But man oh man, when they brought out that taco and I took a bite… WHAMMO! I was convinced. It’s good, people. Reeaaal good. Try it. And if you don’t think so, well, you’re wrong!