Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-Que

The food is always good, just had some again today and saw they were now on Unilocal.This is my first Unilocal review but I wanted everyone to know that my family and I love Neely’s. We drive all the way from Bartlett to eat there. We used to go to the one on Mt. Moriah too but they closed. The ribs are the best in the city. Today we had chopped chicken sandwiches, baked beans and lemonade… delicious! I highly recommend this restaurant. We certainly will be back when we got the taste for BBQ!

I visited Neely’s for lunch after seeing it a few times as I passed by it many times. I was in the mood for BBQ and there isn’t much else in the immediate area to choose from.
This visit I had high hopes. I arrived to see a party of about 15 – 18 people getting ready to leave. They were happy and seemed to have really enjoyed themselves. There were a few other tables sat and a decent stream of to-​go orders where picked up while I was waiting.
I asked my server what she suggested. Without hesitation she uttered the «Rib Tip’s»… I am not sure if she really likes them or if she has been instructed to offer that as a suggestion. I still cannot understand why Rib Tips are such a treat to anyone. They are essentially a by-​product. Why are they one of the most expensive things of the menu? They sell for one third of the price of Baby Back or Spare Ribs. They are just cheap meat.
I decided on a Brisket Sandwich and a side of beans. She asked if I wanted it sliced or chopped (I think brisket should always be sliced) and I ordered sliced without slaw.
As I waited for my food to arrive Mr. Neely comes out of the kitchen and goes outside to take a picture with the group that was leaving when I arrived. He comes back in and has friendly banter with his crew about being a good guy and always willing to take a picture with anyone who wanted one.
My server begins to clean up the giant tables mess after she places my order.
It took about 15 – 18 minutes to get my food. Now, I am sitting here knowing that they do not cook beef brisket to order. It should have been out in no less than 5 – 8 minutes considering all that it needed to be done was making it hot and plating my food. She continued to work on slowly cleaning up while I waited. As time went on I got more and more anxious about my wait and my facial expressions say it all when I am bothered. She made eye contact with me and screamed to the kitchen «is my order ready» all while still sweeping. She continued working on the dining room because I don’t think anyone answered her.
I finally get my food and the Brisket is chopped and not sliced. The bottom bun is completely soaked with sauce and cannot be picked up with my hands. There was sauce in pools around the sandwich and it seems to invade the bun that way. The sauce added to the top of the sandwich had not had a chance to make it all the way down through all of the meat but had poured off as they added it to the top. The meat was actually pretty tasty even though it was chopped. I used my utensils to flip the sandwich over and it gave me a good piece of bread to support the meat while eating it. They sandwich wasn’t bad at all. Incorrect, but not bad…
The beans on the other hand were terrible. Thick, overly sweet, dark, and congealed are the best words to describe them. I am sure they are better when fresh.
As I am eating, my server’s children (I assume) show up and while they were cute and Mr. Neely seemed to enjoy their presence they simply created another distraction for my server.
I finished and waited, and waited, for my check. I finally stood up and that gets her attention away from cleaning and childcare. I get my check and it’s wrong. I was overcharged and my side was listed incorrectly. I went to the front to see Mrs. Neely to pay and let her know about the incorrect check. She screams across the restaurant for my server. She comes over and then leaves to go get the right check. She gets back after a couple of minutes and I am so ready to go at this point. It has been more than 45 minutes since I arrived for a quick lunch. Note: the incorrect check says sliced brisket, and the correct says chopped. I assume the one that went to the kitchen was the one that said «sliced».
I give her my money ($ 20 bill) and she doesn’t have anything but ones in her drawer. She again screams across the restaurant, this time to Mr. Neely. She gripes at him about not stocking the drawer with change and hands him a $ 20 to break for me. As he is walking away, he touches my shoulder, and says «never work with your mother man». Although I think that is good advice, you have already made that mistake, and now you are belittling your own Mother to me, a stranger.
I finally get out of there and that is when I notice the Unilocal sign. I have been kind of down on myself lately because I can’t seem to find any really good experiences. I don’t know if I am being overly critical of the places I have been visiting but I had not planned on writing a review this visit because it was just Meh.
I am going back to try again unless I am contacted about this review. I don’t want any kind of apology or freebie. I always order what I want, never send it back, and review accordingly.

1^st time there. Ordered 8 pack pulled pork plus spaghetti to go. Maybe Memorial Day had something to do with it, but the pork was on the dry side and not that much flavor. On the plus side, the young people they had working there were really friendly. Will give it another try.

We stopped at Neely’s on our way back home to Dallas. Best. Idea. Ever. The chopped beef was deliciously seasoned and moist, the sausage was smoked to exquisite perfection, and the rib tips were juicy and tender. The staff were wonderfully pleasant and very attentive, making sure we were happy and satisfied. Neely’s has earned 5 stars!

Don’t eat here if you are under any type of time limit!
We’ve eaten here several times and the one thing we have found each time is that the BBQ is amazing! However the service swings from superior to unacceptable. Today we experienced the latter. On a Saturday afternoon, there was 1 server (who seemed completely uninterested in waiting on tables), 1 counter person and 2 in the kitchen. With 3 tables of patrons in the dining room and 2 «to go» orders they were completely overwhelmed and it took our party of 3 over 30 minutes to be served 2 orders of ribs and a pulled pick sandwich, thankfully we didn’t order appetizers or French fries– the only part of our order that required preparation was actually placing pulled pork on a bun. I would give today’s experience a 1 Star but because the food is so good and we’ve had good service at this location before, I’m giving them 3.
Now for the food:
Amazing BBQ! The ribs and BBQ sandwich are some of the best we’ve had. The ribs are tender and tasty and we love the sauce! The baked beans are delicious and the Cole slaw a nice addition to the BBQ sandwich. Skip the fries, they’re straight out of a bag but everything else is excellent.
The restaurant is clean with plenty of seating. The restaurant is easy to find with parking out front.

When you enter Neely’s Interstate BBQ, it’s very spacious and clean. Decent BBQ joint décor, and it smells great which is the most important element of atmosphere. The employees here are very friendly.
I had to get takeout as I was in a hurry, but even then they gave me the best customer service I’ve ever had for pick up. I ordered my food, and waited while watching Sportscenter on one of the big screens. I only waited around 12 minutes for the food, but Tony Neely himself came around the counter to apologize for the wait time and assure me the order was coming up. That tells you something right there, if that much care goes into a carry out customer, you now know why the barbecue here is so amazing.
I got my two bags of food, around $ 20 and I was given about 5lbs to go. Generous portions of crispy fries. The baked beans have that delicious sauce and the right amount of pulled pork in it. The sauce itself, it’s kind of thick and smoky reminiscent of the Kansas City style, but it has a peppery twang to it to let you know you are in Memphis. Just a great, simple sauce. So many new BBQ joints experiment too much, with ingredients from left field, just keep it plain, do it right, and you can’t go wrong.
The pulled pork sandwich is always a delight. The sauce, the fresh crunch of the slaw, and that extra bit of smoky salt from the dry rub expertly surrounds the crown jewel of Neely’s. The shoulder meat was smoked perfectly, moist without being greasy, packed with smoky flavor. The bark from the dry rub also imparts subtle hints of spices into the meat. Just delicious.
I want to add that the to-​go bag was a paper sack that was stapled shut at the top. Little stuff like that I like to recognize, because the devil is in the details and so many restaurants don’t give you those little hidden extras. They just don’t give a damn.
This is a nice looking restaurant, with amazing food. The ribs are a treasure with syrupy mop glaze being a favorite of mine, and the BBQ spaghetti is an institution. All of the prices are excellent. This is the epitome of what you expect from a family-​owned local restaurant. There’s so much care put into everything. You kind of get to feeling like you’re a part of the family at Neely’s. Highly recommended.

This BBQ spot is exactly the same food like Interstate BBQ on Third.
The best BBQ sandwich in town. Two sizes, regular or Jumbo. Both come with great delicious tasting chopped BBQ accompanied with slaw and one of the best sauces around. Very difficult to pick up and eat the sandwich. Both sizes are full of meat. Best to eat with a fork or get ready to drop most of the Q on your shirt or blouse.
Great side dish is the BBQ Spaghetti. Unbelievable with a kick!
Great menu for the BBQ Lovers. Ribs and all extras along with BBQ bologna.
So this is a must place to be on your bucket list of Q restaurants in the Memphis area.
Henry Brenner
January 29, 2016

I had the pork ribs and they were great sauce was fantastic. Service was good and friendly. I would definitely come back.

Ordered rib dinner and shoulder sandwich and my order was short, so I had to go back and remainder of order that was sitting in window. Cashier apologized as he gives me cold order of fries and overcooked shoulder sandwich. What a way to end your night eating tasteless BBQ.

Just left and I must say this hands down has been the best bbq I have ever had. The smoked turkey is wonderful. Awesome service to match, will be back!!!

Ordered take-​out the other day, everything was great hope everyone trys this location. Talked to Tony the owner super nice guy and he is glad to be back in Memphis.

Honestly I don’t really see what the big hype is about this place. We once ate at a Neely’s location in Nashville (now closed) and it was delicious! This place is nothing special. My husband ordered the sliced beef sandwich. The portion was generous, but the meat was okay. I ordered the half chicken. Again just meh. The skin was soggy and the chicken had no flavor besides the sauce the was on it. The sides were mediocre as well. The potato salad tasted like it was out of a container purchased from their food provider. The first order of fries were cold. The second came out hot but very soggy and undercooked. We did not try the beans. The coleslaw is not a mayo based. My husband thought it was okay.
The restaurant used to be an old Mexican restaurant and you can tell. It seems like they put very little effort into remodeling.

Went for lunch. Very attentive service, killer bbq sandwich, great fries and beans. Glad to have neelys close to east memphis!

I am so glad Neely’s has opened in Memphis. I travel to Memphis every year and ALWAYS make sure to get my BBQ fix from Neely’s while I am there. Everything is delicious but my favorite is the pulled pork sandwich — seasoned just right with the best spicy BBQ sauce. Highly recommend checking this place out if you haven’t already.

Was so glad to see the Neely’s have opened another location in east Memphis. We used to go to Mt Moriah all the time. Stopped in today for some hot wings, rib tips, spaghetti, and slaw. Just like old times. Great!!!

5 of us sat at table for about 20 minutes without being acknowledged, keep in mind several servers were on the floor. I’m sure the food may have been good, but service is terrible… and I hope it’s fixed for that next time I come in town. Luckily, there are several other BBQ restaurants in Memphis to choose from.

I’ve been to this locale for almost every eatery since Café Roux. It has been a while since I sampled the Neely style BBQ. The ribs are smoky, fall of the bone delicious. Unlike other places that lather their meat with gobs of sauce, you have a sweet Memphis sauce that compliments the ribs. The cole slaw was all right, and the baked beans had a different sweetness, making it a good lunch. The place is set up for comfort while you wait for carry out orders. It has ample seating for dine in service. I will make another visits soon.