Tops Bar-B-Q

So I lived in Memphis for most of my life but had never eaten at Tops. I called in a togo order on my way back to Nashville today and you’d think I’d order BBQ, but my mom suggested the turkey burger. OH MY GOSH IT WAS AMAZING. It was cooked to order (so it takes a while), and totally work it. It was juicy, well seasoned, and delicious. Next time I’m in town I’ll be back for more!

Tops BBQ is an awesome place for BBQ. I enjoy a plain BBQ sandwich with lean meat and lots of BBQ sauce. This place is popular with other members of my family and neighbors as well. My father actually got me into this place. He usually gets himself his share on his way to night shift on the weekends. Whenever we talk on the way, he has a mouthful of some Tops. My first time having it was at my neighbors house. They picked up my order with theirs, as well as my brothers. I fell in love with the sauce. The flavor packed a serious punch in tastiness and made the sandwich awesome.
Their BBQ is by far some of the best that I’ve ever tasted. They have nice tasting french fries, too. Ketchup just absolutely makes this meal. I would recommend you eat at this place if you like BBQ. Since this place is sort of in the fast food industry, I can’t go on for all the qualities you would expect at a sit-​down restaurant… and the fact that I’ve never actually been inside of the place.
I have not had too many experiences with this place, but the ones I have are certainly great.

This place is just okay. The baked beans are the highlight– they are actually really awesome. Tasty! Other than that this is just okay barbeque, in a fast food setting.

I grew up on Tops BBQ and the Berclair location on Summer is by far the best one these days. The food is always hot, the service is always fast, and they always put plenty of juicy large chunks of pulled pork on your sandwich. Their beans are always very well seasoned, too. I make sure to drop by and get a jumbo pork combo with double beans every time I’m in Memphis. Oh, and they also make one of the best cheeseburgers in Memphis, too!!!

The burger. For the love of all that is holy, get the burger! It’s incredibly well seasoned and flavorful.
The BBQ is nothing to scoff at either, but with so many other incredible options in town, it’s not my first choice. The fries were so-​so, a little underdone for me but not inedible.
The surroundings leave something to be desired, but it’s retro and cool looking if nothing else. You’ll see all kinds in the dining room: families, couples, weirdos, you name it. But it’s a great slice of the city at large. And be nice to the ladies working – they’re sweating their butts off in that kitchen for your tastebuds!

Good BBQ Sandwich and Cheeseburgers! Nice people and service is pretty quick. Sandwiches and fries made to order.

The lady in the drive through was extremely rude to us when we had an issue with our card. She assumed that we were broke losers which is not the case. The card was not declined which simply means she just needed to swipe it again. She got a very bad attitude with us and started rushing saying «I need to know quickly» with attitude and then my wife simply said «ok we heard you» since lady screamed it at us. Then she said it was gonna charge it if we didn’t tell her quickly. Which we just wanted our food and my wife was trying to log on to bank since it is odd for her to say it was charging but yet we had balance remaining which isn’t the case on banks side. We were there for less than a minute. We just told her forget it and drove off– she should never be this rude to ANYONE!!!

TOPS help put Memphis on the BAR B Q map. Salute! You can’t go wrong at any location. Best BAR B Q sandwich in town. One of the best cheeseburgers in town, too.

It’s pretty good. The food is ok but the drive thru is very slow. I actually like the cheese burger better than their BBQ. I eat here sometimes but I mainly go to central for bbq. The cheese burger is the only thing worth getting.

I am a fan of Tops and have been for years. I love this location about 5 minutes from my house. Everyone here is always sure nice. They do have seating but I usually call my orders in and pick them up. the food is always waiting on me when I get there. There BBQ is great but I have to say they have one of the best cheese burgers around… and don’t forget the crinkle fries. We get an order of burgers before we go out on the weekend for a late night.

I have been eating here as my coworkers go there and it is okay (although portions are tiny and prices are high), but not after today. I was out in the good weather on my bike and pulled into Tops here on Summer to run across to the neighboring business for a powerball ticket.
Now it is past lunch and well before dinner and only one red camaro was parked in the lot all other spots were empty. In maybe two minutes I had my powerball ticket. When I was getting on my bike the manager came out and asked why I parked in her lot. I said sorry if I took your space but they are all free now. She said «So you can take our spot but not theirs.» I calmy explained the neighboring store has a steep lot with gravel at the entrance and it is difficult to manuver the bike so I parked there for just a minute seeing all the empty spaces. She kept on and said something like why don’t you park there. I again said it is a difficult lot for a bike. Aren’t we all together out there? What kind of manager bolts out to an empty lot when a guy on a bike in January parks there for just a couple minutes (and she then tries to start a conflict)? One thing Tops has never had is very upbeat employees but this takes the cake. If I needed another reason besides living longer to skip the greasy pork they serve I have it now. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise!?!

A standard in Memphis, by which I judge the consistency of all BBQ establishment,
You know exactly what you’re getting when you go to tops
The best part to me is the owners ability to hire and retain staff for life, they treat their employees well.

I don’t know why, but this place is the one to go to for fast BBQ! They bust ass cooking and piling food on your plate and sometimes even the older servers tell stories of brushes with the famous!

Everything you’ve heard about their cheeseburger is true. If I could give a 6^th star to a specific food item, this would be it. That seasoning is phenomenal and while I was supposed to be sharing the cheeseburger and brisket with my boyfriend, I snarled at him, allowed him to take only one bite, and then told him to stick to the brisket.
But I digress. The fries get 1 star. Heck, I’d give it no stars — I just wasn’t a fan. It reminded me of those «curly» fries (that look more like dents than actual curls) that you find in the frozen food section. The baked beans were OK, not phenomenal, and the brisket, while actually very good, paled in comparison to that glorious cheeseburger (which is why I told Andy he could have the whole brisket — aren’t I sweet?).
Anyways, the reason I’m stuck on only 3 stars is because the cashier who took our order was the rudest woman I have ever met in my entire life. Complete with a blonde mullet and multiple ear piercings, she reminded me of the mean grandmother that lived down the street growing up. She was impatient, surly, and let out very audible sighs when I didn’t spit out my order without hesitation (a thousand apologies for pausing when I was picking out my side items).
I really loooove their burger, but I think I’ll go to another location next time. Seeing that lady put me in a bad mood and life’s just too short for that.

One word: cheeseburger.
The ONLY reason to go to Tops is the cheeseburgers. Don’t waste your time on the BBQ, it’s not good. Don’t order fries, they are bland. The cheeseburger will change your life it is so amazing (thus the 4 stars).
This location is my favorite as it looks like a step back in time to the old drive-​in days and in my opinion, the food (read cheeseburgers) is best at this particular location. Service is patient, friendly, and consistent. No beer/​wine. Very inexpensive.
Did I mention the cheeseburgers? ;)

Pretty good brisket. Even better potato salad (mustard based) and BBQ baked beans were awesome. ⁴⁄₅!

I have to agree they have excellent bbq. Over the years, this particular location has not been consistent in the amount of meat on the jumbo bbq. On my last visit, the amount of meat on the jumbo was more like the amount of meat that would be on a regular. It was more like a slaw sandwich with a little bbq thrown in. When questioning the size of the sandwich, the employees will tell you the owner has told those fixing the sandwiches to reduce the amount of meat in order to save money. If customers do not get the bang for their buck, I would think that would lose money by losing customers instead of saving money. I would hate to see the amount they put on the regular.
Also on this last visit the only employee out front was the one fixing the orders. She had to call someone from the back, interupting her personal conversation, to take my order. While on her way out, she turned around to go back and finish the conversation before she took my order. Once she did finally come out, she began doing things behind the counter and still not taking my order. No one was manning the drive through either.
The hamburgers are really good, but you have to watch the grill so they don’t overcook them. They also need to cook the fries more so they aren’t mushy.
If you visit the one at National and Summer, you definitely get a much better sandwich and service.

Believe it or not these folks make great cheese burgers. We’ve also enjoyed their ribs and pork BarBQ. Call your order in and pick it up at the drive through window. Easy and very reasonable.

Searching for Memphis BBQ but pressed for time? Don’t worry, Tops has you taken care of. For around 5 bucks you can get a jumbo BBQ sandwich and 2 sides. I personally opted for the baked beans and the fries, both of which I doused with Tops hot bbq sauce. Went there twice in the same day the last time I was in Memphis, so that gives you an idea of the impression it had on me.
So good that I bought a pound of BBQ to take with me… all the way to Columbus, OH!

THEY MICROWAVE their ribs… What a shame. It would be 5 stars if not for that