Tops Bar-B-Q
5144 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN, 38117
Tops Bar-B-Q Menu
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Address :
5144 Poplar Ave
Memphis, TN, 38117 - Phone (901) 682-7146
- Website https://topsbarbq.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :8:30 am - 11:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Justin C.
To understand Tops BBQ in the hierarchy of Memphis BBQ, it's helpful to analogize BBQ joints to burger joints. In that sense, if Corky's and Central BBQ are like the Huey's or 5 Guys of BBQ, Tops is the McDonald's. That being said, the East Memphis/Poplar Tops is easily the nicest Tops location I've been to. I've only dined in, so I cannot comment on the drive through (which seems to be a common complaint among other reviewers). Food: The pulled pork sandwich is solid. Tender, not dry, and with a nice tangy, not sweet sauce. Garnished with crunchy cole slaw, Memphis style. I've never had their burgers, but my friends with whom I dine say it's among the tastiest they've had. I typically get slaw and chips, so it's hard to mess those up. They offer chip flavors that other places dont, like dill pickle - my favorite. Price: Like McDonald's, it's cheap! $7 for a sandwich, two sides and a drink. A great deal for the food and lunch in general. Service: If you order the pulled pork, the food is prepared quickly. The cashiers have always been friendly to me, no problems. Ambiance: As I said above, this is the nicest Tops location at which I've eaten. Which is to say, it seemingly meets state cleanliness standards. It's cheap, quick, and delicious. Makes it one of my go to lunch places. 4 stars.
(4)Jonathan C.
Tops BBQ is a Memphis tradition of quality inexpensive BBQ when you are on a budget or short on time. I have been to several locations of Tops BBQ and although the food quality varies from location to location, I found that the quality at this location was great when I went. I find that the cheese burgers have good flavor, but don't stand out from other cheeseburgers you can get around town. If you are going to try tops for the first time go for the pork sandwich. The pork shoulder meat is a dry smoked and tender. The smoke flavor is well balanced and not overpowering. The BBQ sauce at Tops is not a sweet sauce and is not overly thick like other traditional BBQ Sauces. I find that the sauce seasoning reminds me of Valentina hot sauce. Its a unique flavor that makes them stand out. For the sides I always have to get the crinkle cut fries and the baked beans. I like to add a little BBQ sauce to the baked beans for a little extra flavor. Since moving away from Memphis I realized I took quality BBQ for granted. Tops may not be the best BBQ Memphis has to offer, but for under $10 you can get a full meal and a drink that is better quality than you will find outside of Memphis.
(4)Blake B.
It's greasy, it's tops BBQ. Not my first choice, but location is convenient Burgers are very passable
(3)Chris C.
Nice to have another BBQ place with a drive-thru in the area. Tops seems to have two areas of comparative advantage over the many other nearby BBQ places: the price and the hot BBQ sauce. The prices are significantly cheaper for many things than other places, but in some sense you get what you pay for. The meat is a bit less flavorful, the sides a bit less divine than some of the other places. The potato salad I got from this Tops was pretty bland, but I've had really good luck from some other tops places. The sauce is also excellent, but when I asked for extra on my visit here I was disappointed to see how little I ended up getting. The drive thru took a little longer than I had expected (10 minutes or so), but the food was pretty good and the price ($5.75 for a basic BBQ plate) can't be beat. Will come back when in the budget-conscious mood for BBQ.
(3)Benjamin D.
Tops, I was excited when you came to my neck of the woods. I also admired your gumption for building about a block away from arguably the most notable Memphis barbecue joint, Corky's. But my experiences up to now are just not meeting expectations. I've been to this Tops location twice since it's opened. The first time, I went through the drive through. It was immediately obvious that the staff had no training on how to operate a drive through window. She stumbled through the ordering process. Granted, they've only been open for a month or so, but if you're going to have a drive through, hire someone who can run one. As I left with my food, I noticed that I had received a cheeseburger instead of a BBQ sandwich and sugary soda instead of diet. Quite disappointing. So, this week, I decided to give them another try. I actually received a BBQ sandwich this time (yay), but upon first bite, found that the sandwich was cloying and far more dry than desirable I requested sauce on the sandwich, but there was so little that the bun and chopped meat melded into something akin to half-drived papier-mâché upon chewing. Wars have started over less than proper saucing technique on BBQ sandwiches, but this just wasn't okay. I'd recommend you ask for extra sauce on the sandwich if you go for it. What *do* I like about Tops? The outside edges of the pork has a wonderfully crispy texture, as if they leave the skin on or mop the meat to make a crackly surface. Also: it's cheap. Try leaving Corky's down the street for ~$7 a meal. Plus, their burger, while made with thin, obviously frozen patties, is tasty (just get the double). The beans are tasty, too. On value alone, I'd recommend you go here, instead of Corky's. I'm not giving up on you, Tops. I know you can work out the kinks at this location.
(3)Cal M.
Just left the drive-through after about 30 minutes in line. I ordered two barbecue plates one with chips,fries with the other. Got home and of course They forgot the chips. Absolute worst barbecue I've had in a long time. Dry, cool and old tasting. Drove back to the store, because the phone number on yelp is wrong, counter girl was not very helpful asked me for my sales ticket and the food. I had neither so she suggested I see the manager Tuesday. I will.
(2)Wayne R.
Always a great place to eat good old fashioned slow roasted pork sandwiches. I usually get a pork sandwich. Today, I ordered the combo #2 (Jumbo Pork combo). It comes with two sides. Tops BarBQ is one the best places to get BBQ on the go! Try out this new location on Poplar Ave!
(4)Ali D.
These burgers are seriously amazing. Best burgers in town, in my humble opinion. And their bbq sandwiches (with slaw is a must) are so fire. Their beans are incredible too - bbq meat & sauce mixed in with them! Phew. I could go on & on! Crinkle fries, FTW!
(5)Renee W.
Visited tops on poplar today service was great and food was delicious. Brisket was tender with just enough sauce. The Potato salad was nice and creamy. Excellent choice!
(5)Amber M.
I am just not excited for Tops. I haven't liked a single thing I have had at any location. There is much better bbq around any corner in Memphis.
(1)Josh P.
I was so excited for my first Top's experience. And my excitement was almost crushed by this place. I think it would be safe to say that the staff working on this Friday night could not have cared less about being there. For starters, when we showed up at 8:30, their giant outdoor sign wasn't even lit up. While I can admire the bravado of a restaurant who might say, "We don't even need a sign!", I think it is safe to say that wasn't the intent here. Our food came out slow, despite us being able to see everything they were doing. Both sweet teas canisters were completely out of tea and when I asked the guy working the counter if there was any in the back he said he'd check and went to the back...and never spoke to us again. When I finally got his attention again, it turned out that he had taken some more sweet tea and put it out in a place we couldn't see. You read that right. He didn't put it where it was supposed to be, just almost where it was supposed to be but where we couldn't see it. And then he never said anything to us about it. The counter area was also a mess and had me wondering how clean the rest of the place could possibly be, especially considering this same guy was working the cash register three feet away. The only reason I didn't give this one star is because I loved the food. I had a cheeseburger and my wife had a pulled pork sandwich. Both extremely awesome. We both also had the beans, which I personally believe are the best BBQ beans in all of Memphis. My only knock on the food was that I got less fries than a McDonald's happy meal. I think I might try another Top's, but maybe not this one.
(2)Tee C.
I grew up eating Tops BBQ and dream about eating it again every time I head back to Memphis. However, the Tops at 5144 Poplar Ave left me sorely disappointed the last few times I went; I went twice two weeks apart hoping the first time was a fluke and the next time would be better. Sadly, I was wrong. Both times I went to this location, the service was extremely slow and then once I finally got my food, it was cold. Also, both times, they skimped on the meat on my "jumbo" pork sandwich, and also gave me what tasted like a sandwich full dry burnt edges of the meat rather than the actual meat (I assume they cooked the meat too long). The beans also were very watery and unseasoned too the point of being tasteless, which is a shame, because Tops usually has the best BBQ baked beans I have ever tasted. I could not BELIEVE this was the same Tops BBQ that I grew up loving and I hope it doesn't give out of towners a bad impression of what Memphis BBQ is supposed to be like. This is by far the worst Tops location I have ever eaten at in all of Memphis. The rest are awesome with excellent service and great tasting food. But whoever runs Tops needs to get the location at 5144 Poplar in shape, because the service and food are so bad there that it is SERIOUSLY ruining their brand.
(1)Mary N.
Food was not so great. Ordered a cheese burger and a sampler. Brisket meet was really chewy and tasted old. Cheese burger tasted okay. Wasn't a wow factor to it. Overall atmosphere was calm.
(3)Craig W.
I was getting my car serviced nearby this place. I walked in. The burger had good flavor and was juicy. I went with the double cheeseburger. I also added a half slab of ribs. I liked the lack of sauce. I was able to taste the meat and the smoke. Overall it was a pleasant meal. I recommend giving this place a try.
(4)Joelle P.
No. I've given this place enough chances and they have disappointed me every. single. time. I love Tops. I daydream about their cheeseburger. And I still think that it is a 12-str cheeseburger, which is seasoned perfectly. BUT...I do still have nightmares about that cashier at the drive-thru who wiped her runny nose and then handed me back my credit card. And this location is sooooooo slooooow. I was in line yesterday for 40 minutes (with only 3 cars ahead of me). I came here for a quick bite and left frustrated. And this happens every time. The staff needs to get it together. I kinda miss the grumpy, surly lady at the Summer location because, yeah, she might be a bit of a grump but at least she gets my order out on time and dare I even say, fast? This Tops is right by my office but after yesterday, I'd rather drive over to Summer because it would take less time.
(1)Rich L.
If you are a foodie or Southern then this is: One of the few places in the country that serves and knows the difference between pulled, chopped, or sliced as well as white, mixed, or brown meats. Giving the true foodie real options and near unlimited choices for tastes and textures. Be sure to custom order for a real treat. Not a tourist trap like Corky's. It's a real authentic Memphis original. The hamburger truly deserves it's listing on 100 things to do in Memphis. The Barbque is consistent. Cooked in house not shipped in and microwaved like One and Only Barbque and others nearby. Be real go to Tops!
(5)