Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

They get mixed reviews, but when I went it was great!

I was rolling through town and dead set on a rondevous with BBQ. I had my family drop me off, as let's be serious there's no place to park when pulling a trailer. I popped out and walked over to get my glamour shot in front of the world famous sign and then moseyed on down the stairs. I sauntered up to the hostess and said I want an order to go, she pointed me to the bar and so I ordered. While waiting I walked toward the open "kitchen" pit and the guys were all smiles and happy to say hello and even give a thumbs up for a shot.

I got a little of everything and surprisingly the brisket may have been the most tasty. I'm from Texas and we take brisket serious and admittedly it was solid. I liked all the meats. I wasn't crazy about the potato salad and straight up didn't like the cole slaw, but didn't go there for them in the first place.

All in all a fun experience! I was back on the road with my to-go plate in under 15 minutes and had a happy belly as we ventured back home to TX.

At Charlie Vergos Rendezvous, you can smell the smoke from the charcoal-fired pits around the corner on 3rd Street. Follow the scent down the alley to the red-and-green striped awnings, then descend into the basement dining room with its old tile floor, red-checkered tablecloths, and photo-lined walls. This classic spot is a step back in time.

Rendezvous is the birthplace of Memphis-style dry-rubbed ribs. It all started in 1948 when Charlie Vergos, son of Greek immigrants, opened a sandwich shop in the building's basement. Initially selling ham sandwiches and beer, Vergos converted the old coal chute into a smoker.

Experimenting with various meats, he eventually tried pork ribs, guided by his right-hand man, Little John. Vergos added his Greek chili spice blend to the ribs, creating a unique dry rub. By the late 1950s, Rendezvous' "charcoaled ribs" had become a Memphis institution, serving 750 orders on a typical Saturday night.

All right, the review taken with liberal amount of dry rub.
Because this is our they serve some of the most amazing ribs you will ever read. Yes, I know being from Texas. We bought a lot dead on the red. Here they do an amazing show. They are very delicious.
Yeah, live and learn.
This barbecue is a throwback dude the good old days one of the Customer Service Paramount, oh yeah, good food too.
If here in Memphis, this is a Moscow and peal until you roll around on the floor. I hope not too explode
10 out of 10

Last we were here was about 25 years ago. I had very good memories of that experience. We were back in town and had to stop in for an early dinner. We were able to grab a table and were quickly served by the very friendly staff. Once ordered the food comes out in a flash.

I got the large rack of ribs and my wife the greek salad. The salad was very good and very fresh. Unfortunately the main attraction, the ribs, were just OK. In the last two decades I have now had a variety of smoked ribs in Texas and elsewhere in the country that are superior to the grilled variety here. The ribs were a bit tough and not that juicy though I do like the dry rub (though a bit over rubbed...). The beans and spicy coleslaw were very good. I did try a bit of their sauce on the ribs but it was not to my liking so I stuck with the dry rub,

So a bit of a sad experience since I had such good memories.

Rendezvous is a highly visited historic resturant in downtown Memphis walking distance from the Peabody Hotel. With its great history since 1948, I had to eventually try even though there are so many great bbq joints in town.
I really liked the inside aesthetic. It's casual and essentially in a basement but well decorated with old photos and signed celebrity photos. The wait staff was great and attentive.
The food itself I wasn't a huge fan of personally and only really for 3 stars.
Dry rub flavor is good, a bit spicy.
Portion sizes are small for the price.
Nachos were underwhelming.
Appetizer plate meats actually kinda cold when they came out and again small for the price.

I think this is one of those places to come once and say you've been, and then go try many many other great Memphis bbq places in town.

After several recommendations from the internet, past visitors, and locals, I decided this was THE place I had to try my first Memphis BBQ and I was not disappointed.
We got there just in time to avoid the rush. We were seated right away and by the time we left they were up to just about an hour wait. The decor is old bbq house. Lots of signs and decor telling the history of the place, a painting of the founder on one wall, a cabinet full of Precious Moments figurines on another. Our server was fast, efficient, and nice enough without being overly friendly or talkative.
Knowing this was only first stop of the evening we each had a local beer and split an appetizer and one entree to leave room for later.
Sausage and Cheese appetizer was just that. Smoked sausage had been dusted with seasoning and laid atop thin slices of Velveeta, served with pepperoncini and saltines. It was decent, it was tasty, it held us over for the very short wait before our food came but there was nothing special about it.
Then the food came out. Much faster than we would have thought but really everything had been cooking all day so it kinda makes sense? Sides were a default beans and slaw, it may be possible to ask for something else but it seemed a default and we were not asked if we wanted to change...
BBQ Beans were too sweet for us. Not a fan. The slaw is amazing though, done with a vinegar based sauce and not too wet, really good. The ribs were pretty good. So tasty we didn't even bother using the sauce as the dry rub flavor was so good! Fair warning, these are not tiny, fall off the bone baby backs, these are thick, meaty, spareribs with some bite and chew to them. That's my preference so I liked it but be ready. The brisket was amazing! Tender, juicy, flavorful, just the right amount of fat, best brisket I've had I think.
We were in a hurry to get out and explore the city, plus the place was starting to fill up, so no dessert this time...

Came here on a recommendation. The atmosphere was nice but the service was lacking . We ordered the ribs, maybe it was an off night but they were the driest ribs I have ever had . I cannot recommend this place . Disappointing.

First time to Memphis and a relative who has been here multiple times told me to eat here. This place was amazing! It had all the charm I hoped for; a true local treasure! It was hidden down an alley entrance. I loved the decor. We got the ribs for two and from the time we ordered to the time we got our food was maybe 90 seconds! The ribs were fabulous. The waiter suggested eating them without sauce because of the rub, but even though it was good, we both preferred having the mild bbq sauce on them. They came with beans and slaw; no substitutions and no fries. The beans were OK but the cole slaw was weird and was not to my liking. My son thought it looked more like yellow rice. We both got dessert and the key lime pie and chess pie were fabulous. If you are visiting Memphis, make sure you eat here.

Stopped for a late dinner. We were seated right away. Our server was very quick and attentive. Started with the Greek salad, it was very good. Then came the brisket and ribs. The ribs were not fall off the bone tender, but I don't mind that. The flavor for both the ribs and brisket was good. I did add the sauce since it's all dry rubbed. The bbq sauce was really good. The Cole slaw was not what we are used to, but it was good. The potato salad and beans were great. I am glad we decided to share everything. It was a lot of food! We still had plenty of leftovers. Overall it was a pleasant experience.

The service and the quality of the brisket are very strong here. The meat has a nice dry rub on it.

The ribs were a little tough for my liking. The flavor was good but I like very tender ribs.

Service was outstanding.