A&R Bar-B-Que the 15th Stop on the Memphis BBQ Tour

We went to A&R Bar-B-Que on Thursday May 7, 2009. A&R started in 1983 in the Elvis Presley location, now A&R boasts 4 locations across Memphis. This location is right next to Hamilton High School.  

Courtney's Review: I thought A & R was great. I had never heard of the

place and it wasn't in the best part of town but I was pleasantly surprised. The service was very friendly and the BBQ was delicious! I ordered the regular pork sandwich with fries. Next time I'll skip the fries and order a jumbo sandwich. The generous portion of pulled pork was tender, moist, and had a great smokey flavor. I chose the mild sauce and it ranks up there as one of my favorite BBQ sauces...sweet and not too much vinegar. I tried the caramel cake and was disappointed. We asked someone about it and she assured us it was homemade but I suspect the frosting came from a jar.  We got to see the smokehouse and it

was full of ribs...next time I'll have to try those...they looked delicious!

Diane's Review: The sandwich was very good.  The medium sauce was excellent and the meat was really good.  The fried pies were to die for. The caramel cake wasn't that good and I think it was a cake mix. The icing was disappointing. I give the sandwich a 4.

Randy's Review: I had the brown barbecue sandwich with hot sauce. I thought it was very good. The beans were a pleasant change from the rest of the bbq places we have been eating at. They were different from the more common place sugar and molasses type and kind of 

mixture sweetness in the beans.  They were smokey and had plenty of meat. I also got a homemade tamale, it was good very much like a typical Memphis tamale.  The fried peach pie was wonderful and about the size of an elephant ear.  It was obvious that someone knows how to make these in that good old fashioned way.  The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I give the sandwich a 4.

Kembree's Review: The A&R we went to was in a part of town I had never been in. Right across the street from the Bulk Mail processing center. I've seen their location in Hickory Hill, but never dined there. At this location, the building was small and just a concrete box, on the way there we passed an interesting car paint shop named "Candy Whips". We liked the name. We

 walked into A&R and there was a long line, almost out the door. This is a great sign of course. I started asking the regulars what they liked. A lot were getting deli sandwiches and burgers, although you could smell the bbq and it would be hard to not get it if you ask me.  When I got to the counter I ordered the combo sandwich meal with a side. I also got us a dessert of caramel cake to split. The sandwich was great, wrapped in 

A&R's own paper with their logo (nice professional touch). I got the mix of hot and mild sauce and it was perfect. Wow, this was a really good sandwich. Good bit of smokey flavored meat that you could taste, but the sauce topped it off perfectly. And for my side I got fried pickle spears and they were delicious.  I thought this was a good side besides the usuals. The caramel cake was ok, too sweet for me, but ok. I tried both Randy and Brett's fried pies and those are the dessert to get. They were sooo yummy! After eating, we discovered the smokehouse in the back and met the pit master. He had racks and racks of ribs, so I wanted some after

 seeing them. Next time I will try the ribs. I give A&R a 4 out of 5. 

Brett's Review: It was a little whole in the wall in the ghetto of Memphis. First good sign. It took longer than average to get my food. Second good sign. There were alot of people there. Third good sign. There are certain things you look for in a good BBQ spot A&R 

seemed to hit all of them. Some big corporate place like Corky's, where they order most of their food from sysco, have a bunch of locations, and pump the food out almost as quick as you order it, lose the "down home" style that BBQ should have. My sandwich was great and so big I couldn't finish it. And the homemade fried apple pie I had for dessert made me envision a little old lady slaving away in her kitchen. Putting years and years of knowledge and love into a southern dessert she had spent her life perfecting. A&R was a favorite for me. 5:5.