Interstate BBQ
(off I-55)
Cuisines: American
About
Corky's may be a bit flashier, but Interstate Bar-B-Que has the kind of grit and street cred that no suburban East Memphis eatery could muster. Located off Interstate 55 on South Third Street (a great stop-off if you're driving south from downtown to Graceland), Interstate is a former grocery store-turned barbecue joint. Insurance agent Jim Neely launched the biz in the 1970s in a then-dicey part of town. Though urban renewal efforts at seem to have eluded the still-blighted neighborhood, Interstate Bar-B-Que is a bright, welcoming spot. Long before USA Today proclaimed it the best place in America for a pork barbecue sandwich, locals and tourists already knew it. Along with pork and beef ribs and shredded barbecue, Interstate smokes a mean, spice-rubbed turkey breast. Chicken halves are slow-roasted in hickory-wood pits, to achieve a tender, moist flavor. Sides include sugary baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and barbecued spaghetti. For world-wide delivery, call tel. 888/227-2793.
