Head down the stairs to the basement of 52 S. Second Street to this rustic Memphis BBQ spot with a jukebox and plenty of memorabilia adorning the walls.Overall, they were not too busy on Wednesday in the late afternoon/early evening. Our group enjoyed the experience and left satisfied with the food and the service.Chicken BBQ Nachos: the chicken was flavorful and moist, the cheese was a liquid nacho cheese, but the chips were just round tortilla chips probably from Sysco or US Foods. Nothing super impressive, but still tasty. 7/10Rendezvous Special (Ham, Cheese, Salami, Sausage, Pickles & Peppers): in my opinion you should just get the 'cheese and sausage plate' with extra sausage. The only difference is you don't get the ham and salami, which adds nothing special to the dish. The sausage had dry rub on it and was good, but not great. The cheddar cheese was in long rectangles, and would have been better cubed so you could make a perfect bite. The pickles would have been better as chips instead of spears for the same reason. 7/10Half rack pork ribs: the ribs were tender but still had some texture and bite to them. Flavor was good, lots of rub and light on sauce. I didn't LOVE the raw rub being put on when the ribs are served. Also I'm not 100% sure, but I think they leave the membrane on the ribs, which was on the crispy side and wasn't the best mouth feel. I prefer no membrane if you can't tell. 7/10Brisket: I ordered the "pork ribs and brisket" and the dish came with about 5 slices of brisket. 2 slices were dry as a bone and not good, and the other 3 slices weren't as dry but they were slathered in BBQ sauce which totally drowned out the flavor of the brisket. Not sure if this was a fluke or not, but that was my experience. 5/10Baked beans: these had nice flavor and chunks of pork which added to the texture and unctuiousness. I don't normally go crazy over baked beans, but these were quite good. 9/10Coleslaw: vinegar base, pungent flavor. I enjoyed it, but it's not for everybody. 8/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs, Rendezvous Famous Pork Ribs, Rendezvous BBQ Sauce, Sausage and Cheese Plate, Pork Ribs
Brandon Murray
This place was confusing as hell, when I stopped in for lunch a few years ago. I was told by the owner that they "were closed", but then I got a story about her dad not turning ppl away for food (Don't care about that part).Then, I was able to pull out of her that they had a limited menu during lunch, which included mostly ribs and salad.After sitting down to lunch, it turned out to be #solid. However, they need to do something about the confusion about lunch, as well as only having one section of the building that takes CC.This is not the '60s and '70s anymore; time to update some of these amentities (or lack there of)...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs
Scott
A classic. They brought a complimentary serving of red beans and rice to us as part of the meal. The ribs are a dry rub. You can add sauce, on the table, if you want to. Dry is good. They have a little bite to them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs, Red Beans and Rice, Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ryan Dunphy
I ordered the small plate of ribs (six). It was really great for someone who hasn’t had Memphis BBQ. The charcoal and dry rub add a great flavor. The service was also great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs
James Lowe
The Rendesvous is famous for it's BBQ ribs. Even the food channel reviews put it near the top of the list... but that was about seven years ago. I put their ribs near the bottom of the list. An absolute disappointment after all the hype. However, I thought their brisket was really good. I was part of a large group at a big table and the service was great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
C Webster
Waiter’s we’re top notch. Nice big place fun to see BBQ is mediocre at best. Tough ribs tough brisket No reason to go here and spend good money for bad que. Have a drink take a look around and move on.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sauce
Whitney Smith
The Brisket was the best, the ribs were overcooked but with sauce manageable. The Brisket though was great and the service was super quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Alberts
Traffic IPA was great, brisket amazing, ribs 6/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Richard Alberts
Service was fine. Nothing super great or bad. Awesome location. Beautifully historical basement restaurant. Tons of character.I will say the brisket is out of this world. The Local IPAs are very good. The ribs have a nice season but not my favorite. They seem to be seasoned post smoking and then seasoned and grilled. Not my jam but they are good. The brisket is AMAZING though..... Amazing❤️
Very disappointing after previous visits where food was better. Chewable ribs, which is the kindest way to describe them, nothing good about them and sides served in plastic cups. Desserts also served in plastic and clearly assembly line food. Very cool looking place but just not what it used to be.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Robert Kral
It's okay. Go to say you did. The key lime pie was embrassing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Nancy Trivett
This restaurant has a long history of being excellent, but our experience was very disappointing. Dinner was served on foil covered plastic baskets with plastic utensils. The ribs were dry and tasteless, the brisket was tough and dry, the sides were served in tiny plastic containers and were awful tasting, except for the beans, which weren't too bad. The service was quick but impersonal. I'm sorry to have to say all this, but it's the truth.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Alisha Reeves
The pork shoulder was everything the hype said it would be! Tender and full of flavor. BBQ sauce was added and it was just the right amount. The baked beans were the perfect complement to the meat. The cole slaw wasn’t my particular favorite but if you like vinegar based cole slaw then I bet it hits different. I got take out on a Saturday night while staying at The Peabody. The line for seating was out the door and I heard the hostess quoting 45 minutes to an hour at 6pm.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Shoulder
Kyla
Vegetarian options: Limited vegetarian options like potato salad and saladsDietary restrictions: Celiac friendly options
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Famous Pork Ribs, Rendezvous BBQ Sauce, Mama's Real Greek Salad
Head down the stairs to the basement of 52 S. Second Street to this rustic Memphis BBQ spot with a jukebox and plenty of memorabilia adorning the walls.Overall, they were not too busy on Wednesday in the late afternoon/early evening. Our group enjoyed the experience and left satisfied with the food and the service.Chicken BBQ Nachos: the chicken was flavorful and moist, the cheese was a liquid nacho cheese, but the chips were just round tortilla chips probably from Sysco or US Foods. Nothing super impressive, but still tasty. 7/10Rendezvous Special (Ham, Cheese, Salami, Sausage, Pickles & Peppers): in my opinion you should just get the 'cheese and sausage plate' with extra sausage. The only difference is you don't get the ham and salami, which adds nothing special to the dish. The sausage had dry rub on it and was good, but not great. The cheddar cheese was in long rectangles, and would have been better cubed so you could make a perfect bite. The pickles would have been better as chips instead of spears for the same reason. 7/10Half rack pork ribs: the ribs were tender but still had some texture and bite to them. Flavor was good, lots of rub and light on sauce. I didn't LOVE the raw rub being put on when the ribs are served. Also I'm not 100% sure, but I think they leave the membrane on the ribs, which was on the crispy side and wasn't the best mouth feel. I prefer no membrane if you can't tell. 7/10Brisket: I ordered the "pork ribs and brisket" and the dish came with about 5 slices of brisket. 2 slices were dry as a bone and not good, and the other 3 slices weren't as dry but they were slathered in BBQ sauce which totally drowned out the flavor of the brisket. Not sure if this was a fluke or not, but that was my experience. 5/10Baked beans: these had nice flavor and chunks of pork which added to the texture and unctuiousness. I don't normally go crazy over baked beans, but these were quite good. 9/10Coleslaw: vinegar base, pungent flavor. I enjoyed it, but it's not for everybody. 8/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs, Rendezvous Famous Pork Ribs, Rendezvous BBQ Sauce, Sausage and Cheese Plate, Pork Ribs
This place was confusing as hell, when I stopped in for lunch a few years ago. I was told by the owner that they "were closed", but then I got a story about her dad not turning ppl away for food (Don't care about that part).Then, I was able to pull out of her that they had a limited menu during lunch, which included mostly ribs and salad.After sitting down to lunch, it turned out to be #solid. However, they need to do something about the confusion about lunch, as well as only having one section of the building that takes CC.This is not the '60s and '70s anymore; time to update some of these amentities (or lack there of)...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs
A classic. They brought a complimentary serving of red beans and rice to us as part of the meal. The ribs are a dry rub. You can add sauce, on the table, if you want to. Dry is good. They have a little bite to them.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs, Red Beans and Rice, Pulled Pork Sandwich
I ordered the small plate of ribs (six). It was really great for someone who hasn’t had Memphis BBQ. The charcoal and dry rub add a great flavor. The service was also great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Charcoal Pork Ribs
The Rendesvous is famous for it's BBQ ribs. Even the food channel reviews put it near the top of the list... but that was about seven years ago. I put their ribs near the bottom of the list. An absolute disappointment after all the hype. However, I thought their brisket was really good. I was part of a large group at a big table and the service was great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Waiter’s we’re top notch. Nice big place fun to see BBQ is mediocre at best. Tough ribs tough brisket No reason to go here and spend good money for bad que. Have a drink take a look around and move on.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sauce
The Brisket was the best, the ribs were overcooked but with sauce manageable. The Brisket though was great and the service was super quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Traffic IPA was great, brisket amazing, ribs 6/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Service was fine. Nothing super great or bad. Awesome location. Beautifully historical basement restaurant. Tons of character.I will say the brisket is out of this world. The Local IPAs are very good. The ribs have a nice season but not my favorite. They seem to be seasoned post smoking and then seasoned and grilled. Not my jam but they are good. The brisket is AMAZING though..... Amazing❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Red Beans and Rice, Pork Ribs
Great food, service and ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Very disappointing after previous visits where food was better. Chewable ribs, which is the kindest way to describe them, nothing good about them and sides served in plastic cups. Desserts also served in plastic and clearly assembly line food. Very cool looking place but just not what it used to be.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
It's okay. Go to say you did. The key lime pie was embrassing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
This restaurant has a long history of being excellent, but our experience was very disappointing. Dinner was served on foil covered plastic baskets with plastic utensils. The ribs were dry and tasteless, the brisket was tough and dry, the sides were served in tiny plastic containers and were awful tasting, except for the beans, which weren't too bad. The service was quick but impersonal. I'm sorry to have to say all this, but it's the truth.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
The pork shoulder was everything the hype said it would be! Tender and full of flavor. BBQ sauce was added and it was just the right amount. The baked beans were the perfect complement to the meat. The cole slaw wasn’t my particular favorite but if you like vinegar based cole slaw then I bet it hits different. I got take out on a Saturday night while staying at The Peabody. The line for seating was out the door and I heard the hostess quoting 45 minutes to an hour at 6pm.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Shoulder
Vegetarian options: Limited vegetarian options like potato salad and saladsDietary restrictions: Celiac friendly options
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rendezvous Famous Pork Ribs, Rendezvous BBQ Sauce, Mama's Real Greek Salad