Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

Why go

Charlie Vergos opened the Rendezvous in 1948 in a downtown Memphis basement, first selling ham sandwiches and beer.2 The ribs are what made it. They grill 18 inches from the fire for an hour and fifteen minutes with a vinegar wash, then get a rub based on the seasoning from Vergos' father's Greek chili.2

The ribs are charcoal-grilled.5 In 1985, Vergos advertised overnight rib shipping in The Wall Street Journal, at (800) HOGS-FLY.5 The Vergos family has served its dry rub ribs in a downtown basement, reached through an alley across from the Peabody Hotel, since 1948.1

Charlie Vergos' kids and grandkids still run it.1 Charlie Vergos is in the Barbecue Hall of Fame.3 Vergos turned an old elevator shaft into his first smoker.2

What to order

• Dry rub ribs

  The house signature.

  Source: Rendezvous1

Good to know

• Dry rub ribs

  Served since 1948.1

What people are saying

Posts and videos from people who’ve eaten here, pulled from 3 platforms and linked to the original.

In the press

• Apr 25, 2019Memphis magazine · Classic Dining: Ribs at Rendezvous
• Southern Foodways Alliance · John Vergos oral history, Tennessee Barbecue Trail