City guide · Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis BBQ
Rendezvous ribs, barbecue spaghetti, Cozy Corner's Cornish hen and Payne's chopped pork, with prices from each spot's own menu.
Memphis barbecue · Cordova, Shelby County
Leonard's Pit Barbecue
Memphis barbecue going back to 1922, now on Germantown Parkway in Cordova.
- Today
Why go
Leonard's opened in 1922, when founder Leonard Heuberger traded a Model T Ford for a 7-stool sandwich stand at Trigg and Latham in South Memphis.4 In the 1940s and 50s it was a drive-in with about 20 carhops.4 Dan Brown bought Leonard's in 1993, and in June 2021 it was sold to the owners of Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken.4
In 2023 it moved from 5465 Fox Plaza Drive to 1100 N Germantown Parkway in Cordova.4 At the Fox Plaza buffet, customers raved about the sweet rib sauce and signature mustard-vinegar slaw.4 In 2002, longtime pitman James Willis said the ribs cooked with charcoal on the pit at about 250 degrees.5
What to order
What people are saying
Posts and videos from people who’ve eaten here, pulled from 2 platforms and linked to the original.
By the numbersHow we counted
We use AI-assisted search to find public posts and press about each spot, then check them by hand. We can’t see every post, so these numbers count what we found, not everything out there. Last updated Oct 27, 2026.
- Press mentions: articles and lists in the press list on this page, all free to read.
- Creator posts: TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook posts on this page dated in the last 12 months. YouTube videos without a stored date are not counted. Reddit threads are not counted as creator posts.
- Creators: distinct accounts behind the creator posts on this page.
- Price: our own cost guide, not a ranking. We take the typical meal range from the spot's current menu and use its midpoint: $ under $12, $$ $12 to $20, $$$ $20 to $35, $$$$ over $35.
- J & B In The HillsYouTubeView on YouTube ↗
- @thetakeoutX · Mar 2026View on X ↗
- @MashedHQX · Feb 2026View on X ↗
Tap a post to play it here. We never edit posts or pay for them.
In the press
- Sep 11, 2023The Commercial Appeal · Historic Memphis restaurant Leonard's Pit Barbecue has a new home
What we don’t know yet
We only publish what we can source. Here’s what’s missing.
- Prices
- Photos
- Wood and pits
- Cash or card
- The pitmaster
More barbecue nearby
Tops Bar-B-Q
Cordova · Cordova Rd · about 0.3 mi
7960 Cordova Rd
One & Only BBQ
Cordova · Timber Creek Dr · about 2 mi
153 Timber Creek Dr
Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q
North Germantown Parkway · about 3 mi
2359 North Germantown Parkway
Nearest trail: The Tennessee BBQ Trail.
Related guides
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0Road trip · Nashville to Memphis
The Tennessee BBQ Trail
Nashville to Memphis in two days: whole hog in Lexington, dry ribs and barbecue spaghetti in Memphis. Free printable map.
Photo: Southern Foodways Alliance, CC BY 2.0Style guide · Tennessee
Memphis vs. Nashville BBQ
Dry rub vs. sauce, ribs vs. whole hog, and where to taste each, all sourced.
Researched by Erik Peterson, sources linked below.
Sources (5) · every fact on this page links to one
- Home · Leonard's Pit Barbecue · Checked Oct 27, 2026
- Historic Memphis restaurant Leonard's Pit Barbecue has a new home · The Commercial Appeal · published Sep 11, 2023 · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Contact · Leonard's Pit Barbecue · Checked Oct 28, 2026
- History · Leonard's Pit Barbecue · Checked Oct 28, 2026
- Leonards pit barbecue 2002 · southernfoodways.org · Checked Oct 28, 2026