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.
Barbecue sandwiches at Payne's, photographed in 2007. Photo: Biskuit, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Memphis chopped pork · Lamar Avenue
Payne's Bar-B-Q
The Payne family's chopped pork and mustard slaw on Lamar Avenue since 1972.
- TodayHours not posted online
Why go
Horton Payne and his mother, Emily Payne, opened Payne's in April 1972 at Lamar and Barksdale.1 In 1976 it moved 3 blocks to its current building, once a filling station and mechanic's shop.1 Pork shoulders are turned over hickory coals in a recessed pit set into the wall.3
The chopped pork sandwich, topped with a mustard-based family-recipe coleslaw, sells the most.4 They can only cook so much each day, so pork and ribs can sell out and the spot may close early.4 Horton Payne died in 1984. Ron Payne and Candice Payne-Parker carry it on.14
What to order
Good to know
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.
- Latest mention: the newest dated creator post or press piece on this page. Shown only when it is under 60 days old.
- 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.
- Action News 5YouTubeView on YouTube ↗
- The Culinary Institute of AmericaYouTubeView on YouTube ↗
- @MemphisTravelX · Jan 2025View on X ↗
- @ByPatFordeX · Dec 2025View on X ↗
- @ModernEzraX · Aug 2025View on X ↗
Tap a post to play it here. We never edit posts or pay for them.
In the press
- Checked Oct 27, 2026Memphis magazine · Classic Dining: BBQ Sandwich at Payne's
- May 17, 2023Action News 5 · 5 Star Story: Payne's Bar-B-Q
What we don’t know yet
We only publish what we can source. Here’s what’s missing.
- Prices
- Wood and pits
- Cash or card
- The pitmaster
Near Lamar Avenue
Bain Barbecue
Open Tue to SunCooper-Young · about 0.7 mi
993 S Cooper St
Central BBQ
Open dailyMidtown · about 1 mi
2249 Central Ave
BallHoggerz BBQ
Airways Boulevard · about 1 mi
1404 Airways Boulevard
Distances are straight-line miles from Payne's, not driving distance.
Nearest trail: Memphis in a Day, about 1.4 miles away.
Related guides
Own Payne's Bar-B-Q? Get a Featured partner listing (paid)
Researched by Erik Peterson, sources linked below.
Sources (4) · every fact on this page links to one
- Classic Dining: BBQ Sandwich at Payne's · Memphis magazine · Checked Oct 27, 2026
- Payne's BBQ · Memphis magazine · Checked Oct 27, 2026
- Payne's Bar-B-Q (oral history) · Southern Foodways Alliance · Checked Oct 27, 2026
- 5 Star Story: Payne's Bar-B-Q · Action News 5 · published May 17, 2023 · checked Oct 27, 2026
We don’t publish our own scores. Partner listings are always labeled and never change what we recommend. Hours change, so check before you drive.