Rendezvous

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  • 52 South Second St
    Memphis, Tennessee 38102
    (901) 523-2746
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Editor Pick

The Rendezvous

  • August 5, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by mre16 from Easton, Maryland
The Rendezvous

Be warned that Memphis' Famous Rendezvous Restaurant has a challenging entrance. It's listed as 52nd South Second Street, but when you're on Second Street, all you can see is Erika's German Restaurant. If you take a second look, you might see the barely noticeable stained-glass window above a door that has "Rendezvous" etched in the glass. We had to walk up to the door to see a paper that directed us to the main entrance in the alley around the corner. We had to walk through an alley and past several dumpsters to get to the "front" entrance. The hostess asked, "How many?" and pointed to the general area where she wanted us to sit, all the while never giving her stool seat a chance to cool. An elderly, heavyset African-American gentleman saw us approaching and yelled, "Two? Two? Come on down here, Two. Take a seat right there, Two." He turned out to be our waiter, but the entire meal, he was shouting at us from behind a half-wall. He rarely moved from his spot.

He gave us about 3 minutes to glance over the menu before he demanded, "Are you folks going to eat something or not?" We ordered pork barbecue sandwiches, which were OUTSTANDING! Definitely the BEST in Memphis! (If you love their barbecue, don't miss purchasing a couple of bottles on your way out.) Before we left, my husband asked our waiter if he could take a photo, and the waiter quipped, "Hell, yeah," and grinned widely for the camera - the only time we'd seen him smile since we sat down. My husband later commented that he'd never been treated so badly before and had to pay for it. Something about Rendezvous works, because the food is outstanding and the service wasn't as bad as it was comical. We made our way to the door, laughing all the way.

From journal Musical Memphis

Rendezvous

  • April 25, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by DrewD from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
This is a tourist trap and Southern cliché, but alas, THE best barbeque in Memphis, and therefore, on planet Earth. The dry-rub ribs are absolutely to die for, and they have onion-ring loaf and cold beer. It is what I would order for my last meal. The barbequed pig is a magical animal, and Rendezvous is its home.

From journal Memorial Day in Memphis

Editor Pick

Rendezvous

  • March 28, 2005
  • Rated 1 of 5 by HankFontaine from memphis, Tennessee

This place has been written about many times. A national men’s magazine listed it as one of the top 10 places for guys to go. Many other magazines list this place as charming or a real piece of Memphis.

It’s located in an one-lane alley right in front of the Peabody hotel downtown. This is the area which houses most of the nightlife in Memphis. You will pass it by if you aren’t careful, as you can't really see it from any main road. But passing it by isn't a major loss, as you will see.

Well, we went, and I can tell you that I wasn’t the least bit impressed. They pride themselves on being rude. Honestly, that is one of the things they became famous for. Well, it’s downright annoying; it’s not charming in the least. If you like your waiters to be a really rude and to act like it's a hassle to refill an empty cup, to throw your food down in front of you and not get drinks, napkins, or sauces in a timely manner, if at all, then this is the place for you.

Magazines and yuppies may think this behavior is cute or quaint, but I don’t like to pay people to be rude to me.

I always wonder why people or magazines like places that have these little acts. It wouldn’t be so bad, either, if the food was great, but it is merely average. In a town like Memphis, which is known for the barbeque, this ranks near the bottom and is priced near the top.

If you like great barbeque with a nice atmosphere and decent service, then avoid this place at all costs. There are many other great places within walking distance of Rendezvous that are 10 times better.

If you want the best BBQ in Memphis, you need to head out to A&R Bar-B-Que by Graceland. It's cheaper, has more character, and the people are great. It looks like a real dive, but you can't argue with the great food and the low prices.

Rendezvous is one of the worst places I have ever eaten. Very lazy staff, rude people, horrible sevice, mediocre food.

From journal Memphis; Tales of Barbecue,Elvis,and Beale

Rendezvous

  • January 7, 2005
  • Rated 1 of 5 by dwsmith78 from St. Louis, Missouri
Everyone from bellhops to busboys at other restaurants recommended this place for its dry-rub ribs, so we were expecting the best! There was an NBA game that night, so it was crowded, but we didn't mind the wait. When we were seated, though, the problems began. First, no one came to serve us after we got our drinks. In fact, I had time to go from the far end of the basement of the restaurant, where we were seated, to the parking lot four blocks away, and no one had as much as come by to take an order or refill drinks. Next, when I asked a waiter to help us, he grunted at me and walked away. The next waiter I saw finally took our order and refilled our drinks only after we asked. We got the rib platter for ourselves and a cheese sandwich platter for our 5-year-old. The food came fairly quickly, but it to was a disappointment. The ribs tasted like they were caked in Old Bay seasoning. It may be their secret recipe, but it wasn't very good. The children's cheese sandwich platter was over $5 and consisted of one slice of American cheese between two pieces of white bread. Oh, and a pickle. I guess that's what made it a platter. Oh, but wait, there's more...

We couldn't get anyone to bring us a check! After asking a few waiters, we ended up leaving enough cash on the table to cover the bill. When we left, I told the hostess what happened, and all she asked was where I was sitting. You can be sure we won't be going back there!

From journal Walkin' in Memphis with the Family

Editor Pick

The Rendezvous

  • November 10, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Tavia from New York, New York
Well, Emma and I knew we had to have dry rub ribs in Memphis, and we supposed it had to be here since everyone (and we mean everyone) we spoke to beforehand named this fine establishment as THE place to eat.

I suppose you could make a reservation, but we didn't, so we showed up and put our name on the list. We had to wait about an hour, but what the heck did we care-we had our $7.95 pitcher of beer (we're from New York City, so that's REALLY cheap to us) and plenty of people-watching. I most liked how a very polite (?) Southern boy asked us, "That pitcher's just for the two of you?" with incredulity. I invited him to join us, but before he came over (oops!), we'd finished the pitcher. Conclusion: the bar area is a good place to be stuck.

The dining experience- Our waiter was awesome, a very charming older guy, and he took our order while cracking jokes and asking questions about where we all were from. We actually split an order of ribs and some sides, and combined with the cornbread, we were totally stuffed, and we sat in awe (as we finished our second pitcher of beer) watching skinny nothings put away whole racks of ribs with sides of veggies or macaroni and cheese. Wow! There were a lot more tables of eight and up than you'd see in a "regular" restaurant. Clearly the Rendezvous is where friends come from all over Memphis to get together. We were happy to know the locals loved the joint as much as we did. And the bonus: we could walk back to our hotel since the Rendezvous is downtown.

From journal This One's for Elvis

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