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.

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.

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!

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.