Memphis Blues (Commercial)

We headed out today for some good ol' BBQ in the middle of winter. Now where would I find good authentic southern BBQ in Vancouver? Memphis Blues! I've been visiting this joint since their first location opened in Vancouver on Broadway near Granville. I've been going to the one on Commercial for the last little while and the food and decor are almost the same as the original. Memphis Blues serves up authentic BBQ ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket, and other BBQ goodness. The story is that the owners of Memphis Blues (George Siu and Park Heffelfinger) were traveling and had a stopover in Memphis. They had authentic pulled pork and it was love at first bite.

Memphis Blues is not a big restaurant; in fact, it is quite small. If you come during the busy hours (normally the weekend at dinner time), you will be waiting for a table. Although there are servers, you actually go up to the counter to order. Once the food is ready, they will deliver it to your table, but everything else is up to you. The food at Memphis Blues is a pretty good value. Meats are slow cooked over hardwood, and are never boiled or precooked. Therefore, the meat is "meaty"; yet a tad dry. One thing is that you either love this or hate it. The reason is that since the meat is slow cooked, the ribs tend to be a bit drier than other places such as Tony Roma's and Montana's. However, places like Tony Roma's and Montana's do not slow cook their ribs, thus they are a bit juicer, yet lack richness in taste. I am not saying one is better than the other, it is merely a question of preference. I personally like my ribs a bit more on the moist side, so I'm not particularly fond of the ribs at Memphis Blues. However, the pulled pork and brisket are fall apart tender. The homemade BBQ sauce is excellent, rich and smoky, but not too sweet or salty. Meals generally range from $9.00 - $20.00, generally including a sandwich or meat with fries, cornbread, and coleslaw. However, if you have a few more people, the best deals by far are the platters. The Memphis Feast for $39.95 includes half a BBQ chicken, ribs, brisket, rib tips, sausage, pulled pork, fries, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, cornbread and BBQ sauce. This can serve up to 4 people; but you may need another dish if you want to be full. Yet, you can upgrade to the Elvis platter, which is essentially the same as the Memphis Feast, but almost double the meats for $69.95. This can serve 4 really hungry people, but should be good for 6 people. Then there is The Priscilla for $135.95 that serves 10-12 people. If you do the math, Memphis Blues is not an expensive place to eat, especially when sharing. Typically, BBQ restaurants are not cheap since most of food is meat and material costs are high. But you can be really full from Memphis Blues, spending under $15. If you really like BBQ, then it's the place to go in the GVRD.

The Good:
- Food is authentic Southern BBQ
- Inexpensive
- Casual environment

The Bad:
- Restaurant is small
- If you like wet BBQ...
- Ribs are dry (some like it, some don't)

Memphis Blues BBQ House

1342 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
V5L 3X6
(604) 215-2599

1465 West Broadway Ave
Vancouver, B.C.
V6H 1H6
(604) 738-6806

1629 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, B.C.
V7M 2J5
(604) 929-3699
www.memphisbluesbbq.com