Larry Olmsted at USA Today:
With a big bustling outdoor deck along namesake Central Avenue, smoke everywhere, and a constant flow of people in and out of the main part of the restaurant, Central BBQ looks more like a Florida beach bar at spring break than your typical Southern barbecue joint. On busy days this is exacerbated by outdoor coolers filled with ice and beer, and maybe a whole hog in the portable smoker alongside the restaurant (the main industrial smoker, half in, half out of the building, is going around the clock). The staff, dressed in tie-dyed T-shirts, are more evocative of Ben & Jerry’s than other venerable Memphis smoke palaces. Central has a youthful vibe about it, and because it is a place to linger over beers and enjoy the good weather, it is popular with college students.
Central is just around the corner from my office, and is at the top of the list of places I take out-of-town guests.