In the barbecue battleground of Memphis, where smoke signals rise from countless joints claiming pork supremacy, there’s an unassuming contender on Lamar Avenue that doesn’t need neon signs or social media buzz—just a modest storefront, a faded red awning, and a sandwich so transcendent it’s converted more food critics than a televangelist on Sunday morning.
Payne’s Bar-B-Que stands as a monument to doing one thing so perfectly it borders on the spiritual.
You could easily miss Payne’s while driving—a simple concrete building with decorative block windows and a weathered sign that’s been facing the elements longer than most millennials have been alive.
This architectural modesty is the culinary equivalent of finding out that unassuming person at the party is actually a Nobel Prize winner—no need to show off when your work speaks volumes…