TV Restaurants

Is Paynes BBQ Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Memphis, TN)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Paynes BBQ is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: A Yelp listing updated in August 2026 shows current hours and contact information for the Lamar Avenue location.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

The episode centered on Payne's chopped pork barbecue sandwich, piled on white bread and topped with a tangy mustard-based slaw, cooked low and slow in a pit built into a converted gas station on Lamar Avenue. Payne's is a family-run barbecue restaurant that opened in 1972 and is today operated by siblings Ron Payne and Candice Payne-Parker, according to Memphis magazine. A Yelp listing updated in August 2026 shows the restaurant's current hours: closed Monday, open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and closed Sunday, with the same listing giving the address as 1762 Lamar Avenue, Memphis, and a phone number of (901) 272-1523. No ownership change, relocation, or closure of the Lamar Avenue location has been reported by either source.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 12
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Last Supper
What was featured
Chopped pork barbecue sandwich with mustard-based slaw
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Paynes BBQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Paynes BBQ still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Paynes BBQ is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Paynes BBQ after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

The episode centered on Payne's chopped pork barbecue sandwich, piled on white bread and topped with a tangy mustard-based slaw, cooked low and slow in a pit built into a converted gas station on Lamar Avenue. As of September 2026, Paynes BBQ is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Paynes BBQ located?

1762 Lamar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38114. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Paynes BBQ?

Season 3, Episode 12 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Last Supper”.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
1762 Lamar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38114
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Record btiea-0286 · last verified .