Leonard's Pit Barbecue

We just ate at the new Germantown location. The food is just as wonderful as we’d remembered! (We ate at the Fox Plaza location all the time— everything is just as spectacular!!) The service was OUTSTANDING! Miss Shania was the sweetest server and very accommodating. We grabbed some to-go too since we live in Southaven. We WILL be back! Loved everything about our experience. Thank you so much for the fabulous meal and equally wonderful service— and for keeping the over 100 year recipes the same!! Love us some Leonard’s BBQ!

This place has been on my radar for a while, I finally had the time to check it out and I was not disappointed. When I walked in I was greeted by friendly hosts and promptly seated, my server came by shortly and took my drink order. His name was Curtis, he was friendly, well dressed, professional, and knowledgeable of the menu. I ordered a sweet tea and when he brought it he brought two! Very nice (I'm a thirsty guy) I ordered the jumbo BBQ sandwich plate(don't judge me I skipped breakfast) which came with a cup of BBQ beans, potato wedge fries, and last but not least The Big Leonard BBQ sandwich. The food came to my table piping hot and everything tasted freshly made, starting with the beans they were amazing! It had pulled pork in it and had a good flavor, it reminded me of homemade baked beans my grandma would make. The potato wedge fries are what you would expect, lightly seasoned, crispy, and big. Try dipping them in the beans, you won't regret it. I was given the choice of coleslaw on the sandwich or on the side, I chose on the side so I could taste it on its own and it was good and again it reminded me of homemade food. It reminded me of yellow mustard potato salad which is different but I liked it. And last but not least The Big Leonard! It lives up to it name, most other BBQ joints that serve a large sandwich just pile the meat on higher than the regular. The Big Leonard is very wide, it uses a large bun to evenly spread out all the meat. So that way you still get a lot of meat but its not so tall it might fall over or they have to use use a burger pick. Now on to the meat and BBQ sauce, the meat had a good flavor and was well smoked but not to the point of being dried out. The sauce was very interesting and different from any other sauce I've tasted at other places. It had a distinct tang to it followed by a rush of spices with a touch of sweetness, not bad. The only negative I can think of is its not open long enough, I'd love to take my friends or family here for dinner, that's usually when their available. This place is a true hole in the wall, dive, BBQ joint! Cozy atmosphere, good service, and great food that won't have you leaving hungry. Highly recommended *UPDATE! I'm happy to report that the quality hasn't changed since they moved. Same great food but in a much better location.

I've only had Leonard's once at the previous location. I didn't find it memorable. However, at the new Cordova location, I had the ravioli and ribs (dry) and let me tell you, this had better flavor than Commissary. I will definitely be back. All the staff greeted us when we arrived. Great service and great food. 👍🏻

Disclaimer: This is not an objective review. I grew up with Leonard's BBQ. It was the gold standard for Memphis BBQ. My father ate Leonard's back in the 1930s and the quality and taste are about the same now. I got the BBQ plate. My only complaint is that I wish I'd gotten the sauce on the side so I could control the quantity on the meat. The sauce is quite sweet. The onion rings were perfect! The breading is light and delicate. Loved them. The roll was the best one I've had in a long time. It was tender and tasty.