Elwood’s Shack in Memphis, TN is Legitimately Life Changing

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I’ve always heard Elwood’s Shack is amazing, but I’ve never gotten around to trying it, until today. I have to say, I have totally been missing out. Daisy had a doctor’s appointment in Midtown today, and Elwood’s is on the way home, so it seemed like it was time to give it a shot. I am SUPER glad I did, because this is seriously some of the best damn food in Memphis.

For those of you who don’t know, Elwood’s is a tiny little place on the side of the Lowe’s parking lot off of Perkins, near Summer Avenue. It’s definitely a shack. The place is tiny, with a handful of tables inside and a few picnic tables outside by Lowes. This should honestly be a sign. If a little shed with picnic tables in the parking lot of a home improvement store is always suggested as one of the best places to eat in Memphis, the food must be mind-blowing.

We used the outdoor seating, and the odd hour we arrived, to our advantage. Since we were literally the only people outside, we felt it was safe to sit at an outdoor table and eat, our first time eating a restaurant since at least March.

Anyway, I ordered the BBQ quesadilla, and Daisy got the BBQ sandwich. I guess we were both in a BBQ mood. We were there around 4:45 or 5pm, so it wasn’t busy at all with just a few tables and no line. The food came out quick and we went outside to a picnic table to dig in. The BBQ quesadilla is very big, I thought there was no way I would be able to eat it all, at least until I tasted it. Spoiler: I was totally able to finish it. It has onions, mushrooms, green and red peppers, smoked pulled pork, cheddar and mozzarella, and bbq sauce. It’s fucking AMAZING! This thing has such a great balance of flavor. The onions and peppers just work so damn well here. The BBQ is flavorful and moist, which is honestly pretty stunning considering it’s smoked. The sauce is delicious without being overwhelming.

If all the food is this good, I’m going back every damn day.

Based on Daisy’s pulled pork sandwich, all the food is indeed this good. Same pulled pork as the quesadilla, along with a nice portion of their house-made slaw. Daisy didn’t get the jalapeño slaw because she isn’t super into the spicy food. The BBQ sandwich was also awesome. Daisy has been having some pretty intense muscle pain from an old spine injury, and she said that it didn’t hurt while she was eating, because the food was so good it made her ignore the pain for a minute. She also said it’s the best BBQ she’s had in Memphis, and it’s not like Memphis has a shortage of BBQ, and we’ve eaten most of it.

The slaw is even good, and I don’t honestly like slaw. I generally order my sandwich without slaw because I’m not a fan of mayo, but this slaw is excellent. If it does have mayo in it, it’s not a whole lot of it, to the point that it just comes off as a little bit of fat mixed in, not an overpowering mayo flavor. The pulled pork is just as juicy and flavorful in this application as it is in the quesadilla.

To be completely honest, we were both totally blown away by the food at Elwood’s Shack. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to go there. If you’re ever in the area, you absolutely have to go there. I’m gonna be going back. Soon. Maybe tomorrow.

Elwood’s Shack
4523 Summer Ave
Memphis, TN 38112