9 Restaurants Elvis Presley Loved Across The US
Elvis Presley is most famous for three things: his music, his death, and his diet. His status as The King of Rock and Roll is nearly matched by his reputation as an ardent eater of greasy, homestyle Southern cooking. The food he loved to eat and the distances he traveled to get it made for some of the most infamous Elvis legends.
In general, Elvis loved staying in at Graceland to eat, having his favorite meals prepared at home by his cooks for him and his friends. But that doesn't mean he didn't have restaurants he loved and spots he would come back to again and again. Memphis was the city Elvis called home, and many of his most frequented restaurants are still visited by fans today who want to eat like the King. But he was also on the road often, traveling to California and Las Vegas for performances. Everywhere he went, he would eat, leaving stories of his favorite menu items and spots to sit in his wake. Though Elvis Presley's life was short, it was full of good music, good times, and definitely some good food all over the country.
Arcade Restaurant
Arcade Restaurant was opened in 1919 by Speros Zepatos, a Greek immigrant. Its retro diner-style interior is legit since it was remodeled in the 1950s by Harry Zepatos and has kept its look ever since. It was also around that time that a young Elvis started stopping by. He was working on his first demo at Sun Records, which was near the restaurant. At the time, Arcade was open 24 hours, making it an ideal spot for a rising young musician. From there, it became one of his favorite places to grab a bite.
His regular restaurant order is unknown, but he probably was enticed by their southern-style breakfast and burgers. The restaurant has become a star in its own right, having been featured in many movies over the years. Today, you can take a seat at the Elvis Booth; it's his regular spot at the diner and is decked out in memorabilia.
(901) 526-5757
540 South Main Street Memphis, TN 38103
Coletta's
Coletta's is the oldest Italian joint in Memphis, but it isn't classic Italian fare that made it one of Elvis' places to eat. No, he would visit Coletta's for their fusion dish: a barbecue pizza. The unorthodox pie was piled high with pulled pork, cheese, and barbecue sauce. Coletta's claims to be the birthplace of barbecue pizza, a now-familiar dish found at pizza spots worldwide. Elvis was an early appreciator of the dish and became a regular patron of Coletta's. When he wasn't up to go out to eat, Priscilla would pick up a pizza to bring back to Graceland.
You can still order this Elvis favorite at Coletta's and sit at his usual table. Of course, if BBQ pizza isn't your thing, Coletta's has an extensive menu of Italian favorites and lots of photos of the King to look at. Its old-school checkered tablecloth look still charms customers today.
(901) 948-7652
Multiple locations in Memphis
Krystal
Krystal is a regional fast-food restaurant chain serving only nine states in the South. Lucky for Elvis, Tennessee is one of them. While Elvis enjoyed all kinds of fast food, Krystal was his most frequented spot. Inspired by White Castle, the chain is known for its square cheeseburger sliders. The sliders are pretty simple: a square patty is topped with steamed onions, a slice of cheese, and mustard. But it's simple comfort foods that Elvis loved most. He especially loved cheeseburgers, and something about these mini burgers kept him coming back.
According to his wife Priscilla, Elvis loved the small size of the sliders. But while the burgers themselves may have been tiny, Elvis compensated with sheer quantity; he would order hundreds of them for himself and his guests at Graceland whenever he had a get-together. Inevitably, the leftover sliders would become the next day's breakfast as well, so none of his Krystal haul would go to waste.
(901) 726-1381
Multiple locations in the Southern United States
Johnnie's Drive-In
Elvis may be most strongly associated with Memphis, but he was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi. His childhood home, a two-room house, is just up the road from Johnnie's Drive-In. As a child, Elvis would visit Johnnie's for a cheeseburger and an RC Cola. He continued to stop by the fast food restaurant on trips back to Tupelo, and a fellow Johnnie's customer captured one such visit in a black-and-white photo that hangs in the restaurant to this day.
The burgers at Johnnie's are called "dough burgers" because flour and water are added to the meat. This combination was created during the Depression to help make meat stretch further, but it also tasted pretty good; they still make their burgers this way, the same way Elvis enjoyed them as a kid. Nowadays, there is a plaque commemorating its status as an Elvis favorite. And, of course, there is an Elvis booth to sit in.
facebook.com/p/Johnnies-Drive-In
(662) 842-6748
908 E Main St, Tupelo, MS 38804
Las Casuelas
Elvis was famously fond of Southern food like fried chicken, meatloaf, and mac and cheese. But he also enjoyed food from south of the border; one of his favorite places to grab a bite in Palm Springs was a Mexican restaurant. Las Casuelas opened in 1958 and was the first Mexican restaurant in the downtown Palm Springs area. They found success serving traditional Mazatlan cuisine, and Elvis was known to stop by for a plate.
One thing is clear from Elvis' eating preferences: He was a creature of habit, and his visits to Las Casuelas were no different. His order was always ranchero beans and an iced tea, and like many other of his favorite establishments, there was a booth at the restaurant where he preferred to sit. Las Casuelas is still open and using the same family recipes, so you can get beans cooked in the same ranchero sauce that Elvis enjoyed fifty years ago.
(760) 325-3213
368 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Sherman Bakery and Delicatessen
Palm Springs plays an essential role in Elvis Presley's life. When Elvis and Priscilla got married, they bought a glamorous home in the area that became christened the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway. They spent a lot of time in Palm Springs in the early years of their marriage. With all that time away from his favorite homecooked meals at Graceland and Memphis standbys, he had to find some Palm Springs restaurants that satisfied his famous appetite.
One place was Sherman's Deli and Bakery, a Kosher-style deli. Elvis was known to show up at the restaurant with his entourage — also known as the Memphis mafia — and order his favorite sandwich, a hot pastrami on rye. Considering Elvis' penchant for salty, fatty foods, it's no surprise that the hot pastrami was a favorite of his. He wasn't the only famous patron of Sherman's: It was a hotspot for mid-century celebrities living in or visiting Palm Springs, like Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra.
(760) 325-1199
401 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Memphis is famous for its barbeque, but one of Elvis' favorite local rib joints had a flavor that stood out from the rest. The ribs at Rendezvous uses a distinct, Greek-inspired array of seasonings in their rub, including oregano, paprika, celery seeds, and garlic powder. The ribs were grilled over charcoal, another choice that set them apart from the rest of the Memphis barbecue crowd; most BBQ spots would use a wood smoker. This method resulted in ribs that lacked the typical smoky sweetness of Memphis, but Elvis loved them.
Elvis may have been a big fan of the ribs from Rendezvous, but his increasing fame made him reluctant to go out to eat in Memphis. Instead, he would have the ribs delivered to Graceland or even flown to him when he performed in Vegas. So, despite being such a big fan of the place, Elvis did not actually sit down at Rendezvous for his meal. Clearly, Elvis was an early proponent of food delivery.
(901) 523-2746
52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103
Colorado Mine Co.
Perhaps the most famous of all food-related Elvis legends comes from the Denver steakhouse Colorado Mine Co. The upscale restaurant had a menu mostly comprised of ritzy options like steak and lobster, but they offered an item that had a much simpler decadence: A monstrous sandwich called the Fool's Gold Loaf. The recipe for the sandwich calls for a loaf of white bread, hollowed out and stuffed to the brim with a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and a pound of bacon. When Elvis learned about this sandwich, he flew out to try it himself. This impulsive outing is estimated to have cost around $16,000 by private jet.
From there, it was a love affair, and Elvis continued to use his vast wealth and resources to travel to the restaurant or even have his new favorite sandwich delivered by plane. Though Colorado Mining Co. enjoyed a considerable heyday, it closed in 1982. The sandwich, however, lives on for Elvis fans.
Golden Steer
With Elvis putting on so many performances in Las Vegas, he needed a place to satiate his famous appetite nearby. That place was Golden Steer, a steakhouse located in a strip mall that became a favorite of midcentury stars. After opening in 1958, Golden Steer became a hotspot for musical acts performing at the nearby Sands Hotel. The Rat Pack could often be found enjoying a steak there, and in later years, Golden Steer became a favorite haunt of powerful mobsters.
Elvis was one of Golden Steer's most famous patrons. It was his favorite place to eat dinner after playing a Vegas show. There is a booth named after him at the restaurant that you can still eat at today; there are booths named for other famous guests, too, and the walls are covered in memorabilia from their famously glitzy clientele. The steakhouse is the oldest in Vegas and has maintained the same vintage, elevated atmosphere it had when Elvis dined there.
(702) 384-4470
308 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102