From Memphis To Vegas: 14 Restaurants Elvis Loved

The King of Rock and Roll sure liked to eat, and often made sure his favorite meals were at hand, even if they had to be flown in. For instance, Mississippi-born and Memphis-bred Elvis Presley loved pork ribs — and not just any pork ribs, but especially those from a Memphis establishment, which he once had overnighted during a residency in Las Vegas.

Among many things, Presley is, of course, famous for the Elvis sandwich. There's some debate about the ingredients, but most agree that it consists of peanut butter, sliced banana, and bacon. And then, there's the legend that he died eating a sandwich on a toilet, though his last meal was actually ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.

A true foodie long before it was trendy, Elvis patronized many restaurants that now, or at least once, lay claim to being a favorite of the King. And while Presley's taste leaned toward Southern cooking — he lived in Memphis, after all — his palate did make room for other dishes. Here are some of the restaurants he loved.

Dry rubbed pork ribs were born at this downtown Memphis, Tennessee, barbecue joint. Presley was such a fan that he would have them delivered to his Graceland mansion and to Las Vegas while he was performing.

But Presley never actually dined at the establishment. According to Charlie Vergos's son, Presley liked dining alone, and his multiple offers to rent out the whole place for a meal were rejected by Charlie, who feared losing customers. Instead, Elvis regularly had the ribs delivered, including once when he hosted Major League Baseball broadcaster Harry Carey, who later related that he sat around until dawn eating ribs and chatting away with the King. Not a bad way to spend a long night.

Starting as a ham sandwich and beer joint back in 1948, Charlie Vergos Rendezvous eventually began serving ribs to drive up business. The restaurant still serves pork ribs today, and is still housed in an alley basement across from Memphis' Peabody Hotel. The ribs are seasoned with a Greek chili family recipe. And Vergos does ship nationwide if you want a taste of Elvis' beloved ribs.

Another Memphis establishment beloved by Elvis is The Arcade diner, which has been located on 540 South Main St. since 1919, making it the oldest still-existing cafe in the city. This beloved diner survived the Great Depression and a downward business cycle in the 1970s, when shops and patrons abandoned this stretch of the city. Retrofitted in a 1950s style, The Arcade's colorful booths, newspaper-clad walls, and outdoor neon sign serve as a charming venue for all-American diner comfort food, which often includes a spicy twist, such as the spicy bacon and jalapeño sandwich.

Elvis' favorite booth is marked with his photo, and his go-to order is still on the menu: Fried Peanut Butter N' Banana Sandwich, which made Food Network's list of iconic American sandwiches. A Mississippi Delta specialty, the Arcade makes its version on thick Texas toast, topped with peanut butter and a sliced banana, then fried on a butter-coated griddle. You can add bacon for a surcharge. Beyond the fried sandwich, Elvis also loved the traditional Southern food here.

Las Casuelas has kept its recipes consistent over decades of operations, which means you can still eat what Elvis ate here. Elvis' favorite Mexican restaurant, this Palm Springs establishment still has customers requesting to eat what the King ordered. Elvis typically had his usual, the frijoles rancheros: white pinto beans with onions, tomato, bell peppers, Guerito chiles, and cheese. To quench his thirst, he usually ordered the house iced tea. Both are still on the menu, and you can also sit in Elvis' favorite booth.

Founded in 1958, Las Casuelas remains a family-owned establishment. The original Palm Springs establishment is run by the granddaughter of founders Florencio "Del" and Mary Delgado. Even the expansion into a few new locations is not franchised, and instead run by Delgado family members. The food here is traditional Mexican, except for the Mexican pizza, a deep-fried flour tortilla with ground beef, refried beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, and onions.

Another Palm Springs establishment frequented by Elvis is Sherman's Deli and Baker. Elvis dined here regularly to satisfy his legendary sandwich cravings, and his usual order was the hot pastrami sandwich. Sherman's still makes the Elvis favorite, which it brags "gets rave reviews. And it deserves every one of them."

Palm Springs holds a special place in Elvis Presley's history. The King spent his honeymoon with Priscilla Presley at the Honeymoon Hideaway in this desert resort town. Presley also lived here at Graceland West, where he recorded many of his tracks. Sherman's and Las Casuelas weren't the only establishments he frequented in the area; he also liked to stop by the Caliente Tropics, a Tiki lounge.

Sherman's, a New York deli-style bakery with a sandwich board that featured everything from a patty melt to corned beef with chopped liver, was also visited by Zsa Zsa Gabor, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope.

A family-owned Italian restaurant that has been around since 1923, Coletta's originally served mainly ice cream, sandwiches, and pasta. Eventually, the menu shifted and the restaurant started serving classic Italian dishes, such as chicken Parmesan and meatball spaghetti. When you visit, be sure to check out "The Elvis Room," where the artist and entourage used to hang out, now stuffed with memorabilia in honor of the King, such as a cardboard cutout of him in a gold suit. 

While you're at it, make sure to order an Elvis favorite, BBQ pizza. Topped with pulled pork and barbecue sauce, this pizza remains popular around Memphis to this day. Coletta's added pizza to its menu in the 1950s, after the Italian owner went to Chicago to learn how to make the specialty. Barbecue was added as a topping to make it more appealing to local tastes, and Coletta's claims it created the original BBQ pie. Priscilla Presley would regularly go to Coletta's to bring pizza home to her husband, and she still stops by when she's in town.

The Fool's Gold sandwich was born as a joke and, at best, an opportunity to stir up conversation by Buck and Cindy Scoot, owners of the Denver steakhouse Colorado Mine Company. The hollowed-out buttered loaf filled with peanut butter, blueberry jam, and bacon, was described by line cook Nick Andurlakis as a "ginormous, artery-hardening contraption" (via The Gazette). 

For Elvis, it was no joke. The King arrived at the restaurant and ordered the Fool's Gold, and loved it so much he ate three of them, according to Andurlakis, who served the King back in 1976. Elvis was so obsessed with the sandwich that he once flew from Memphis to Denver in the middle of the night and had 22 Fold's Gold sandwiches sent to the airport, according to Presley confidant Robert "Bob" Cantwell. Elvis again ate three sandwiches on that occasion. He also visited the Colorado Mine Company to pick up the Fool's Gold sandwich for his daughter's birthday one year.

Colorado Mine Company closed its doors in 1982, and Andurlakis continued to serve the Fool's Gold at his own establishment, Nick's Cafe, until he, too, turned off the lights in 2022. The Fool's Gold may no longer be available at Nick's or Colorado Mine, but it is very similar to the Elvis sandwich, which can be found across the country. 

This Sin City steakhouse satisfied Elvis' taste buds when the King requested a burger, which the restaurant made with USDA Prime filet trimmings. The Golden Steer is still around, and if you're lucky, you might be able to sit in the round booth named in honor of the King, surrounded by photographs and vinyls on the walls. The booth is managed by the Elvis Presley Estate, which gifted the two gold vinyl records displayed.

Founded in 1958, Golden Steer was a popular Las Vegas hangout for Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Members of the Vegas mob were also frequent patrons. The establishment's association with the old mafia was so salient that the restaurant scenes in the movie "Casino" were based on events from the Golden Steer, or so the restaurant claims.

Golden Street says it serves the "Best Steak on Earth," a claim it has trademarked — and it sure better be, given the high prices it charges. You don't need to visit Vegas to order one of the steaks and judge for yourself, as the steakhouse started shipping its products in the wake of COVID-19 to keep serving its customers.

Down the road from Presley's Graceland, Marlowe's was known as The Whitehaven Ranch House back in Elvis' day. At the time, it served an unconventional combination of Italian dishes and hamburgers, including spaghetti served Memphis style with barbecue pork. Opened in 1974, the restaurant added ribs and other barbecue meals to the menu in 1989. Elvis never had the chance to try the brisket or ribs, as the King passed away in 1977, but you can try both the original menu and the barbecue dishes. 

Fittingly, Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant is located on 4381 Elvis Presley Boulevard. The Elvis burger on the menu is a half-pound patty with bacon, smoked ham, and American cheese. Every year, Marlowe's hosts an Elvis Week with Elvis collectors, authors, and insiders. The restaurant is home to countless pieces of Elvis memorabilia, like records, license plates, and a life-size cutout sporting a "I Pigged Out At Marlowe's" apron. 

Marlowe's also offers a house for rent on Airbnb, which it describes as an "Elvis lover's dream." The single-family house with a backyard patio features a view of the racquetball court at Graceland.

This Chinese diner is a Hollywood landmark that Elvis would visit when he was in town shooting movies — the King starred in 31 films. Originally just a trolley diner (the modern restaurant has expanded to a dining room built around the old train cart), The Formosa played host to everyone from James Dean to the mobster Bugsy Siegel, whose personal safe can still be seen embedded in the diner floor. The diner has also served as a stage for many films, including "Beverly Hills Cop 2."

It's unknown what Elvis ate here, but his association with the place is cemented in history with a dedicated booth. One Formosa legend has it that Elvis was so upset when his manager and dining partner Colonel Tom Parker failed to leave a tip, that he bought the waiter a Cadillac — a gesture that tracks with Elvis' well-known generosity and philanthropy. Back in 2023, Presley's late daughter, Lisa Marie, visited the booth alongside "Elvis" director Baz Luhrmann and actor Austin Butler, whose performance as the King nabbed him an Oscar nomination.

As a child, Elvis used to visit Johnnie's in his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi. He would often split a cola and dough burger with a friend, the latter consisting of a patty made with ground meat mixed with crackers or dough, which was popularized during the Great Depression when people needed to stretch every penny. Johnnie's still serves dough burgers today, including an XL cheese dough burger, which sounds like the kind of thing Elvis would love.

There's no record of Elvis visiting the place after his career took off, but Johnnie's pays homage to the King both before and after he made it big, with an Elvis booth and plenty of memorabilia around the place. One notable item is a black-and-white photograph taken of Elvis at the drive-in back in 1956, when he was on the cusp of fame. The photograph was taken by a traveling salesman who later discovered that he had unknowingly met Elvis 20 years prior. 

Upon moving to Memphis as a teenager, Elvis started visiting this Southern fast food chain, often taking his dates there. Krystal's cheeseburger slider — a square patty with steamed onion, cheese, and mustard — was Elvis' favorite thing on the menu. Despite his later fame and ability to afford fancier fare, the King kept coming back to Krystal for his beloved cheeseburger sliders, often ordering hundreds when he was playing host to guests at Graceland.

One story has it that Elvis and a DJ ordered 100 sliders from a Krystal in Memphis and later handed them out to fans. Another story has it that Elvis once sent a private jet to pick up some sliders. You've probably guessed by now that Elvis was quite the food glutton, a "master of every fattening thing he desired," as one observer put it, via The New York Times.

Kystal continues to serve those sliders to this day across the South. There are over 250 Krystal locations, but one Memphis location is located on Elvis Presley Boulevard, right down the street from the King's famous mansion.

This Sarasota, Florida, diner was frequented by Elvis twice while he was performing at a local theater, just a few months before a performance on the "Ed Sullivan Show" skyrocketed him to superstar fame. He ordered the same thing both times: three eggs, three bacon strips, pan-seared potatoes, toast, and three glasses of milk. After his meal, he left the owner and waitress a 50-cent tip and a signed photograph, but she threw it away due to Elvis' obscurity at the time. Naturally, she came to regret it.

Like many restaurants with even the most minor connection to the King, the Waffle Stop played up its Elvis history with wall memorabilia and menu items, such as the "Hunk Hunk Burger." A lot of the items were donated by Presley fans from around the world. The erstwhile restaurant website, according to one report, looked more like an Elvis fan page than a business site. Alas, there are no more Elvis-themed burgers as the establishment closed down at the start of 2025.

Leonard's opened back in 1922 in South Memphis, selling chopped pork sandwiches for five cents, and even started a bicycle delivery service in the 1930s. Elvis was a regular here, according to the restaurant, and Leonard's would close its door for all-night parties hosted by the King. His large tips — $100 for servers and $50 for staff, which would be a lot more today — were legendary. 

Like other restaurants beloved by the King, Leonard's has a display of Elvis-related items. The restaurant, of course, claims it serves Elvis' favorite barbecue, but other establishments would likely contest that and claim theirs was the favorite. 

Leonard's is still around with the goal of potential expansion. Popular items include the BBQ sandwich plate with meat on a fluffy bun and a choice of sides, deep-fried catfish, the Big Leonard pulled pork burger, BBQ beans and potato wedges, and house-made lemon pie. 

Despite the name suggesting the famous New York boardwalk, this establishment is based in Brooksville, Florida, and has been around since 1960. The following year, Elvis stopped by while filming "Follow That Dream" in nearby Inverness. Seeking an opportunity to boost the popularity of their new restaurant, the owners touted Elvis' visit. In fact, Coney Island Drive-Inn's slogan was none other than "Eat Where Elvis Ate!" The diner devoted a whole section to Elvis, including a life-size cut-out and photographs of him at the Spring Hill mermaids show.

As for what Elvis ate, the current owner claims that the King ate the steam-cooked, famous footlong hot dogs served at the establishment. Under new management since 2014, the hot dog joint has been franchised with a few locations in the Panhandle State. While the company website still mentions Elvis' visit, the Coney Island franchise no longer plays it up.