Arcade Restaurant

Ugh I live 5 minutes from this place and I wish it was good. It sucks! Food always sucks except the sweet potato pancake but I don’t always want that. Eggs were cold and tasteless took forever for food to come out, bacon wasn’t good biscuits were good, gravy is crappy. Every time I go I’m reminded why I don’t visit often. The best part was the hashbrown which im glad I got fried it was basically shoestring fries not hash browns. I think the reason they r busy is because no one else is open that early near there.

Busy place so I had high hopes. So busy that we were asked to wait outside– in 30 degree weather. There was a lady next to me with a baby, I told her to stay inside… too cold for an infant, no matter how busy it was in the waiting area. Waited very long time for coffee refill and for food to arrive. Eggs and hash browns were cold. French toast was French bread that they deep fry– overly deep fried. There is nothing light and fluffy about the French toast. I asked for bacon to be well done (that’s how I prefer it) and it was not. Saw the waitress twice. Place is busy but based on the food, cleanliness or the service; I’m guessing it’s based on the nostalgia.

I love taking out of town guests to the Arcade Restaurant. It’s fun sitting in the various celebrity booths, and my favorite, of course, is the Elvis booth. Their breakfast food is the absolute best. Go early, or you may have quite a wait.

Pretty horrible actually. Waited twenty minutes, which is cool. Got a table and waited 15 minutes for a drink order. Waited 15 more for drink to be served. Waited another 25 for food order to not be taken before we left.

Awesome breakfast! The french toast is AMMMMMAAAAZING! Great service!

Order from the breakfast menu. Don’t waste your time on the lunch/​dinner options. The breakfast is what they do best. Try the sweet potato pancakes. Whatever you do, don’t order the grilled cheese. It will be a mistake. There was barely any cheese on it and the worst quality.
Another positive: The milkshakes are also delicious! They have a whole menu of alcoholic shakes with creative recipes.
The diner takes you back in time. I love how they left the original design and set-​up just how it was decades ago. This is a must-​see stop in Memphis. So much nostalgia and history. Take some time to look around at the photos of celebrities who have visited and learn about the movies and TV shows that have filmed there.

Had the pert sandwich it’s was great and their coffee is perfection. Went back again and had the country fried steak and gravy not impressed with it honestly.

This is a restaurant best left to tourists. The stories about Elvis are fun. The mediocre service and low food quality is not. This is especially true compared to the many impressive options in the south main neighborhood.

I had the sweet potato pancakes and I loved them!!! Our waitress was great as well…
I gave the restaurant 4 stars because when it’s crowded it’s takes a while to get your food but it’s worth the wait.

Warning! Takeout isn’t their strongsuit, however I do LOVE dining in here. We’ve had a few issues picking up orders, but when we brunch here, it’s always wonderful! I love the old-​timey feel of Arcade with the cute old school bar stools and milkshake blenders and black & white photos on the walls. The staff is nice, the food is fast, and your coffee cup is never empty. You also get a lot of bang for your buck as far as breakfast goes. Conveniently located downtown on Main Street, Arcade is a great breakfast option for downtowners and those willing to take the trip downtown!

Sweet potato pancakes this place is wicked good. Little dose of classic Memphis Nostalgia.

I really liked my French toast. It was like a crunchy donut lol. I don’t know how else to explain it. But it was delicious!
It’s load inside and crowded. Little room to move around. Next time I would just sit at the bar instead of waiting for a table.
Overall I liked it. If it wasn’t so far from where I live then I’d go there more often!

Great diner food and perfect for breakfast. The sweet potato pancakes were the whole reason we went and I was definitely not disappointed.

Cute historic diner, fascinating history, and friendly waiters… Unfortunately that’s all the good things I can say about this place.
We had a small group and ordered several different things. Most were… Bad (that’s probably an understatement). The meatloaf was apparently decent, but the sandwiches were not appetizing at all. I do hope they improve on the food quality as this is such a historic place.

Came with a large group for brunch on a Saturday morning. It was busy but that’s what you should expect for a great restaurant on a busy day.
Had the sweet potato pancakes with strawberries. They were so light and fluffy and the strawberries complemented the pancake flavor just perfectly.
The eggs were so light and fluffy. Haven’t had eggs like that in a long time. Bacon was perfectly crisp.
The folks here know what they are doing. There are many other food choices. I’d say next time I’m back I’ll try the French toast. Many others say that is excellent.
All in all, great for breakfast.

I always have an awesome experience! Sometimes I’ll sit at a booth & other times I’ll sit at the counter— this place is comfortable & casual & the staff has southern charm– food over all has the yum goody good factor food for thought: bacon eggs any way you want with hash Browns and a side of fruit

Review for Visitors: It’s worth checking out the Arcade Restaurant if you are visiting Memphis and are in the area. There’s historical value, as well as pop culture value (Man vs. Food). It’s an old school diner — you get generous portions for a good price, which is great for the budget conscious traveler. I’ve had the Eggs Redneck and Country Fried Steak (before I stopped eating meat) and it held me over until dinner practically. There’s cool memorabilia to look at here, too. Stop in and check it out if just once at least.

Best French Toast EVER! OMG I had a bite of my cousins order and now I’m back home craving them! Skip everything else, the French toast is on point! Made the «Arcade style» from baguettes and had the perfect crispness and flavor!
I had the Sweet Potato pancakes and they were ok. I picked them because they were a Food Network pick but I keep going back to that bite of French toast! Haha
The portions are pretty big so you definitely get your money’s worth!
Service was fast and friendly. Great place to fuel up before spending a few hours at the Civil Rights Museum around the corner!

The food was decent but not great. Lots of good breakfast options.
Service was a little lacking. Took a long time to get drinks and longer to get the food.
Overall it was good.

Okay I LOVE this place but I did have to take away a star because after three times for breakfast I can confirm that the hash browns are bad. No flavor and pretty sure frozen. So I got the fries this time (yes for breakfast) and they were okay — pretty sure bagged frozen too. And this round I took 4 family members and everyone’s hash were cold.
BEST french toast ever though!

I have avoided this place in the two years I’ve lived here because The Arcade has a big reputation, which typically means big disappointment. I ended up here the morning after a late night looking for breakfast food. Good news is that they serve breakfast all day. Sadly, this is where the highlights ended for me.
The service and atmosphere were ok. Nothing outstanding. The food was lackluster as well. We ordered the French toast and a grilled chicken salad. The grilled chicken salad was made with iceberg lettuce and not nearly as gourmet as the description led me to believe. The French toast were tasty, but only for one or two bites. They actually tasted like funnel cake and not French toast, which really exemplifies the concept of being too much of a good thing. A plate full of French toast that otherwise should just be considered funnel cake does nothing good for the body.
In the end The Arcade ended up being what I had expected. Boring food with some flares that speak to southern food stereotypes. Memphis has got so much more to offer than this. I will be getting my belly filled elsewhere.

Pretty average diner food. Came here for the history and the pb&b sandwich. The sandwich was good if not a little bready with not enough bananas. Great service though!

It’s Memphis’s oldest diner, and Elvis used to come here. I love the history of this place, especially the recording of Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train here. My son and I popped in for a late lunch here. Stepped in and it took awhile for us to be told to take a seat anywhere. A simple sign with «Seat Yourself» is always appreciated if this is the system. With booths needing bussing, we took a seat at the counter. I agree with other reviewers, service here is friendly, but kind of non-​existent.
I got the Memphis Thang sandwich with Smoked Turkey, Brie Cheese, Red Onions, Roasted Red Pepper, and Creole Mustard. It was tasty, not amazing. My son enjoyed the Peanut Butter ‘N’ Banana Sandwich just fine. I would come back here to try their signature sweet potato pancakes, and hope for better service, but until I’m wowed, it’s just A-​OK.

I felt duped walking into this place. I suppose it is an arcade in the traditional sense of the word but I was expecting some ASTEROIDS or at least a PAC-​MAN machine. A las, it was not meant to be. A large group of us came here for breakfast on a Monday and were immediately seated thanks to my local friend who came a few minutes earlier than noon to grab us a table. Service was very friendly and our waitress told us about that DEEP FRIED hash browns that definitely made the meal. Food took a while to come out but I will let that slide given our large group. Our waitress was really good with refills and making sure we had everything we need. I was able to try:
Country Fried Steak with 2 eggs, deep fried hash browns, and biscuit: THANK GOD they placed the gravy on the side. It was ridiculously thick and way too creamy for my taste. The steak itself was MEH. I was really craving regular steak & eggs but they didn’t have it on the menu. I really enjoyed the deep fried hash browns though. Biscuits were nothing special.
Eggs Redneck (three sausage patties covered in gravy and 2 eggs with hash browns): Stolen a taste from the boy. They smothered the biscuits with gravy and it was just too rich for me. Despite the insane amount of gravy, it was still surprisingly bland.
French Toast (came with eggs and hash browns): Stolen a bite of the french toast from a friend and it was SO good. I wish I had ordered this. It was super crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Would have gone perfectly with some maple syrup and fresh fruit.
This place is definitely a novelty given it’s affiliation with Elvis and being the oldest café in Memphis. They live up to this reputation by not having renovated anything since that time. Still, overall I thought it was very cute and service was good. Food definitely could have been better for the price.