do not go here!!! mice around the establishment. made me sick. disgusting. workers acted very nonchalant about the situation.

If you want a good old fashioned breakfast, this is the spot. My mother in law, wife and I enjoyed some quiet time before everyone left Memphis and headed home. We ordered biscuits and gravy, sampler plates of sausage bacon pancakes, French toast and hash browns. Delicious food. The 50s diner vibe is cool for downtown. Would eat there again. read more

Arcade Restaurant - Dining room - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Sticky menu's, dirty tables, dirty silverware, cold food,slow service, some waffle house offer better service and food. All of these things can be improve, no team work among the staff, I saw food dying, waiting to be serve, no sense of hurry whatsoever. This place could be good, needs alot of improvement.. one star could turn to five star review..never too late. read more

Ordered food online and paid. Arrived 30 minutes later to pick up. Had to wait another 30-40 minutes. I kept asking about my order and was told "another 5 minutes your order is 3rd in line, we are a little behind"...my Food wasn't made at all. I Only ordered a toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich, some cheese fries and a vanilla shake. Paid for a large shake was given a small. I mentioned it as the girl handed it to me. She dumped the small shake into a large cup and added a ton of whole milk. It was disgusting. Food was just as bad. Very disappointing. Only good thing was while I waited I got a t-shirt. Only went for the nostalgia. Won't be going again if in that area. Not worth the wait or money. read more

Great food , French Toast is awesome. Only downside is a Sunday Morning at 11:15 , it was packed very loud and food took 40 minutes to come out Definitely worth going though read more

Elvis Presley frequented here, which was cool! Most food was bland, but the peanut butter and banana sandwich was surprisingly tasty.

I read online this was the oldest Café in Memphis and definitely wanted to stop in here while I was in town for the day. We loved sitting at the old booth and seeing the worn down designs on the table tops, you could still see all the original character of this place! For food, we wanted to try as much as possible so we opted for the Breakfast Sampler which included 2 Eggs, 1 Deep Fried French Toast, 1 Bacon Slice, 1 Sausage Patty, and 1 Sweet Potato Pancake. We wanted to try the regular Pancake and the Hash Browns too so we ordered them on the side. The Deep Fried French Toast was AMAZING, and the Sweet Potato Pancake was one of the best pancakes I have ever had! I have since tried to find these items at Cafes near us since they were so good! We had Orange Juice and Coffee with our meal and the coffee was the only thing that I actually did not really like - it was a little thicker and had more burnt flavor than I normally like. At the end of the day - this place was great, the atmosphere full of history and the food was to die for. Will definitely try to make a trip back here next time I am in town! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Great food , great service a real southern hospitality at it's finest :-) Locals plus tourist seem to hang out at this eatery and for good reason too. Portion sizes were great and the free refills kept us going all day! read more

The restaurant is very historic and the oldest restaurant in Memphis, food was delicious and the prices where excellent. The decor is set back from the 50's with some of the original furnishings and flooring still there , the offer souvenirs at the inside gift shop . Server had a lot of knowledge of the menu . I will definitely be back , read more

My pseudo son from Atlanta always wants to come here when he's in town. He loves the French toast. Me? Country ham. Anyway this is one kitchen staff that puts out the food. They don't play. The service staff is just as busy n good. Very personable. Nice addition to the restaurant as well to handle the overflow of Memphians n tourists alike. I recommend the Arcade for your breakfast needs. read more

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Tourist trap = skip it... Yeah, we were tourists too... and met some locals the night before and they told us we HAD to come here... They sat us right away which was a plus, got the coffee-juice order in quickly, everything was going great. Then it took 45-50 minutes (after we ordered) to get our food, then I start looking around the restaurant. The bus-ing services severely lacked, and the guy that was doing it was dirty dirty dirty... At least look clean, and that you are doing the best you can... A table would clear, or several seats would empty at the bar-parlor region and it would take a very long time to bus... Then I went to the bathroom, and it was filthy. Unmentionables in the toilet, trash can overflowing, urine on the floor, clearly hadn't been visited by the company-staff in a while. Just really left a bad experience overall. We continued to wait, the staff were tripping over each other. There were at least 10 on the staff, they were back there behind the parlor joking, socializing, not really aware of the operation. The food finally came, and it was tasty. So this saved the review from a one-star. On my way out (paying the bill) ole gurl asked me how it was, I said not great, "we waited 50 minutes for our food". She was kind of snippet with me and gave an excuse how they were understaffed. She was just very unpleasant. I am in the mindset the customer is always right, and don't get into it, probably apologize would be a good start. She was young, didn't really appear to know about the industry, probably just a side job while she goes to college. I wanted to go down the laundry list about how bad the place was but just didn't have the energy and wanted to get out of there. It was a less than desirable experience. Like I said: Tourist trap = skip it. read more

I'm always down for a good breakfast! And this place is a staple in Memphis know to be the oldest diner there ! Food and drinks were amazing ! We had a party of 13 and all sat outside and food came out as orders were entered ! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Breakfast sampler - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I was so excited to try this restaurant. Let me say that the customer service was great! Each staff member made me feel welcome and I appreciate that. My food and beverage was served really quickly. I had dumplings, meatloaf, and cucumber salad. Oh and it also came with cornbread. The meatloaf was extremely dry. I did here them call out that it was the last piece left, so maybe that's where that issue may have come in. The dumpling was super thick! They didn't taste like chicken and dumplings at all, plus they were cold. I had to send them back. For the replacement, I got corn. You can't go too wrong with that. The cucumber salad was so salty, I couldn't stomach it. It overpowered what I guess it should have tasted like. I don't know if I went at the wrong time or what. Maybe, I will give them another try....maybe. read more

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We went on Labor Day for a late breakfast. There was a large crowd (which I think is normal) - we sat outside because we had our dog with us. I went inside to check that it was okay for us to be out there, we were brought menus right away. We sat out there for ~15 minutes without anyone coming out to us... went back in to let them know we haven't been greeted and they totally forgot we were out there (keep that in mind if you sit outside, it's about 4 tables and no one actually sits there). Food was very good and very cheap. Our bill was around $30 for two people, BUT huge portions. We would definitely come back, but leave our dog at home next time. They have an awesome drink menu but we didn't order anything off of it read more

Arcade Restaurant - Outside - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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All the reviews are pretty accurate. The food is pretty average but the mimosas were not bad. The wait for table wasn't horrible but the wait for the food was pretty long but i chalk to the fact the the kitchen might be small for the amount of guests they get. Our waitress was the best! She let us know ahead of time about the wait and made sure our food came out hot! Main reason you go here when visiting is for the historical aspect and i enjoyed that. read more

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I had not been in years but was in town and went for breakfast. Servers and service was unbelievable! Everyone actually acted like they cared about your food & experience there, well done! Food, OMG, off the chain good. Chocolate Chip pancakes, all meat omlet the deep fried bagets are an absolute must! This place is a Memphis treasure, please support it and let them know! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Deep Fried Baget - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Have you seen Jim Jarmusch's "Mystery Train"!?! Yes- we are already friends No- stop reading and get to watchin'. Arcade Restaurant is basically one of the stars for the movie. It plays an important role of setting that iconic Memphis back drop. It is the oldest Memphis cafe (1919) and even has an Elvis booth where the King would frequent. My friend and I unfortunately did not snag said booth. But we were close enough to see it from our seats. The wait was shorter than they said. We barely had time to check a local boutique and drink their mimosas. When we arrived our service was fantastic. The spot was great. And the feel was just what I wanted. I wish I would have caught the waitresses name because she killed it. I'm pescatarian and she even offered my meaty garnish that comes with the Bloody Mary to my friend's Bloody. Unfortunately we were a little late so the garnishes were already out but I liked how she was thinking. And since I didn't eat meat she also let me have grits and potatoes. And she even told me the gravy was veggie. I of course had some biscuits and eggs too. Sometimes you have to order a brunch of different shades of white, think American Psycho. I was one happy camper. Also the cherry on top of a great brunch experience is having your coffee cup full at all times. It's a very good feeling. No Memphis trip is complete without a visit to Arcade Restaurant. Also had a side of the sweet potato pancakes to add come color and they were fall in breakfast form. Thanks for the tip, random lady at the airport. read more

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I wanted to go here because it was a recommended place to visit while in Memphis. My friend and I went for lunch. I loved the atmosphere. It feels very authentic and it is cool to see both the inside and outside of it. It is a cool vibe. There is a parking lot behind it that is easily accessible to park. We both ordered a gluten free pizza. It did take awhile for the pizzas to come but they were good. They were a little thinner than I would have liked for the price of them. read more

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Elvis was here !!! Very quaint and authentic Elvis "was here" spot in downtown Memphis. We actually sat in the same booth frequented by the King himself. We each ordered a Bloody Mary to start. Not bad but their homemade Bloody Mary mix is kinda watery. We ordered sandwiches at 9:30 am. Our selections included the Memphis Thang, 2 Rainmakers and a Spicy Chicken sandwich. All were delicious and definitely recommended. read more

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Nostalgia yes. I've lived in Memphis several years and finally was downtown on a day for breakfast. I was excited, but whoa. I don't think I have ever been to a dirtier place to eat. We were told to seat ourselves. All three tables we tried sitting at were clean but had stuff stuck to the tables. I was trying to be a good sport for my husband but I would hate to see the kitchen when the dining room was such a wreck. The hasbrowns were cold and gross. Pancakes were pretty good though. One and done. And hope for this icon's sake they get some good management and make this place shine! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Stuff splashed on the walls - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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JFK's booth is at the door to the left. Elvis' booth is in the back to the left. Peanut butter and banana with bacon sandwich was awesome. My daughter and wife gave me a hard time for ordering it but ended up eating the whole thing leaving me literally one bite. They talked about how good it was all day. Pizza with sausage was meh. Thin crust. Sausage is just breakfast sausage chopped up I think. They weren't busy but the order took 45 minutes. I don't get it. I guess the cooks were short handed or something. Like many said the food overall is mediocre. But for the sake of nostalgia it's definitely worth a visit. Free parking in the lot just south of the diner read more

Arcade Restaurant - Free parking here - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

After load out. This morning? Which. Is where we? Have to get all of our stuff? Broken down and remove from Tom Lee park from the world championship barbecue competition, I decided to get some breakfast. As I drove down South Main Street there was a bunch of people standing outside this old cafe and I thought to myself well. That's looks pretty cool, The place is looking pretty cool. However it took 40 minutes for me to get my order after I ordered it. And then? Once. I got my order. It was really disappointing in regards to the. Condition of the famous,french toast. This is supposed to be French toast that is battered and lightly fried, I got this thing. It was half a piece of toast not even a full piece and it was so crispy and oily that when I put it under 4 napkins and pressed it. It's saturated all four napkins,it was Disgusting!!!!! The grits were good, You darn well better know how to cook grits in this part of the country. The bacon was cooked and flappy. The hash Browns were a pile of Brown mushroom potatoes. Comma don't recommend it. The sweet potato pancake, was sour! Even with all of the high fructose current syrup, you couldn't fix that. The place I'm sure was absolutely awesome decades ago. At this point they have expanded and taken over the other half of the building which is now twice the size and still have the original kitchen which needs to be. Twice the size to accommodate. Everybody is getting screwed from this venture. Period it takes 20 minutes to 40 minutes to get a seat and then it takes 30 to 40 minutes to get your food once it's ordered.i. Don't recommend this place and let you got half of the morning to waste. Do not order the French toast. It's sucks I'm. I'm sorry to leave a review like this. Anyway I guess if you order regular pancakes and French fries and a Burger in some eggs you're fine.. read more

Arcade Restaurant - Looking at kitchen,to serve this side of the building. - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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We love Arcades and were excited to bring our daughters for their first visit as we were traveling thru! We were seated right away and was excited to see they have expanded! Our waitress Katelyn was friendly and checked on us frequently. Breakfast was fresh and took about 25 min to receive. Portions were generous, hot and delicious. Such a great place to bring your family and we will definitely be visiting again! read more

I struggled whether to give the Arcade a three or four. I settled with a three because the four would have simply been for the nostalgia of the location and not a proper reflection of the food or service. I came in mid-morning to grab a bite while in from out of town. My big idea was to hang around for breakfast and possibly through lunch if the environment was conducive and the food was good. Their policy this morning was to seat yourself. So I snagged a small two person table - perfect. It wasn't busy at all, a couple stragglers here and there. Maybe a local or two. I sat around for about twenty minutes before flagging someone down and asking if I could at least put my coffee order in. The cortado was done exceptionally and unexpectedly well. I ordered a #6 (country ham) with biscuits and gravy. The ham and eggs came out very, very well-done. There wasn't enough gravy in the world to fix that. My server was kind enough after I initially flagged her down. The guy behind the counter excitedly pointed out pictures of celebrities who visited the location, which was a sweet and positive experience. If you're interested in coming by, keep your food quality expectations low and you'll enjoy your experience for the nostalgia. Good enough for The King and J.T., so it's good enough for me. read more

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The food was good, the ambiance was cool. The kitchen was about to close at 2:30. I had the Memphis thang and it was good, and a couple mimosas. I like the cool atmosphere , it gives an old time feel. We sat at the bar & was serviced quickly. The bartender was fast but she wasn't over the top being it was our first time. Would definitely recommend going to the back. Overall, good experience and I would be back. read more

Its a neighborhood diner with a long past. They try to keep the interior unchanged from decades ago and that adds some charm ...but the food is just average diner food. You can get the peanut butter -n-banana sandwich here (Elvis' favorite) ....or you can make it yourself at home. Its just served on wonder bread with Jiff and some bananas. Breakfast is popular and completely ordinary. Ultimately the experience is more about the vintage charm of the restaurant itself more so than the food. Not bad - not great. Prices are very reasonable. read more

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This was the spot I was looking forward to most before I arrived in Memphis. I was super excited to make it here for breakfast today. I had the breakfast sampler while my husband had the redneck breakfast platter. We also had bloody marys and mimosas. Everything was super yummy, especially the sausage. The sampler platter I ordered came with one pancake. I requested chocolate chips in it and they upchatged 1.75, the same amount for a full stack. Kind of a lot but it was good so I can't complain too much. Overall the service was great, the decor was cool to look at and the bathrooms were clean. I definitely recommend checking this place out as it is a part of Memphis' history. read more

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I was intrigued by the plaque outside indicating this was Memphis' oldest café. Once I entered, the first both to the left said "Mr. Kennedy's booth since 1950", now I'm impressed! But let's get to the important stuff; food! My cheeseburger was great, and the fries were salt & pepper seasoned, a small detail that makes a big difference. For dessert I couldn't decide between beignets or ice cream, so I ordered both! The beignets were amazing, served hot, crunchy outside, soft and doughy inside. The banana split was pretty good too. I definitely recommend this place! read more

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Really was looking to this place but the service sucked! Waited almost a hour for our food which came out cold. Guess the waitress left and didn't tell anyone to serve our order. It wasn't too busy so no reason why it would take so long! Food was ok considering it was room temperature. read more

Oldest restaurant in Memphis! Opened in 1919. Great history. Sit where Elvis sat! Food was delicious (big variety) and service/staff was very friendly. read more

Arcade Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I really wanted to love this place.. I came from California, my first time in Tennessee. I came to the arcade café because of its history.. that's what I got. It's beautiful and full of all time and has a great background story. And employees were all awesome.. everyone was very friendly. But the food is not good. My eggs record in the hashbrowns tasted very old. The biscuits were okay but my gravy wasn't good. If you're in the area stop by for some photos or maybe a milkshake but I would skip on the meal. read more

Arcade Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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It's been a goal to come here for a while. When we came, the place was packed, there was construction stuff outside, and there were only two waitresses. By the time we left at least one more guy had shown up and was taking orders but it seemed like they needed more people here. I'd like to come back but not during brunch rush hour. It was so busy we had to take our food to go so we wouldn't be late for our next thing. Our food then ended up burning through the to-go containers so that was an odd experience. I'd genuinely like to come back and give them another go. Their french toast was really good and unique so I'll just get that again next time. The Cider Mimosa was also excellent and you could barely taste the alcohol in it. Loved: - Cider Mimosa - French Toast Liked: - Sausage Ok: - Hash Browns read more

Arcade Restaurant - Cider Mimosa - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Ok... here's the real tea. The food is great. But you need to determine if it is worth the wait. It's taken me 2 visits to write a review because I wanted to be fair. The first visit, I was with a party of 3. We were told our wait would be about 30 minutes, but it ended up being closer to 45 minutes. There was no real system even though we gave the young lady our name, but she was the hostess, the cashier, and in charge of crowd control (basically asking people to go back outside once the entrance got full). So it was difficult for her to manage when tables were open (and thus come outside to get the next party) because she was either constantly ringing up guests who were ready to pay or just seating random, lucky people who just seemed to walk up at the right time. My second visit, I was with a party of 8, and we were actually seated in about 10 minutes. Our service was good. The food was good. And the prices were good. Also, the restaurant is full of nostalgia. So all and all, my review is based on whether or not you actually get inside and seated in a timely manner. read more

We were traveling from ATX through Memphis, and told we had to stop here. We didn't have much time, so we made our way to the coffee station in the back to order a couple milkshakes and an affogato to go. At first taste, our heads dropped back and our eyes rolled. Those two items are enough to bring us back the next time we're in town! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Affogato (Ice Cream with Espresso) - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Sat at the bar for 10 minutes without being acknowledged. Then a regular came and sat next to me at the bar and was acknowledged immediately. I walked out and plan to never return. read more

Had brunch here 5/21/24. Ordered bacon burger and Redneck fried chicken breakfast which was good. Service was good and it was clean. Elvis frequently ate here and has a booth dedicated to him. Over all well worth the trip as it is the oldest eatery in Memphis, 1919. Now on 4th? Generation. read more

This kick ass old school diner embodies the feel of what life must have been like in Memphis 60 years ago. Authentic and original decor with lots of little things to look at and take in. Makes for a really welcoming environment. The perfect ambience for eating comfort food. Shared breakfast with the boyfriend, a platter of scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon and homemade biscuits with gravy. The food tasted like it came out of the kitchen of a southern home cook. It felt and tasted like home. Can't wait to go back on our next visit. read more

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Iconic restaurant, decent food. My husband tried the fried French toast and found it to be too oily. Biscuits were good, but the hash browns lacked seasoning. You go to this place not for stellar food, but for good service and a nostalgic vibe. read more

Stopped in for a quick breakfast here on the way out of town. We ordered the French toast and sunrise sandwich meal. The french toast was cut from a baguette which gave the texture a little something different than what you'd get when it's made with Texas toast- which was a pleasant surprise! The sunrise sandwich was the classic bacon egg and cheese biscuit without any surprises, but still delicious. The fruit that came with the sunrise was dried out, I'm assuming it had been cut a few days ago so I opted to avoid that, and the hash browns were strangely cold on the outside but perfect and warm near the middle. Overall if you are lookin for a typical greasy spoon diner with quick service and a basic breakfast this is the spot for you! read more

Arcade Restaurant - Sunrise sandwich plate - Diners Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Made a stop here because it was recommended when visiting Memphis and was not impressed with the breakfast options we were served. Hash was burnt and ham was extremely over cooked and not edible. Gravy was not flavored and had a very flour like taste. No seasoning and just blah. Shame on you for serving this Arcade. I know this is not the norm - it just can't be. See the pics. Daughters pancakes got it a 1. Please do better. read more

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