Gibson's Donuts

We stopped at Gibson's Donuts in Memphis, TN on our way out of town for breakfast. I knew they had an impressive neon sign, which we didn't get a great picture of due to the lighting at the time of day we were there, and I knew the place seemed to have a following.
Inside it was your pretty basic donut shop with cases of donuts, coffee and people enjoying said goodies. What caught my eye almost immediately was what looked to be a red velvet cake donut starting at me from the case.

Indeed it was a red velvet donut, and it was wonderful and rich, topped with the perfect cream cheese icing.
They also had real cream for their coffee, none of that powdered crap.
The icing on the cake for this stop, though, was meeting the owner, Don, in the dining room and having a nice chat with him about the remainder of our vacation plans. He told us about the Memphis zoo and also clued us in to a restaurant called Middendorf's that serves thin fried catfish in Louisiana. We had a thoroughly enjoyable conversation with him and we will be "regulars" at Gibson's now any time we are in town.

Gibson's Donuts
760 Mt. Moriah Rd.
Memphis, TN 38117 

Arcade Restaurant

We've been to Memphis, TN many times, but on our visit this summer I decided to see what type of historic restaurants were in the area, since we love soaking in the character of these beauties. I came up with the Arcade Restaurant, Memphis' oldest restaurant, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to their web site, Greek Speros Zepatos founded the restaurant in 1919. In the 1950s, his son updated the restaurant to it's current diner style. The Zepatos family still runs the restaurant.
The attractive Arcade has even been featured in scenes from many movies.

We rode our bikes to the Arcade for breakfast, but another great way to arrive is via the Historic South Main street car line, which will take you on a scenic route through one of Memphis' restored business districts. We used the street cars a lot on this trip, and they are very beautifully restored. Each ride was only $1 (make sure you have exact change) and the drivers were friendly and helpful. A helpful rider also told us that day passes can be purchased for just over $3.


Arcade Restaurant  
540 South Main Street
Memphis, TN 38103

Loveless Café

During our big spring road trip this year, our first stop was Nashville, Tennessee.I looked for historic restaurants we could visit and had to look no further than the Loveless Café.

The restaurant was first known as the Harpeth Valley Tea Room and was purchased by the Loveless family in 1951. The husband, Lon, ran the motel on site while his wife, Annie, whipped up homemade preserves and biscuits, catering to travelers along US Highway 100.

The Loveless Café has changed hands a few times over the years, but luckily their famous biscuit recipe has remained.

The motel ceased operations in 1985 and the site now features quaint shops and a Loveless Café Hams & Jams business.

In 2004 the restaurant closed for five months for renovations, bringing a new kitchen, new restrooms and additional seating.

The 1900s house you step into to enter the restaurant has a vintage screen door, which welcomes you in with style.

We were seated in a room off to the right of the hostess area, and were greeted right away by an efficient waitress with a southern accent. She brought our breakfast beverage order quickly and we asked for a couple more minutes to check over the menu.

Knowing the place was famous for biscuits, we made sure to order meals that included them, and they were the star of our dining experience. The surprisingly small, fluffy biscuits were perfectly warmed and accompanied by strawberry, blackberry and peach preserves. I went back and forth between the strawberry and blackberry while my husband raved about the peach.

Our bellies full, we headed outside for pictures and to visit the market store. We noticed a banner on the neon sign in memory of Carol Fay, "the biscuit lady", who we then realized we had seen on Throwdown with Bobby Flay several years ago.

We picked up some bacon as a souvenir of our stop in the market store and then set out for our next destination.

Loveless Café

8400 Highway 100

Nashville, TN 37221

Coletta's Restaurant

We visited Coletta's the week of December 24, 2007

Our last meal in Memphis, Tennessee this trip was at Coletta's Restaurant.
I saw Coletta's listed on the Food Network's web site, and it is also Memphis' oldest restaurant. They also claim to be the originators of Elvis' favorite pizza, the BBQ pizza. All of this was sufficient for me to want to check the place out.
Coletta's is now in it's fifth generation of family ownership.
There are now two locations, but we chose the original 1923 location.
The restaurant was probably quite nice in it's heyday, however the floors and ceiling could use some real updating now.
We both decided to try pizza, but not the Elvis special. I had an Italian spinach pizza and StfRon went with sausage.
The pizzas were very good, with a nice crisp, thin crust and salty, buttery browned cheese on top. The spinach pizza was covered with tons of spinach, so much so that I started pulling it off after a while.
We were there a little late in the evening, on a Sunday night, and the restaurant was rather quiet.
If you're looking for the oldest restaurant in Memphis, Coletta's original location is the place for you.

Coletta's Restaurant
1063 S. Parkway East
Memphis, TN 38106