The Arcade Restaurant

Food Review 1: The Arcade Restaurant

A Memphis cornerstone, The Arcade Restaurant is the oldest cafe in the city. Founded in 1919, this vintage cafe serves up all your breakfast and lunch favorites. Situated right off the trolley line in the South Main Arts District, this restaurant fits right in the area with its antiqueness. 

Upon entering, we (my wife and I; she will be joining me for all of these…probably) were greeted quickly and sat within a minute of walking in the door. As we sat at a high top in the back, I scanned around the restaurant and took in the decor and vibe of the place. It was quite busy, with people coming and going steadily the whole time we were there. It’s nice to see an old, local restaurant have foot traffic like The Arcade did that day.

The first thing I will review is the mimosa that my wife ordered. It was an incredibly standard mimosa, exactly what anyone would expect out of a mimosa, and for that, I liked it. While I never order breakfast drinks, I can appreciate the simplicity and refreshment a mimosa provides.

So far, the experience was great. And luckily for us, it would only get better. As I continued to take in the surrounding restaurant and look at all the art and knick-knacks placed around the perimeter, I thought how lucky I am to live in a city so rich in culinary options and culinary excellence.

When looking at the menu, I was instantly drawn to the Breakfast Sampler. What’s better for a food review than a dish that has a little bit of everything? With my order placed and my mood high, my wife and I chitchatted while we waited.

The food arrived quickly and looked excellent. The presentation was wonderful, and I was excited to get started. From the hash browns to the bacon to the sweet potato pancake, this was a sensational combination of breakfast foods.

I immediately dug in. The French toast was amazing, with the perfect amount of crisp and powdered sugar to amp up the sweetness. The hash browns were a bit soft for my liking. They had definitely been sitting on the back of the flattop waiting to be cut and scooped onto a plate. However, with a little salt and pepper, they did the job. While I don’t usually prefer my eggs scrambled, I feel like it is the best choice for a food review. If a restaurant can’t scramble an egg, we have a problem. Luckily for The Arcade, they can. The eggs were solid (literally), and with a little salt, they were delicious. The bacon was also a little soft for my personal preference. I know this is a divisive topic, crispy bacon or chewy bacon, but I have always been on the crispy side. Not to take away from the flavor, it was good, hearty, salty bacon; I just would have liked a bit more snap. The sausage was almost certainly a Jimmy Dean’s sausage patty, and I don’t hate that as much as I probably should. I grew up on Jimmy Dean breakfast foods, and that sausage, although disappointing for a restaurant to serve, does hold a special place in my heart. That still doesn’t excuse The Arcade from using cheap, store-brand sausage, though. The pancake was almost too cakey and was actually difficult to cut with a fork, so I had to use my knife to cut it. I had to follow up each bite with a sip of water to make sure I wasn’t going to choke. The flavor was nice; however, it was soft, sweet, and simple, and the powdered sugar overspray from the French toast definitely didn’t make things worse. Finally, I made it to the star of the show (or plate), the sweet potato pancake. This was unbelievable. I don’t want to say I didn’t have high hopes, but I didn’t have high hopes. This seemed like we may have strayed too far from what is and is not breakfast food. But I have never been more glad to be wrong. This pancake was beautiful, in both taste and appearance. Perfectly griddled to a light, golden brown, thin but not crispy, bouncy and pillowy without being doughy. And the flavor is absolutely heavenly. The sweetness level could not have been more dialed in. It was amazing both with and without syrup.

If you are ever in the mood for a classic breakfast meal surrounded by a quaint diner ambience, I highly recommend making a stop at The Arcade, and do yourself a favor and get the breakfast sampler.

Overall, this was a terrific breakfast experience. The restaurant was awesome, the service was great, and the food was delicious.

8/10 (looking at you, Jimmy Dean’s sausage patty)