Arcade

Arcade
540 S Main St.
901-526-5757

It's been about 8 years (!!) since the Arcade was reviewed here, so I thought I'd do a little refresh...



We had some friends in town and we wanted to take them, specifically their 3 year old, to check out the playground at Beale Street Landing. My friend's husband had never been to Memphis, so we all agreed that the Arcade would be a fun place to eat breakfast. I know that Saturdays during the Memphis Farmer's Market hours can be a little crazy, but I hoped getting there before church let out on Sunday would be safe. The monkeys (Satchel, 12 and Jiro, 10) and I arrived around 10:00am and put in our name for a 7 top. They gave us a buzzer and told us it would be about 20 minutes. (Had we had a normal size group, I think the wait would have been about 5-10 minutes.)

It took awhile for our friends and Warren to join us, so when the buzzer went off and they weren't there, I was very apologetic. The waitress was totally cool and said she's always late to everything and always lies and says she's on her way. The monkeys and I had some coffee and patiently waited. I would describe Satchel's coffee as creamer with a splash of decaf.

Warren, Amy, John & Leo did eventually arrive.




We wasted no time getting our order in and it was really a matter of minutes before everything came out. (I had breakfast with friends after a run a few months ago and experienced the same quick service.)

Most breakfast platters are in the $10 range and are very, very hearty. They include a choice of hashbrowns or grits & bacon or sausage and are automatically served with biscuits and gravy. There is also the option of getting whatever you want a la carte.

At 10 and 12, these boys can eat, so hearty is where it's at.



Satchel has been on a country ham kick for whatever reason. I am continually blown away by the ways in which it is served and in what quantities!



He only made a dent in it, but Jiro and Warren helped him finish. He finally admitted that he only ordered it because it came with grits. I told him that he should have looked closer at the menu because pretty much everything came with grits. Not only that, they were available as a side item. That is when he begged to have another order. I obliged because when he starts craving something, he won't stop until he gets it. In total, he had three orders of grits and would have had a fourth.

Jiro had the French toast; I had two eggs over hard; Warren had the country fried steak; Amy & Leo split hashbrowns and pancakes; and John had the "#4 - Eggs Redneck--Biscuits and Sausage smothered in Gravy with Eggs and Hash Browns." He couldn't resist the redneck moniker.

I was too busy eating to snap pictures of everything. There were smiles all around and everyone was happy with their food. There were no leftovers, which is amazing.

I don't remember seeing a changing table in the ladies' room, but I do remember seeing a built-in ashtray in the stall--obviously a relic from "the good old days" when ladies smoked on the john. Ha!

Overall it was a lovely breakfast and I definitely recommend braving the crowds.