Musical munchies: The best places to eat and drink in Memphis, Tennessee

From the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches beloved by Elvis to a cute restaurant in a former beauty salon where Priscilla Presley regularly had a "do", Memphis delivers when it comes to quirky dining experiences.

Here are six eateries to visit after you've worked up an appetite exploring the home of rock'n'roll in south-west Tennessee.

Slip in through the side door of the Arcade Restaurant, just like Elvis used to do to avoid the hordes of girls wanting his autograph. I sat at his favourite booth and enjoyed spoonfuls of nostalgia plus those crazy fried peanut butter'n'banana sandwiches. They taste pretty good if you add some bacon for an extra $US1.50 ($2.30).

Arcade is the oldest cafe in Memphis and was opened in 1919 by Greek immigrant Speros Zepatos, who initially cooked on a pot-belly stove. In 1925 he rebuilt the cafe in a Greek Revival style and today, fourth-generation family members Jeff, Kelcie and Micha Zepatos are still feeding hordes.

If it looks familiar, that's because it has featured in scenes from many movies, including Mystery Train, Great Balls of Fire, The Client, The Firm, 21 Grams, Elizabethtown, Walk the Line and My Blueberry Nights.

If those Elvis sandwiches don't appeal, try the French toast or the Eggs Redneck, involving biscuits (our scones) soaked in gravy with eggs and hash browns. arcaderestaurant.com

Step inside this cute retro-style restaurant and you may well do a double take - once a beauty salon frequented by Priscilla Presley for her regular curl and dye, celebrated Memphis restaurateur Karen Blockman Carrier has embraced its former life.

A bar has replaced the wash basins, but meals are served amid glass-brick booths around former nail and hair stations with seating beneath hooded Belvedere hair dryers. The words "Look good. Eat well" and a picture of a woman under a dryer with cocktail in hand are emblazoned at the entrance. Highlights include watermelon and wings, grilled pork and peach, and scallop, shrimp and Thai pork dumplings.

There's an emphasis on fun, good food and 1950s beauty parlour nostalgia - I recommend the Nailed It and Beautini cocktails. thebeautyshoprestaurant.com

For the past 75 years staff at The Rendezvous have been tossing their world-famous ribs in a secret dry mixture. The juicy ribs are so good they are shipped across the country.

Charlie Vergos developed the technique and in 1948 turned an old coal chute into a smoker to give the meat some flavour, in a basement reached via a downtown alley.

People went nuts for the Memphis-style barbecue ribs and they are now part of the quintessential Memphis experience. The Rendezvous slogan - "Not since Adam has a rib been this famous" - certainly rings true.

The charbroiled ribs are basted constantly and grilled over charcoal in the pits at the front of the restaurant and served with beans and slaw - you can add pickles and peppers at $US2.25 a pop, and potato salad for $US3.25.

Vegetarians don't despair - try the delicious Greek salad. hogsfly.com

Sliders are definitely popular in Memphis and the two bustling Slider Inns in Midtown and Downtown Memphis have a dedicated following. The specialised sliders include The Memphis - "the one that started it all" - with Angus beef, ketchup and mayo for $US13 or This Pork is a Jerk with Caribbean jerk-spiced pork tenderloin and Jamaican mango cabbage slaw.

The Melty Mary, a Bloody Mary served with two Angus beef grilled cheese buns, is a pick me up after a big night on Beale Street, thesliderinn.com

This eatery is located on the bottom floor of the historic 1913 Hotel Chisca on Main, which has a grand connection with Elvis. From 1949 to 1956, Hotel Chisca was the broadcast site for WHBQ's hit radio show Red, Hot and Blue, hosted by trailblazing rock'n'roll DJ Dewey Phillips. Elvis's first recording of That's All Right, Mama, was played on-air from the hotel, and he also gave an early live performance here.

The Lobbyist - named for the former hotel lobby - is a slick eatery with an emphasis on fresh produce as you relive those nostalgic days of grand hotels. Chef Jimmy Gentry uses vegetables as a focus rather than an afterthought. The local beef with "tators" and roasted vegetables are standouts. There's a glam cocktail bar - try the Just a Little Funny Business with old Dominick gin, Sfumato, genever, sweet vermouth and orange bitters. lobbyistatchisca.com

Love Italian cuisine? Try this restaurant, located in the Chisca Apartment building, that showcases Tuscan and Sicilian cooking. Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman were inspired by the cooking of their nonnas - Catherine and Mary.

Ticer and Hudman attended the Italian Culinary Institute in Cambria, Italy and their menu is a combination of grannies' recipes, Italian dining philosophy and southern produce. The bucatini pasta with braised cabbage, caramelised fennel, clams, pesto and panna grata is delizioso as is the casarecce with tomato sugo, pancetta, parmesan and serrano. For cocktails, try the Great Bambino, a concoction of aged rum, pineapple falernum, green chartreuse, butternut squash and lime, and the I'll Have Another with whiskey, allspice dram, grapefruit and rosemary - both tipples that would surely please the nonnas. catherineandmarys.wordpress.com

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Getting there: United Airlines flies to Memphis via Los Angeles or San Francisco from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Staying there: At Peabody Hotel Memphis, watch the famous daily Lobby Duck Parade at 11am and 5pm. Rooms from $US199, see peabodymemphis.com. The Memphian in the theatre district has rooms from $US239, see thememphian.com

Explore more: memphistravel.com

The writer was a guest of Memphis Tourism.