Entry No. 28 — the Memphis file — filed under: pink limo
Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant
Marlowe's has been feeding people a mile south of Graceland for decades, and it has solved the tourist-transport problem in the most Memphis way imaginable: a fleet of pink stretch limousines that run hotel pickups every night from 4 to 8 p.m., free. The partner list is short and local — the Guest House at Graceland, Days Inn Graceland, the Holiday Inn Express, even the Graceland RV Park and Campground — so this is aimed squarely at people already deep in Elvis country. Inside it is dim, red, and unapologetically themed, with ribs, catfish and a menu that does not pretend to be reinventing anything. The limo is the meal's opening act and everyone rides it knowing that. Kitchen runs to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on weekends.
→ Three more weird eats & drinks in Memphis — never the same twice
The story
Marlowe's opened on Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1974 and has worked the same stretch of road ever since, sitting about a mile south of Graceland's gates. That address is not incidental — it is the entire business model. Whitehaven is not a walking neighborhood, the motels along the boulevard empty out at dinnertime, and a mile down a six-lane arterial is exactly far enough that nobody wants to attempt it on foot in a Memphis August.
So Marlowe's bought limousines and painted them pink. The fleet runs hotel pickups every day from 4 to 8 p.m., free of charge, from four properties clustered within sight of Graceland: the Guest House at Graceland, Days Inn Graceland, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, and the Graceland RV Park and Campground. You call (901) 332-4159 after 3:30 p.m. on the day you want to go, give your name and your hotel, and a pink stretch car comes and collects you. The drivers work for tips, which is the detail people forget until they're standing on the curb.
At the other end is a dim, red room that has never once apologized for being themed — built for people who have already spent a day inside Graceland and have no interest in restraint. Ribs run $37 for a full slab, $26 for a half, $40 for the rack meant for two. There's brisket at $25, BBQ shrimp at $22, and BBQ spaghetti, the Memphis dish that reads like a dare, starting at $15. Dessert includes something called the Hunka Hunka Apple Pie. No dining reservations are taken, though there's a tour-group menu. The kitchen runs to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 on Friday and Saturday — well past the last limo run, which is the one scheduling problem the pink car doesn't solve for you.
What it's like
It starts on the phone: call after 3:30 p.m., say which of the four partner properties you're at, and be in the lobby when they tell you. The car is genuinely pink and genuinely a stretch limousine, and the ride takes about four minutes, which is most of the joke — everyone in the back understands that the transportation outranks the entrée and that a one-mile limo trip is the point. Inside the restaurant it's dark, red-lit, and full of people who came off the Graceland tour with a sunburn. There's no reservation list to check; you give your name and wait. Keep cash on you — the ride costs nothing but the driver is paid no other way. And note the gap: pickups stop at 8 p.m. while the kitchen runs to 10, so settle how you're getting back before you sit down.
The move: Book a night at one of the four Elvis Presley Blvd partner hotels or just be staying there already, call (901) 332-4159 after 3:30 p.m. to put your names on the limo list, and be in the lobby by 7. Ride the pink car the mile up the boulevard, order ribs and a beer, and let the same driver haul you back — it is the only dinner in town where the transportation outranks the entrée.
📍 Before you go Limo runs daily 4–8 p.m. only and you must call the day of, after 3:30 p.m., to reserve a seat — it is not an on-demand service. Pickups are limited to four Elvis Presley Blvd properties (Guest House at Graceland, Days Inn Graceland, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Graceland RV Park). The ride is free but the driver works on tips, so bring cash. No dining reservations taken. Hours: Sun–Thu 4–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 4–11 p.m. Phone (901) 332-4159.
- 📍 Memphis
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Hernando's Hide-A-Way — Two miles north in Whitehaven, another room trading on genuine Elvis-era history — 200 capacity, Sunday Chicken Sh*t Bingo with no cover — so you can spend an entire evening inside the same square mile of Presley mythology.
- Coletta's Italian Restaurant — Ten minutes up South Parkway for barbecue pizza at a 1923 family restaurant with its own Elvis-ordered-it-by-the-boxful lore, which makes for a fair argument about which claim is better founded.
- Cozy Corner BBQ — The counter-service contrast: a whole smoked Cornish hen at $12.25 on North Parkway, no limousine, closed by 8 p.m., and pointedly not aimed at anyone staying at a Graceland hotel.
More weird in Memphis
Good to know
Who can ride the pink limo, and how do I book it?
Pickups run daily 4–8 p.m. from four Elvis Presley Blvd properties: the Guest House at Graceland, Days Inn Graceland, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, and the Graceland RV Park and Campground. Call (901) 332-4159 after 3:30 p.m. the same day to get on the list — it isn't an on-demand service.
Is the limo actually free?
Yes, the ride is complimentary. The drivers work on tips, so bring cash.
Can I reserve a table?
No. Marlowe's does not take dining reservations, though a tour-group menu is available for larger parties.
What are the hours?
Sunday through Thursday 4–10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4–11 p.m. The limo window closes at 8 p.m. regardless, so a late dinner means arranging your own ride back.
What's worth ordering?
Ribs are the headline — $37 a full slab, $26 a half, $40 for the two-person rack. Beyond that, brisket runs $25, BBQ shrimp $22, and BBQ spaghetti starts at $15.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26