Coletta's Italian Restaurant

Decades of delicious food, warm service, and a slice of Elvis Presley history make this the perfect Memphis stop! Don’t let the unassuming exterior fool you—step inside and you’re transported back in time to a welcoming, clean, and nostalgic atmosphere. The staff delivers fantastic service, and it’s easy to see why the Presley family has continued to visit over the years. We tried the original BBQ pizza—an Elvis favorite—and it was both flavorful and filling thanks to the amount of meat piled on top. The shredded Parmesan and breadsticks were a hit with the youngest while we waited for our order. Four generations of our family left full, happy, and smiling. A must-visit for Elvis fans and food lovers alike!

Historic Memphis institution frequented by Elvis and claiming to have invented the bbq pizza. Today Coletta’s original location is a roadside remnant showing its age in a forgotten neighborhood. While I’m not sure I’d want to see inside the kitchen, the bbq pizza is still as tasty as always. Busy takeout business (avoid the long wait for pizza), but dining in offers cheap beer, down-home service, and a leap back in time.

We stopped in to try since it claims to be the first bbq pizza. The resturant is very much is disrepair and smells moldy. We got the pizza to go and the whole ride back the car smelled like ketchup. The pizza was not good. The crust did have a crunch but was bland and the pork and sauce tasted bland, cheap and over all not good. Big waste of money!

They serve some delicious pizza!!! Only thing I didn’t like was when I got my pizza, it was a piece of hair melted in da cheese…I mite or mite not go back.

I was excited to see they had chicken sausage pizza. I added spinach & onions. I was under the impression that it would be fresh spinach that would go on pizza. I was gravely mistaken. They put cooked, soggy spinach on the pizza. The chicken sausage is awesome, but this salty, cooked spinach on the pizza is detracting from it. This is after I've taken some of the spinach off of it (there was more). Atmosphere is dated.

Definition of the phrase: never judge a book by its cover! Don't let the outside appearance and the area deter you, this restaurant is amazing. I had the barbecue pizza and I'm definitely going back just for that (it's very fulfilling). The owner is also very friendly. He came up to our table to talk to us about their history and how Elvis used to visit. Totally worth a visit if you're in this part of town. 10/10 recommend.

First time dining here since 1980, (moved to Missouri, back home now.) I remember some of the best BBQ, piled high, (too high, actually), on a pizza crust with awesome sauce! What we got was, not a lot of BBQ, and absolutely NO BBQ sauce, on our pizza. Instead they had an excessive amount of marinara sauce. When I make my homemade BBQ pizza, I put a very small amount of marinara sauce, with BBQ sauce as a base. They didn’t even have any BBQ sauce on the top of the pizza, which they show in the pictures. We both ate 2 slices, and tossed the rest!

Always good Italian food. So glad my travels brought me here today. This place has been here forever. Has roots back to the early 1930s. Got the lunchtime specials. Lasagna and spaghetti. And too full for desert. They have a reputation for bbq pizza, give it a try. Enjoy.

The parking lot and building leave a lot to be desired, but once inside you are in an old world Italian restaurant, red & white checkered table covers and all! The menu is small. Many different types of pizzas offered and a few classical entrees. The wine list is also very limited but reasonable. The pizza crust was good, loaded with cheese and lots of pepperoni and the sauce was excellent. ( I'm a New Yorker, tough crowd to impress) This was a very good pizza pie. The tomato sauce for the spaghetti and meatballs was dark and rich. You could tell it was old world homemade. Pasta was a little overcooked and the meatballs were very dense but flavorful. If you want a good Italian meal in the heart of BBQ land, go there!

The ambiance of this place is divey, not that I necessarily mind that. The service was so unbelievably slow. I wanted to order a bowl of minestrone and an Italian salad. The server said she would have to check and see if they "had anymore ". So I asked if she would, please, after she just stood there. So I got the soup and my salad. The soup was awful- just thin reddish brown liquid with 5 sad little shells floating on top. There were literally no more than a tablespoon of chopped tiny little vegetables in the bowl. My husband enjoyed his wings and veal Parmesan, but could only eat half. When the server came to bring his box, she asked if I wanted to take him the soup. I told her I did not and why. She said that was weird because the soup is very good. She never offered to take it off the check. We paid and left, only to find one hour later that our credit card had not been returned. Someone there attempted to use it 3 times! NEVER AGAIN

Ordered six pies for a group. One was completely incorrect, but they were all so horrific that we didn't even eat more than one slice per person. The "bbq pizza," which we didn't order, was like two inches of dried out chicken on top of congealing barbecue sauce. Oof. It literally tasted worse than the pizza in truck stops that lives under glass. It was so awful that I was actually surprised to discover on Yelp that it's a real restaurant. I had assumed that it was a ghost kitchen reheating factory frozen pizzas. Avoid at all costs.

First time ever trying Coletta's, we ordered a medium 3 topping pizza and linguine with alfredo sauce and chicken. The pizza was great. Amazing flavor, cheese and pepperonis tastes great. The alfredo was NASTY. I paid $15.50 for pretty much just noodles and sauce. ( sauce tasted bland no flavor ) just seemed like original jar sauce. As for the chicken, i got 4 pieces. The pasta to chicken ratio was very much off. If i wanted just noodles and sauce i would have ordered that. The chicken was very tough, the flavor was ok but overall the worst thing i ordered was the alfredo. I would go there again for the pizza only.

Barbecue pizza is amazing. Love the thousand island dressing and the Italian spinach. We have been coming to this location for years.

Great Italian restaurant! Small and cozy with great food and service. A lot of history too. Highly recommend! Check out the Elvis room too.

Food was good. That's the only thing good about this restaurant. The building was old and run down, service was slow, bathroom was dirty. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw there was no electronic register and the waitresses had to hand calculate the bills!!!

I have been coming to Coletta's my entire life! I'm now 25 years old and we still get the best service, hot food and a lovely time.

I went here with a client for lunch and was interested after hearing him rave about it. Sadly, I left disappointed. The restaurant does have a fantastic ambiance and I was told it was the oldest continuously opened restaurant in Memphis. I was also told it was a tourist attraction because I guess Elvis ate here. I went with their veal parmigiana. First, a lot of Italian places bring a salad with your meal. Here does not. They brought bread with the meal, but it was more like a store bought dinner roll than the glory of Italian bread. The veal was not the thin slices of breaded veal, but rather a chunk of veal that was a bit overcooked. The sauce was uninspired and possessed none of the simple but exquisite wualities that tomato sauce could and should possess. Service was mediocre. Friendly, but harried. I heard their pizza was good, but i cannot say this meal was anything close to good.

Let's get into this SOUTH MEMPHIS CLASSIC. . . Coletta's Italian Restaurant. Home of the BBQ pizza. Let me start of by saying that I literally went to school for 6 years up the street from this restaurant and I've visited twice during my adult years. (So ashamed) A true gem. Even though I didn't get the BBQ pizza the Pepperoni and Sausage pizza was so good everything from the crust to the sauce was amazing what are your go to pizza toppings? #foodie #birriatacos #fun #travel #traveler #pizza #foodgasm #foodporn #memphisfood #foodie #reviews #explore #explorepage #viral #blackfoodblogger #blackfoodie #nolaeats #neworleansfoodie #memphisfoodie #italian #Colettes #901eats #memphiseats #southmemphis #memphisfoodblogger #memphis #atlantafoods #downtownmemphis

Whoever gives this place 5 stars needs to have their head checked. The food was awful. The service was awful! Ravioli, spaghetti, manicotti all tasted like they had skyline chili on it. You scrape the sauce off and it didn't taste any better. The spaghetti dish tasted like the burnt part of the pot. We were also missing food. The lady who asks for names at pickup is rude. There was nothing nice or good about our experience! Avoid at all costs. Gas station sushi would have been a better option!

The food was straight up nasty. The spaghetti meat sauce pasta tasted burnt. The meatball spaghetti was absolutely non edible. The meatballs were crumbling and dry yet somehow moist. For being an Italian restaurant, the only thing worth getting is the wings. The chicken aldredo was only decent. Alfredo sauce from the jar would've been better to eat. My daughters said their garlic bread and cheese are worse than the cheese bread they get for school lunch. The only thing this restaurant has going for them is the atmosphere.

My favorite pizza in Memphis. Never disappointed. It's the way a pizza should be. Those wonderful old ovens make it extra good.

It's certainly part of Memphis history and looks very dated. The food was ok. Not great as it came out cool and while it tasted ok it was really not that special. Our host said that the Appling location was a little more upscale with the food but this was the original Colette's so we had to try it.. after all Elvis ate there.

Ok my fellow Memphians, don't get me for this, but this is my first visit to Coletta's. The crazy thing about it is I grew up 5 minutes from this location. I know, I know. But let's get into this review. I liked the fact that the restaurant still has it's original design and decor. It is definitely an antique/ old school vibe from the plaid table clothes to the cash register. I went for lunch. I was on the hunt for some Lasagna and I found it here! They had a lunch special for $8.50 that included bread, salad, and of course, Lasagna! The Lasagna was good. However, I could tell that it probably was the last batch of the lunch special. Although it taste good (I know the picture does it no justice), but it was a little tough around the edges and the sauce was dried throughout the slice. The salad and bread was fresh. The homemade Italian dressing was really good as well. I will be back to try it again. Maybe I will go a little early next time.

I would give this place no starts if I could....this was absolutely terrible do not go and get any food at restaurant want to vomit after leaving!

It's ok. There's better Italian places, but hey, it's not horrible for the price. You get what you paid for. Service: C Food: C Ambiance: D

I'm super sad to write this but Colettas is not worth your visit. I first had the chicken fettuccine Alfredo. It was not good. But they had talked up their pizza oven so next chance I got, we went. My pizza literally was worse than little Caesars. That's saying ALOT. My coworkers got lasagna. Both of them had the comment that it tasted like $0.88 chef boyardee. Collettas may have been a go to place in the past but now, it's a stay away from place.

Coletta's is now my favorite Italian restaurant. We don't live locally around here but my boyfriend and I have already said we will 100% make the drive to come back and eat here again lol. We loved everything we got yesterday. The scenery inside was just beautiful and all the staff were very nice and professional. I don't remember our waitresses name but she was very friendly and came to check on us throughout the meal to make sure we were satisfied. If you haven't eaten here I highly suggest you do. I did notice for the ones with a gluten allergy they have a cauliflower crust option for you! 10/10

A local staple that I've been going to for 30 years. That all around the world pizza is one of a kind!

My order wasn't complete once the Uber driver delivered it to me. I asked where was the other order? He replied, ma'am this is all they gave me. You might want to call them to find out what happened. Upon doing so, I found out that my order was paid for (of course it was) but was never made. Now I have to leave my home to go and pick up a order that I paid to be delivered so I didn't have to leave my home and make it to them before they closed. The lady reassured me that they would be opened so I could retrieve my order. I appreciate them very much and my food overall was delicious. Regardless of the error I had a great experience plus they gave me courteous items to make up for the mix up.

Okay so I tried Coletta's b/c my brother had it on his list of good pizza. Well...not so much. I ordered the three way pizza, which was okay but would not be on my list of Best. I did love that they were not stingy with the mushrooms a definite plus but it didn't make my mouth water. I also ordered the Italian beef sandwich which I regret, either they got my order wrong or the cook has never had an Italian beef sandwich . I asked for dipped with sweet and hot peppers. Sadly, I got processed beef soaked in bbq sauce...???????? on a soft bun/roll. I was so disappointed. TAKE IT OFF THE MENU if you can't do it, just TAKE IT OFF THE MENU. Don't do this to anyone else.

I love Coletta's. Mostly the one on Parkway. Appling is good for the pasta and anything outside of pizza. But if you want good pizza, I suggest Parkway. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 due to the change in pizza crust at some point and it seems like they may have gone back to the original after complaints. But the pizza is a winner, the wings are great (if you want a little bit more crispy, please inform), and the homemade ranch is too die for. I could drink it, it's so good!!! The fresh parm cheese is so delicious s well. Ambient at bar is nice and also seating on left side upon entering restaurant. Right side seating is like a whole different atmosphere....gloomy almost. Or maybe, because it was my husband and I only in that part. Restaurant could use an update. Lovely owners and great workers.

So apparently this was a location that Elvis ate back in the day. We had a large group and were seated in the Elvis room. Service was pretty fast and good. The food was also really good. Unfortunately there was really only one gluten free item because this is a pasta place after all but the hamburger steak was really well made and the free cup of parmesan cheese dressed it up nicely. The cheesecake was also really good. Parking can be a bit hard because it fills up quickly and the building is a bit on the older side but still I'd come back here.

Stopped in here for something to eat when driving through Memphis and will not be returning. When we first sat down the waitress didn't even greet us just walked up and threw two menus on the table and walked away. After about 10 minute the waitress finally came up to take our drink and food orders. After ordering our waitress never came up to us again except to give us our food and bill. Also the whole time we could see all the waitresses sitting at a table talking. The spaghetti and meat balls was not good. The BBQ pizza was okay.

Had the most wonderful time at the Coletta's Italian Restaurant! Visited from Australia, and staff went above and beyond with their service. Was truly a wonderful experience getting to dine in the Elvis room where Elvis used to eat. The pasta, pizza and wings were sensational, and the atmosphere took us back to yesteryear. We made sure to get the BBQ chicken pizza as this was Mr Presley's favourite. Many thanks again, and keep up the amazing work!!

I enjoyed myself there. I man that waited on me was mean at first and then he eased up and started smiling. I had fun with him. They have great drinks and wings. The people that come on a regular was great too.

This is the first time I've posted to Yelp in months. I want to start off with saying I eat everything. Im not picky at all!!! My wife and I ate here this evening. She had chicken Alfredo and I had the "famous" BBQ pizza. Needless to say they were both completely awful. It's been years since I've ever sent food back at a restaurant. We really wanted to enjoy the food but it was completely disgusting. Maybe she had some bad chicken or I had some bad BBQ. I just want people to be aware that this far from being the best BBQ pizza in town along with decent Italian food.

Great food. Fast service. Authentic flavors and naturally since it's Memphis, there's an Elvis room.

When I first looked at menu i thought the prices were just a tad too high but after receiving my meal I am more than satisfied by the size of the portions. I couldn't eat half my lasagna. Cheesy bread is a must. PS: My girl told me to tell y'all they give u rolls with your meal and they are good.

In town for the Marathon, so coming up from the check in to our Airbnb in downtown Memphis and came on this little dumpster fire. Just so you are aware, this is not a food review, as we never got to sample any. But no matter how wonderful the food may be, the disaster that awaits you, dear reader, it is a true story. ;-) First, let's talk about what went right. We were sat almost immediately. They got us water and even brought extra lemons, which is a real winner with my wife. Then, at 7:30 PM we ordered Chicken Parmesan and Ravioli (two dishes). I also ordered a glass of Chianti (cause who doesn't like liver, fava beans, and a nice Chianti? - Hopefully everyone gets the reference). Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. At 8:30 PM we left. No chianti. No bread for the table. No Chicken Parmesan or Ravioli either. Wait, I know what you are thinking. We did not talk to anyone. Nay, day reader. We talked to everyone that worked there that came by. I ordered my Chianti at least 3 times. And, twice, we were told our order was next. Finally a lady with keys, which just screamed manager. She told us things were busy, but she would go check. That was 15 minutes before we gave up. At least now I understand why they are open until 1 AM. It increases the chance the poor diner might actually eat. Coletta's has an interesting system. You do not have a server, you have all of them. They all work the floor. This means you can equally be ignored by multiple people. Or brushed off after being told for the third time your order was next. If you read my other reviews, I am not hard to restaurants. I may be a bit witty about it, but I am rather forgiving. And slow food would not normally garner a 1-star review. But when staff member after staff member brushes you off, it gets to the point you start to wonder why anyone would put up with this crap. I imagine it has to be awesome food or the fact it has very nice prices. I will never know. On the way out, I visited the restroom. I am not sure the urinal ever flushed and two people who walked in after both commented on the horrible smell. I do hope the kitchen is more sanitary. BTW, I would have been much more lenient if one of the people that said they were checking on our order actually checked. Even if they came back and said, the kitchen forgot your order they are cooking it now. I worked in restaurants. I understand accidents happen. And I understand busy. I don't understand this level of apathy. I hope management reads this and alters things. If so, write a comment and we can try again someday and have a portion of actual food, and not just leave a restaurant review. Then again, maybe the prices have it where enough people are willing to suffer the abuse to keep you in business. If so "God bless, this is America where you can run your business however you damn well please". Peace guys! Unilt next time.

Met friends here for date night around 8. We got a table for 8 by the back wall. Place is larger than I expected inside. Vintage, nostalgia decor. Love the old cigarette machine, cash register and counter area. Clean bathrooms-although a bit outdated but fits in with the decor of the place. Nice and attentive staff. Hubby and I were the first to arrive so we secured a table and ordered our drinks. Menus had a good simple layout-easy to order from. The lightning in our area was dim and dark which made it hard to see the menus. Our wait staff was excellent. Actually everyone there was and attentive. Our food came out hot and on time. I had the pizza, wings and coffee and it was excellent. Hubby had the rigatoni which I took a bite and oh it was good. We all had great time and will definitely return. Elvis fans ask for the Elvis room. It's a great photo op.

I normally don't give a one for a restaurant but I just did and here is why: I have grow up with Colettas on Parkway and always loved their food. Yesterday my company ordered catering from the Appling location; chicken breasts, Italian spinach, Alfredo, rolls and salad. After I actually choked on the over cooked chicken that was hard to chew and fell apart in your mouth like alum power sucking all the saliva out of your mouth, I thought I would right this review and caution people about ordering catering from Coletta's. The only thing that was decent was the salad and roll. Chicken way over cooked, alfredo chalky and lumpy, italian spinach had no seasoning. Pizza. I think pizza is their niche.

Memphis is our favorite American city behind New Orleans. We like the old haunts. We came here because we hear this place was a hangout of Elvis. I read about how they invested to BBQ pizza after WWII to get the locals to ease into eating Italian food. I wanted to taste history. My fiancé was apprehensive about a BBQ pizza so we got a small one and a small pepperoni. Upon the waitress' suggestion got long islands from their old school divey bar and fried ravioli. The ravioli set the tone. Good sauce to dip in that was like a meat sauce with the beef ground extremely fine. It was zesty and not overly chunky. The pepperoni pizza was as solid as any from a real deal pizzeria anywhere. The kicker was the BBQ pizza. It's not like a gross BBQ pineapple chicken pizza from papa John's, instead it was juicy pulled pork in a tomatoey BBQ sauce. The flavor of Italy and Memphis combined. Pizza tastes as good the next day. The atmosphere was that of a true old school pizza joint as well. A pleasant experience.

If I could give them negative stars would. I ordered the lasagna, tortellini soup, and salad. The lasagna was spoiled and burnt! I instantly had a stomach ache after my first bite and threw up right afterwards. The soup had 2 pieces of noodles and the salad was all iceberg with 4 olives and 2 peppers and a little tomato (all of their pics are false advertisement). It was a horrible experience and I'm never ordering from here again! Also, when I called the manager, she said the lasagna is supposed to be that way (see pics) - I'm thinking no way it's supposed to be spoiled and burnt. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone! And they don't hold themselves accountable and only make excuses. - the manager said she's never heard that about their food and I highly doubt it. But that was that, she offered no apology or anything! Never again! Disgusting!

STAY AWAY from this place. I've never been so disgusted in my life. We came here very excited to see one of Elvi's favorite place to eat. Boy were we so disappointed! This place has an awful smell as soon as you walk in. The ceiling tiles are yellow now (probably from people smoking). There's no air vents! The place just needs to be restored. The place was fairly empty but it took them over an hour for one pizza, lasagna and a soup. The lasagna was cold and it looked like dog food. The lady took it back to the kitchen and threw it in the microwave as if we wouldn't know what she did. The lasagna looked like it was from a Chef Boyardee can. The soup had this weird light brown color and was also cold!! The pizza was burnt and it looked like a first grade kid had done it. None of us ate it because we didn't want to get sick. This place must of been Elvis favorite place to eat during his time but now it has to go. So disappointed... the pictures in this site are very very accurate.

Coletta's is a great place to eat pizza but I strong advise NOT to order the Lasagna!!!!!!!!! The lasagna was horrible, and the only reason I'm posting a review! The Around the wold pizza was Great.

I just had a few pasta dishes and they were very cheap tasting, but I did not have pizza so maybe that would be better! My friend from work likes the pizza so maybe I will try that!

I've been going here since I was little this is a Memphis Gem for pizza and Italian food right in the heart of South Memphis

It doesn't get any better than Coletta's BBQ PIZZA! Grew up going to and getting take out from the old Summer Ave. location, weekly. On my list of must haves whenever I'm back in town.

Grungy restaurant. Mediocre food. Wound up there by accident and won't repeat the mistake.

Oh Colletta's. What happened to my beloved BBQ pizza? Anytime family visits Memphis I get them to bring 2 large pizzas back to Knoxville. Imagine my shock today when they arrived and I popped the lid. The beautiful doughy crust is now a slab more like a crispy breadstick. The sauce is a thick, smoky, overly sweet brown concoction. The pizza I knew and loved is long gone, not even close to resembling the old one. Why Colletta's? The sad end of an era for me.

A classic! My wife and I stopped here on our way from Little Rock to Collierville. We had visited before, and we had enjoyed our meal. This is a historic spot that Elvis has visited. Ask to sit in his dining room! Great service. Great chianti. Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and meatballs. Veal parmigiana.

I first ate at Colettas in 1984. Favorite "fancy" place for affordable dates in high school and college. Wife and I even ate there night we got married. They were serving barbecue pizza and barbecue spaghetti long before anyone else. I always got the barbecue pizza with pepperoni and onion and the barbecue spaghetti with meat sauce. That red gravy tastes like it's been simmering for days. Start with the savory pasta e fagioli soup. A Memphis landmark. Remains one of my nostalgic favorites.

We attended a get together on October 10 at the Parkway location. I didn't want to create an issue so I didn't complain. There were appetizers that were raviolis. They were inedible, over cooked. We ordered veal Parmesan and again, inedible. The veal was over cooked and didn't even taste like veal. What a waste of money. Don't go. Not only was the food awful but this location is awful. Might have been great back in the day but no longer.

Elvis ate here often with his close proximity. We enjoyed dining in the Elvis room, full of older memorabilia and signed photos. A fun note from Pricilla on a recent visit at checkout noting how the food was the same! Only regret is that we didn't order the barbecue pizza.

It's a solid 2.5. Came on Wednesday the 15th about 7pm. Place was not very busy, a few tables. It was myself, my 4 year old and her dad. We ordered the toasted ravioli as a starter. I was not very impressed as they had obviously been deep fried and not toasted. The meat sauce on the side was fantastic. Loved it. Dark red in color, thick and rich. Tasted like it was made from scratch. For our main meals we ordered a single serve pizza for our daughter. We both ordered the Alfredo dish with shrimp and mushrooms. The pasta was nothing to write home about. The Alfredo was extremely thick almost like white gravy that you would put over biscuits. They also used canned mushrooms. (ewwww) but it was tolerable. My daughters pizza was quite good and I appreciated the fresh (real) Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Service was EXTREMELY SLOW. Our drinks sat empty quite a bit. While the appetizer came out fairly quickly, the food took another 45 minutes after our app had arrived. We had to track our server down for the bill. Considering there was only 3 other tables in the place it was a bit irritating but not the end of the world. I will probably give them another shot, except with call ahead take out as it seems the long wait time for food is their standard. (according to other reviews) The pizza was good and I'd like to try their spaghetti with meat sauce.

I prefer the family owned, one of a kind style restaurant (or 2 of a kind is fine), over the overpriced, under-delivering franchise restaurants, and this is one of those! The food is good and straight forward, nothing fancy. Just a great place for a good (very reasonably priced) meal. And I just love Dana, what a sweetheart! She's a great server with a fun sense of humor, she completes the Coletta's dining experience! Enjoy!!

I was a little disappointed with my experience today. Came here about 2 years ago, last time I visited Memphis. My mind was blown by the BBQ pizza. It tasted phenomenal. Flavors were on point; perfect amount of meat combined with the right amount of BBQ sauce. Therefore, this became a Memphis favorite to me. Therefore, coming to Memphis this time around, I was just determined to return and get the BBQ pizza again. It wasn't nasty but it was just mediocre. The flavors were ok. The crust was a tad soggy. Just wasn't what I was expecting. Feel like I had my hopes let down.