The Innovative BBQ Dish That Turned A Memphis Spot Into One Of Elvis' Favorite

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All hip-shaking and crowd-wooing, Elvis Presley's energetic performances were the stuff of legend — as was his appetite. After all, the iconic star needed some serious refueling in between all those strenuous shows, so it's no wonder he favored hearty meals. In addition to his famous favorite, grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches, the foods Presley loved to eat run the gamut from buttermilk biscuits to meatloaf to frijoles rancheros, a bean dish you can still order up at Presley's go-to Mexican restaurant in Palm Springs. 

But the "Jailhouse Rock" hitmaker was a Southern boy through and through, so his heart belonged to classic Southern comfort food — especially barbecue. The King didn't just enjoy chowing down on ribs and pulled pork sandwiches though; Presley was also a massive fan of BBQ pizza. While the hybrid dish has now become a staple at pizza joints across the globe, back in the "All Shook Up" singer's day, it was still a newfangled idea, and one innovated by the very Memphis eatery Presley counted among his favorites: Coletta's. 

Founded in 1923, the ice cream parlor turned Italian restaurant reeled the legendary performer in with its zesty BBQ sauce, pulled pork, and mozzarella-topped pie. Not only did his wife pop in multiple times a week to pick up pies for the gang at Graceland, the King himself apparently ordered so much of the pizza, and so often, that the restaurant simply set Presley up a running tab, which was paid for monthly by his manager, Col. Tom Parker.

So how did a little ice cream counter in Memphis, Tennessee become the birthplace of a now universally beloved type of 'za? As the story goes, worldly sailors stationed nearby began requesting a little dish called pizza, which in the 1950s had yet to become very popular outside of bigger cities like New York and Chicago. Owner Emil Coletta sent his son Horest to the Windy City to learn all about the art of pizza making. Upon Horest's return, he had the brilliant idea to top it with some Memphis-style BBQ in order to make the unfamiliar dish more appealing to the locals. Needless to say, it worked like a charm. 

That it happened to capture the attention (and adoration) of one of the biggest stars in the world was a happy accident. Coletta's is still serving its iconic pie to pizza pilgrims who come to raise a slice to the King. The restaurant even has a whole dining room dedicated to its most famous customer, complete with cardboard cutouts and memorabilia. And, according to third generation owner Jerry Coletta, son of the barbecue pizza genius himself, Priscilla Presley still drops by, even to this day, when she's visiting Memphis.

Of course, you're more likely to spy a BBQ chicken pizza on your local's menu rather than a pulled pork one (we can thank California Pizza Kitchen for popularizing that version), but the enduring legacy of Coletta's clever culinary invention can be found in every evolution of the dish that combines two of our all-time favorite foods — and, of course, Elvis's.