Elvis Presley's Favorite Mississippi Bar Was A Hole-In-The-Wall Hideaway

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If you appreciate the "if you know, you know" appeal of some of the country's best hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars, you're in good company. None other than the King of Rock 'n Roll himself sought out more clandestine establishments, and you can actually still toast the icon in one of his favorite Mississippi bars, The Julep Room. Elvis Presley was a Mississippi native, and spent a summer playing gigs on the state's Gulf Coast in 1956 when he was 21, on the verge of superstardom. He met, fell in love with, and proposed to Biloxi, Mississippi local June Juanico. But Presley already had a devoted fan base who followed his every move, so he and Juanico were often on the hunt for secretive date spots. A speakeasy was the perfect solution. 

The Julep Room sits in the cellar of Aunt Jenny's Catfish Restaurant, an eatery still serving up seafood in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. A proper speakeasy, it's subterranean and somewhat secluded, which made it an attractive hideout for Presley and his fiancée. If you know some of Elvis' favorite dishes and drinks, you may be aware that he loved a virgin mint julep at this time — he wasn't an imbiber in those days, and the mocktail was a fun drink to enjoy on his date nights away from the prying eyes of fans. Soon, Presley's career would explode, ending his relationship with Juanico and taking him away from Ocean Springs, but the memories remain in The Julep Room.

Before becoming a restaurant and bar, the building that houses Aunt Jenny's and The Julep Room is believed to have been an asylum. Especially in the bar's basement setting, both staff and guests claim to have had ghostly encounters — there's even a particular ghost multiple people have seen over the years; some believe it's that of an asylum patient, while others wonder if it could be Elvis hanging around his once-beloved haunt, pun intended. Supernatural or not, there's more lore for you at The Julep Room, like a carving under a seat cushion reading "Elvis '56." Did the King really scratch the tag himself? That's for the speakeasy's visitors and the rock star's fans to decide for themselves. 

Read up on the Gulf Coast that June Juanico and Elvis Presley would have experienced, and the kinds of dates they would have enjoyed at The Julep Room in Juanico's memoir, "Elvis: In the Twilight of Memory." Should you find yourself in Ocean Springs, you can have some renowned catfish at Aunt Jenny's before wandering into the storied cellar of The Julep Room. Check out the "Elvis" carving for yourself and take a seat in a back booth, where the couple is said to have tucked away into, and "cheers" the King with mint julep. If that piques your interest in more Elvis-inspired tourism, you can also still have a meal at the strip mall steakhouse Presley frequented in Las Vegas, the Golden Steer.