Nick's Cafe Celebrates Elvis's 80th Birthday With a Visit From the Wall Street Journal

Elvis Presley would have turned 80 today were he still alive, but at Nick's Cafe in Lakewood, the King lives on, fueled by memorabilia and anecdotes from owner Nick Andurlakis. Andurlakis, whose claim to fame is a hand in the creation of the Fool's Gold Loaf at the long gone...

By Mark Antonation

January 8, 2015

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Elvis Presley would have turned 80 today were he still alive, but at Nick's Cafe in Lakewood, the King lives on, fueled by memorabilia and anecdotes from owner Nick Andurlakis. Andurlakis, whose claim to fame is a hand in the creation of the Fool's Gold Loaf at the long gone Colorado Mine Company, has run Nick's Cafe for the past 28 years, attracting Elvis fans as well as those just looking for an honest meal. Another recent visitor was Charles Passy of the Wall Street Journal, whose story in today's WSJ features the infamous sandwich and Andurlakis's role in luring Elvis to Denver.

Andurlakis says he met Elvis Presley about six times, including the now famous episode when the singer flew from Memphis to Denver just to chow down on the peanut butter, bacon and jelly sandwich, which Andurlakis personally delivered to Elvis's private jet.

"We have the tray that I served that sandwich to him on," says the cafe owner. But there's also a museum's worth of other memorabilia on the walls of the restaurant, and Andurlakis regularly hosts other Elvis-themed events, including shows by Elvis impersonator Johnny Barber.

Nick's Cafe still sells quite a few of the Fool's Gold sandwiches; after all, if you can't be the King, at least you can eat like him.

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Mark Antonation is the former Westword Food & Drink Editor. In 2018, he was named Outstanding Media Professional by the Colorado Restaurant Association; he's now with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

Contact: Mark Antonation

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