- PHOTO BY JERRY DAWS
- Pancho’s on South Bellevue
My pal Bonnie Kourvelas recently sent me two wonderful images (originally Kodachrome color slides taken by her parents, Jerry and Edna Daws) showing the exterior and interior of the old Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant that was located on South Bellevue. That’s the Daws family in the pictures, but don’t ask me to identify all of them. It was a private affair, and I wasn’t invited.
To tell you the truth (as I am prone to do, from time to time, mainly when I am drunk), I wasn’t familiar with this location. I knew Panchos’ had (and still has) a restaurant on the outskirts of West Memphis, and I knew there was also a branch at Union and McLean, and later at Poplar and White Station.
But sure enough, from about 1959 until about 1972 (those dates are guesses, based on city directory listings, which are not complete, for some reason), Pancho’s was located at 1670 South Bellevue, just across the street from the entrance to Forest Hill Cemetery. That building is gone now, so I’m glad to see these photos. I especially like the wonderful mural, and the terrific neon sign. And I’d certainly like to have some of those fine cars out front. And below is a shot of the interior. It’s rather dark, and I certainly don’t know WHAT the photographer was aiming at, but you can get a sense of the “authentic” Mexican clutter inside.
