Restaurants from your childhood that don’t exist anymore

[LongestHorn 759]

Ted's Greek Restaurant on Congress.

Spaghetti Warehouse on 4th.

Chelsea Street Pub at Northcross.

Captain Boomers on 183

Basils italian on Lamar was a favorite date dinner spot in the 90s.

Louie's on the Lake was a popular prom destination in early 80s Austin, as was San Francisco Steakhouse.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by LongestHorn
Spelling

[Judge Roybeanbag 11811]

Harpoon Henry’s.   Never ate anything but appetizers there, always just sat on one of the sofas and got shitfaced.  

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

23 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

I guess it started going downhill after the ownership changed, but to me the decline was when they put in the chairs with wheels on them.   After that the clientele seemed more like a Ryan’s Steakhouse. 

Is that when they stopped changing out the fryer oil?

[Underdog 28529]

El Torito’s on 290 had one of the better brunch’s I’ve ever been to.  

Fuddrucker’s around anymore?  Closest one to us up here is in NJ. 

[Surly Bevo 24893]

Fuddrucker's still very much around

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Gunther’s, off 35 and Braker.  In an effort to order a good German beer, I recall my father asking for a mug of Jagermeister.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Doug E. Fresh

[Mr.Hovis 70]

4 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Harpoon Henry’s.   Never ate anything but appetizers there, always just sat on one of the sofas and got shitfaced.  

Only went there a couple of times, heard that on occasion the painting above the bar would drop down and a piano player started playing. Never saw it, but the crowd I ran with those days dabbled in everything short of black tar heroin so maybe my memory is clouded.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11811]

26 minutes ago, Mr.Hovis said:

Only went there a couple of times, heard that on occasion the painting above the bar would drop down and a piano player started playing. Never saw it, but the crowd I ran with those days dabbled in everything short of black tar heroin so maybe my memory is clouded.

Yeah it was a pretty surreal place.   I lived off Reinli for a few semesters so it was close by.

[PencilPusher 454]

On 8/25/2018 at 11:47 AM, Doug E. Fresh said:

Gunther’s, off 35 and Braker.  In an effort to order a good German beer, I recall my father asking for a mug of Jagermeister.

Gunther's was a client of mine when I worked for a local Austin accounting firm in college. Knew Gunther very well as I did his books and delivered payroll every week on Friday. He was an interesting guy....originally opened a Gunther's in El Paso, but believe when he got divorced, his ex wife got that restaurant, so he moved to Austin and opened it up here. Would always sit and drink at the bar after dropping off the weekly payroll, which is how I got exposed to the virtues of German beer as they generally had Spaten and Paulaner on tap, which in late 80's/early 90's Austin was uncommon. Best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten - watched him make them with loads of cream and butter. This was my go to place in college to impress a date because of the fact that I knew everyone there and would get treated like a high roller. Also learned a lot of German bierhall songs as they had live music every Fri/Sat night, so when I went to Munich after college, I could sing all of the songs in places like the Hofbrau house and thus was very popular with the frauleins.

Gunther closed it right after I moved to Houston in the mid 90's and retired up right outside of Knoxville. I visited him a couple of times as I had a client near there and we would drink a a few beers and reminisce. 

[Steamboat1874 4039]

When Highland Mall first opened there was a restaurant called Brittany's (or The Brittany) where the table had a phone on it and you ordered from there. When your order was ready a red light behind the receiver would light up and a buzzer would sound. I remember the burgers were damn good...flame kissed Holiday House style and the fries were good as well.

Man I am old.

[SHOOTER12 8797]

Don't know whether it has been mentioned yet or not (so sue me), but I read where Spaghetti Warehouse is coming back as Warehouse 72.

[elfenix 34208]

22 hours ago, SHOOTER12 said:

Don't know whether it has been mentioned yet or not (so sue me), but I read where Spaghetti Warehouse is coming back as Warehouse 72.

in the marq*e center in houston

[pch 1259]

Ship Ahoy, Nolan's Bar B Que, Roy's Bar B Que, Floyd's, Picks, The Torch, Manhattan Steakhouse-all in Corpus Christi.  The original Whataburger opened on my birthday two years before I was born and is no longer standing.  We lived two blocks from that location and knew Harmon Dobson.

[PencilPusher 454]

On 8/29/2018 at 8:59 PM, pch said:

Ship Ahoy, Nolan's Bar B Que, Roy's Bar B Que, Floyd's, Picks, The Torch, Manhattan Steakhouse-all in Corpus Christi.  The original Whataburger opened on my birthday two years before I was born and is no longer standing.  We lived two blocks from that location and knew Harmon Dobson.

When we would make our annual beach pilgrimage to Corpus from Austin in the late 70's through the mid 80s, we would always eat at Ship Ahoy the first night. Can't remember if it was any good, but it always signaled a few fun days at the beach were ahead. 

[Hornius Emeritus 12446]

[NeverMarryAStripper 21812]

My first apartment on Riverside had a toilet from the Stallion in the den that we used as a planter.

[After irth 1243]

On 8/29/2018 at 8:59 PM, pch said:

Ship Ahoy, Nolan's Bar B Que, Roy's Bar B Que, Floyd's, Picks, The Torch, Manhattan Steakhouse-all in Corpus Christi.  The original Whataburger opened on my birthday two years before I was born and is no longer standing.  We lived two blocks from that location and knew Harmon Dobson.

Necro bump here...

Ever eat at Chung Mei at Dodderidge & Alameda?

[Hornius Emeritus 12446]

On 8/25/2018 at 7:39 AM, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Harpoon Henry’s.   Never ate anything but appetizers there, always just sat on one of the sofas and got shitfaced.  

Holy crap! I can't believe you mentioned Harpoon Henry's.  @Horn_Spanker and I used to go there and get hammered on one dollar Irish coffees.  I'd completely forgotten about that place. As I recall, it was kind of classy on the inside, at least for a dumbass college student.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11811]

10 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

Holy crap! I can't believe you mentioned Harpoon Henry's.  @Horn_Spanker and I used to go there and get hammered on one dollar Irish coffees.  I'd completely forgotten about that place. As I recall, it was kind of classy on the inside, at least for a dumbass college student.

Yup.  I lived a few blocks south of there, so could walk home if I had to.  It was kinda classy, which being a poor is why I didn't "eat", just did happy hours.  You ever eat at UR Cooks?  That place was a shitshow - my sister waitressed there along with my brother's then-girlfriend.  One of my favorite ploys was squirting the liquid clarified butter into the fire to char my steak, along with all the people on either side of me.

Edited January 10, 2022 by Judge Roybeanbag

[billfromlaketravis 11425]

On 8/27/2018 at 2:38 PM, SHOOTER12 said:

Don't know whether it has been mentioned yet or not (so sue me), but I read where Spaghetti Warehouse is coming back as Warehouse 72.

That is a different menu than I remembered. Didn't the old Spaghetti Warehouse have a $5 lunch menu? 

http://main.warehouse72.com/Home/menu

Edited January 10, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[texasdago 7554]

2 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

People complaining about Austin booming and leaving them behind... in 1984.  Old Austin complaining about old Austin.

As to Pipe Organ Pizza, yes!!! My parents made me walk to the front of the Memorial City restaurant so they could sign me Happy Birthday when I was 8 or 9.  I was mortified. 

 

 

[JCHIL 414]

Fort Worth:  O'Learys Ice Cream Parlor - Vague memories of going to kid's birthday parties and the birthday kid getting a kitchen sink of flaming ice cream and fireman come down a fire pole and put it out with whipped cream....

Bill Martin Seafood - Is there still one around?

Arlington:  Picadilly Cafe and Arlington Steakhouse 

[idigTexas 2283]

Most of mine have been mentioned, but a few more from my Dallas childhood:

Next Door - had a weird Revolutionary War vibe, but was apparently owned by Pizza Hut; the cool factor was that you ordered by phone from your table
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour
Baby Does Matchless Mine - it was behind the old Pearl/Coors/Salem/Kool waterfall billboard
The Old Church - literally an old church turned into a burger joint in uptown, later became a Chips, not sure what it is now

 

I was also going to include these, but they are apparently still around, though not in the locations I frequented:

Chips Hamburgers
Tolbert's Chili Parlor
 

 

[Hornius Emeritus 12446]

30 minutes ago, texasdago said:

People complaining about Austin booming and leaving them behind... in 1984.  Old Austin complaining about old Austin.

As to Pipe Organ Pizza, yes!!! My parents made me walk to the front of the Memorial City restaurant so they could sign me Happy Birthday when I was 8 or 9.  I was mortified. 

 

 

Little known fact:  When Asa Brigham was the mayor of Austin right after the name was changed from Waterloo, some folks moved in and immediately began complaining how the people who followed them were changing the place in ways they didn't like.

[MoJames 8242]

On Andrew's Highway in Midland, Tx. Always went after report cards came out as you got free tokens for every A you had.

Played Space Harrier consistently

[Texzilla58 4725]

Fort Worth:  O'Learys Ice Cream Parlor - Vague memories of going to kid's birthday parties and the birthday kid getting a kitchen sink of flaming ice cream and fireman come down a fire pole and put it out with whipped cream....
Bill Martin Seafood - Is there still one around?
Arlington:  Picadilly Cafe and Arlington Steakhouse 

Arlington Steakhouse is now a mediocre Jambos BBQ. I loved the old place; they had the best fried chicken. The dude that bought It before tried to make it go; he put all his money into renovating Candlelite Inn, which is an interesting nostalgia place.

The old Italian Inn on Lancaster was lots of fun as a kid with those dark booths.

Eden’s in Ft Worth was a great diner/bakery off I30 on the east side. Fantastic food.

How many remember Big N-word BBQ on Cooper back in the 70’s. It was later the Beirut Rock Cafe which recently closed. I was growing up in Memphis and was pretty shocked to see that name in four foot neon letters; the bbq was good for the time.

[WhatTheBuck 28743]

I only recently learned that our Spaghetti Warehouse never closed. I haven’t been there since the late 80’s. I assumed they’d closed long ago.

We used to go to a Farrell’s Ice Cream in South Bend. Usually when some kid had a birthday or as a church youth group outing. Did Shakey’s Pizza too. 

[Rimbo 25903]

Shakey's Pizza. All the birthday parties were there.

Edit: what the hell is this sorcery that we're all thinking of Shakey's at the same time

Edited January 10, 2022 by Rimbo

[Rimbo 25903]

whoa, guess what, Shakey's still exists... in California. where I live

 

 

not going to go there, because I'm pretty sure going now will lead to destroying fond childhood memories

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

On 8/25/2018 at 1:52 AM, LongestHorn said:

Louie's on the Lake was a popular prom destination in early 80s Austin, as was San Francisco Steakhouse.

I used to work at that Louie's on the Lake.  The mid 80's crash did them in.

Louie was building condos and some kind of destination venue next to the old restaurant as well as investing in a place on Grand Cayman when the music stopped. 

I mostly worked the buffet line on and off from 1983 to 1985.  Good money back then at $6.00/hr.  Me and my fellow buffet boys ate good back then.

We stole shrimp, prime rib, lobster tails, snow crab, you name it.  We took a lot it home, but sometimes we would arrange for after work parties up in Westlake hills.  There were a lot of mansions under construction that had been abandoned and we just made ourselves at home.  We would build bonfires and someone would bring the beer and the chicks and we would have a feast up there.

My brother and I always worked the Sunday brunch.  We would go to mass at 7am at St Austin's downtown and then head to work.  Once there we proceeded to forget everything we heard at church.  We would spike our orange juice with Champaign and let the good times roll.

Lot of Frat formals were there too.  There was so much ass that walked into that place, it was unreal. I even worked a couple of runway fashion shows.

I was just a lowly buffet kid in high school, but every now and then I would venture over to the bar area after work was over and see the management and waitstaff pounding cocktails and doing blow.

So many stories.  We had these two cooks and one was Lebanese and the other was from someplace that hated the Lebanese people.  I walked back into the kitchen to get some more food for the line and found those two wrestling on the floor going at each other with meat cleavers.

My employment ended there when they bounced my payroll check. 

[Hornius Emeritus 12446]

Anybody ever go to an Ashburn's or Polar Bear-Ashburn's ice cream shop?

As a kid you'd go and eat an entire banana split and then go home and bounce off the walls for about seven hours then crater so hard you wouldn't wake up until the next day. But it was fun.

 

[pch 1259]

2 hours ago, JCHIL said:

Fort Worth:  O'Learys Ice Cream Parlor - Vague memories of going to kid's birthday parties and the birthday kid getting a kitchen sink of flaming ice cream and fireman come down a fire pole and put it out with whipped cream....

Bill Martin Seafood - Is there still one around?

Arlington:  Picadilly Cafe and Arlington Steakhouse 

My first time at O'Leary's in the 1849 Village was in 1971.  A friend had a birthday party there and he was served a Shannon's Shenanigan-two very hot looking TCU coed waitresses came out, put a drop cloth napkin around his neck, began singing a song about a hot time in the old town tonight, and started shoveling spoonfuls of a huge banana split into his mug.  It was always a big date to go to the General Cinema Opera House theatre and then top it off with a visit to O'Leary's.

[Wiler77 1564]

Not from my childhood, but when I was first out of college I lived off 2222 close to Mopac.  Just south of Northland on either Balcones Dr. or Parkcrest was a really good Italian place.  Nothing fancy.  Just a neighborhood place without a lot of fuss that reminded me of the place where Michael Corleone shot Sollozzo and McClusky.  they did the basics really well.

For the life of me I can't remember the name of it.  This would have been late 90s-early 2000s.  Anyone know what I'm talking about.

[pch 1259]

3 hours ago, After irth said:

Necro bump here...

Ever eat at Chung Mei at Dodderidge & Alameda?

I did indeed.  Mr. Dulit Lee was such a gracious host at his restaurant and the wonderful menu offered excellent choices. 

[Gale Snoats 242]

I'm grew up in Lake Jackson and it had the only mall (the Brazos Mall) in the area.  There was a pizza by the slice place called Giovanni's.  There have been and are a million by the slice mall pizza shops and half of them are probably named Giovanni's and I'm sure if I tasted it today it wouldn't be that great but man we fucking loved that place growing up.  I've tried to find the chain on the internet a few times with no luck.  I would recognize the menu / script if I saw it.  Anyone know of any Giovanni's mall pizza stands with beige / tan signage?  

[utee94 15757]

3 minutes ago, Gale Snoats said:

I'm grew up in Lake Jackson and it had the only mall (the Brazos Mall) in the area.  There was a pizza by the slice place called Giovanni's.  There have been and are a million by the slice mall pizza shops and half of them are probably named Giovanni's and I'm sure if I tasted it today it wouldn't be that great but man we fucking loved that place growing up.  I've tried to find the chain on the internet a few times with no luck.  I would recognize the menu / script if I saw it.  Anyone know of any Giovanni's mall pizza stands with beige / tan signage?  

Giovanni's Pizza By The Slice was one of those ubiquitous mall restaurants of the 80s, kinda like an Orange Julius.  There was one here in Austin at Highland Mall and I, too, loved it.

 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11811]

11 minutes ago, Wiler77 said:

Not from my childhood, but when I was first out of college I lived off 2222 close to Mopac.  Just south of Northland on either Balcones Dr. or Parkcrest was a really good Italian place.  Nothing fancy.  Just a neighborhood place without a lot of fuss that reminded me of the place where Michael Corleone shot Sollozzo and McClusky.  they did the basics really well.

For the life of me I can't remember the name of it.  This would have been late 90s-early 2000s.  Anyone know what I'm talking about.

Sfuzzis was over there but I know that's not what you're talking about.  Maybe Cafe Spiazzo?  From your description I'd have thought Little Italy on Mesa, but that's not the right location.

[After irth 1243]

1 hour ago, pch said:

I did indeed.  Mr. Dulit Lee was such a gracious host at his restaurant and the wonderful menu offered excellent choices. 

So many Sunday dinners, celebrations with friends, birthdays, and memories there.  My Dad was tight with Mr. Lee, and he used to love to tell Mr. Lee to "feed us" and he would start pulling the puppet strings in the kitchen and lay out an off-menu feast for us.  

In high school, I took many dates there and was pretty tight with Larry.  I always remember him studying behind the cash register.   He even hooked me up with a decorated private room for one of my Proms.  

Aside from the awesome memories, it is the Chinese food from which all others are judged.  I have rarely found any that lives up to Mr. Lee's standards.  I can duplicate the Egg Foo Yung, but I've never been able to duplicate the Egg Rolls or the Fried Rice.  The marinated Pork they used was truly something special.  

Good times.....

[Deej 76701]

Sid's on North Lamar where the post office is now. 

[dcbc 14450]

Edit.  I'm a dumbass, and it the clarity of dry January, I made a near duplicate of a post I made in this thread nearly four years ago. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by dcbc

[VirginiaLonghorn 4764]

Northern Virginia Shakeys menu circa 1971.  One of the first pizza joints I found when stationed to MDW became a weekly habit.  Consumed copious amounts of pizza and beer there … the good old days of carefree youth. 

[pch 1259]

30 minutes ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Northern Virginia Shakeys menu circa 1971.  One of the first pizza joints I found when stationed to MDW became a weekly habit.  Consumed copious amounts of pizza and beer there … the good old days of carefree youth. 

This

[Wiler77 1564]

4 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Sfuzzis was over there but I know that's not what you're talking about.  Maybe Cafe Spiazzo?  From your description I'd have thought Little Italy on Mesa, but that's not the right location.

Cafe Spiazzo sounds right.

[Brisketexan 104842]

Cafe Spiazzo sounds right.

It is right. Was one of our faves. We never ordered off the menu - whatever was on eve special board would be fantastic.

And they had a chocolate chipotle tort that remains one of my wife’s favorite desserts of all time. We ordered a whole one for one of her graduations, I think.

[troph 24748]

On 8/15/2018 at 8:53 AM, Anastasis said:

2Js

I came to throw mine in for 2-J’s too. Good times. 

[tx 3 putt 76704]

4 hours ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Northern Virginia Shakeys menu circa 1971.  One of the first pizza joints I found when stationed to MDW became a weekly habit.  Consumed copious amounts of pizza and beer there … the good old days of carefree youth. 

 

i hit up door dash the other night, wanted pizza and salad. a cool $50. i passed

[elfenix 34208]

4 hours ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Northern Virginia Shakeys menu circa 1971.  One of the first pizza joints I found when stationed to MDW became a weekly habit.  Consumed copious amounts of pizza and beer there … the good old days of carefree youth. 

might try a smoked oyster pizza next time i'm making some small pies

[conVINCEd 21468]

8 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Sfuzzis was over there but I know that's not what you're talking about.  Maybe Cafe Spiazzo?  From your description I'd have thought Little Italy on Mesa, but that's not the right location.

Little Italy was the shit.  I’m not nominating them for a James Beard Award or anything, but their lunch special was among the best deals in town.  $4.99 (late 90’s) for a basic pasta dish, soup, salad, and bread.  The year I lived around the corner from there I probably ate it at least once a week in between school and work.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11811]

On 8/20/2018 at 11:04 AM, Brisketexan said:

No, goddamit!  The battered potato wedges are called "jojos."  I'm talking bout the taters, not a restaurant!

There also used to be a RESTAURANT called Jojo's -- there were several in Houston, including one we frequented on Braeswood.  They often featured a big round window into a courtyard as an architectural signature.  And in Austin, the same restaurant was called Coco's -- there was one at Anderson and Mopac.

We gots to keep this shit straight, understood?  It's important!

Damn I had forgotten about Coco’s!  It was at the corner of Shoal Creek and Anderson, across from Rooster Andrews.  It was like a slightly more upscale Denny’s.  When it closed that location became Suzys.  

Also remembered The Filling Station.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Judge Roybeanbag

[utee94 15757]

56 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Damn I had forgotten about Coco’s!  It was at the corner of Shoal Creek and Anderson, across from Rooster Andrews.  It was like a slightly more upscale Denny’s.  When it closed that location became Suzys.  

Also remembered The Filling Station.

That location started as a Jojo's, and then it became a Coco's, and later became Suzi's.

Loved The Filling Station in my early college years.