Closed Restaurants We Loved Growing Up (And Why We Still Miss Them)
There’s something about an old restaurant that lives on in memory long after the sign has come down. It might have been a tiny diner on the edge of town. A pizza place where the jukebox was loud, and the soda came in red plastic cups. A seafood shack by the lake. Or a little local café where the waitress knew your grandparents by name.
In our Fall 2024 issue of Front Porch Life magazine, we asked our readers a simple question:
“What restaurant or local dive did you love growing up that is no longer around… and why did you love it?”
The answers poured in. They weren’t just about food.
They were about first dates.
Friday night football wins.
After-church lunches.
Grandparents.
Small towns.
And places that felt like home.
The Restaurants We Still Talk About
Mom, Anne, and I still talk about this little local place called Mario’s in Lebanon, Kentucky. My parents and their friends meet up there every Friday night. I was little, and I can still smell the pizza, see the Pac Man machine in the corner, and the salad bar with the long wooden bowls. It was the 80s, so there were ashtrays on the table, and the booths had cracks in the vinyl. And the pizza….it was magical! I loved that place so much.
The Dip in Burbank, California
“My favorite restaurant was a little place called the Dip located in Burbank, California, where I grew up. They made the best burgers with their special “Dip” sauce, which was kind of like a thin tangy chili. Those burgers were the best & it was a special treat to go there. What I wouldn’t do for one if those burger today.” – Carly Jordan
Big Chief in Tucumcari, New Mexico
It had the best French fries in the world, they had Mashed Potatoes inside, they were delicious, but that was late 60s and 70s!”- Verna
Copal Grill in Charlotte, North Carolina
BEST Liver and Onions ever. Husband will not eat them and can’t stand to see it so I have to go out with the girls!” – Nancy
University Drive-In located in Tempe, Arizona
Steakburgers were .35 cents and were delicious! My husband of 62 years & I went there a lot! It was also the turnaround spot for cruising Main Street!” – Carol
Ruth and Roger’s Pie Haven, Santa Barbara, California
When I was young my family would go to Santa Barbara, Ca every summer for a couple of weeks and there was this little restaurant in a cute old house called Ruth and Roger’s Pie Heaven. Everything was made from scratch, and I think that they made the original ranch dressing, though they called it their house dressing, and their pies truly did come from heaven! We were there in the mid 1960’s thru the mid 1970’s. It was the first place I ever had peanut butter pie and it was so, so good!!! – Patrick
Maid Rite Hamburgers in Hammond, Indiana
Home of the loose crumbly messy but awesome tasting hamburger. It was across the street from my high school. I could smell it the minute I left school for lunch. You could smell and see it cooking in one those big metal steamer pans when you walked in. Yummm My friends and I ate there in a big corner booth for lunch every day. Nothing like it in this world. My burger was an MPK (mustard, pickle ketchup). That’s how we ordered the burgers with the toppings initials. I had a free period before lunch so I took everyone’s order and ran to Maid Rites so we could get served before the crowd and get back to class on time. What I also loved that sadly you just can’t get at a fast food place today was their fries. You know the big cut old fashioned fries served in a real bowl. Mine were always swimming in Maid Rite ketchup, Maid Rite‘s own creation I think, definitely not Heinz or any brand today. Put them all together and it was heaven every day. I’m 82 now and live in Orange County, California with no Maid Rite or facsimile around. What I wouldn’t give for a Maid Rite crumbly messy burger and a bowl of those fries in ketchup.” – Judith
The Comfort Foods That Still Bring Us Back
So many of the foods mentioned by our readers are comfort food dishes we all grew up loving. If you’re longing for those flavors again, you may love these recipes:
Do You Remember Yours?
It was never just about the food! It was about who you sat beside in the booth. Who paid the bill? Who drove you home? And the memories that were made!
💬 What restaurant, drive-in, diner, or little local dive did you love growing up that is no longer around?
Tell us the name, the town, and what made it special in the comments below. We read every comment, and there’s something beautiful about seeing these memories gather in one place.
Read the Full Collection Inside Our Membership
The stories shared here are only a small glimpse of what our readers sent in. Inside our Front Porch Life membership, you will find the full collection from our Fall 2024 issue, along with many more reader-question features we include in every single issue.
This is what Front Porch Life Magazine is built on….real stories, real memories, and real people who care about where they came from.
Each quarter, we ask our readers a heartfelt question, and the answers become some of the most loved pages inside our magazine. When you join our membership, you receive access to our full digital issue library, supersized quarterly editions, exclusive reader features, and bonus content created just for members.
If you love gathering memories like these, you will feel right at home inside Front Porch Life.
💗 Come Sit on the Porch With Us
We share recipes, nostalgic stories, and cozy inspiration you won’t find anywhere else. It’s our way of inviting you into the Front Porch Life community. Grab your sweet tea and join us!
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I grew up in Huntsville,Texas where we had the Texan Cafe.Their specialty was chicken fried steak and for dessert it was Walter’s Fudge Pie.My mil managed to get the pie recipe from Walter.When she passed and we moved,I lost it.Oh it was so good.The chicken fried steak would feed all 4 of us kids.Our mom worked there several years so once in awhile we were blessed with these treats.
What beautiful memories!! Thank you so much for sharing!