Which defunct shops/restaurants do you miss the most?

[Hairbrush123]

For me, Topshop. Was really gutted when it closed down. Restaurant: Herman ze German. Expensive but always enjoyed the food!

Does anyone remember the toy shop called Toy & Hobby? Their flooring was bright green with slightly raised round bumps like a Lego board. I was gutted when they vanished around the late 80s.

Old Orleans! The free popcorn!

Sbarro (pizza by the slice). As a child in the 90s, it felt very European and new.

Debenhams!

Frangos peri peri chicken. SO much nicer than Nando’s.

What was the shop called that sold sweatshirts and jumpers ? Was considered trendy and if I recall quite expensive.

Sephora was like an Aladdin’s Cave of gorgeous things. Baskin Robins did the best ice cream.

I've just remembered- Benettons !

@Vapeyvapevape American Apparel?? If that's the one you're thinking of? V hipster and expensive but I remember liking it at Uni

@Vapeyvapevape ignore me! Just seen you said Bennetons!

@ThinWomansBrain

London still has "My Old Dutch" pancake houses Sockshop is available online - and quite often in TK Maxx - lots of bamboo socks these days.

One of my favourite restaurants ever was called Ooze - they only served risotto, but it was amazing.
As a teenager (70's) my sister used to take me to an amazing slightly upmarket burger chain called Strikes - one menu option was a burger with no bun, cottage cheese and a peach on top. 16 year old me thought it was the height of sophistication.

Ooze in Goodge Street? I used to love that place.

I miss Shelleys for shoes

Strada restaurants ( there's a couple knocking about but they used to be everywhere and reliably good)

I'd forgotten about Boules - there used to be one in Hammersmith. Expensive but lovely stuff

Kew for cheaper Jigsaw type clothes

Byron for burgers

Dickens and Jones when it was good.

Not a shop so much but have fond memories when me dad used to pay the gas bill at the gas showroom I loved the fires with the gawdy coloured plastic coals- I'd love to see one of those these days can't even find a Google image of one!

I did my work experience at Richards stores it had such a mellow vibe about it.

More recently I got lots of stuff from a shop called QS which was then taken over by store 21 - did lovely homeware as well as bargain clothes and shoes

@blueshoes

Coast is still around.

Oh, thanks @blueshoes , I didn't know they were still trading.

Only online though

@youngestisapsycho

I miss Woolworths. There was a restaurant in my town called Texas Lone Star… loved that place. It closed years ago and I still miss it 😢

😔 The Texas Lonestar aww it was so busy and happy and great food. It really was the best!

I used to go regularly to Crank's Wholefood restaurant, just off Tottenham Court Road, near Goodge St tube. Early vegetarian dining! They had a very rustic interior and the crockery all looked hand thrown. Everything brown.

@Boood

Redgates toy shop in Sheffield was the most exciting place in the world. I was fascinated by the third floor, where they had boxes of dolls’ shoes sorted by size.

Also Cole Brothers before it was rebranded to a John Lewis. In the 80s it was still very Grace Brothers, with haberdashery on the ground floor and its trays of gloves that were more about etiquette than warmth, and the range of makeup that had literally every item in every colour- green and yellow lipstick included. And the amazing exotic Homewares upstairs, with Persian rugs and Russian and Chinese dolls and hundreds of chess sets and a strong smell of sandalwood. And the cafe with its funny little 1960s chairs, where you selected your pre-prepared plate of food from a revolving display cabinet. That whole shop was the most exciting place to me.

To be honest, I’d be happy with Cole Brothers as John Lewis if we could have it back.

@Vapeyvapevape

What was the shop called that sold sweatshirts and jumpers ? Was considered trendy and if I recall quite expensive.

The Sweater Shop? Nearly everything in there was bright colours in crazy stripes. I lived in my TSS jumpers in the late 80s!

Topshop and Borders. Between them they claimed almost all of my left over monthly money during my 20s.

Wimpy is still going , not as many though as we had in the 80s. Quite expensive too.

Little chef- remember them at service stations?

There was a store where I used to live called The Army and Navy store - a department store. Not sure if it was a chain though.

HMV - buying LPs as a teenager
Woolworths
Richard Shops
Chelsea Girl

Bit niche but Goth teenager me really misses Kensington Market. I still have a Victorian Berber cuff I bought in there in 1986. So many fabulous second hand stalls and shops selling army coats, vintage ball gowns and band T-shirts.

Same goes for Laurence Corner for army seconds.

Don't know if they closed or we just don't have one ...
I really miss Spud U Like !!! Massive jacket potato , dollop of butter and filled to the brim with sweetcorn - it started as a craving with DD1 and she is nearly 38 ! Bloody hell how did that happen

Karen Millen and Oasis... the things are not the same since Boohoo bought them out. Quality and style have definitely declined.

There was a bakery in Dublin called The Auric, I think it was an Austrian bakery. They did a bombe. It was heavenly.

I remember going to London and visiting Patisserie Valerie and thinking I died and had gone to Heaven. Then it was bought out, their offerings were mass produced and it all went to sh*te. 🙁

Cafe Concerto was similar to PV. Is it still going ?

I used to love Old Orleans and also Santa Fe. There was a small Asian fusion chain too, Wok Wok I think?

I also used to love going to the Mongolian BBQ restaurants, there were a couple in neighbouring towns when I was a teen and early 20s, where selected your raw meat, vegetables and sauce and they looked it in front of you. I know there are Japanese restaurants with a similar concept, but it’s not the same.

The Bakers oven- a bakery chain.

Disney store 😭😭