A friend recently posted this question on FaceBook: “If you could bring back one restaurant that no longer exits, which one would it be?” That sent my mind on a trip down memory lane. Now some of the replies to the question were downtown restaurants like the Nankin or the Forum, while some others were chains from the suburbs. However it caused me to think of the places on the Northside that no longer exist and that I miss.
When I was kid growing up in the lower part of the Northside my father worked two jobs so eating out was a rare treat. On my parents’ anniversary they would go to a movie and would then go to the Happy Days Cafe and they would bring home some barbecued ribs for us kids. Once in great while my family would stop by the Moy Cafe and pick up chow mien to take home. There were two Moy Cafes on West Broadway, one near Dupont and one near Penn but we always went to the one near Penn.
When I was a kid the only time we ever got pizza was if the Persian Palms, where my dad worked a second job, ordered it from the original Broadway Bar and my dad brought some pieces home for us. To this day, their pizza is hands down my favorite and I was sad to see the one on West River Road close. My brother Jack was 10 years older than me and if he had to babysit, instead of staying home, he would drag me with. That’s how I found out about hamburgers from The Clock which was across Broadway from North High’s football field. If we wanted a sweet treat we’d go to get a malt, ice cream soda or float at the soda counter at the Shink brothers’ Highway Drug store on Penn and Olson Highway, or we’d go to the Dairy Queen on Glenwood or the A&W on Lyndale.
When my husband and I lived just south of Broadway on 4th St. one of our favorite places to go eat was the Tally Ho. It was open all night and if you came in after 11 p.m. you could get a hot roast beef or hot meatloaf sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy for only $2! Both my husband and I worked nights so it was perfect for us. Even after we moved to other parts of the city, we would come back to the Tally Ho.
When my husband and I moved into Camden with our toddler son in 1979, we soon discovered the Hamburger Joint on Lowry and Emerson. Of course, there was also Mooney’s on Penn and Lowry, which had the best Jojo potatoes. If you went south of Lowry on Penn there was the Best Steakhouse and Diavalo’s Pizza. Another place we came to like that’s no longer there was the North Office (later Penn Station) on 44th and Penn. My husband and son would always order burgers, but I always got the mini corn dog basket. While we waited for our food, my husband and son (who was now older) would shoot pool.
I need to mention a few places that, while I never went to them, I’ve heard many people talk about over the years. One of the original White Castles was on Broadway near 4th St. While most White Castles were portable, this one was a permanent structure and the building was torn down not too many years ago. The Band Box was at the intersection of Lyndale, Washington and 42nd Aves (pre I-94). Like the White Castles, most Band Boxes were also portable but this one was permanent. Further up Lyndale, there was the Big Boy, later called Biggies drive-in and Loydy’s Diner.
I’m sure if you’ve been on the Northside for a while, you also have favorite restaurants that no longer exist. I feel the need to remind folks to support our local restaurants and cafes so they stay around.