Grand Island restaurant nostalgia
We put out a call to all Islanders near and far, former and current to tell us what restaurants they might be nostalgic for and to share their memories of these places. And then we dug deep into our archives to find as many of them as we could:Â
Dreisbach's was the number one pick.
This photo of the original Dreisbach's Steakhouse was taken in the 1950s. Even though Dreisbach's is gone, people still crave those famous potatoes! (Independent/Barrett Stinson)
Dreisbach's
This ad for another Grand Island institution appeared in The Independent in 1985.
Atch's Backdoor Deli
This ad appeared in 1985.
A & W Root Beer Drive-IN
There were many readers who fondly remembered the A&W on South Locust. This ad appeared in 1959.
The Balcony
Another restaurant full of fond memories for some of our readers. This ad appeared in 1972
The Bell Pepper Company
Molly Enck says, "On South Locust. It had the best chips and salsa. Yummy stuff."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Bonanza
This all-you-can-eat buffet had mixed responses with some loving it and some hating it, but either way, you're going to get that song stuck in your head. This ad appeared in 1985.
Bosselman and Eaton Cafe
Loma Knuth says, "...had the best Pecan Pie. We would stop after church, and I would always order Pecan Pie."Â This ad appeared in 1951.
The Conoco Cafe
From Patty Roenfeldt-Chase: "They had the best croutons I have ever eaten!"Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Corner Pocket
From Jacob Anderson: "It was the only place in town where you could go watch out of market NFL games. My dad would take us there, we would shoot pool and watch the Birds."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Country Kitchen
Or, "Crunchy Kitchen" as my daughter called it when she was little. A lot of readers enjoyed going here for breakfast. Currently, Napoli's Restaurant sits in this location. This ad appeared in 1985.
Dos Hermanos
There were so many readers who mentioned this popular restaurant! This ad appeared in 1985.
Dowd's Steakhouse
Dowd's was just as much of an institution in the Grand Island area as Dreisbach's. This ad appeared in 1985.
Dowd's Steakhouse
Dowd's was just as much of an institution in the Grand Island area as Dreisbach's. This ad appeared in 1985.
Ernst Bakery Lunch Counter
Ernst Bakery Lunch Counter was a popular choice. This ad appeared in 1959.
Golden Point
From Margaret McCoy: "This was a treat to go there when we were young. Great chocolate malts and good hamburgers. Great memories!" This ad appeared in 1972.
Grandma Max's Restaurant
On Highway 281 as you come into Grand Island, Grandma Max's was the perfect 24-hour place for travelers and locals alike. Grandma Max's is no more, but the truck stop has expanded greatly over the years. This employment ad appeared in 1995.
Hight's Drive-Inn
So many people brought up Hight's, including Brad Jakubowski who says, "The shakes were good and it was a great meeting place at Five Points. It kept that area energized and ensured lots of differing traffic for Jones Gas Station, Stolle's Bakery and Burke's Pharmacy and of course Skagway. It was an easy walk from Westlawn Elementary. It also kept an number of young adults employed through the summer as a part time job."
This ad appeared in 1954.
Hotel Yancey
Another long-term establishment that many readers remembered. This ad appeared in 1962.
Jake's Bake Shop
Not a restaurant per se, but Carolyn Clement says, "Their donuts were the best I’ve ever had." This ad appeared in 1972.
King's Food Host
There was so much nostalgia for this place! Cathy Howard said, "Back in the early 70's, we'd stop after Friday night football games to have cheese frenchies, but the biggest draw was ordering them from a telephone at your table!"Â
This ad appeared in 1972.
Maid Rite Drive Inn
This ad appeared in The Independent in 1959.
Max Magruder's
Rebbecca Fairbanks says, "The Ham & Cheese Salads at Max MacGruder's were amazing."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Meth's Dinner House
Back when meth was a more innocent term (May have been the owners' last name, but unable to verify this.) Sharon Rhoads says, "We used to get chicken legs or wings on a plastic fence."Â This ad appeared in 1959.
Miller & Paine Chapparal Restaurant
Dana Jelinek says, "Had the best chicken pot pie."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Niemano's
Another popular choice by our readers, including Kristo Hayden who says, "Niemano's seemed to be ahead of it's time. They delivered pizza to your home. But the restaurant itself was so unique. Going with our family I loved the downstairs. Down there, I remember ordering pancakes with fruit and whipped topping. They were the best. Plus, they had a waterfall down there. With groups of friends when I got older, upstairs and the Italian food was always good and just a nice place to go."
This ad appeared in 1959.
Nightser's Bakery
This ad appeared in The Independent in 1959.
Nonna's Palazzo
This ad appeared in The Independent in 1985.
The Piccadilly Dinner Theatre
Dinner and a show! This ad appeared in 1985.
Pizza Inn
Jen Poppen says, "They were always so busy you were lucky to get a table."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Satellite Supper Club and Lounge
Mikki Vlach says, "My dad would take us there and we’d get dressed up and I'd get to order a Shirley temple." This ad appeared in 1972.
Stolle Bakery
JoAnn Culbert says, "It was the go-to and hit of the town. The French cremes were a hot item and the fresh hot glazed donuts!!"
Stolle Bakery
JoAnn Culbert says, "It was the go-to and hit of the town. The French cremes were a hot item and the fresh hot glazed donuts!!"
Stolle Bakery
This ad appeared in The Independent in 1972
The Eatery
Chelsey Canning has a vivid memory of the beehived waitress at The Eatery whose name was Irene Spotanski. This ad appeared in 1985.
The Library
Jennifer Hill says the Library had "the best prime rib and All-American burger."Â This ad appeared in 1985.
Uncle Ed's Steakhouse
Ed Sabatka hands trims and cuts the steaks at Uncle Ed's Steakhouse, the restaurant he owned with his wife, Anita. (Independent/Scott Kingsley)
Village Inn
Village Inn seemed to be a right of passage for area teens to either work there or hang out, and Rachael Watkins-Evans says they have the "best breakfast in town!" This ad appeared in 1985.
W.C. Franks
Brandon Koch has "fond memories of birthday parties and video games. And the hot dogs were okay too."
Christopher Scott Cynova also chose W.C. Franks for the arcade memories and the second best hot dogs in town (but says the best are still Coney Island's!)
This ad appeared in 1985.
Western Charloin
Western Charloin eventually became what is now Texas T-Bone but it was a popular buffet restaurant. This ad appeared in 1985.
White Horse Tavern
Some readers remember the White Horse. This ad appeared in 1962.
Honorable Mentions
Or as I like to call it, "Images were unavailable." (Some spellings may be incorrect as information was unavailable and people's memories can be dubious.)
- Annabelle's Ice Cream
- Barnie's Pizza
- Ben's Rexall Soda Fountain
- Betty's Grill
- Big Boo's -Â Joe Mudloff says, "Best chili!"
- Buffy's Buffet
- Casa de Gonzalez
- Chuck Wagon at 5 Points
- Colorado Junction Restaurant (CJR)
- Crock Pot
- Dos Banditos
- Fazoli's - Steve White says, "Our family misses Fazolis. Kids love spaghetti and we don’t have another quick pasta place."
- Fiesta Cantina
- Glover's Diner - While I was searching the morgue for all of these, I kept finding 'Glovera' but no Glover's, so either there were a couple of different 'Glover' places, or one of them is wrong. Michael Eberhardt says, "I remember Glover's. My Mom, Dad and I would order the steak sandwich and fries. Add some 57 sauce on the steak and Heinz ketchup for the fries, then pick a few songs on the Rockola player my Dad always wanted to her "Wings of a Dove". Good times and great memories thanks for mentioning Glover's Diner, I hadn't thought about that time in my life for years."
- Golden Corral
- Hamburger House -Â Patty Roenfeldt-Chase says, "Loved this place that was right next to, or really close to the Grand Theatre. My grandma would take me and my sister there for lunch before going to movies at the Grand!"
- Harrison's
- Hester's
- Hobo Joe's
- Hub Lounge -Â Crystal Schmidt says, "If you're missing the Hub burgers, The Concession Stand at Westside lanes serves the Hub Burger as a regular menu item."
- Jamison's -Â Barbara McConnell says, "Best breaded veal cutlets! The back door of my Mom's beauty shop opened into their kitchen so we would watch them cook and ate there lots of nights when Mom worked late."
- Mac's Coffee Shop
- Nathan Detroit's
- Nifty Treat Drive-In -Â Maggie Sievers says, "THE PLACE to see and be seen when I was in high school on the late 50s."
- Pelican Bay -Â Danny Boswell says, "Best butterfly shrimp ever!"
- Pete's Grill
- Rosita's
- Royal Chocolate Shop
- Sambo's -Â Shayne Aldana says, "I used to love the pictures of sambo and his tiger around the restaurant."
- Sax's Pizza
- Schlotzski's Deli
- Scottie's Drive-through
- Shovelin's (Shovelain's?) Drive-In
- Smokey's Pizza
- Taco del Sol -Â Becky Wilson says, "It was in the Grand Island mall. They had the best tacos and the sauce they used was amazing."
- The Eagles Club -Â Amy Kuhn says, "Best beer battered onion rings and chicken. My Grandma Garver was the cook there for many years."
- Vientiane -Â Anita Trejo says, "Miss the Thai tea ad spring rolls severely!!"
Stephanie Romanski
Official account for The Grand Island Independent
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