And now, during a pandemic, many of us have breathed a sigh of relief as they’ve reopened and we can have a night off cooking and washing up and enjoy dinner out!

But what about the restaurants of yesteryear? Here’s a taster of some of Weymouth’s favourite restaurants that are no longer here...

Scroll down to see if your favourite is among them.

The Sea Cow bistro on Weymouth harbour

1. The Sea Cow, Custom House Quay, Weymouth

The Sea Cow bistro is one of the most missed eateries in town.

Chris Osborn remembers going there ‘so long ago that we used to drink Mateus Rose wine with the meal.’ He said: “As it was over 50 years ago, I don’t remember the food that clearly. I probably ate scampi there, oh! I do remember having avocado and finding it incredibly oily.”

2. Secrets, The Esplanade (in the basement of what was most recently Boombox)

This restaurant was owned by Dawn Horton. In the photo above are Chris Seabrook, Sarah Lea and waitress Charlotte Foster serving Michael Hart - who had the Players bar upstairs.

Sarah Lea said: “We had such good times. We did the most amazing steaks and we used to cater for weddings upstairs again from Players. I think we opened in 1994.”

Chris remembers the photo being taken. He said: “I remember that so clearly, I expect we had a liquor coffee in front of us, we got to drink them if the cream sank, accidentally on purpose.”

Joanna Caswell also worked there. She said: “I loved working there. I remember the battered mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise.”

Cellarvino, where tables were accessed through small ladders

3. Cellarvino, Maiden Street

Before it became Verdis, this restaurant had tables which you could access by going up little ladders! In the 1980s it was also apparently the only place that stayed open late on a Sunday!

It was Mike and June Chorley’s business and was around in the 1970s and 1980s. Diners remember double tier tables and a small ladder.

They would pay 50p upon entry which would buy you a jacket potato in a box!

Ali Reeve has fond memories of Cellarvino. She said: “I loved the up and down cubicles, and the playing of jazz around the upright piano. Great food and great atmosphere.”

Eventually Verdis extended and took over the area occupied by Cellarvino. 

For more of these memories, join our new nostalgia Facebook group We Grew Up in Weymouth and Portland here

4. Pullingers, Pier Bandstand, Weymouth (now Al Molo)

One of the most cherished Weymouth restaurants has to be Pullingers. This image is from a celebration there in 1956.

It was a retirement party for Mr and Mrs Mayes who owned Abbotsbury Road Steam Laundry in Weymouth.

In the 1970s, Willowette Snow remembers visiting there as a child.

She tells us: “I went there a lot as a child in the 1970s and used to have a cowboy meal which was sausages, chips and beans and lovely vanilla ice cream with a posh wafer in.

“My mum used to like the cherry fair dessert and a lot of the family used to like the silver service roast beef.”

Tony Biles remembers Pullingers’ big celebrity lunches.

He said: “The world and his wife would be there once a month. I remember when Michael Parkinson visited. All sorts of people would come down to Weymouth. We would go to the Arsenal game and then come back for dinner at Pullingers.

“I remember Dennis and his father Tom there.”

Annie Bull meeting Michael Parkinson at Pullinger’s

Tony added that a lot of gentlemen farmers would head down from Blandford for a meal at the famous Pullingers.

5. Buddy’s, The Esplanade

Much missed is this American style diner restaurant Buddy’s on the Esplanade.

Inside Buddy's

Buddy's went on to become the Tickled Hippy, then the Lazy Lizard.