Here DevonLive salutes the restaurants we visited between 2000 and 2010
Exeter’s food scene has seen its fair share of boom and bust over the years. These photos from the archives show 24 restaurants, cafes and eateries where the tables have long ago been stacked away and the closed sign hung on the door.
Some of them were firm favourites, others ill-judged and a few just left a bad taste. Eating out may be one of our favourite activities but the number of closures here show just how difficult it is to make a lasting impression.
Many of the restaurants in this list were demolished and replaced with housing, others lasted only a few years and left little imprint on our memories. In many cases the building still stands while the name of the business has changed.
Here DevonLive salutes the restaurants we visited between 2000 and 2010.
Tiger Bills on North Street closed in 2016
Mad Megs in Fore Street shut in 2005. It used to see diners eating medieval-style banquets served by “wenches”,
Saffron in Topsham in 2004 (when Denley’s was a wine bar)
Little Chef Kennford
Buckerell Lodge in Topsham Road, Exeter
Let’s Do cafe in Fore Street in 2004
Magic Wok in Sidwell Street shut in 2008
The Milkmaid near Cathedral Green closed in 2017
Cat in the Hat Magdalen Road in 2004
Imperial Chinese in Cowick Street closed in 2009
Neptune’s pizza and fish and chips on Heavitree Road
Gino’s in Bartholemew St East 2004 (later Nico’s and Zita’s)
Mandarin Chinese on Magdalen Road
ExeShed in Princesshay in 2007
Quo Vadis, Fore Street Heavitree (now Tamarind Bay)
Taj Mahal Tandoori in Queen Street
Hansons Restaurant in Exeter’s Cathedral Close
Jayanti, North Street
Hotel Barcelona in Magdalen Street
Brazz at Palace Gate
Three Fat Fish in Mary Arches Street
Cohiba in South Street in 2007
Zest in South Street in 2004
The Firestone at Palace Gate in 2008