IN this edition of nostalgia, we are looking back at restaurants in north and west Cumbria. Some of the restaurants are still standing and operating today, but many are no longer running or have rebranded.

Foxborough was a barbecue place on Cecil St which is fondly remembered. "Food was amazing, such a shame it's gone," said one. 

The smokehouse joint had a varied menu but espoused a 'slow' approach to cooking - with different meats cooked for hours on a barbecue.

Emperor's Palace was a Chinese restaurant on Warwick Road which was also well thought of. 

The Shabby Scholar was located in Carlyle's Court bar was shut in May 2020, as the Covid pandemic was holding the country in its grasp. At that point it had been going for a respectable seven-and-a-half years and had become well-loved by its clientele. Owner Sam Norman, who at that stage had recently opened Maggie Elliott & the Three Pillars on Devonshire Street, described its cozy atmosphere thus: “We wanted to make the atmosphere like you were in a living room.”

Pancho's was a vibrantly-coloured Tex-Mex diner on Court Square by the railway station, where Costa coffee is now. People loved its menu and its location - but it wasn't to be.

The Ali Taj restaurant in Whitehaven closed its doors for the final time in 2017, it opened in 1983. Ali Taj still operates as a takeaway but the restaurant was replaced by Domino's Pizza.

Chattanooga in Whitehaven now operates purely as a takeaway rather than and restaurant, and the Waterfront is now the Royal Standard.

Mezem in Workington was situated on Ladies Walk, it was a Mediterranean restaurant.