Photo: Chris Stephens, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some of our fondest memories growing up are of eating out at restaurants across Greater Cleveland.

Whether it was someplace fancy like the Glass Garden in Westlake or casual like Mr. Steak in Strongsville, every family had its go-to restaurant to celebrate a special occasion or to grab a quick meal when there was no time to cook.

Here's a look at 25 restaurants gone, but not forgotten.

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Captain Frank's

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Photo: Ron Kuntz, UPI

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When cleveland.com asked readers to name the restaurant they miss the most, this seafood house came up more than any other restaurant. Located at the end of the E. 9th St. pier, the beloved restaurant closed in 1989 after 36 years in business.

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New York Spaghetti House

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Photo: Mike Zaremba, The Plain Dealer

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Opening in 1927, the New York Spaghetti House on E. 9th St. was famous for its spicy brown sauce. Though the sauce was a bit of acquired taste, it was popular enough to be sold at local grocery stores. The original restaurant closed in 2001, but was reopened three years later under new owners serving the same brown sauce. The establishment closed for good in 2007.

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Hough Bakeries

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Photo: Solon Historical Society

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Not a restaurant, still, as a kid in the 1970s, there was no better moment than when mom came home with that blue and white box tied up with string filled with cakes, sticky buns, cookies or other treats from Hough Bakeries. The chain closed abruptly in 1992, but its recipes remain at former Hough head baker Archie Garner's Hough Bakery on Lakeshore Blvd.

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Higbee's Silver Grille

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

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The Silver Grille was an elegant, 1930s Art Deco restaurant located on the 10th floor of the Higbee's department store on Public Square. It was as fancy of a place a child growing up in Cleveland could dine, an occasion made more special by the cardboard ovens their food was served in. The restaurant closed in 1989, but has since been restored and converted into a venue for catered events.

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Top of the Town

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Photo: Mike Levy, The Plain Dealer

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Located on the 38th floor of Erieview Tower, Top of the Town had some of the best views of the city. It was a place to see and be seen, where CEOs and couples on their way to prom dined side-by-side on such fancy offerings as Chateaubriand and Cherries Jubilee.

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The Theatrical

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Photo: David I. Andersen, cleveland.com

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Opening in 1936, this jazz club on Short Vincent was the place to be for the rich, famous and notorious. Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Dean Martin were among the club's patrons. Art Modell closed the deal to buy the Browns here. The Theatrical also served as the home base for mobster Alex "Shondor" Birns.

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York Steak House

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Photo: Joey Morona, cleveland.com

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When I was a kid, I would sometimes accompany my mom to the mall just for the off chance she might take me to York Steak House. The restaurant was cafeteria-style, so I could get whatever I wanted -- usually sirloin tips with mushroom sauce and chocolate pudding for dessert -- just by reaching for it. While the chain flamed out in the 1980s, there is one remaining York Steak House in the country in Columbus.

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French Connection

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Photo: Historic Images Inc.

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Back in the 1980s, this fancy restaurant inside Stouffer's Inn on the Square was the go-to place for important business meetings and proposals.

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Baricelli Inn

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Photo: Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer

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Opening in 1985, the Baricelli, housed in a historic mansion in Little Italy, was consistently regarded as one of the city's best restaurants. The dining room closed in 2010. The place was rechristened the Washington Place Bistro and Inn by its new owners a short time later.

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Charley's Crab

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Photo: Cleveland Memory Project

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If you wanted seafood in the suburbs back in the day, you went to Charley's Crab in Beachwood. Sure, it was a chain -- an upscale one at that -- but that didn't make the lobster, crab and shrimp any less delectable.

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That Place on Bellflower

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Photo: Marvin M. Greene, Historic Images Inc.

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In business for over 30 years, That Place was a dining institution in University Circle, known for its charming surroundings and Beef Wellington. The restaurant closed in 2007. Cleveland celebrity chef Zach Bruell -- who got his start at That Place -- took over the space and opened L'Albatross a year later.

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Steve's Lunch

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Photo: Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

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Walking into a Steve's Lunch was like stepping back in time. The tiny, 24-hour hot dog joint was a dive in every sense of the word, but the grittiness was part of its charm. The place burned down in 2015, but its legacy lives on at Steve's Doghouse on Pearl Road.

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Tonight Tonight

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Photo: Chris Stephens, The Plain Dealer

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Every family has a special occasion restaurant. Our's was Tonight Tonight in North Royalton. I can still remember feasting on the restaurant's famous Ceasar salad, Steak Diane and Bananas Foster -- all prepared tableside by tuxedoed waiters -- as the piano player tickled the ivories (and took requests!)

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The Watermark

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Photo: James A. Ross, The Plain Dealer

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The Watermark was one of the most popular restaurants during the Flats hey days of the late 1980s to early 1990s, offering an unparalleled waterfront dining experience. After being shuttered for more than a decade, the space reopened as Collision Bend Brewing Co. in 2017.

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Kon Tiki

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Postcards of Cleveland/Cleveland State University Collection

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Located at the Sheraton on Public Square, Kon Tiki was part of Steve Crane's popular chain of Polynesian restaurants in the 1950s and 60s. The dining room was heavily themed with life-size Tiki idols and a ceremonial area to honor the gods. The menu drew from all parts of the South Pacific and Asia while the bar specialized in the type of cocktails that either had a paper umbrella, was on fire, served in a pineapple or all three.

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Parmatown Food Court

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Photo: Joey Morona, cleveland.com

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This might seem like an odd choice, but hear me out:

Boardwalk Fries

Flaming Gyros

Dragon City

Antonio's

Main Street Ice Cream

Houlihan's

Orange Julius

That French bakery with a name that escapes me

Roy Roger's (though not in the food court)

I rest my case.

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Goodman's Sandwich Inn

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Yelp photo submitted by Sarah S.

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Goodman's was another spot cleveland.com readers mentioned repeatedly when asked which restaurants they miss the most. "I swear they had the best corned beef in the city," reader Tristan Wheeler posted on our Instagram. "They sliced the corned beef thick and had some real good horseradish on the side." Goodman's stayed in business for 62 years before closing in 2011.

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Sammy's

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Photo: Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer

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If you wanted to go someplace fancy to celebrate a special occasion in the 1980s and '90s, you went to Sammy's in the Flats or the Sammy's on the suite level at Gund Arena.

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Piccolo Mondo

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Photo: Bill Kennedy, The Plain Dealer

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Piccolo Mondo was a hip upscale restaurant that helped usher in the revitalization of the Warehouse District. But it is perhaps best known for introducing us all to future Iron Chef Michael Symon.

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Fanny's Restaurant

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Photo: James A. Ross, The Plain Dealer

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Dining at Fanny's on E. 152nd in Collinwood was like eating at grandma's--the food and decor. The neighborhood favorite closed in 2007 after 60 years in business.

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Alpine Village

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Photo: Cleveland Memory Project

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Operating from 1932-1961, Alpine Village was a nightclub and restaruant in Playhouse Square frequented by celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Jimmy Durante. It was run by Herman Pirchner, who, according to his obituary, "wore Bavarian leather shorts and Tirolean hat to add to the alpine flavor of his restaurant" and "delighted his customers by performing his 'beer hefting' routine."

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Frank Sterle's Slovenian Country House

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For 63 years, Sterle's on E. 55th served up Old World favorites like wienerschnitzel, chicken paprikash, stuffed cabbage, and pierogies while diners polkaed the night away in a grand hall covered in murals depicting life in the Slovenian countryside. The restaurant closed to the public last year after the owner decided to focus exclusively on private events.

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Fagan's

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Photo: Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

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In the 1980s, The Flats was the center of Cleveland's entertainment district with its nightclubs, restaurants, concert venues, and RiverFest. Fagan's was one of the district's most popular spots.

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Red Barn

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If McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken had a baby, it might look like Red Barn. The restaurant was most famous for its Big Barney, a double-decker burger with special sauce that predates the Big Mac. But it was their fried chicken and rolls that got me excited for our family's weekly lunch at Red Barn every Sunday after mass.

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Miller's Dining Room

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Photo by Brian Wilker

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More than 20 years after this Lakewood spot burned down, people still remember Miller's legendary sticky buns. They were said to be so irresistible and delicious, the average customer took two from the silver tray that made its way around the dining room.

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Rax

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Photo: Ralph J. Meyers, Historic Images Inc.

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Technically, this makes it 26 restaurants on the list but how could I leave off this fast-food gem that was essentially Arby's but with a salad bar.

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We all know Cleveland is a foodie city, with many local hot spots that seem to have been in business forever. But what... Posted by cleveland.com on Friday, August 3, 2018

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