Darlington has been home to many great restaurants over the years, some of them chains, but many of them being independent family-owned businesses.

Sadly, many of the restaurants are no longer with us, so we asked our readers which venues they missed the most.

So wasting no time, let’s get into the full list of Darlington’s most missed restaurants as decided by our readers.

The Blue Lagoon

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It was a unanimous victory for The Blue Lagoon as Darlington’s most missed restaurant with many people coming forward to share their memories of the venue.

The quirky restaurant sadly closed its doors back on September 9 in 2017 after owners Chris and Peter Kattou retired from the industry.

The outlet, which specialises in Greek cuisine and is renowned for its creamed cabbage, moussaka and homemade chips, had retained its old-school charm

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The business remained largely untouched from its heyday, its interior containing ancient wax-covered wine bottles and a menu largely unchanged since the 1960s

In a statement issued at the time, they said: “What can we say apart from thanks to everyone who has dined with us, worked with us, supported us and drank until the early hours with us.

“It’s time to retire and although we are looking forward to putting our feet up, we still miss the restaurant.

“We’ve put years into making it the place it is and we’d like to say good luck to the next people.”

Sardis

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Second on our list is the former Sardis restaurant, an Italian restaurant found on Northgate.

Sardis closed its doors after 30 years in the business, trading from its cosy restaurant.

Sardis proved popular with the England football team in June 2003, when they paid a visit with manager Sven Goran Eriksson while training at nearby Hurworth before their game against Slovakia in Middlesbrough.

A few months later the England manager was back at the restaurant with his then-partner, Nancy Dell'olio. 

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Sardis first opened in 1987 and proved consistently popular throughout the years, regularly attracting rave reviews for its traditional take on Italian cuisine

Having spent over three decades at the helm of one of the town’s most popular eateries, Sardinian brothers Salvatore and Francesco Obinu decided to step down and enjoy their retirement.

Crombies

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Crombies is another well-known restaurant that Darlington had to say goodbye to – and it was probably one of the oldest in the town.

Although not technically a restaurant, Crombies café on Tubwell Row celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2003.

The café had been in the Stehr family for three generations and attracted a wide clientele including actors performing at Darlington Civic Theatre.

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In 2018, the café celebrated another anniversary of 80 years, but owner Frederick Stehr retired from the business with his wife Maureen.

The Green Tree

The Green Tree was another name that appeared a number of times, not much can be said about Green Tree, however, we have some great pictures of the restaurant below:

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The Northern Echo: Picture: THE NORTHERN ECHOPicture: THE NORTHERN ECHO (Image: Picture: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Wimpy:

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There’s an interesting story behind the name Wimpy and its origins in Darlington.

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A Wimpy Bar was opened in May 1961, part of an American chain that had started in Indiana in 1934.

It was a franchise, opened by local businessman Leanord Bilton.

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However, it is reported that the Wimpy Bar was so successful that Wimpy, in total breach of franchise agreement, opened a branch on the corner of Bondgate and High Row.

The owner of Wimby Bar sued Wimpy and won a very sizeable compensation.

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He and his wife then turned the original Wimpy Bar into Doodles restaurant.

Read more about the Wimpy story here: What it was like to have a meal at Darlington's long lost Wimpy's