"They Basically Disappeared In The Late '90s": 24 Menu Items That Were "All The Rage" Way Back When, But Are Nonexistent Today

Nothing makes me more nostalgic than recalling the days of "fancy" dinners at the local chop house in my town, fully equipped with a smoking section and salad bar. So, I was very intrigued when redditor u/igotplans2 asked folks of the r/AskOldPeople community to share the dishes that were once popular in restaurants but then disappeared. Here are some of the "trendy" menu items that older generations recalled from way back when.

2. "Blackened everything. It seemed like chefs were working overtime to figure out what they could make in a Cajun blackened version.



" — u/igotplans2 "I credit the original Cajun gourmet, Justin Wilson , for this. In the late '80s/early '90s, when more and more people were getting cable TV, he had a few different shows that reached coast to coast. He was maybe not iconic, but he was pretty popular and inspired people to have a taste of the culture and cuisine he fondly promoted.

" — u/Ok_Athlete_1092 4. "I can't think of a specific dish, but there was a period in the '90s when pesto was EVERYWHERE, and so were roasted red peppers." — u/Professor-genXer "Sun-dried tomatoes were freaking EVERYWHERE for a while there.

" — u/GraceStrangerThanYou 6. "Steak Diane. Particularly, made the correct old-school way: flambéed tableside.

" — u/MooPig48 "I used to flambé table side in the late '70s/early '80s. Steak Diane was my favorite. Then it just sorta dropped off menus everywhere.

" — u/MetalPlaygrounds 8. "Beef Wellington, at pricier restaurants. It's hard to find now, but not too hard to make at home for the right occasion.

" — u/newleaf9110 10. "Orange Roughy. It turned out that the fish were incredibly old — up to 200 years old — and they were almost fished to extinction .

" — u/Gl3g 12. "Pineapple upside down cake." — u/Ohm1962 "I made them all the time as a kid in the '70s and a young adult in the '80s.

I haven't had one in years!" — u/groomer7759 14. "Crêpes as an entree was popular in the '70s, filled with chicken or crabmeat in a sauce." — u/Uvabird "The first restaurant I remember going to as a kid with exotic-looking houseplants everywhere was a '70s creperie.

I didn't see another place that did crepes primarily for over 40 years." — u/Quaranj 16. "Baked Alaska.

" — u/SirWarm6963 18. "French onion soup with a big piece of toast and melted cheese on top in the '70s." — u/mbw70 20.

"Please travel back in time with me to the '60s, and let's talk about baked potato 'fixings' being brought to your table in that thing with a connected metal bowl. Sour cream? Coming up! And it was spun around that bowl so the server could spoon it into your potato. Cheese, bacon bits, and salad dressings were served the same way, including the rarely-seen (but then popular) Thousand Island and Roquefort dressings.

" — u/ronmimid 22. "Around 1980, it seemed like every restaurant had fried zucchini and fried mozzarella sticks as appetizers." — u/Intelligent-Rip-2270 24.

"'A diet plate that had a hamburger patty, a lump of cottage cheese, and canned peaches." — u/splattermatters "This, but with a pineapple ring instead of the peaches, is like a nostalgic meal that reminds me of my grandmother. It was years before I realized she was always on a diet.

" — u/Valuable-Ordinary-54 Is there a menu item you recall being wildly popular that basically vanished? Let us know in the comments, or fill out this anonymous form. Note: Some responses may have been edited for length and/or clarity..