Does anyone remember this restaurant from the '70s? (Mexico: home, neighborhood)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

I have a 1982 Polk's Directory for KCMO:

Putsch's Cafe, and Inc (HQ) 300 W. 47th
Coffee House 333 W. 47th
Cafe & Strawberry Patch 8725 State Line Rd
Tivoli Gardens 77 Blue Ridge Mall

Don Chilito's Border Rest. 8600 Ward Pkwy

Record Stores:
Camelot Music
Musicland
Penny Lane
7th Heaven
Tigers Discount Records
No Peaches/Sound Warehouse in KCMO

Gold Buffet still around @ 503 E 18th NKC (Carroll Meyer listed as either owner or manager)

I loved Penny Lane and 7th Heaven. Music stores are with the dinosaurs now.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

From 1968 Shawnee Mission Polk's:

75th & Metcalf:

7501 Katz Drug Store
7502 OP Car Wash
7514 Rieder's Jiffy Market No. 2
7523 Marty's Drive In Rest.
7527 Van Leiberg Liquor
7530 Smaks
7539-41 Saab of OP

74th & Metcalf:

7401 KC College & Bible School
7415 Herald & Banner Press
7417 Rays Drive In Cleaners/Morrison's Meats
7425 OP Used Car Center
7427 Wilmoth's 66 Svc Sta
7446 Greer's Mobil Svc Sta

Putsch's:

Corinth Cafe "Fine Foods" 83rd & Mission Rd (PV)
Metcalf Suth Cafe "Family Prices"

No mention of a Kings

I lived near 75th and Metcalf and used to ride my bike up to Skaggs, which is what Katz became. It's still some sort of drug store today. I drove by recently and IIRC, the exterior is still about the same.

And I vaguely recall the Smaks, when I was probably 4 or 5 years old.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by denverian

Thank you!

Yes, I love it when it was Peaches Records. That's where I would go to rent movies when we got our first VCR. It was an amazing time

What about Putch's Cafeteria? I remember going there with my grandparents on Sundays after church at Metcalf South. (I'm pretty sure there were other locations) It was always packed with old people, rather dark inside with colored stained glass windows, and someone playing an organ. We also went to The Forum cafeteria in Oak Park Mall (across from the AMC theater on the south side of the mall, I think) back in the 80s. I loved the cafeterias as a kid!

And was there a Mexican restaurant called Don-something in Mission, right off Metcalf? Now I'm remembering all these old places that no longer exist. Now that I'm traveling back to KC every 3 months, I enjoy driving around seeing the old sites. Some things changed, lots of things haven't. It's like going back in time for me.

Don Chilitos is still there! Used to love it, but last time I was there many years ago I could see a can of roach spray on the other side of the tinted glass in the serving area. Never went there again, but my husband will very occasionally eat there. I guess I'm more squeamish than he is.


I loved Putch's and the Forum too. They had the BEST homemade (I'm pretty sure) dinner rolls. And good food. You would think the food would get better, not worse, with time. Instead it just gets more processed/less good. I miss being able to go out and get really good food like that. Waid's used to have good food too. They aren't around here anymore, but they weren't that good anymore anyway by the time they closed.


Remember Chi-Chi's? It used to be where J. Gilbert's is now, and then later it moved to 105th-ish and Metcalf. I miss their seafood enchiladas.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Don Chilitos is still there! Used to love it, but last time I was there many years ago I could see a can of roach spray on the other side of the tinted glass in the serving area. Never went there again, but my husband will very occasionally eat there. I guess I'm more squeamish than he is.


I loved Putch's and the Forum too. They had the BEST homemade (I'm pretty sure) dinner rolls. And good food. You would think the food would get better, not worse, with time. Instead it just gets more processed/less good. I miss being able to go out and get really good food like that. Waid's used to have good food too. They aren't around here anymore, but they weren't that good anymore anyway by the time they closed.


Remember Chi-Chi's? It used to be where J. Gilbert's is now, and then later it moved to 105th-ish and Metcalf. I miss their seafood enchiladas.

Yeah, I don't get why the cafeterias all want away. They were good food... and I'd eat at one today if we had one. Well, we have the Country Buffet (which I call the "Country Trough lol) and while the food isn't horrible, the atmosphere is lacking. Putch's was classy in it's day. Maybe the difference is that the Country Buffet is "all you can eat", so the quality is worse because many people are there for the quantity, not the quality.

I remember Chi-Chi's... loved the fried ice cream! Interesting that Don Chilly Toes is still there.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by denverian

I loved Penny Lane and 7th Heaven. Music stores are with the dinosaurs now.

I forgot about Penny Lane. There is still a 7th Heaven at 76th and Troost. And the Temple Slug is still near Westport. Seems like I bought a great big pillow/bean bag for my apartment from there when I was in college. It was big enough for three or four people!

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by denverian

And was there a Mexican restaurant called Don-something in Mission, right off Metcalf? Now I'm remembering all these old places that no longer exist. Now that I'm traveling back to KC every 3 months, I enjoy driving around seeing the old sites. Some things changed, lots of things haven't. It's like going back in time for me.

Don Chilitos, still there, still unchanged since 1972. Ate there last night, it's great, as highly and unabashedly inauthentic Tex Mexico heavy on the Rotel goes.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by denverian

I lived near 75th and Metcalf and used to ride my bike up to Skaggs, which is what Katz became. It's still some sort of drug store today. I drove by recently and IIRC, the exterior is still about the same.

And I vaguely recall the Smaks, when I was probably 4 or 5 years old.

Katz/Skaggs is CVS now. The building is exactly the same outside; they have changed it inside. Didn't it used to have an escalator or stairs that went upstairs/downstairs? That's not there anymore, but I don't think it was there at the end of the Skaggs days, either.


The Smaks I remember was in Shawnee.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Katz/Skaggs is CVS now. The building is exactly the same outside; they have changed it inside. Didn't it used to have an escalator or stairs that went upstairs/downstairs? That's not there anymore, but I don't think it was there at the end of the Skaggs days, either.


The Smaks I remember was in Shawnee.

Yes, there was an escalator in there. Downstairs had toys, pet supplies, fish, hamsters, etc. It was almost more of a "mini K-Mart" than a drug store. I used to ride my bicycle up there all the time.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Don Chilitos, still there, still unchanged since 1972. Ate there last night, it's great, as highly and unabashedly inauthentic Tex Mexico heavy on the Rotel goes.

I might have to check it out then. I like going to places there that haven't changed in decades.

We used to go to the Fine Arts Theater in Mission as well... that's where I saw most of the classic movies. It was cheap!

[Okey Dokie]

Kings at 74th and Metcalf was THE place to go after football and basketball games in the early 70s. Cheese Frenchy sandwiches!

I worked at Waids in high school. At that time they were owned by the Forum Cafeteria people. Later they were bought by the Haddad Restaurant Group and that's when they started their downhill slide.