Sad day when city favourite closed its doors...

The Sauchiehall Street institution had been a much-loved part of the city’s food and drink scene for more than 50 years when it served up its last pizza on Monday, March 17, 2014.

The original restaurant opened at number 10 Sauchiehall Street by Swiss-Italian Francis Ferrari in the 60s. It was later acquired by Dino Baldi, and the name was changed to Dino Ferrari. Later, it moved to 35-41 Sauchiehall Street, where it remained for more than 30 years.

Our recent features on our readers’ favourite old Glasgow restaurants and bars prompted Jean Quinn to get in touch with her memories of Dino’s.

“We dined there in the 70s when we were courting, and all through our marriage up until it closed in 2014,” says Jean. “The lasagne was just the best. I loved all the little things, from the red chequered tablecloths to the candles stuck in wicker-laced Chianti bottles.”

Assistant manager Tony Crolla summed up the feelings of many staff and customers as he prepared for the final days of trading.

“There’s a lot of history in here, and so many people thought it would last forever,” he said.

“Nobody expected it to end…”

Jean adds: “The staff were absolutely lovely. They were so welcoming and they always remembered who you were, unlike some establishments today.

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“It was our favourite eating place and we recall, with fondness, taking our three children there too. It was a sad day when it closed - thanks for all the lovely memories, Dino’s.”

Our photograph of the Kenco Coffee House sparked a few memories, including some very special ones from Doreen Howden, of Clarkston.

“I first met my husband, Ray, there in 1966,” she says. “My friends and I went there often. Upstairs, the Ceylon Tea Centre had a great buffet selection for lunch.”

Charlotte Kerr was a fan of the Ceylon Tea Centre too.

“It sold really good and inventive salads,” she told us. “It was a regular haunt for those of us who worked in the Clydesdale Bank head office in St Vincent Place. There was a long queue to get in, so we had to be quick in our lunch hour.”

Lesley Shannon has fond memories of popping in to the Equi on Sauchiehall Street when she worked for Crouch and Hogg, an engineering firm at Charing Cross.

“My fondest memories are going there from around 1975 onwards,” she says. “The Equi was famous for serving diet Coke with ice and slices of lemon! My husband-to-be and I went there for lunch.

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“If it was a works lunch, we’d go to The Three Pigeons at Charing Cross - or the Three Doos, as it was nicknamed. I loved M&A Brown’s tearoom, on Sauchiehall Street, where you went to order all your birthday cakes.”

As part of our Thanks for the Memories features, we are looking for stories and old photos of the city’s food hotspots.

What was your favourite place to eat? Perhaps it was where you always went on special occasions, or maybe even proposed? Were you a lady who lunched or did you head for the chippy?

Get in touch by email at ann.fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk or by post to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Don’t forget to include contact details.