"I Haven't Seen One In Decades": 25 Once-Popular Menu Items From "Back In The Day" That Have Vanished From Restaurants Without A Trace

Food and restaurant trends come and go so quickly that it can be hard to keep track of them. Recently, we've been asking older adults of the BuzzFeed Community to share the trendy menu items they grew up with that have all but vanished today. Here are the nostalgic dishes from "back in the day" they shared.

1."Clams casino. I used to love them as an appetizer."

2."Chocolate soufflé. I rarely, if ever, see any sort of soufflé anymore. They used to be on a lot of higher-end restaurant menus. Savory or chocolate — they're so good. Except for a few French restaurants here and there, they're nowhere."

—Anonymous

3."Chop suey. The version we had in school consisted of overcooked chicken and vegetables in a sauce that resembled warm spit."

4."I'm on the West Coast. Clam chowder in a bread bowl was so popular here. We don't see it on menus any longer."

—psychicprincess498

5."I have not seen minced meat pie in ages, and you could get it à la mode."

6."From menus in the '60s: pizza burgers! They were to die for."

—Anonymous, Indiana

7."Fruit cake! Most tins, bought in stores, tasted bad! But if you found a good one, you understood why people loved them."

8."Spinach salad with hot bacon vinaigrette dressing. It was a popular salad course choice in supper clubs and German restaurants in the Midwest."

—Anonymous, 53, Wisconsin

9."Welsh rarebit over toast. Up until about five years ago, you could buy it in the frozen food section. It was really great on a cold day."

10."Brains and eggs. It's exactly what it sounds like: scrambled calf's brains and eggs. The last place I saw it was a little restaurant in Missoula in the late '90s."

—Alfred, 44, Montana

11."Corned beef on rye. I'm in Georgia, and I can't find it anywhere."

12."As a child in the '50s, I remember having a glass of tomato juice with pieces of lemon as an appetizer."

—Barbara, New York

13."Stuffed cabbage. It used to be in the frozen food section of the supermarket."

14."Shrimp/prawn cocktail: tall glass, lettuce, prawns or shrimp, Thousand Island dressing. It used to be on every menu in the entrée section."

—daveg436d8c2c6

15."Onion loaf. You used to find it on menus at BBQ or rib restaurants, but I can't find it anywhere now."

16."Every Sunday, I rode my bike to the local bakery (I also miss those) to pick up pastries and bread. As a reward, I was allowed one ice cream-filled eclair. I haven't seen an ice cream-filled eclair in decades."

—Eric, 79, Illinois

17."Fried clams have all but disappeared from menus. I did some digging and found out it's mostly because the clams have migrated so far north from their usual undersea spots off the coast of Massachusetts that it's much more cost-prohibitive to go out the farther distance to where they are now."

18."Roasted duck in orange sauce. I loved it. Now, the diners stopped offering it."

—Anonymous, 72, New Jersey

19."Chicken cacciatore! I have fond memories of eating this in little, family-owned Italian restaurants."

20."Old-fashioned ice cream soda. They were made with flavored syrup, plain soda water, and a scoop of ice cream. Kind of like a root beer float, but available in many different flavors. So good."

—Alison, 65, California

21."Rumaki disappeared in the '80s. It was an appetizer of chicken liver and water chestnuts wrapped with bacon and then broiled, often with BBQ sauce."

22."I'm still searching for people who remember a Baskin-Robbins flavor from the 1970s: Cold Duck wine-flavored ice cream. It was my favorite. I guess I had a snooty palate even as a kid."

—lovelyeagle988

23."Lobster Newberg. The best dang lobster with a creamy, velvety sherry sauce. It was delectable!"

24."Carob. At one point, this item was supposed to eliminate chocolate. It just proves you can't mess with the best."

—happypunk995

25."French dressing. It used to be offered as an option when you ordered a salad. It's rarely mentioned anymore."

What menu item did you grow up with that completely vanished from restaurants? Tell us about it in the comments, or fill out this anonymous form!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.