Restaurants, Cafes, Coffee Bars

There's a planning application to demolish the 'Etna' restaurant and build an apartment block. This isn't the council, it's a private development, and there's nothing of note down there - those cheap Edwardian/Victorian bits of infill replaced earlier stuff. Not *all* old buildings are worth preserving just because they're old.

I don't know why they had to get rid of the legendary Geisha Cafe?

Who got rid of it? And where was it? (it must pre-date me)

I second that Osmiroid - one of the main attractions was Kunzle cakes, at least for my mother they were! What happened to Pattisons, at the top end of Hertford St, towards the bank?

The Geisha Cafe: as far as I know the usual council thing, thinking they would make the street better. I don't know about Pattisons.

It's strange how the memory can play tricks on us! I could have sworn that the Geisha cafe and the greengrocers were on the right hand side of Hertford Street looking up towards Broadgate.

Lovely posting Prof, I will treasure the thought that our association on this august site was pre-ordained.rnI think you are right, Friday was the day for a trip "up town" and a meeting with my mother and elder sister at the Geisha.

There wasn't much happened in the bottom part of Hertford Street in the middle fifties, except Coventry fire brigade was called one morning to a shop near Greens the Chemist. Have no idea what happened but they tried to throw a rope over the roof with little success, from the other side, so they tied a big knot in the end of the rope then threw it, it swung over and the knot swung in with a thump, hit the plate glass window and smashed it. If I remember correctly it became a lot busier when the precinct was a builders yard. I used the street almost daily in the fifties to get to the YMCA, a barbers just below the Geisha, and the post office at the top. I thought Kunzle cakes where sold in many shops around town?

Kunzle cakes have often been mentioned on the forum - enter kunzle (correct spelling) or kunzel into the search box and previous conversations will appear

What memories! I can recall sinking one's teeth into one of those, the chocolate outer and the chocolate coloured sponge inside with the cream filling. Thanks very much Midland Red for bringing Kunzle back to life. Were they made in Birmingham I wonder? You can even see the cellophane wrap in the picture!

On the subject of cakes bought in Coventry. Who remembers the Wimbush individual Madeira cakes, that had a peel off paper wrapper with the Wimbush logo? Often bought these in the small single storey cake- shop in Crescent Avenue, Stoke, one of the shops for people in Lower Stoke.

coventry49, It's strange that people think the Geisha was something special in the fifties - it was no more than a typical English cafe, with the traditional tables and chairs, but in Broadgate House opened an American style cafe with settees etc. around 1954 and I believe the first in the town to sell lemon tea. It was in the style of the tv series 'Friends' that came on your screen fifty years later, now to me that was something special to Coventry.

I agree Dreamtime, such a shame the fountain at Gosford Green corner of Walsgrave and Binley Roads went. But it was turned into a floral display, before being dismantled. I don't think I ever remember it playing as a fountain, maybe that was pre-war.

The Geisha is a bit of a legend for those of us who were born too late to ever go there, but I know companies booked it for business meetings and events. Whether it wasn't anything special inside, I don't know.

My memory must also be playing tricks, I thought the Geisha was on the right hand side of Hertford Street; in my mind it was approximately where Etna is now. However, the photo proves me wrong.