Ever wondered what happened to that restaurant you once loved and have memories of dining at with your family and friends? We did! And we discovered an amazing website called Lost Tables, dedicated to celebrating the restaurants of our past. We are partnering with the site's creator Harley Hammerman and celebrating these wonderful stories throughout the month of February.
Lost Tables | Cyrano's
Cyrano's was founded in 1960 by Mr. and Mrs. John Marshall. The restaurant was located in the basement of their Hi-Fi Showroom at 6383 Clayton Road (at DeMun). The Marshall's introduced St. Louis to two phenomena – quality component stereophonic equipment and gourmet desserts. The hi-fi business played an integral part in the ambience of Cyrano's, as classical music permeated the restaurant over the Marshall’s reel-to-reel tape player.
Cyrano's became the "in place" for high school and college students after movies, proms and other social events. Adults quickly followed. On most weekends there were long waits; customers lined up the stairs, out the door, and around the block. The line extended from a smallish waiting area with bench seats, with Marshall's reel-to-reel tape deck behind smoked glass against the back wall as a distraction. Basement pipes running overhead in both the waiting area and the dark romantic dining room were left exposed and painted the same dark color as the ceiling. Candle-lit wooden tables in the dining room completed the scene.
As St. Louis’ first and only European-style coffeehouse, Cyrano's menu included a few simply prepared sandwiches, 16 types of coffee, a variety of teas and cocoas and an extensive collection of pastries and ice cream desserts. The signature dish was the Cleopatra – an immense ice cream sundae, with bananas, whole strawberries, a hard chocolate shell and a mountain of whipped cream.
Previous Stories
Remembering St. Louis' "Lost Restaurants" | Big Boy's
Remembering St. Louis' "Lost Restaurants" | Miss Hulling's
Remembering St. Louis' "Lost Restaurants" | Balaban's
Remembering St. Louis' "Lost Restaurants" | The Parkmoor
Remembering St. Louis' "Lost Restaurants" | Busch's Grove
