St Albans is blessed with a range of restaurants and pubs, serving locals and visitors alike.
Both independant eateries and branches of famous chains often thrive in St Albans city centre, but some have fallen by the wayside over the years.
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With that in mind, here's five restaurants that have closed in St Albans.
1. Café Rouge, Holywell Hill
"Changing customer trends" was cited as the reason for the closure of Café Rouge.
The Holywell Hill restaurant shut its doors for good, following the end of its lease.
The establishment served a Parisian-inspired cuisine, including dishes such as Beef Bourguignon and Poulet Breton.
2. Loch Fyne, Verulam Road
Once a branch of popular seafood chain Loch Fyne, the location on Verulam Road is now occupied by the Hub on Verulam.
The restaurant served the likes of sea bass, seafood risotto and lobster.
Loch Fyne was replaced in 2022, with the new Hub featuring a cinema, bar and restaurant.
3. Jamie's Italian, Chequer Street
Jamie's Italian opened on Chequer Street in February 2012, following a series of delays.
Prior to the restaurant opening, the site was once home to the Bell public house.
After initially denying rumours of its closure, the restaurant eventually confirmed that it would be shutting its doors in 2018.
Megan's at the Old Bell has now replaced the establishment.
4. Busaba, Verulam Road
Busaba Eathai opened on Verulam Road in 2016.
Prior to the opening, the site had been empty for four years.
Busaba closed its doors in May 2018, shortly after the chain's sites in Manchester and Liverpool.
5. Benito's Hat, Chequer Street
Mexican restaurant Benito's Hat served a menu of burritos, tacos, salads and quesadillas.
Fellow Mexican chain Chipotle have submitted a planning application for the site, at 24-26 Chequer Street.
A spokesperson for the chain told The Herts Advertiser, "We are exploring opportunities to bring our real food to St Albans".
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