The Bistro In Rhyl, Still Holds Memories For Those That Spent Many A wonderful Night Drinking and Partying With Friends
So as you may all know I posted up a call out with a few pictures of the Bistro in Rhyl as it is now and I asked everyone to get in touch with their stories, memories and possibly some photographs of themselves in the Bistro in its glory days.
It was a little slow with people getting back to me, but then I posted the photographs on a group called “We Love Old Rhyl” on Facebook and boy did those photographs cause an avalanche of responses from those that really miss those days of the Bistro.
The Bistro Is Missed By Its Public
So I’ve taken a collection of the responses that the photographs of the Bistro have received from the Facebook group, so here we go with what people have said, suffice to say the general consensus is the Bistro should re-open!
Vicky – wow, wish it was still open, can’t believe it hasn’t been stripped bare! although saying that it wasn’t that much cleaner when it was open!
Chelle – Very happy memories of the Bistro :0)
Marie – Good times there when I was younger so busy. Great music too
Sue – the best nights of my life were held at the Bistro and it was a fab place to be. So many great memories for me and my sisters/friends. Would go back tomorrow if I could.
Debbie – Where is my time machine ?? Makes me want to revisit the happy times I had there x
Julie – Simply for me the best nightclub in the world!
Alison – I often pop back to these photos to relive the moments!!!
Darren – They should open for one night only I’m sure it will be a big hit, someone has a word, and I will book the bands!
Hieronymous Mook – Many memories, to say the least. A shame to know that the place is just sitting there, rotting away quietly behind grimy windows. Like so much of the rest of Rhyl. Something really has to be done to stop this degeneration.
Simon – such a shame… used to go drinking in the bistro, with my friends
Mark – Loved this place…I remember seeing Mike Peters in there a few times in the mid ’80s
Brian – it would be a great place for up-and-coming bands to play, like the Tiv in Buckley. Nothing like that round here.
Kathryn – Omg !! Memories come flooding back .. Human League, teardrop explodes, Brian Ferry !! And playing Pacman on tabletops
Nikolas – Many a happy night spent at his fine nightclub
It was a local family-run business
Carl Gizzi on the door.
The music was the draw for me and many in the late 80s and early 90s
Sandra – Wish someone would do it up and re-open it. Have so many great memories of that place.
Chris – Had many happy nights in there, was always busy and smokey, great music, bring it back!
Tony – many fond memories of the bistro, one of the best places I have ever been to, and I’ve been to a few
Jayne – it was the hub for so many of us, my brother and I worked at the Point Hotel then after we closed up we would all pile down to the Bistro and kick it up :)) fond memories
Mike – When we first started going to the Bistro we used to take our own LPs in to be played, they were put on a stacking record player behind Franks bar & as far as l remember that was the only music to be played upstairs, there was a token dance floor which you could probably have got no more than 4 people on and only then if you knew each other intimately. But what a great place to spend the night Mr. & Mrs. T & Peter always made you feel welcome and l can’t begin to tell you how many great nights we spent there both upstairs and downstairs also the best meat & potato pasty’s ever.
Theresa – The best club ever. Real music for real people! My husband and I met each other there, on the dance floor just in front of the DJ booth. Talking of DJs – how many times did we hear Pete the DJ shout “get your drinks off the dance floor” ?? lol. Great memories. Always felt safe there – for a while I used to go there on my own, knowing that there would be sure to be someone there I knew. Always felt safe there
The Bistro Much Loved and Extremely Missed
So as you can see from the small collection of comments left on the photographs of the Bistro everyone that spent time there really misses the place and it’s very down heartening seeing the Bistro just left to slowly decay into a distant memory of those of us that spent many a night have the time of our lives.
My Last Words For The Bistro
I would like to thank everyone that has emailed, tweeted and Facebooked me with their memories and to all those of you that have left comments after I uploaded my photographs up on “We Love Old Rhyl”, sorry I couldn’t get you all in this article, but it would have been a novel if I had.
Also a special big thanks to Sara Sugarman, who gave me the inspiration with Vinyl to go back to the Bistro and ask to be allowed to get some photos of how the place looks these days, I do hope to go back soon for some more photos of those places in there I didn’t have time to shoot.
Big thanks to Peter Trehearn and Mark Roberts for the photos and to Glenn Mitchel for putting up with the onslaught of comments that bombarded “We Love Old Rhyl” after I posted up the photographs.
All this goes to show that it should be considered for the Bistro to re-open and perhaps be the way it was, not playing the run-of-the-mill chart stuff, but being the life of the seafront for those that loved their nights drinking, partying and having stacks of fun with the many friends that we all made there.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
