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Wales Online
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Alice Suffield

All the restaurants, bars and big names that have come and gone from Swansea's Kingsway

Kingsway has a reputation for being Swansea's ever-changing street.

As one of the main roads in the city centre, through the generations it has undergone plenty of changes in its road layout and make-up. It was once the nightclub capital of Wales and saw thousands of revellers spend unforgettable nights there. You can read more about that by clicking here.

Throughout the years, many restaurants, bars and businesses have come and gone from the iconic city centre street, but here are a few that have disappeared more recently.

Read more: Guess what? They are doing work in Swansea's The Kingsway again, but it's still good news

Let us know what your memories of Kingsway are in the comments down below.

Feasting House

The reviews of the Feasting House speak of good food, a friendly atmosphere, and people promising to return.

According to Feasting House's Facebook page, they intended to serve 'fine welsh cuisine' made with 'the best ingredients from our local source.'

Sadly, this restaurant was only open for 18 months before making way for Steak On the Kings.

Steak on the Kings

Steak on the Kings was a fixture on the street for around two years, serving Swansea with, as the name suggests, a range of delicious steaks, desserts and cocktails.

The restaurant traded until July 2021, when they announced via Facebook that the name and ownership of the restaurant would be changing.

The post read: "Just to let you guy’s know “STEAK ON THE KINGS” has changed owners now to “TRADITIONAL ALBANIAN KITCHEN”. We are happy to announce that we are open for business so come down and try the new menu. We look forward to welcoming you to the new restaurant."

Traditional Albanian Kitchen has been running ever since.

The BBQ Restaurant.

Georgios Parphenidis, director of the Acropolis Greek restaurant in The Kingsway (Swansea Council)

With a 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, it's clear to see that the BBQ Restaurant in The Kingsway was popular.

The reviews of the closed restaurant speak for themselves, with many patrons commending the food, service and atmosphere.

Whilst it was only open for a short amount of time, its BBQ inspired menu was a hit with the people of Swansea.

After it Closed, Greek Acropolis opened in its place, which has since also closed.

Greek Acropolis

Opening in 2019, Greek acropolis traded at 82 Kingsway until September 2021.

Whilst the restaurant had been a popular fixture in Swansea, the restaurant had been marred with negative reviews on TripAdvisor, with one customer claiming that his girlfriend had been contacted at home by details that had been provided for Track and Trace, in accordance with the law at the time.

Others commented that the service was inattentive, the portions were small and the price was expensive.

The restaurant has been replaced by Kings Banquet Indian buffet, which opened on January 20 2022.

La Fina.

The old La Fina remains empty (Robert Dalling)

This Mediterranean restaurant was a hotspot back when it was open.

La Fina served tapas, chicken and lovely prawns as well as tasty cheesecakes and sticky toffee pudding.

Sadly the restaurant closed in 2017, and the unit has been empty since

Oceana

Oceana on The Kingsway was the go-to nightclub in Swansea a decade ago (Google maps)

It was once seen as the main nightspot in Swansea city centre where thousands of people would party every week.

The club Oceana was formerly known as Ritzy and Icon in the 1990s and later Time and Envy.

It closed in 2008 for a £6m refurbishment and opened up with an extra five theme bars making it the biggest Oceana in Wales and one of the largest in the UK.

However in May 2014 it was said the closure of a number of pubs and clubs in the area left it isolated with much of the city’s nightlife becoming centred around Wind Street, leading to its decision to close.


Burgess World Travel

The former home of Burgess World Travel (Robert Dalling)


The independent travel agent was a fixture on Kingsway for many years, but sadly, the business closed its doors due to the pandemic.

A statement on Facebook read: "It is with much sadness, and having given it great consideration, that I have decided to close Burgess World Travel.

"I started work here in 1994 and became owner in 2008. I would like to thank all the staff who have worked here over the years, and in particular, my current staff, who have had to deal with some very trying issues these last few years.

"Kingsway footfall went down throughout the roadworks, Brexit affected customer confidence, the devastating flood we had in November, and finally, most significantly, the Coronavirus has brought the Travel Industry to a halt.

"We've sold every currency under the sun, and transferred money to all 4 corners of the globe.

"Our very successful Corporate Dept. has arranged travel for clients based in South Wales, Slough, Sheffield and Devon.

"Finally, I would like to thank all our customers, many of whom have become friends for trusting in us over the last 30 years.

"Hopefully when lockdown ends, you are all welcome to call in an see us one last time."

Burgess Travel has sadly not reopened since.

TSB

The old TSB bank remains empty, and is daubed with graffiti (Robert Dalling)

High street bank TSB closed 17 branches in 2015 despite previous pledges to grow.

The bank, sold by Lloyds, announced plans to axe outlets where it has others nearby.

This included the branch on Kingsway, which still remains empty.

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