When a hurricane destroys a town or a shopping mall shuts down, once buzzing eateries can get left behind – becoming nothing more than empty shells with faded menus, peeling paint, and decaying décor. From an abandoned McDonald’s in Alaska to a deserted Kmart in Michigan, come with us on a ghostly tour of ransacked restaurants, derelict diners, and forgotten food courts in the USA and Canada.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the USA and Canada's creepiest abandoned restaurants, counting down to the most forbidding of all.

We've based our ranking on the eeriness of each location and on the opinions of our well-traveled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

Entrepreneur Horace Bullard from East Harlem was well-known for using his own money to try to breathe fresh life into Coney Island. His money came from Kansas Fried Chicken, a chain of restaurants he set up after failing to secure a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. Kansas Fried Chicken grew to 18 outlets across the country at its peak – and Bullard even had one at the bottom of the Shore Theater (pictured here) in 1979.

Kansas Fried Chicken closed a long time ago, and this outlet suffered the same fate as all the others. Yet for years, passersby could see the furniture falling into ruin inside and study the still-standing menu above the counter. It seems shrimp baskets and a 15-piece bucket of chicken were part of the extensive menu. The Shore Theater is now in the hands of a property company that plans to turn it into a boutique hotel; work began in April 2023.

Folks who can remember La Cantina Restaurant fondly recall happy times spent in the restaurant or on the patio, enjoying quality food and good company. While sipping a post-dinner drink, customers were able to take in exceptional views of Woodlands Lake and the wider VE Macy Park from the veranda. But the boom times didn't last, and La Cantina eventually closed its doors for good.

In 2015, Westchester County made a push to have someone buy the property and revitalize it as a restaurant, museum, or any other suitable establishment. The plan didn't work, though, and the 4,500-square-foot building remained empty. Over time, the doors and windows were boarded up and access was restricted to the lake. A scheme unveiled in 2022 wanted to remove the nearby dam and Woodlands Lake – but there was no talk of renovating the restaurant.

Opened in the late 1980s, Forest Fair Mall was once a thriving shopping center with a carousel, a nautical-themed food court, and over 200 stores. But it's absolutely enormous, at 1.5 million square feet (139,355 sqm) in size – and that could be why it suffered bankruptcies and failed rebranding pushes over the years. Two separate renovations, in the early 1990s and 2004, didn't change the shopping center's fortunes, either.

The food court was once home to Burger King, Chipotle, Red Lobster, and The Old Spaghetti Factory. But now all the outlets are gone, with the tables and chairs the only sign that anybody was ever there to begin with. The mall closed its doors for good in December 2022 because of multiple fire code violations. Kohl's is the only store left, and that's only because it has its own entrance. However, the future is looking up for Forest Fair Mall.

In June 2024, developer Rob Smyjunas told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he was trying to buy the Cincinnati Mall, which is the most recent name for Forest Fair Mall. He wanted to turn the Forest Park portion of the mall into a 'major retailer food store,' which would include specific areas for food and entertainment. But the city of Forest Park pushed back, and there's been little movement since.

Montreal’s former Eaton department store used to play host to the stunning Art Deco Eaton's Ninth Floor Restaurant. Well-to-do folk could enjoy afternoon tea and stunning views of the city here after it opened in 1931. It had a 500-seat eating space and was a pretty big deal for Montreal. However, the restaurant closed when the Eaton store chain went bust in 1999 – and it stayed that way for 24 years.

Eaton's Ninth Floor Restaurant was designed to look like a dining room on a grand ocean liner, as seen in this picture of the 9th-floor corridor. There was even a documentary called Les Dames du 9e (The Ladies of the 9th) made about the place. Happily, the iconic restaurant reopened in May 2024 after some careful conservation work. The newly retitled Le 9e building includes Restaurant Île de France on the 9th floor, serving food that pays tribute to the past while looking to the future.

From 2014 until 2019, this vast Super Kmart stood ominous and empty on John R Road, Madison Heights. It was originally built in 1962 as an E.J. Korvette discount department store, only becoming a Kmart in 1981 – and a Super Kmart in 2000. The 143,000-square-foot store had everything you'd expect to find at a regular Kmart, plus a deli, and a grocery section stocked with garden produce, baked goods, and a huge selection of meat, seafood, and poultry.

Despite its huge size and extensive range of products, Madison Heights' Super Kmart never proved particularly popular with customers. In early 2019, after the store had been closed for almost five years and its signs had been taken down, it was announced that it would be demolished to make way for a new members-only store, similar to Costco. The much-anticipated BJ's Wholesale Club finally opened its doors at the end of 2019. 

In 2019, a picture of Sportsman Cafe appeared on the Facebook page Forgotten Oregon, sparking more than 100 comments from people who remembered the good old days. Many spoke of getting a good meal in the café, while others recalled drinking in the upstairs bar. One person even shared a story of how her grandma worked at the spot in 1950. But it seems the restaurant closed down around 2007, and it hasn't caught a break since.

The picture here gives just a glimpse of what the vibe might have been like inside. Now, though, the deteriorating ceiling is more prominent than the wooden counter and colorful bar stools. The property is currently up for sale, with the lucky buyer potentially getting all of the restaurant and bar equipment thrown in with the 6,000-square-foot building. That is, if they can find anyone willing to take it on...

The food court at Ashtabula Mall, now known as Ashtabula Towne Square, looks eerily quiet in these pictures from 2014. Though it's clearly fallen on hard times, the mall once featured Ruby Tuesday, Mr. Hero, Sbarro, Sakkio Japan, and Wendy’s, and was regularly flooded with hungry customers stopping by for a fast food fix. But in 2014, the eateries shuttered, and the seating area was closed off.

Though Ashtabula Towne Square is still open, it struggles to keep customers coming in, with only roughly two-thirds of its available lots open. In a sign of how bad things have gotten for the mall, Sure Fire Group sold Ashtabula Towne Square in February 2020 for $10.2 million, then bought it back in September 2023 for just $2.5 million. There is currently no anchor store in the mall, though there are still a few restaurants operating for anyone who visits.

In 1935, the Union Hotel in Flemington, New Jersey played a part in the 'trial of the century' when the Charles Lindbergh case was held at the nearby Hunterdon County Courthouse. The jury and many members of the press stayed in its rooms while it was going on, and the joint became a hub of activity. It was a boon for the hotel and its restaurant, but the good times didn't last. It stopped offering accommodation in the 1970s, and the restaurant finally shuttered in 2008.

In this photo, the bar itself looks remarkably well preserved; however, the carpets are torn and the ceiling is covered in grime. Over 16 years passed before the deserted restaurant finally received some good news. In September 2024, new plans announced a significant restoration of the hotel and the Flemington area. Under these new proposals, the Union Hotel will be extended, and the first floor will reopen as a new restaurant. The whole thing will cost about $6 million and is pending approval.

Fondly known as 'the Sears shopping center,' Lincoln Park Shopping Center first opened way back in 1957. Once a busy mall, its anchor store was a giant Sears – one of the best-performing in the country – and, over the years, it played host to Dollar Tree, Rainbow USA, Arlan’s, Winkelman’s, and Chinese Buffet outlets. It also famously hosted a re-election rally for President Ronald Reagan in 1984. But despite its success in the 20th century, the mall was mostly empty come 2000.

The Chinese Buffet (pictured) was a buffet and takeout restaurant serving fried appetizers, chicken and broccoli, egg drop soup, and egg rolls, among other dishes. This 2015 photo shows a dated and dilapidated Chinese Buffet with musty carpets, purple walls, blue marble tables, and wooden sections left to go to ruin.

Once a Kroger store, this spooky space was transformed into a Dunham's Sports outlet in the 1980s. After being empty for years, it was demolished in January 2018, along with Farmer Jack and the rest of Lincoln Park Shopping Center. The former Sears store, which was connected to the mall by a covered walkway, shuttered in 2018 and is slated for demolition in 2024.

The Village Inn was a beloved Delaware hangout for more than 60 years. The restaurant even won local awards, as shown in this 2015 photo. The sorry sign pinned to the wall boasts about the fact that it was named 'Best Underrated Classic' by Best of Delaware in 2006. Unfortunately, that prize did nothing to prevent the diner from shuttering in 2008.

Back in the day, The Village Inn was an upscale seafood restaurant, and photos of the menu mention that it also served old-school wedge salads and pasta dishes. Perhaps you can get an idea of the spot's former glory in this eerie photo of the main dining room. If you can look past the decrepit ceiling, debris-strewn floor, and haphazard furniture, the wooden tables, vintage lighting, and abandoned crockery give you a hint of what the place once looked like.

The problems reportedly started in 2004 after potential customers were steered away from The Village Inn with the opening of Route 1. The restaurant – and another nearby diner – seemingly never recovered from the reduced footfall, and the building was left to rot afterwards. Almost two decades later, the building and lot are still up for sale.

According to the 2021 Canadian census, just 15 people live in Robsart. This is a dramatic downturn for a town that was once booming with hotels, stores, and people. In the early 20th century, Canadian Pacific Railway purchased the land that became Robsart, and it formed part of the Stirling-Weyburn line. This naturally brought good times to the area... but they have long since passed.

This picture from an unknown diner in the town seems to show off a style that is more in keeping with 1950s diners, which hints at when it was likely built. But whenever the diner last welcomed customers, it's obvious that nobody has eaten here for a very long time. The walls are molding, the stools are losing their stuffing, and the less said about the counter, the better.

Road Runner's Retreat arrived on historic Route 66 in 1962, a labor of love for founders Roy and Helen Tull. But its most famous owners were 'Duke' and Virginia Dotson, who ran the gas station and restaurant (and a towing service) until the mid-1970s. Like all businesses on Route 66, Road Runner's Retreat fell victim to Interstate 40. Locals remember the day I-40 opened in 1973 as the death knell of the Mother Road. The Dotsons eventually sold the property and moved on.

These pictures, taken in 2015, show how far the once-popular diner had fallen into disrepair since it closed its doors to customers. Yet worse was to come: the restaurant burned down in 2020. However, the new owners, the Murphys, still have plans for the diner and are slowly preserving it. In April 2024, for example, the classic neon sign was repainted and restored to its former glory.

Home to a US naval station for much of the 20th century, the remote Alaskan island of Adak once had a population of around 6,000, made up of military personnel and their families. Back in its heyday, it had its fair share of familiar fast food joints, including a Pizza Hut, a Baskin Robbins, and a McDonald’s (pictured). The McDonald's, still standing yet abandoned, is a monument to 1990s Americana.

If you take a walk around the building, as many urban explorers have, the entrances are bolted – but the blinds are still open, so you can take a peek inside. Through the windows, it's still easy to spot the retro décor, complete with muted red, beige, and blue furnishings. It's in stark contrast to the bright, modern look of today’s McDonald's restaurants. But that's not the only thing that's changed.

On the menu, there’s a Quarter Pounder with cheese for $2.60 (the same burger will set you back around $6.40 these days), plus an advert for Jurassic Park–themed 'Dino-Size' meals – a promotion launched at the same time as the 1993 movie. You can even catch a glimpse of the toy you'd have received in a Happy Meal if you were a kid 30 years ago: a Bobby’s World collectible inspired by the 1990s cartoon.

Texans aren't especially known for their interest in ancient Egypt, so it's perhaps a surprise that Magic Island, an opulent two-story restaurant along the Southwest Freeway in Houston, was ever a big success. But from 1984 to 2008, the spot was kind of a big deal. It was particularly known for the gold pharaoh head outside, and its ancient Egyptian–style décor. It closed when Hurricane Ike caused the building to catch fire, and it was left abandoned for 10 years.

In its heyday, customers enjoyed features such as an elegant theater, golden doors, red carpet, a grand chandelier, murals, hieroglyphics, and Egyptian-style mummies. These things fell into disrepair after a decade, but in 2018, new owner Mohammed Athari said he had plans to restore the 22,000-square-foot property to its former glory.

Unfortunately, nothing happened until March 2024, when new general manager Michael Loneman announced that Magic Island would open in the summer of 2024. He said the renovations were on track to be completed and that many of the Egyptian-themed furnishings were still preserved. But there was no movement in the summer, and Magic Island is still closed.

Tom's Diner, pictured here in 2014, still exudes retro charm in spite of its flecked paint and decrepit exterior. It's a Silk City–style dining cart from the early 1940s, and it once sat on Route 46 in Ledgewood. The Seretis family owned and operated it from 1958 until the 2004 death of Frank Seretis. The public tried for years to preserve the beloved burger spot, but in the end, Tom's Diner was demolished in 2021.

In this image, the menu above the counter shows the popular breakfast dishes once served up to hungry locals. We see pancakes, French toast, omelets, bacon sandwiches, and corned beef hash – as well as an envy-inducing list of how much they cost when the restaurant closed. If the diner looks familiar, perhaps you saw it when it featured in the music video for Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit 'Time After Time.'

Now check out these charming retro diners you can actually visit

Last updated by Luke Paton.