CAFE culture is very much alive and kicking.

You only have to look at the number of coffee chain emporiums dominating our high streets to see the demand for refreshments on the move.

The addition of drive through facilities are constantly quenching the thirsts of our rapidly expanding mobile population, those who don't have time to sit and have a catch up over a cuppa.

Remember the days before the drive through, when folk would sit in the many cafes once dominating Bradford's streets, watching the world go by?

Cafes are a meeting place; they provide the opportunity to socialise. Over the years they've become part of the familiar routine for the many who would meet up with their mates on a certain day of the week.

In that respect they are part of the fabric of Bradford's city life - but how things have changed? While the city is still well served by many food and drink establishments, the cafe culture has evolved to meet the demands of a fast-paced society and, in doing so, encapsulate a new generation of consumers.

Traditional 'greasy spoons,' places where you instantly felt at home when served with your tea in a mug and large plate-sized portions of good homemade grub, still quite rightly have their place but have sadly dwindled against the competition - the uber-styled surroundings of the modern coffee lounges appealing to the young, hip and trendy.

The latest of Bradford's more familiar cafes which have since locked their doors is Truly Scrumptious.

It was the retirement of the owners, Yvonne and Nigel Denton, that prompted the closure of this popular eaterie in Northgate which has been in the same family since the 1950s.

Originally called the New John Street Market Cafe, it was run by Nigel's grandparents, Donald and Vera who ran it for a decade before Nigel's parents Donald and Shirley took over. They ran it for two to three years in the open air market before moving to the new John Street market. Nigel and Yvonne carried on the baton from 1989.

Although many of Bradford's familiar cafes have long since locked their doors, our reminder of the eateries that once served this city is bound to evoke fond memories for those who dined in them over the decades.

Among the more familiar many Bradfordians and visitors to the city will remember are The Acropolis, originally based in Bridge Street and which latterly moved to opposite Britannia House before its closure after more than 40 years of serving the city's customers.

I remember conducting an interview in this spacious cafe - the wonderful wall of windows offered the perfect vantage for watching the world go by.

In a previous feature, written by my colleague, Jim Greenhalf, he referred to many more cafes Bradford had loved and lost; the likes of The Olympus Coffee Bar in Great Horton Road; The Java which used to be opposite The Alhambra stage door; Edwards, formerly on Ivegate and who could forget Collinsons and Betty's in Darley Street?

Then there was the Britannia Coffee Lounge in Bridge Street; the Continental in Godwin Street and The Garden of Eden in Forster Square.

If you were seeking a traditional ambiance to savour your refreshments, then Bradford, like many towns and cities, was home to a Merrie England.

In the early 1980s Godwin Street also had the cafe bar, Sticky Fingers, apparently named after the Rolling Stones album of the same name.

For those wanting to take their tea in fine surroundings H R Jacksons's fine china shop in Darley Street offered a genteel ambiance for customers to dine amongst displays of beautiful china and figurines.

Founded by Horace Rex Jackson, who served in the Yorkshire Hussars in the First World War, the business was run by three generations of the family and, at one time, had shops in Westgate, Manchester Road, Tyrrel Street, Market Street and Sunbridge Road before moving to Darley Street.

Among the shop's famous visitors was Sir John Wedgwood, great-great great grandson of the renowned potter, Josiah Wedgwood.

The city's department stores, the former Brown, Muff & Co which closed in 1977 and changed to Rackhams in a takeover by the House of Fraser group, also boasted their own eateries amongst the gilt and glamour within their plush surroundings. Rackhams eventually closed in Bradford in the mid 1990s.

Of course, there are many other cafes still thriving and surviving in Bradford, the likes of Baxendalls in the Kirkgate Centre and The Oastler Coffee Shop and Salad Garden within the Boyes department store in North Parade.

Despite the social changes which have dictated changes in our dining destinations, what hasn't changed is we all still love a good brew.

So sit back with a cuppa and enjoy looking back at these photos of Bradford's cafes sourced by our nostalgia writer and researcher, Odele Ayres.

Odele writes:

Bradford has always had a rich heritage of café culture. Just like today, with its host of café bars around Centenary Square and constant new additions to Broadway, Bradford back in the day was a hive of popular cafés and coffee shops.

In fact they were so popular with the busy shopper, I remember having to queue alongside the window of Baxandalls in Arndale market, with its one-in one-out code.

And then there was Pie Toms, with its all year round popularity, and Collinson’s cafe: the in place to hang out for the young Bradfordian.

Reminiscing about the good old days we have delved into our archives to bring you these fabulous pictures of some of Bradford’s forgotten cafés and coffee shops. How many do you remember?