Chicken chain takes over landmark London chippy
Nando's, the restaurant chain specialising in chicken, has taken over one of London's most respected independent fish and chip shops.
The company has bought a 25-year lease on Islington's 800sq ft Upper Street Fish Shop and the CD shop next door. It is knocking the two together and hopes to open a new restaurant by June or July.
The fish and chip shop owners, Alan and Olga Conway, said they felt guilty when distraught customers wrote letters begging them to stay open. But Alan added: "It is nice to know we are missed."
Conway said the chip shop had served as a rendevous for parents and children on Saturdays. It had also attracted a strong Jewish following, along with politicians and celebrities such as Donald Sutherland, Jerry Springer and Danny de Vito.
The 20-year-old restaurant was described in the Harden's guide as "an unpretentious, bistro-style Islington institution" offering "superior fish and chips". A meal would typically cost between £16 and £30.
Conway attributed the restaurant's success to the public's nostalgia for fried fish and chips, cooked in the traditional manner, and a "hands-on" approach".
The sale of the lease was handled for the Conways by Berkeley Simmons Davis.
Nando's has 30 restaurants at present; 11 more are under construction.
by Angela Frewin
