For many of Dundee’s working-class families, a battered supper from the chippie at the weekend was the highlight of the week.
Popping into your local fish and chip shop was practically a ritual on the way home from a day at the footie or at the shops on a Saturday.
That pungent yet pleasant scent of chip-paper soaked in vinegar has a knack of transporting you back to happy childhood days, sitting elbow-to-elbow at the table with family.
For some, a Saturday treat would mean unwrapping a fritter roll to devour in front of the telly, but not everyone could afford the premium fare.
Dundee actor Brian Cox still has a penchant for ‘scraps’ – a throwback to his childhood when his family fell on hard times.
Families who struggled to make ends meet would go into the chippie at the end of the night and ask for the ‘scraps’ – the bits of batter left in the bottom of the fryer.
But when it came to choosing a chippie, Dundonians were certainly spoilt for choice over the decades – join us as we cast a look back on some family favourites.
Dora’s Fish and Chip Shop
Dora’s Fish and Chip shop on Dura Street was a Dundee stalwart, dishing up thousands of fish suppers over 64 years.
Peter and Matilde Dora opened the chippie in 1954 after purchasing the premises from Mr Forte, proprietor of Forte’s Cafe.
A well-known and much-loved couple, the Dora family name was synonymous with the fish and chip business in Dundee with a history stretching back 130 years.
The family settled in Dundee after moving to Scotland from Rovinaglia, a village in Italy, and opened other chippies in St Mary’s, Broughty Ferry and Barnhill.
Despite spending some time as a mechanic, it was only natural that their son, Giulio, would follow in his parents’ footsteps and take up the mantel at the iconic family firm.
Giulio, who grew up in Stobswell, was a familiar face at Dora’s as a bairn, and a few decades passed before he bought the family firm in 1981.
Giulio retired in 2018, not only closing a chapter in his own life, but also in the history of Dundee when Dora’s shut up shop for good.
Dundonians will have fond memories of frequenting Dora’s, and Giulio said he was “amazed” at the reaction to his retirement.
Recalling the happy times, he said: “The former Dundee United manager Jim McLean used to come in and check the players weren’t eating fish and chips after training.
“I’ve worked 14-15 hour days as far back as I can remember and must have cut up thousands of tonnes of spuds in that time.”
The Supreme Chip Shop
Dozens of pokes of chips were the order of the day at The Supreme Chip Shop for the hungry workmen of Duncan Logan Contractors in 1966.
Another long-established Dundee firm run by Alf Mordente, the Pole Park Road chippie was handy for the builders working up an appetite while constructing the nearby Tay Road Bridge.
The famous Mordentes were of Italian ancestry, having arrived in Dundee in 1918, and quickly established themselves in the fish and chip trade with a string of shops.
A recipe for success, the Scottish-Italian union was celebrated in 1996 when the family commissioned their own Mordente tartan – in the colours red, white and green, of course.
The Deep Sea Restaurant
The Deep Sea Restaurant on the Nethergate had a special place in the heart of the city – and in the hearts of Dundonians.
There were tears and fond memories shared when the Sterpaio family took a step back from the business after an impressive 77 years.
Raymond Sterpaio, brother Lawrence and his wife, Dorothy, decided to call it a day and hang up their aprons for the final time on July 31 2014.
A much-loved institution, The Deep Sea Restaurant didn’t just serve regulars – such was its reputation, people would make a bee-line for its battered treats when passing through the city.
Its box-office food was matched only by its box-office visitors – Sir Sean Connery, Joanna Lumley and Brian Cox.
Baluniefield Road Chip Shop
The Baluniefield Road Chip Shop was a popular stop off for punters in the 1960s.
But there was outrage in 1981 when Dundee City Council was rumoured to be putting up the price of fish suppers across the city’s housing estates, including the chippie at Baluniefield.
Mario’s Blue Grotto Fish and Chip Bar
Meanwhile, Mario’s Blue Grotto Fish and Chip would have been a familiar stomping ground for anyone who grew up in the Happyhillock area of the city.
It was an area that expanded considerably in the 1960s, with around 300 new houses built – and every good community needed its own chippie.
More than half a century later, Mario’s Blue Grotto is still going strong and delivering the tasty goods but at a different location, on Brantwood Avenue.
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