Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips
Located on Victoria Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Bertie’s takes on the nation’s favourite dish –seaside fish and chips.
The 11,000 sq.ft restaurant seats 350 covers and is the capitals ‘go to for proper fish and chips.’ Owned by the Vittoria Group, the restaurant aims to attract both international tourists and Edinburgh locals looking for fun, casual dining in the city. The relaxed venue prides itself on the authenticity and quality of ingredients sourced and does not require advance bookings.
The affordable menu has reinvented traditional British ‘Chippy’ dishes and celebrates specialities including fish and chips – along with contemporary twists on the traditional chip shop experience. Fish burgers and ‘cold dogs’ also feature on the menu alongside classic chippy dishes such as pies, haggis and white pudding suppers. The menu also boasts several light options, all under £10.
Deep-Friend Mars bars with ice cream, salted caramel and chocolate sauce play on Scottish chippy tradition of battered chocolate bars and are on the restaurants dessert menu alongside treats such as sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble pie.
The vast three-floor World Heritage site building and former St John’s Church has been used as a bookmaker and previously housed the popular Byzantium market and Khushi’s Indian restaurant before a blaze in 2008.
The new restaurant design plays on the chip shop theme with seating in beach-hut style booths and a nod to nautical style interiors complete with classic tongue and groove panelling, painted floorboards, galvanised metals and weathered paintwork. The restaurants grown-up beach chic also features a variety of coastal inspirations from rope to anchors and well-hung oars.
Michael Dunn from MD Hospitality, who undertook the design work at Bertie’s said: “There wasn’t really anywhere in Edinburgh where you could go with your family to get good fish and chips so the Vittoria Group identified the need for that type of venue and created a magnificent theatre for fish and chips.
“I have been working with Tony Crolla from the Vittoria Group for over 20 years and have worked on all of his restaurants. When he approached us about Bertie’s, I can quite honestly say, it was one of our biggest design challenges. We were asked to create the UK’s largest and most exciting fish and chip restaurant and our design was based on creating a space of theatre, fun and excitement. All great design is fundamentally built on the emotion that our customers experience and making them feel wonderful in a magical space and that is what we believe we have created over the three floors at Bertie’s, embracing many of the original features of the church, the light, the hike and the drama.
“The integrity of the design has resulted in a hospitality experience that is unique to the capital city of Edinburgh.”
MD Hospitality worked alongside Pride Commercial Interiors, who acted as the main contractor, to complete the project.
Bertie’s, which opened to the public on 3rd December 2018, also features two bars, serving a selection of premium spirits and gins from around Scotland, along with beach side themed cocktails, beers and ciders.
Michael added: “Bertie’s has really exploded into the restaurant scene in Edinburgh and is doing magnificent numbers. Tourists and locals love it in equal amount. We really wanted to create a legend in the fish and chip industry in Edinburgh and I think that is what we have done. Having turned over 500 projects in the last 30 years I can truly say that this has been our greatest design solution.”
Florigo
Florigo supplies high-quality, top of the range Dutch frying equipment. The Florigo factory is based in Woerden, Netherlands and has been selling ranges for over 50 years. In October 2004, the UK office opened in the Midlands where an experienced team deals with sales, installations, service and parts.
Florigo was recently involved with Bertie’s, designing a range that would perform to the expectations of the client and maximise the efficiency in the kitchen. Once the design was agreed, the range was manufactured, delivered and installed by Florigo. This included the difficult task of hoisting the equipment up so it could enter the building through a second floor window.
Robert Furey, Florigo Managing Director, commented:
“We love to be a part of customer journeys from start to finish and with Bertie’s being such an exciting project, it was extremely rewarding to see the incredible outcome at the end of it all. Bertie’s simply oozes quality, sophistication and style and has set the bar extremely high for fellow Fish & Chip restaurants. We can’t wait to see them progress even further.
“We are the most technologically advanced brand on the market with an exceptional build quality and many unique features that are not available on any other frying equipment. This coupled with our cradle to grave service and speedy response times puts Florigo as a leading manufacturer within the industry.”
