In a neighbourhood that has seen coffee shops come and go, rents spiral upward, and artisan everything replace the everyday, one institution has quietly held its ground for over three decades. Mr Fish, the family-run fish and chip restaurant on Queen’s Park’s high street, is celebrating 32 years in business, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Shafiq Jivraj had been working in the hospitality trade with his father when the economic downturn of the late 1980s hit the family business hard. Rather than wait for the tide to turn, Shafiq spotted an opportunity: a modest, old-fashioned takeaway called Merryweathers was available, and he moved quickly.
In 1994, he bought the building, stripped it back, and transformed it into a proper sit-down restaurant. What started as a modest 20-cover dining room has since grown into a 50-seat establishment, having undergone two full refurbishments, with a third planned in the near future.
The business has always been a family affair. Shafiq’s three son have each played their part over the years, though it is Shakeel who is most hands-on today, steering the day-to-day running of the restaurant. The Jivrajs are unapologetically entrepreneurial (the family also runs a coding business among other ventures) but Mr Fish is where it all began.
Queen’s Park is not what it once was. Gentrification has reshaped the area, bringing a different kind of customer through the door and pushing the price of quality fish ever higher. The team have had to adapt, moving toward haddock as the more economical choice without sacrificing the generous portions that regulars have come to expect.
Mr Fish has built a following that stretches well beyond the neighbourhood, drawing fish and chip enthusiasts from across London. The restaurant recently hosted the Malaysian High Commission and welcomed Deborah Unger, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Queen’s Park, Kensal Rise and Kensal to the launch of its new chicken wings and tenders menu.
“With so much change along the high street, it is great to hear of a business that has been there for so long,” the councillor remarked on her visit.
Thirty-two years, three refurbishments, and one family. In a city that rarely stands still, Mr Fish is proof that some things are worth holding onto.
