For nearly 40 years, City Fish Bar has been part of life in the heart of Canterbury. Local families, students and visitors have found a welcome at our little shop on St Margaret’s Street.
1986WHERE OUR STORY BEGAN
A Family Business
Georgios Petri established City Fish Bar in 1986. Today, his son Peter continues the family story.
Behind the counter are decades of family history, familiar faces and relationships with customers. Good food, genuine hospitality and looking after the people who walk through the door remain at the heart of the shop.
Anyone can open a fish and chip shop. Staying open for four decades takes something else.
When George (Georgios) Petri took over the shop in 1986, he began a family chapter that Peter carries forward today.
At City Fish Bar, we've served Canterbury through four decades of change, and the one thing that hasn't moved is how we do it. Proper fish. Chips cooked to order. Hot, generous and wrapped up the way you remember. No shortcuts, no gimmicks, no trend chasing.
We've fed the kid who came in after school and now brings their own kids. We've fed the students, the tradies, the late shift crowd and the families who've made us their Friday night tradition. When you've been part of a community this long, you don't take it for granted. You earn it every single day you open the doors.
Other shops come and go. We're still here, and still owned and run by Pete, who's on the spot and cares what lands in your hands.
Come in once and you'll understand why people don't switch.
City Fish Bar. Trusted by Canterbury for since 1986. Come and taste why.
THEN & NOW
The city changes. Some things stay.
A memory from behind the counter, and a view of the shop today. Different moments in the same family story.
FROM THE FAMILY ALBUM A welcome behind the counter. Date unknown.THE SHOP TODAY St Margaret’s Street. Date unknown.
Explore these photographs at full size in our gallery.
1986
George’s chapter
Georgios Petri establishes City Fish Bar on St Margaret’s Street.
2022
A table for the Scouts
A visiting Scout and Explorer group shares a meal in Canterbury.
2026
Forty years of family
The Petri family’s 40th anniversary falls on 1 November 2026.
OUR COMMUNITY · AUGUST 2022
Welcoming 31 Scouts to Canterbury
In a Tripadvisor account of an August 2022 visit, organiser FiFiJones14 described bringing a Scout and Explorer party from Berkshire: 31 people, including 27 children.
The review recalls a long table arranged so the children could sit together, with meals and drinks brought out promptly. A small snapshot of the welcome that makes a day in Canterbury memorable.
Explore Canterbury’s historic streets, then follow your appetite to St Margaret’s Street. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning to a familiar favourite, there’s a place for fish and chips in your day.
Were you a customer years ago? Did you work here? Do you have an old photograph of the shop, George or Peter? We’re building a photographic history and would love to hear from you.
Message the shop through Facebook, or call 01227 760873. Please send photographs you own or have permission to share. We’ll agree permission and credit with you before publishing.
