G. Kelly pie and mash shop reopens on Roman Road
For those of you who missed it, Roman Road’s beloved G. Kelly pie and mash shop has finally reopened its doors after a complete refurbishment.
A new bakehouse has been built at the back to comply with modern standards, while both the interior and exterior have been completely refurbished to look the way they did before World War II.
The famous pie, mash, and liquor combo costs £3.90, and the shop has introduced vegan pies to its menu. A selection of teas and soft drinks are also available. There will be the occasional Sunday special, a fine excuse to pop by and see the refurbishment if you haven’t already.
Shop owner Neil Vening said: ‘The aim was always to restore the shop to its old self. It’s had a lot of updates over the years and we wanted to restore the original design.
‘It’s funny, you get old regulars who come in, look around, frown, and say it looks the same. That’s what we wanted. We wanted it to feel familiar.’
The new-look old-look design was painstakingly modelled on a photograph of G. Kelly taken in the late 1930s or early 1940s. The sign was made by Luminor Sign Co, which is based down the Roman Road at 47.
G. Kelly has been buzzing since the reopening, rivalling Cafe East for queues. Some customers have travelled hours to see the shop in action once again. Vening has had to limit opening times to avoid pie shortages, but expects things to settle.
‘It’s been smooth but intense. We’ve had thousands of people come through since we reopened, old and new faces. We were worried that wouldn’t come back, but not any more. It’s been great.’
The shop is open during lunch times every day of the week, staying open later on Fridays and Saturdays.
Visit the G. Kelly website to stay up to date with the latest developments
If you liked this article you may like reading about another Roman Road dynasty, the Saucy Kipper Fish Bar
