Our History

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The Very Beginning

Originally there was an identical restaurant two doors along named The Bon Cafe, opened by Mr Peter Dalessi. He sold this business and opened an identical restaurant two doors along and named it The Best Cafe. The two identical businesses traded side by side for many years.

The Best Cafe comprised a dining room offering workingmen’s hearty meals in the centre, with a milk bar on one flank and a fresh fish shop on the other flank. Soon after in the early 1930’s Patrick Collins moved from Invercargill to Dunedin with his wife Delia and family of six children and purchased the Best Cafe as their family business.

After his return from WW2 service, Kevin Collins, Patrick’s eldest son worked in the family business and then took it over in the 1950’s when Patrick retired.

 
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The Conversion

Kevin restructured the business into the seafood specialist restaurant it is today, converting the milk bar into a fish and chip take-way shop and focusing on seafood cafe dishes in the restaurant. It was still very much a family business with his wife Frances and her mother Nessie O’Rorke running the waitressing services. Their children worked part time and during the holidays and in 1976 son Tony joined the business full time.

In 1977 the takeaway shop was closed to concentrate on the restaurant, which was ‘modernised’ in the 70’s style. Kevin and Frances retired in 1986 after forty years in the business and the Best cafe was sold to Mabel McCormick who continued the traditions favoured by many.

The business always had its own fish filleting and oyster opening room, a smokehouse and potato chipping area. Staff at the local fisheries regularly received a big parcel of cooked oysters for afternoon tea, which helped ensure the freshest, and best fish was set-aside for the Best. Full preparation was done on the premises which was a critical part of ensuring the freshest fish was always served at the Best.  The potato expert at Lovell Reilly was also well befriended to ensure the best chipping potatoes were always available for the Best.  

 

Rugby Days

In the big rugby days of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, whether provincial matches or test matches, tens of thousands of fans travelled by train from Southland, North Otago, Central Otago and Canterbury offloading at the railway station and swarming into the Best Cafe for a meal before the long walk out to Carisbrook. Rugby days were huge trading for the Best Cafe.

The Law Courts

Best Cafe always had a regular business from the Courtroom across the road. On a trial day it was not unusual to have the judge, jury and lawyers from both sides all enjoying lunch, at separate tables, at the Best.  A policeman always sat with the jurors to keep them all apart.

Wool Sale

Generations of farmers throughout the decades all made the Best Cafe their choice for lunch when they came to town for the wool sale.  Kevin and Frances were often commenting how they were serving men who had first come to the Best with their grandfathers years earlier.

Celebrities

Best Cafe was a favourite of Mr. Joe Brown who was Dunedin’s  “Mr. Entertainment” in the 60’s and 70’s owning his own record label and running the Miss New Zealand Show as well as promoting regular concerts. He always brought celebrities to the Best for lunch including Howard Morrison, Eddie Low, John Hore and overseas performers like the Irish Rovers. The Best Cafe was known as the place to be at to see the stars. Sadly the list did not include the Beatles or the Stones.

Big Business

Dunedin had many national business based here back in the 50’s to the 80’s and the Best Cafe was a favourite for management to bring their out of town colleagues for lunch.

 
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We are open for dining & takeaway