Tip Top Fish House

36.01902, -78.945134

3300
Durham
NC
Neighborhood
Building Type
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tiptop_fishhouse_ext_1960s.jpg

(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

tiptop_interior.jpg

(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

(Tip Top Fish House ads from 1963 Durham City Directory)

 

Comments

I remember eating here all the time when I was young.  They had this HUGE scale right outside the front door.  My father would always talk me into weighing myself before and after I ate.  He would always tell me I had gained a lot of weight.  I'm sure that would be considered child abuse these days, but I knew it was all in jest.  They had the best shrimp plate in town.  It was split inside into two separate dining rooms, and I think it was past it's heyday, because I never remember it being busy enough that they used both dining areas.  The other cool thing I remember is that the restaurant was made out of the cool block type construction.  I remember climbing it and looking down through the windows at everyone eating.  My father just about wrung my neck. 

I remember getting take-out flounder there a lot. Bullock's was right behind Tip-Top, but was usually so busy it was hard to get waited on!

Tip-Top had great seafood. I remember the large scale too!!

It had a really cool Pacific Island motif. I remember those rafter tails that were cut to look like fish heads. I never got to eat there, so it is interesting to see that they extended inside. Quite an interesting design.

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