A Valletta Favourite Prepares To Say Goodbye
After more than four decades serving generations of customers in Valletta, Bert’s Take Away is preparing for its final send-off this Saturday.
The small takeaway on Merchant Street has become a familiar part of life in the capital, with owner Bertu spending decades behind the counter serving ftajjar, pizzas and other favourites to customers from Valletta and beyond.
Now approaching 80, Bertu has decided to retire and dedicate more of his time to his wife, who has been experiencing serious health problems.
After so many years of work, the time has come for family to take priority.
A Story Stretching Back More Than Four Decades
Bertu’s working life began long before Bert’s Take Away. He started working from a young age, later spending time in a coffee shop and working as a gas cylinder distributor.
Inspired by relatives involved in catering in Canada and by his own passion for cooking, Bertu opened his first takeaway in Valletta in 1981.
Just a few years later, tragedy struck. In February 1986, a devastating gas explosion in Merchant Street killed four people and badly damaged the area, including the premises from which Bertu was operating.
Rather than walking away from the business, Bertu started again. Around a year later, he reopened nearby at what would become the present day Bert’s Take Away.
Generations Of Customers
Over the years, Bert’s became much more than somewhere to grab something to eat.
Customers who first visited as children would grow up and return with families of their own, while people also travelled from different parts of Malta specifically to visit the takeaway.
At its busiest, Bertu would prepare dozens of pizzas alongside the rest of the shop’s food, sometimes beginning work as early as 3am.
His wife and daughter also helped throughout the years, making Bert’s very much a family operation.
One Final Ftira
Now, the community has one last opportunity to visit Bertu behind the counter.
An initiative organised by The Briefcase Man, Gabriel Tonna, is inviting people to head to Bert’s Take Away at 11am on Saturday, 26 September, and buy one final ftira before the Valletta institution closes its doors.
One customer will also receive an unexpected surprise, with €500 being placed inside one randomly selected order.
The aim is to fill the shop one final time and give Bertu a memorable farewell after decades of serving the community.
From opening his first takeaway in 1981, rebuilding after the Merchant Street explosion and serving generations of customers, Bertu’s story has become closely connected with this little corner of Valletta.
After 46 years, it is almost time for one final ftira.
