Four chippies in the Greater Manchester region have been ranked among the Top 50 in the entire country.
Fry Magazine, which publishes an annual list of the best places in Britain to grab a chippy tea, has released its official rankings for 2021.
A quartet of local cafes have made the prestigious list – which is arranged in alphabetical order.
The magazine performed a series of unannounced mystery dining visits throughout the year, marking shops and mobile units on over 40 aspects including food quality, customer service, social media presence and COVID-safe practices.
Outlets were also assessed on the “flakiness of the fish, the crispness of the chips and the crunch of the batter, alongside value for money.”
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Fry editors said that despite the challenging conditions of the past year, entrants “didn’t let standards slip” – with the quality benchmark said to be the highest in the awards’ history.
The Greater Manchester venues named on the list were as follows…
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Chips @ No.8, Prestwich
Chips @ No 8 / Image: Facebook
First up was Chips @ No 8 – a cafe made famous for having a 20ft mural of The Fall frontman Mark E. Smith painted on the side of its building.
But despite the artistic flourish on the exterior of the chippy, it’s always been the grub that truly keeps customers coming back.
Owners stated in a Facebook post: “There are more than 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK and our little chippy down a side street in P-Town has been listed in the Top 50!!!
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“This is a prestigious list and we’re incredibly proud to have made it.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone who has queued on a Friday.”
Sykes, Pendlebury, Salford
Sykes / Image: Facebook
Sykes is one of the most popular chippies in Salford – finishing top of a ‘Best Chippies’ poll voted on by MEN readers in 2020.
It’s a venue that’s no stranger to acclaim, so it was unsurprising to see the beloved Pendlebury fry house make Britain’s Top 50.
Nonetheless, the owners reacted to the news with delight.
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“With thousands of entries Sykes is proud to be named one of the UK’s top 50 fish and chip takeaways,” read a statement on social media.
“This is a prestigious award and the competition was high.
“We would like to thank all our loyal and supportive customers and those who have queued on our busy teas aswell as the wonderful team we have working with us.
“Really great to see other amazing Manchester fish and chip shops making the list!!!!”
The Little Chippy, Tyldesley
The Little Chippy / Image: Facebook
Also making the Top 50 was the humbly-named Little Chippy in Tyldesley – a cafe that whips up tasty portions that defy its diminutive name and stature.
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Based on Elliott Street, the cafe reels in five-star reviews on a regular basis – and owners said being named on the Fry Magazine list was a “great honour.”
“To make it onto the top 50 Chippy’s in the U.K. with our 1st entry in the awards is fantastic!” they stated.
“So glad to see so many other Manchester based chippy’s to make the list.
“We couldn’t do it without our dedicated team of staff and all our lovely customers who have stuck with us over this last 12 months.”
The Fish At Goose Green, Wigan
The Fish At Goose Green / Image: Facebook
Last but certainly not least was The Fish At Goose Green – the Wigan takeaway with slick branding and a deliciously expansive menu featuring pies, seafood and chicken as well the classic fish & chips.
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Owners welcomed the “fantastic news” after a “hard year”.
They stated: “We are extremely proud of our staff and are thankful for the continued support from all of our customers.
“I think there’s only one thing left to say… who’s up for a Chippy tea?”
You can view the full list of Fry Magazine’s Top 50 chippies online here.
Food & Drink
Viral Korean street food brand Bunsik is coming to the Trafford Centre
Daisy Jackson
Korean street food brand Bunsik is branching out, with a brand-new restaurant confirmed for the Trafford Centre.
Set to open later this year, the London-born brand will be bringing its viral Korean corn dogs – with cheese pulls that stretch as far as your arms will go – to the huge shopping centre.
As well as that, Bunsik is famed for classic Korean street food dishes like ttekbokki, crispy fried chicken, and kimbap.
The Korean favourite already has a popular site over in Manchester city centre, opening up on Piccadilly Gardens back in 2023.
Bunsik is set to open in the Trafford Centre’s The Orient food hall in June, taking over the old Shere Khan unit.
It joins other recent openings like Joe & The Juice, Jerk Junction, and the brand-new Eastern Garden dining area which is home to Blanchflower, Chit n Chaat, and Hello Oriental.
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Bunsik to Trafford Centre this summer.
“It’s a brand that brings something fresh, fun and exciting to our food lineup, and we know our visitors are going to love it.”
Korean corn dogs from BunsikThe existing Bunsik at Piccadilly Gardens
Jae Cho, founder of Bunsik, said: “We have been truly overwhelmed by the incredible love and support Manchester has shown us since we opened at Piccadilly Gardens.
“Seeing so many people enjoy our food every day gave us the confidence to believe that Bunsik could truly become a nationwide brand.
“It confirmed that the UK’s love for Korean street food is even stronger than we imagined.
“With that same energy and confidence, we are now thrilled to bring Bunsik to the iconic Trafford Centre. We hope our new home becomes just as beloved a spot for everyone in Manchester and the surrounding areas. We can’t wait to welcome you all very soon!”
We’ve found some of the best Chinese food in town – being served out of a snooker hall
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: we’ve stumbled across one of our favourite new places for Chinese food just on the outskirts of Manchester city centre – it just so happens to be served out of a best-in-class snooker hall.
And that really is just the tip of the iceberg here.
Some of you may have heard about and/or seen it already, but we’ll admit we were a little late to the party when it comes to Club 200, a.k.a. the pool, snooker, darts, mahjong club and more, which has so many different things rolled into that it’s really more a Russian doll than a Chinese restaurant or sports venue.
The hook speaks for itself: a place where people spend just as much time practising with chopsticks as they do their cues, as it really isn’t a gimmick, as some pessimistic folk would have you think – the food is banging and so are the vibes in general.
Not only is this quite literally the best snooker club in Manchester – complete with everything from classic American billiards and Chinese 8-ball to king-size snooker tables that the Ronnie O’Sullivan has played and won on, to a special AI system you won’t find anywhere else – it is SO much more than that.
Whilst the backroom was packed with everyone from casuals to those looking to get their pro certification via the official Q Tour, and lads in the front were practising their arrows, as co-owner Simon admitted they get almost just as many darts regulars these days, a storm was cooking up in the kitchen.
It would be unfair to say this place doubles as a bar and restaurant, because we really couldn’t get over how well put together this menu was.
‘Café 200’s food offerings involve classics like fried rice and chow mein dishes, to the kind of sides you could expect from your local Chinese chippy, but it’s even more authentic exports that really impress.
For instance, the beef ho fun seemed to be a big hit with everyone; we loved the salty seafood udon as well (a great chew on those noodles), and we know plenty of people still searching for proper Hong Kong-style French toast – they might just find it here.
Speaking of the special administrative region, which has a twisting and turning but nevertheless rich culinary culture all of its own, that last dish had us hopping with joy.
You’re looking at baked Portuguese rice: a Macau speciality rooted in the region’s colonial history.
We’ve never quite had anything like it before, even in all of our years eating this kind of cuisine around the 10 boroughs, but we haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
And then there’s everything else they do, from karaoke and bingo nights to catering for birthdays and other functions, or even just serving as a cool, somewhat tucked-away spot to watch the footy and other live sport come the weekend.
You can tell this place has built up a real community over the last 18 months or so, and while the food speaks for itself, it’s the sheer abundance and variety going on that makes it especially charming to so many.
Speaking of jack-of-all-trade venues, we stumbled across a similar multi-talented one over in Salford not so long ago, too…
The Manc -
8th April 2021 
