Hip Hop Chip Shop: We tried the Manchester chippy named second best in the country

Here’s what we thought of Hip Hop Chip Shop, one of Manchester’s favourite chip shops.
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National Fish and Chip day is upon us and many people will likely be treating themselves to a chippy tea tonight. And while we all love our respective local chip shops, there is one spot in Manchester that has had great success over recent years by doing things slightly differently.

Hip Hop Chip Shop opened its Ancoats premises in 2018, after several years travelling around the festivals and fairs as a van pop-up – which you can still find at events around Manchester, including the Carlton Club in Whalley Range.

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Earlier this week, it was named the second best chip shop in the country, so to celebrate National Fish and Chip Day, we headed into town to try it for ourselves.

What’s it like inside and where is it?

As the name suggests, the theme is hip-hop but it’s definitely not a gimmick. If you’re a hip-hop fan, you are sure to appreciate the vibe here, and even if you’re not, you’re not going to be overwhelmed by the theme. The seating area is covered with gig posters, records, tapes and other hip-hop memorabilia from the whole spectrum of artists – from Wu Tang Clan to Manchester’s own soulful hip-hop duo Children of Zeus.

Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorldHip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld
Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld

Music is an important part of the Hip Hop Chip Shop brand and they regularly host live music events with DJs and MCs. For a relatively small space – it seats 35 people – there is a lot going on there and the community they have built through their food and events is great to see. I first found out about Hip Hop Chip Shop via my sound engineer brother, who often comes here with colleagues on work nights out to appreciate the music and sound system – as well as the food.

Ancoats is also a great area for foodies. In the past decade or so developers have worked their magic on the neighbourhood, transforming it into one of the most sought-after postcodes in Greater Manchester. Hip Hop Chip Shop is located off the bustling Cutters Room Square, which, when we visited on a sunny Friday afternoon, was full of people enjoying a drink or spot of lunch at the various bars and restaurants. Hip Hop Chip is certainly in very good company – it’s closest neighbour is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Manchester.

Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorldHip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld
Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld

The food

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If you’re visiting at lunch time, there are two menus to choose from – the main menu and the  lunch menu, which includes smaller portions of the mains, as well as wraps and butties. We ordered from the lunch menu using the shop’s click and collect service and were able to order in the morning for a specific pick up time in the afternoon – great if you want to plan ahead or order for bigger groups.

Of course our order included fish and chips, but we also decided to try a couple of the more non-traditional items on the menu: curry fish and chips, as well as a side of battered gherkins, gravy, mushy peas and curry sauces. The lunchtime portions of fish and chips were reasonably priced £7 and the main menu portions are £13.50. Sides ranged from £3-4 and the sauces were £1.20-2.

Hip Hop Chip Shop fish and chips. Photo: ManchesterWorldHip Hop Chip Shop fish and chips. Photo: ManchesterWorld
Hip Hop Chip Shop fish and chips. Photo: ManchesterWorld

As we were eating at home, the first test was how well the food travels. There is nothing worse than unwrapping your fish and chips to find soggy potato and batter, but this was happily not the case. The batter on both the fish and gherkins was crispy, and not too thick or thin either. The skin-on chunky chips were fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and definitely more decadent than your average chippy chips.

The portion sizes were also spot on. Instead of one large fish, you get two large chunks with the lunch portion and four with the main. Some traditionalists out there would probably have preferred to see one large piece, but I think this way improves the important batter-fish ratio.

Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorldHip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld
Hip Hop Chip Shop Photo: ManchesterWorld
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There is a long-standing debate in the UK about what should and should not accompany fish and chips, and curry sauce is definitely one of those condiments that divides people. Personally, I think it works and anyone who disagrees should try Hip Hop Chip Shop curry fish.

The biggest surprise for me, however, was the battered gherkins. The dill pickled gherkins are cut into strips, covered in batter and fried until golden. The sweetness and sharpness of the gherkins cut through the crispy batter, giving the juicy pickles a satisfying crunch. These would even make a great beer snack on their own. They were great dipped in the curry sauce and the rich meat gravy as well.

We will definitely be returning to Hip Hop Chip Shop and will stay to eat-in next time. The drinks menu has a wide variety of beers and cocktails, and we also spotted deep fried Mars bars on the specials board, so there is a lot more to try.

  • You can find Hip Hop Chip Shop at 44 Blossom St, Ancoats. They are open Wednesday 5-9pm, Thursday-Friday 12-2pm & 5-9pm, Saturday-Sunday 1-9pm.