Newark’s fish and chip shops rated for the quality of their chips – with a top score for A1 Fish Bar in the Advertiser’s taste test
There’s nothing like a fresh bag of chips — but which Newark chippy does them best? We tried all 11 to find out.
February 20 to 26 is National Chip Week, a week-long celebration originally run by the Potato Council, although it is not often marked anymore.
Still, in the spirit of a campaign that aimed to raise sales of potato products – and particularly the staple British fish and chip shop chips – we tested out portions from all of Newark’s fish and chip shops, ranking them out of five on how well salted they were, freshness, flavour, crispiness, portion size, and price, to give a top score of 30.
From each shop we ordered a small wrapped portion with just salt.
Hawtonville Fish Bar, Bowbridge Road
Hawtonville Fish Bar served up a average size portion with good flavour, a good amount of salt and nice crisp chips.
Coming in at £2.90 for the portion the cost was also on par with most others in the area.
It earnt a total score of 21/30, with its highest scores for saltiness, flavour and crispiness.
The Fisherman’s Catch, Bowbridge Road
The chips from Fisherman’s Catch were served in a very generous portion, but were less flavoursome than others we tried and didn’t seem to have much salt.
The portion, bought during the lunchtime opening hours, felt reasonably fresh but was not particularly crispy.
At £2.99 the price was slightly more pricey than others, and it scored an overall of 16/30, with a 5/5 for portion size.
Antonio’s, Lakeside Shopping Centre
Antonio’s Traditional Fish and Chips served up chips with a perfect crispy outside and a lovely flavour.
The small portion was smaller than others, but was reflected in the price at £1.95. They could have done with a little more salt but were fresh and tasty.
It scored an overall 24/30, with 5/5 for both price and crispiness.
A1 Fish Bar, London Road
Our top pick of the bunch was A1 Fish bar, which served up perfectly salted, fresh chips, in a good-sized portion.
The chips were flavourful and a lovely golden colour, and were about average on price, coming in at £2.80.
It scored an impressive overall 26/30, with 5/5 for saltiness, freshness and crispiness.
X Gate Fish Bar, Castlegate
X Gate’s chips were very fresh, but their flavour didn’t stand out among the crowd.
The portion was smaller than some others, but was still a reasonable serving and could have coped with a bit more salt.
Coming in a £2.80, they were again fairly priced compared to others, and scored an overall 20/30, with 5/5 for freshness.
Victoria Fish Bar, Victoria Street
Victoria Fish Bar’s chips were among the most flavourful, despite a lack of salt, and were nicely crispy on the outside.
The chips were cooked fresh when we ordered. This did lead to a bit of a wait but the portion we were served was on the larger side.
Costing £2.90 the chips were averagely priced, and earned a score of 24/30, with 5/5 for freshness and flavour.
Fryer’s Club, Jersey Street
The chips from Fryer’s Club were perfectly salted, tasted fresh and had a nice flavour.
They were a nice colour with good crispiness, but the portion size was on the smaller side — while the price hit the £3 mark.
Overall, we gave a score of 23/30, with 5/5 for salt and flavour.
Fish King, Hawton Road
Fish King’s chips had a delicious flavour, and perfect level of crispiness, but didn’t feel quite as freshly cooked as some others.
While the price remained higher at £3, the portion size was rather small, and a little more salt would’ve been good.
However, they were lovely and golden, earning an overall score of 21/30, with 5/5 for flavour and crispiness.
Appleton Gate Fish Bar, Appletongate
Appleton Gate’s chips were a well rounded offering, with good flavour, saltiness and freshness, although they weren’t as crispy as some.
The portion size was excellent, for an average price of £2.80.
Overall they scored 23/30, with 5/5 for portion size.
Mr Chips, Northgate
The portion of chips served here was perfectly salty, flavoursome and crisp, although was not as fresh as some others.
The portion size was on the larger side, and the price lower than most others, at £2.50.
Mr Chips scored an overall 25/30, with 5/5 for saltiness and crispiness, coming in at a close second to our top pick.
Angell’s Fisheries, Barnbygate
Coming in a £2.10, Angell’s small chips were the second cheapest, but the portion was on the smaller side.
The chips were perfectly salted, and had a good flavour and crispiness, although weren’t quite as freshly cooked as others.
They scored and overall 23/30, with 5/5 for saltiness.
So, to recap, our top three were:
1.A1 Fish Bar, London Road
2.Mr Chips, Northgate
3.Antonio’s, Lakeside Shopping Centre/Victoria Fish Bar, Victoria Street
All of Newark’s chip shops served up respectable helpings of this classic takeaway treat, and there’s sure to be something to suit everyone’s tastes at all of the above.
Now we’ve had our say, let us know which is your go-to chip shop in the comments below.
