Like icy poles on a summer’s day and snags on a barbie, hot chips are an integral part of our national food identity. But where can you find the best hot chips in Sydney? Whether you like yours with maximum crunch-factor, smothered in tomato sauce or sprinkled with chicken salt, our mates over at the City of Sydney asked fellow Sydneysiders on Instagram to name their favourite hot chips in town – and the results are in. From the best late-night chips to the finest kebab shop chips, we’ve got all the golden answers for you. So, did your favourite potato fingers make the cut? Let’s dive in.
Best late-night chips
Winner: Mary’s
Rock 'n' roll beer and burger joint Mary’s is home to the best chips for late-night snacking, according to you. The good news is that you can get your hands on these bad boys post-gig at the Entertainment Quarter, in Circular Quay or after you’ve been bar hopping in Newtown (you can see our favourite ones here). And don’t forget to add hot sauce and gravy to take your chips to take them to another level.
Best chunky steak house chips
Winner: Elements Bar and Grill
Steak and chips is a near-perfect combo in our dinner books, and Element’s Bar and Grill takes home the winner for the best chunky steakhouse chips. We’re talking thick chips, crisp and golden on the outside, but still fluffy on the inside. Best shared with your mates (or not).
Best chips with a view
Winner: Pyrmont Bridge Hotel
If you like to enjoy your chips with a side of stellar views, then head to Pyrmont Bridge Hotel. The old boozer took home the gold medal thanks to its views of the city skyline and Pyrmont Bay.
Best chips with chicken salt
Winner: Clem’s Chicken Shop
Honestly if someone says they don’t like chicken salt, feel free to walk away because you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. As the age old saying goes: Life- and chip-enhancing, a sprinkle of chicken salt maketh the chip. And family owned Clem’s Chicken Shop in Newtown has the best of the bunch (according to you).
Best kebab shop chips
Winner: Golden Pide
You can get rocking kebabs, pide and gozleme at Golden Pide in Surry Hills, who takes home gold for best kebab shop chips. And if you fancy loaded fries after a beer or two, they serve that here too.
Best chips that stay crisp
Winner: Pablo’s Charcoal Chicken & Ribs
Some crunchy and some soft chips are a winning chippy combination, offering different textures to keep things fun. But you don’t want them all to be floppy. Pablo’s Charcoal Chicken & Ribs sells crisp and crunchy chips that will have you munching all afternoon long (or more realistically, about five minutes).
Best Middle Eastern-inspired chips
Winner: Henrietta
This chicken shop serves its chips with sumac chicken salt and that’s a citrus twist we can get behind. That’s not all, you can get your chips with garlic toum, zhug, tahini, fermented chilli and chilli mayo, too. Yum.
You can read more about the winners over here.
Now, there’s only one thing left to do: go out and try them all. You could say it’s crunch time.