I went on a hunt to find the best cheesy chips in York

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t Salt and Pepper x


We all have to agree that even a mediocre night out in York can be rectified by a portion of cheesy chips demolished on the way home. The empty box found in the morning even has the power to cause intense flashbacks to the night before. But the most important question is: which cheesy chips take top spot in York?

York students are admittedly spoilt for choice when it comes to cheesy chips and reviewing all of them would have been a true struggle, so here is a review of some of the most well-loved post-night-out takeaways and some hidden gems in my mission to find the best cheesy chips in York:

Efes: 4/5

The renowned Efes is sought after a night out for its cheesy chips. Priced at £4, the box was overwhelmingly filled, but these fries were simply chucked into a microwave with a minimal amount of cheese. Admittedly the cheese was nicely melted and the fries were fairly crisp in spite of the microwaving technique, however, there was a disappointing blandness to them. A little more salt and some more cheese and these could have stolen the limelight. These cheesy chips were on the average side but the friendly staff and the unbeatable vibe in the shop does always make Efes a winner in the eyes of York students, giving Efes a strong 4/5.

Jenny’s Fish and Chips: 4.5/5

Revolutionary cheesy chunky chips

If you are prepared to splash out for good quality cheesy chips, Jenny’s Fish and Chips is where it’s at for £4.40. These are somewhat controversial given that they are not fries but instead chunky chips, although this only elevated it for me. The portion was incredibly generous and there were excessive amounts of cheese which melted by itself in the steaming Styrofoam box, ticking all the boxes for the drunk student. The perfect saltiness, greasiness, cheesiness. A solid 4.5/5 for these revolutionary cheesy chips.

Dominic Pizza: 3.5/5

Decent cheese pull to be honest

Dominic Pizza may not be known for its cheesy chips, and they aren’t explicitly on the menu in the shop but they are worth asking for if you are on the hunt for some cheaper cheesy chips. For £3.50, the portion was more than decent and rather than using a microwave, the chips were piping hot so the cheese could melt completely. The chips themselves had the perfect balance of crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, but whilst the cheese had a good taste to it, the flavour was a little more on the more bland side. With a mixture of positives and negatives, this also scores a middling 3.5/5. Jenny’s Fish and Chips is right next door…

Salt and Pepper: 3/5

Dry dry chips:(

The beloved Salt and Pepper really let me down here. At an extortionate £5, these cheesy chips skimped on the cheese which didn’t even melt, leaving me with dry chips. However, the chips were well-salted with a satisfying level of crispiness so maybe just forget the cheese, save your money and order plain chips from Salt and Pepper. They deserve a score of 3/5.

Oki’s Kebabs: 2/5

a pool of oily cheese

Oki’s Kebab Van. What a delightful little place. Now, if drunk you wants cheese with a side of chips then Oki’s is the place for you. On top of the mediocre chips is a tsunami of liquid mozzarella, so much that if you don’t scran them within a few minutes you will end up with a solidified block of cheesy chips.

The chips were over-fried to the point that just the outer exterior remained, leaving me with something that resembled cuboid shaped crisps. Maybe I didn’t eat them fast enough, but the entire process of eating these cheesy chips was stressful: the cheese was too hot, then solid, the chips became soggy under the sea of cheese they were swimming in, then managed to turn rock hard (don’t ask me for the scientific explanation). Plus the chips had barely any taste. Honestly, Oki’s was trying to be quirky and different but unfortunately, it failed miserably. Maybe there are die-hard Oki fans out there which would devour these cheesy fries, but unfortunately from my perspective, they only succeeded in ticking the box for melted cheese, which soon became very solid cheese. I appreciate the extra effort and so I give them a 2/5.

So overall with a score of 4.5/5, Jenny’s Fish and Chips took the crown for the best cheesy chips and is now my new post-night-out staple.

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