We tried out London’s first ever crisps restaurant

hipchips crisp restaurant review london

If music be the food of love, give me crisps instead.

It’s common knowledge that London has gone slightly mad with ridiculous food trends. I for one am not complaining about this madness, especially when I heard about HIPCHIPS. I’m gonna cut to the chase; if you're not a crisp fan (but seriously, who isn’t), to read on would be futile. I am quite the supporter of a fried potatoe, and after countless attempts at trying to give them up for new year/lent, I surrendered to the call of the crisp.

Opening late last year, HIPCHIPS caused quite the media frenzy when it arrived in Soho, so after the heat had died down a little, I headed down on a Friday evening in March to see what the fuss was all about. Located on Old Compton Street, you are met with a very fast-food inspired space with a casual and contemporary edge; furnished with white tiles, low hanging lamps and sporting an illuminated back wall decorated in edgy artwork.

HIPCHIPS make their crisps from seasonal spuds using unusual heritage potato varieties from Shetland Black to Pink Fur Apple. The crisps are presented in a gift box - and credit where it’s due - the crisps were delicious, with the different flavour varieties standing out and showing that it's not just cheese & onion taking the crown. In terms of dips, tried out the baba ghanoush, katsu curry, smoky cheese fondue and pickled onion, which all paired beautifully with the crisps in true savoury fashion.

Moving onto the sweet crisps, I was slightly apprehensive, but they were strangely... fabulous. Coated in sugar and cinnamon we paired them with chocolate praline mousse, campfire s'mores and peanut butter and raspberry jam. As delicious as they were, they did become increasingly sickly, so if I went back I would go for all-out-savoury. We washed these down with Signal London lager which was perfect with our heavy crisp consumption.

Pricewise, a small box of crisps with two dips will cost you £4.50, a medium box with three dips £6.75 and a large box with six dips will set you back £11.50. If you’re ravenous for crisps, or just want a cool bite to eat in Soho, then HIPCHIPS is a tasty novelty that needs to go on every hungry Londoners list.