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A deep dive into Binley Mega Chippy – the unlikely TikTok sensation
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
01 Jun 2022
4m
TikTok has got us all hook line and sinker. We all became obsessed with sea shanties after downloading the app, and who could forget when we sold our souls to the cult of feta pasta?
The simple fact is, when Gen Z video-makers say something is a trend, it’s a trend – and that’s that.
But the latest food sensation to take off from the app has left everyone a little… well, bewildered.
Binley Mega Chippy has taken the world by storm (Credit: Alamy)
Binley Mega Chippy is the destination on everyone’s lips at the moment, and as for why? Well, nobody quite knows. On paper, it’s just a standard fish and chip shop in the West Midlands, but overnight, it has become notorious.
Here, we explore it’s newfound fame, the hilarious reviews it has received and what its owner says about its unexpected surge in popularity….
What is all the fuss about Binley Mega Chippy?
Binley Mega Chippy looks quite ordinary from the outside, and whilst it has been popular in Coventry since it first opened its doors in 2004, nobody could have quite imagined the fan-fare it is receiving right now.
Whilst it was first mentioned online in 2009, the hype over Binley Mega Chippy really took off after it was mentioned on TikTok, by user @craigs.kebab.house.
He named the chip shop, located in Binley Road, Binley, one of his favourite takeaway spots in the UK – and since then people have just gone nuts for it.
It didn’t take long before the chip shop became an unexpected British institution, with hundreds of videos being posted on the app and a ‘Binley’s Mega Chippy’ theme song being created, which has since been viewed over a million times.
You can hear the song below:
@binleymegachippyfan53 Reply to @binleymegachippyfc
The song reached the height of popularity over the last weekend of May, and by Monday 30th, there were queues of people outside the chippy’s door, taking pictures and eagerly filming #content.
People have been sharing memes aplenty, questioning what Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher would have ordered from there and remixing the tune in every way possible. Grunge, RnB… you name it.
Fans are even heading down to review it from Portsmouth, Essex, Gloucester, London and – wait for it…Sydney, Australia.
Yep, punters from Down Under flew in to sample its fish, chips and mushy peas. There truly is no distance that the Mega Chippy hype can’t reach.
“12-hour round trip it was. I know, we’re fucking mad, aren’t we? Never known banter like it. Top lads. And to be fair it’s a decent chippy.” pic.twitter.com/w73mfMQ86I
— db (@dbry27) May 30, 2022
What’s on Binley Mega Chippy’s Menu?
Binley Mega Chippy’s menu is pretty massive, and in some ways deserving of the fan-fare.
They’ve got cod, haddock, scampi, roe, battered sausages, Pukka pies, fishcakes and saveloys galore.
As well as your usual fish and chips, you can also buy kebabs, southern fried chicken and burgers, too.
Plus, they’ve got a few special bits, like pasties and scollops on the menu, and they offer battered mushrooms, pineapple fritters and a battered hamburger. Oooh err.
It’ll cost you £1.95 for regular fish and chips or £2.95 for large, whilst a kebab will cost anything between £3 and £6 and chicken costs between £1 and £3.50 depending on portion size.
The ‘Moribus Meal’ is the main menu feature that has popped off online. What is it, you might ask? Well, it consists of fish, chips, mushy peas and a fizzy drink, for £4.99.
Here it is below:
https://www.tiktok.com/@moisttictacs/video/7101348911549320454
Again, the reason people have become obsessed with this is somewhat of a mystery. In many ways, it’s the bog-standard ordinariness of it all that we reckon has lured people in.
Still, we’d certainly smash one for under a fiver.
Reviews of Binley Mega Chippy
Naturally, since the Binley Mega Chippy fanfare begun, people have been flocking to review the chippy online, and some of the comments are absolutely nuts.
“Binley mega chippy gave my life meaning,” wrote one person after visiting the Coventry eatery.
Whilst another wrote: “This is a world heritage site”.
“Outstanding food travelled 170 miles for fried chips and it delivered (sic),” penned a third.
Binley Mega Chippy is getting loads of reviews (Credit: Restaurant Guru)
As a fourth wrote: “Binley mega chippy is a life changing experience my taste buds have never been so pleased by food before”.
It’s pretty dramatic. You get the idea. You can read more TikTokers cracking chippy jokes here.
For context, we should add that the chippy was getting pretty solid reviews before it took off, too.
Six months ago, someone described it as “one of the best fish and chips [they had] had in years”, whilst another praised the “well cooked food and friendly staff”.
Who is the Binley Mega Chippy owner?
Binley Mega Chippy is owned by Kamal Gandhi, who has been pretty quiet in the face of his takeaway joint’s newfound fame.
Over on TikTok, people have been trying to bag an interview with him for days, but he broke his silence when he made primetime news.
Speaking to The Guardian, Gandhi said: “I have no idea what happened. Thursday it started to get busy, and I noticed people out front taking pictures.
“I was just like ‘What are people doing?’ We assume someone local who likes the food has made the song and it’s just gone viral”.
Can someone explain what is happening at my local chippy – has the matrix broken 🖥️ #binleymegachippy pic.twitter.com/GXWUPu2uSA
— 𝕯𝖚𝖐𝖊 𝕶𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖘 (@dukekeats) May 31, 2022
Speaking of the surge in popularity and orders, the chippy owner added that he was having to buy more stock to keep up with demand.
“We are not going to complain. We will have to see how the week pans out … We have to be prepared, we don’t want to run out of food. We are having to bring all the staff in.
“I think the novelty will wear off, we do know that. But you never know, it could continue throughout the summer.”
Is it wrong we kinda wanna travel to Coventry to visit now? Anyone fancy a road-trip?!
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