Sinéad Cranna
Staff Writer, London
Sinéad lives in London. She spends her time eating tacos and Guinness cake and explaining that she is not named after Sinéad O'Connor.
LDNGuide
The London Spice Bag Power Rankings
Ireland’s most beloved export (sorry Paul Mescal), ranked.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
London’s obsession with Irish culture knows no bounds. We’ve brought the O’Neills shorts (just don’t ask us what GAA is), hunted down Guinness cakes, and learned just enough about the black stuff to trot out the phrase ‘clean lines’ with a sage nod when needed. Spice bags are the final thing on any Irish-obsessive’s bingo card. The dish—salt and chilli chips, chicken, peppers, all drenched in curry sauce and served in a bag—originated from Chinese takeaways in Ireland. Best eaten a few pints deep, these are the best spice bags in London.
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No rating: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.
THE SPICE BAGS
Aleksandra Boruch
8.4
The humble takeaway spice bag walked so this fancy version from The Raglan could run. This Indian-Irish pub in Walthamstow serves juicy deep-fried chicken and crispy tater tots, on the kind of patterned plate our mum saves for special guests. The raw onions are a nice touch, so is a Markievicz mule in the snug, candlelit nook by the bar.
Aleksandra Boruch
7.7
Scaldy's spice bags are up there with Coke (full fat, don't start) and pasta bakes as top-tier hangover food. The peppercorn-heavy spice mix evenly coats the chips—which stay crisp rather than turn into a sad, soggy mess—and the slightly sweet satay sauce is worth getting as an add-on. You can, and should, get it from City bar Feeney's, along with a pint.
Aleksandra Boruch
7.5
A spice bag that doesn’t skimp on vegetables is a great thing. With every bite of Fowl’s—a restaurant-cum-shrine to poultry in St James's—you get a good mix of smoky peppers and sweet onions, still with some texture. The Szechuan honey-braised chicken is moist, with a crispy batter, and the spice mix on the chips is enjoyably fiery. It could use more curry sauce, though.
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