Chippy's Omaha — Restaurant in Omaha

EDITED TO CORRECT ACCURATE TIMING, BASED ON OWNER'S "GRACIOUS" REPLY. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING P.C.. & I do understand what it means for a small business. However, I think the owner should reread my review THOROUGHLY & understand that I did have some nice things to say. The reply I received in response to this review I would count towards service & can easily update that from a 4 to 1 star if he can't appreciate honesty & constructive criticism.

Went to this easy to miss hole-in-the-wall late afternoon Friday, approx 4:30-5pm. I've been by that area hundreds of times & never seen it. Best way to get there is to go in like you would to Dollar Tree & it's on your right; the directions sent us off the track to get there. There was only 1 staff member & judging by the other patrons in there, it appeared to be a short-staffed night, so she seemed rushed & the overall wait for service & food was a bit. I can't say I had an outstanding service experience since she was by herself being pulled in both directions at the same time, but I'm hoping to have what others mentioned when we go back.

Lots of pros & cons, so going to explain the reason for a 3🌟 rating.

PROS: Atmosphere. Such a cute little place with lots to look at! It's a tiny place with 2 tables in the middle together & tons of stuff from the U.K. for decor & purchase. I talked to one of the regulars by chance who said you can sign up for a newsletter that tells you what new stuff is going to be coming in. There's candy, loose packaged tea bags & boxes, savory items, non-food novelties. There's also a British t.v. on. You will pay a premium for them being imports.

If you're on a budget, but want something you can't get much elsewhere, this is the place for a selection of candy that's more on the clean side & also takes you on a little International trip.

Food selection & prices, along with drinks from the U.K.. The pastries looked fresh & tasty, but didn't try them that night.

Location, as long as you don't miss it. 😂 It's in a main area & easy to get to from the highway.

The fish & chips were more of a con (why is below), but the offering to cook with salt & vinegar is definitely a PRO.

CON: While the prices are good overall, the fish tasted average for frozen fish. The fries were good. Definitely not the American crispy; they're soft steak fries, which is more British. Had to put more salt & vinegar on, which was to be expected, but the highlight was the option to have it cooked with both on.

Will definitely be back to try some of the pastries, maybe give the fish & chips another chance & hopefully be updating this with a higher rating. Will update for sure after...

I was excited to try Chippy's ever since hearing about it a few months ago. An authentic British fish and chips shop, right here in Omaha!

My party ordered fish and chips for dine-in, and a steak, bacon, and ale pie with onion gravy and sticky toffee pudding with warm custard to go. The shop was charming and full of various imported British goods, ranging from snack foods to condiments. The boys working the counter were very courteous and helpful.

My heart sank as soon as the food came. I could tell immediately that none of it was actually fried and verbally confirmed this with the lady cooking at the time. Everything was air-fried. For those who don't know, an air fryer is literally a convection oven. It neither uses oil nor does it truly fry anything. In addition, the pieces of fish were almost certainly pre-breaded, frozen portions pulled from a big plastic bag. In all fairness, Chippy's does not advertise their fish as fried or hand-breaded, but their site does say “beer-battered”, which I also have doubts about. What arrived at the table immediately reminded me of elementary school lunch, circa 1994. The fish and chips were fully baked, but that’s about the best I can say. The taste of both were on par with a generic brand of breaded fish pieces and potato wedges you’d buy in the freezer aisle of a grocery store and bake at home.

The steak, bacon, and ale pie and sticky toffee pudding with custard were both good. They both seemed to be made in-house. The pastry was flakey and everything tasted fresh. The gravy was very good as well. However, the pie was roughly 6”x4”x2” thick and $9.99. For a few dollars less I’d probably recommend it.

Perhaps Chippy's shines with breakfast and baked goods like sausage rolls (none of which I’ve tried), but as far as a fish and chips shop; it was abysmal. There isn't a law against it, but I'd say calling yourself a fish and chips shop and serving air-fried, pre-breaded, frozen pieces of fish is a culinary cardinal sin akin to running a steakhouse where it's standard practice to microwave the meat. Chippy's is a locally owned small business and restaurant, which was a major draw for me. Unfortunately, it’s the same reason it pains me to say the experience was...

"Alohomora Misery"

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be trapped inside a liminal space designed by a committee of ghosts who’ve never eaten food, welcome to Chippy’s. I came in hungry, hopeful, and craving fish and chips. I left with vinegar-induced sinus trauma, a philosophical crisis, and a newfound appreciation for silence.

Let’s start with the decor. Imagine a British theme stripped of all charm and culture, then dipped in dishwater and lit with the vibe of a waiting room in purgatory. Seating? One long table. Eight chairs. Zero soul.

The food? Fish: Fried in stale oil so old it could legally vote. Chips: Thick, limp, and spiritually vacant—like they gave up on life halfway through the fryer. Tartar sauce: Packeted. "Chef's Choice." No excuse. Bonus damage: The cook drenched the meal in vinegar before handing it to me. No warning. No consent. Just a one-woman acid attack on my sinuses.

I tried to salvage the experience with a can of Old Jamaica Ginger Beer. Tasted like someone bottled the soil from a dying Victorian garden and carbonated it out of spite.

To top it off, as I took my first bite, a TV commercial came on featuring the actress who played Professor Sprout in Harry Potter; “Enjoy the meal, made with love, as you bask in the British cheer at Chippy’s.” I nearly choked.

After that, for no intelligibe reason, a man began screaming in agony from the television. A saw buzzed. Silence. I looked up. Then a cheery narrator: “Welcome to the rolling hills of Britain.”

When I got home I felt like I had been sucker punched in the gut. As if my body was telling me, "No: I will not let this become a part of you."

Chippy’s isn’t just a bad restaurant. It’s a black hole where hope emulsifies. Avoid at all costs—unless you’re into culinary masochism or performance...