'I tried Ireland's most famous fish and chips and was floored by the bill'
Leo Burdock has been serving up food for more than a century and has hosted some of the biggest names in the world but one 'honest' food reviewer was unimpressed
A self-proclaimed "Ireland's most honest food reviewer" recently visited Dublin's oldest fish and chip shop, Leo Burdock, only to label the experience a "disaster".
Leo Burdock's has been serving up meals since 1913, and its original Christchurch location has played host to some of the biggest names from Ireland and around the globe. The list of famous patrons includes Bruce Springsteen, Daniel Day Lewis, Snoop Dogg, Serena and Venus Williams, Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock.
The establishment now boasts a "wall of fame" at the front of the building, showcasing the dozens of A-listers they have proudly served. This was the first thing that caught the eye of content creator Paul-IsItWorthIt during his visit.
He remarked: "Look at the list of people who have been here."
Paul then highlighted names such as Rod Stewart and Bono before posing the question: "You will see here, this is Dublin's oldest chipper, but is it the best?"
In an attempt to remain anonymous and ensure his order wasn't given special treatment, Paul, as is his usual practice, had someone else go inside to collect the food.
Shortly afterwards, Paul, who shares his reviews with his 84,800 followers on TikTok, received his fresh cod, chips and curry sauce. However, he was taken aback by the cost.
Addressing the camera, he exclaimed: "How much was it? €18.95... €18.95 for fresh cod, chips and curry sauce? That's it. Oh my God."
Regarding his initial thoughts on the food, he remarked: "Ohh, that does look good to me. It's a big bit of fish isn't it? Scalding hot man. Scalding hot. It's that sort of colour that looks like it was cooked in beef tallow rather than beef drippings rather than oil... it could be oil."
Sampling a chip, he described it as "slightly undercooked" before having another go, this time accompanied by a dollop of curry sauce.
When tasting the sauce, he commented: "What I compare it to right, it's McDonald's. But it has some sort of sweetness, citrusy sort of taste to it, as if there's some sort of apple or something. I don't know what they are doing with it, maybe it is MiWadi or something like that. It is nice, not bad at all. Not fantastic, but not bad at all."
Next came the "main event", and after slicing the cod in two, he argued it was missing the "big lovely thick chunks" that you occasionally find.
He subsequently declared it tasted "mushy" and continued: "That is not great at all. The batter is not bad but eh... I was expecting it to be great, it ain't even average."
Delivering his rating out of ten, he settled on a "below average" 4.3 before uploading the clip, which you can view in its entirety here, to his 13,800 subscribers with the headline I Tried Dublin's OLDEST Fish and Chip Shop and It Was A DISASTER.
Despite his harsh critique, countless customers have relished Burdock's throughout the years, with celebrity chef Rick Stein dubbing it the "best fish and chips I've ever had".
Anthony Bourdain once expressed that he was "truly honoured" to have dined there, and Marco Pierre White has also given it high praise.
Leo Burdock, thanks to its success over the years, has expanded and now operates several branches across Ireland.
A message on their website states: "Burdocks" has witnessed a great deal of change, from serving hot food during the 1916 rising, which saw Ireland gain independence from Britain, and throughout the two World Wars when the shops had to temporarily close during WW2 due to shortages.
"Alas, by 1939 the effects of the last war had a severe impact on the family business with the supply of ingredients and fuel being scarce. Eventually, only one shop survived - the original Leo Burdocks in Christchurch."
In a 2023 interview with DublinLive about one of their most famous patrons, Bruce Springsteen, owner Charlie McGrachan said: "When he comes to town, over the last 10 or 12 times, we've managed to get him in. He's become a regular."
"He's such a nice guy. He's great with any of the regular staff. He has no problem letting people take photos of him. Just genuine. Real nice person."