I’m going to make a bold claim: Irish Spice Bags are about to take the United States by storm. If it isn’t the most popular fast-food dish in Ireland, it’s certainly the most iconic. The idea is new to me, but I’m convinced food trucks and Instagram/TikTok-friendly restaurants are going to fall in love with it.
What is an Irish Spice Bag?
The building blocks are simple. Start with French fries, add fried shredded chicken (somewhere between a nugget and popcorn chicken), toss in onions and peppers, season with a Chinese spice blend, and mix it all together in a brown paper bag. Most places include a side of thick curry sauce for dipping. The exact spice mix and the quality of the curry are what separate one shop from another, but the combination of crisp fries, savory chicken, heat, and a bit of veg sets an impressively high baseline for late-night snacking.
For my American readers, a little potato terminology is in order. Spice Bags are typically made with “Chinese chips,” not “chipper chips,” and the difference matters. Chipper chips come from fish-and-chip shops (“chippers”) and are usually cut fresh from Maris Piper potatoes. They’re thick and rustic, fried once in vegetable or rapeseed oil—sometimes beef tallow or lard at nicer spots—which leaves them soft and a bit greasy unless the cook pushes the fry time or temperature to crisp them up.
Chinese chips, on the other hand, look more like the standard American French fry. They arrive frozen and already par-fried, then get a final fry in hot vegetable oil for a crispier, less starchy bite. They’re called Chinese chips because they’re most often served at Chinese takeaways, which is exactly where the Spice Bag was born.
Sunflower Chinese Takeaway in Templeogue is credited with inventing the dish in 2006 as an off-menu special. By the early 2010s it had spread across Dublin’s takeaway scene, and by 2020 it was voted “Ireland’s Favourite Takeaway Dish.” There have even been petitions to create a National Spice Bag Day. Today you can find Spice Bags—or “Spicy Bags,” depending on the shop—all over Ireland, though Dublin remains the heart of the craze.
Varieties of Spice Bags
Purists insist a true Spice Bag must stick to Chinese chips, chicken, onions, peppers, and Chinese spices. Others are happy to experiment, swapping proteins, adding new vegetables, or offering alternative sauces like satay instead of curry. This is where things could get fun in the United States. Imagine a Nashville Hot Spice Bag, a Chicago-Style version, or even a Hot Cheetos riff. Could Panda Express throw one on the menu? Absolutely. The only hurdle is that most American Chinese restaurants don’t serve fries, so that part of the equation needs solving first.
Here’s a list that some other intrepid souls have created for some of the best Spice Bags around Dublin. Keep an eye on this blog and my social media channels for future Spice Bags that I might find.
Sodafry 