When the 2019 Parmo Championship shortlist hit the Acquiro office, friendliness went out the window quicker than you can say ‘extra garlic, please’.
Like most of Teesside, the argument over who does the best parmo has raged through the office on many an occasion. Scores have been settled over parmo lunches and the correct ratio of bech’ to cheese will forever be an icebreaker for new staff.
In today’s digital world, it’s the mouthwatering snaps of perfectly cooked chicken, oozing bech’ and ‘ready for dipping’ garlic sauce that has us planning our parmo hunting trips. But does a large social following equal a top-notch parmo?
While we would have preferred to head out and sample all 30 parmos for ourselves, we decided instead to look at how much clout the 30 contenders had online.
Looking at Instagram, Facebook and TripAdvisor data here’s how the top 30 stacks up in the digital ratings.
The Entries
(Data correct as of the 16th October 2019)
| Restaurant | FB Likes | Instagram Followers | TripAdvisor Rating |
| The George Pub and Grill (Stockton) | 100.5k | 3,467 | 3 (125 Reviews) |
| Manjaros | 41k | 2,424 | 3.5 (331 Reviews) |
| Open Jar (both locations) | 34k | 4,211 | 4 (116 Reviews) |
| The Dickens | 17k | 2,371 | 3.5 (80 Reviews) |
| The Pig ‘n’ Whistle (Brisbane, Australia) | 11k | 2,050 | 3.5 (438 Reviews) |
| Central Park | 10.8k | 1,664 | 4 (1,318 Reviews) |
| The Oven | 5.1k | 1,647 | 3.5 (816 Reviews) |
| Al Forno (Middlesbrough) | 4.7k | 1,772 | 4.5 (1011 Reviews) |
| Al Forno (Ingleby Barwick) | 4.7k | 1,772 | 4 (227 Reviews) |
| Bistrot Pierre | 524 | 5,872 | 4.5 (477 Reviews) |
| Baker Street Kitchen | 3.8k | 1,730 | 4.5 (116 Reviews) |
| Borge (Stockton) | 5k | N/A | 4 (599 Reviews) |
| The Copperstone | 5k | N/A | 4.5 (56 Reviews) |
| Fellinis | 4.2k | 256 | 4.5 (474 Reviews) |
| The Ship (Redmarshall) | 11.2k | 1,199 | 3.5 (513 Reviews) |
| La Pharmacie | 2.5k | 1,131 | 4 (354 Reviews) |
| The Three Horseshoes (Cowpen Bewley, Billingham) | 2.8k | 204 | 4.5 (305 Reviews) |
| The Lion Sports Bar & Grill (Billingham) | 2.2k | 378 | 4.5 (43 Reviews) |
| The Vault (Marske) | 6.7k | 1,426 | 4.5 (238 Reviews) |
| The Beeswing Inn (East Cowton, North Yorkshire) | 1.7k | 512 | 4.5 (277 Reviews) |
| The Royal Oak Hotel (Great Ayton) | 2k | 175 | 4 (330 Reviews) |
| Peri Peri | 2k | N/A | 3 (22 Reviews) |
| Waterside Brasserie Middlesbrough College | 1.1k | N/A | 4.5 (157 Reviews) |
| Zetland Hotel | 1.5k | N/A | 5 (136 Reviews) |
| The Chairman | 3k | 1,158 | 4.5 (116 Reviews) |
| The Cauldron Bistro | 1.4k | N/A | 4.5 (3 Reviews) |
| Isaac Wilson | 800 | 162 | 4 (132 Reviews) |
| Hamilton Russell Arms (Thorpe Thewles) | 5k | 344 | 3.5 (500 Reviews) |
| The Fox Covert (High Leven, Yarm) | 635 | N/A | 4 (652 Reviews) |
| Khans Gourmet Street Food | 623 | N/A | 4.5 (8 Reviews) |
Parmo Top Trumps
We don’t know if the top 10 social-powerhouses will match the intense judging of the parmo experts on the 28th of October. We do know that these are the places that’s got Teesside talking, so let’s take a look at the top 10 that have the highest social ranking:
Did you know?
There are over 25.4K #Parmo posts on Instagram. Let’s be honest, do you even really eat a parmo if you didn’t take a picture before you dive in?
What else are we hashtagging our parmos with….
#ChickenParmo – 2,141
#ParmoBurger – 312
#ParmoHunters – 334
#ParmoTime – 208
#ParmoArmy – 173
#ParmoGeddon – 130
#ParmoWrap – 125
Don’t agree with our top 10? Think that you can’t judge a parmo on the restaurants social power? Worry not, you can vote for your favourite here – with the top four invited to a ‘parmo-off’ at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Monday 28th October, where they’ll present their best version of the Teesside Parmo for critique by a carefully-selected panel of parmo judges; with one being crowned ‘simply the bech’.
Good luck to all those who have entered!
