Sheffield Chubbys: How legendary takeaway became an icon of nights out in Sheffield

Chubbys was the brilliant final stop off for countless nights-out during its 40 year history in Cambridge Street, serving kebabs and burgers to hundreds of thousands of happy people.

Sadly, in August 2020, the popular venue closed down due to redevelopment work surrounding the Heart of City development. At the time, Chubbys intimated it may return someday, but for now the fast food favourite remains just a memory.

Today, we're taking a look back at the history of the legendary Sheffield takeaway ejoyed by generations of Sheffielders.

The Human League hadn’t even released ‘Dare’ when the eatery cooked its first burger, and Def Leppard, fresh from early performances at the likes of the nearby Wapentake, would release their debut ‘On Through the Night’ album the same year as Chubbys first opened their doors.

The takeaway's owner, Mehran Behizad, first came to Sheffield in 1973 to study industrial design at the then polytechnic – unveiling a late night takeaway couldn’t have been further from the career path of the Iranian.

Mehran met his wife in Sheffield and they then decided to remain in the UK and raise a family, and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 ruled out any return to his homeland at that time, he made the decision to set up Chubbys with various business partners and later became the sole owner.

He launched Chubbys in the early 1980s and served customers from nearby night club The Limit, which only opened two years prior. Chubbys was a staple takeaway venue for The Limit goers right up until the club’s last night in 1991.

However, The Limit is just one of a plethora of after-dark venues in the city centre that saw the takeaway gain legendary status. Another one of these is Josephine’s, which opened in 1976, and they sent a stream of hungry customers to Chubbys until its closure in the late 1990s.

Chubbys had various favourite and popular recipes among punters, with many deemed special simply due to their simplicity. Their ‘sexy burger’ became an urban legend – and it was known as such simply because it came with nothing on it.

Possibly the most notorious recipe to come out of Chubbys was their famous cheese sauce.

On the cheese sauce, one regular remembered: “I only had to look at my shirt the morning after to know I’d visited Chubbys. If I had it would be covered in cheese sauce.”

Over the years, Sheffield has had its fair share of late-night eateries, but few matched the staying power and resilience of Chubbys which became a nightlife staple of the city until its closure.

Beverley Bateman was gutted at the time of the closure. She said: “This is so sad. Wishing you all the best and thank you for giving Sheffield the best late night Kebab place.”

Today, we're taking a look back at the history of the legendary Sheffield takeaway enjoyed by generations of Sheffielders.