Flames

Truly, truly vile. Lamb was still baaing. A vet could have brought it back to life.

Situated in the heart of Formby village, Flames is probably the takeaway in Formby with the best turf in the ongoing war of the takeaways.
Despite this though, I only ever go there when Amigos is closed and when we can’t be arsed walking to Panchos (it is quite the trek). It’s not that Flames is particularly bad, it’s just not really that good either.
As with Panchos, the pizzas are expensive for what you’re getting but Flames doesn’t have the same quality of pizza to fall back on like Panchos. The kebabs are pretty standard — thin, cardboard-​like in texture — but still no better than their rivals. Their burgers are definitely the best of the bunch as they offer thick, meaty slabs with generous helpings of salad.
Despite its bad points, Flames does earn extra points however for regularly being the only place with the balls to be open at two in the morning on New Year’s Day when every other person with an ounce of common sense doesn’t let us inebriated idiots anywhere near their shop.
It’s not bad, but I’d recommend Amigos or Panchos if you have the luxury of choosing between all three.

Oh Flames. It sticks out like a sore thumb in this quiet and traditional village. But I guess every location needs a token kebab house, and this is Formby’s.
One of the bonuses of this place is that it stays open until the early hours. It has a great variety of takeaway cuisine, from seafood pizza to chicken burgers and kebabs. Compared to other fastfood outlets, Flames is pretty expensive. If you’re passing during the day I would recommend going to one of the proper restaurants in the area, such as Quo Vadis, and paying a few quid extra for a decent meal.
However, Flames definitely satisifes guilty-​food urges.

The rumour is that the good people of Formby would not allow a branch of McDonalds, or Burger King or any other red plastic clad fast food eatery within the village limits. Whether this was for fear of attracting the wrong sort of person (a serious issue for a town with two golf clubs and branch of Waitrose) or of the greasy hamburger wrappers that would blow through the streets and find their way into manicured hedgerows or cleanly swept driveways. Whatever the reason for not allowing the big boys in, this little kebab shop on the prairie was the alleged compromise.
Honestly it’s not bad; the pizzas are deep pan and generously topped and the kebabs are freshly prepared and flavourfully spiced. The prices are a little high — expect to pay £5 for most nine inch pizzas — but this is to be expected from frontier fast food in a town where local footballers set down sticks. They used to even throw in a bottle of wine with your order (or would be willing to sell you one long after closing time at the bars and off licenses around the village)
Delivery can be a little erratic — we once waited an hour for two pizzas, so consider yourself forewarned.