The oldest pie shop in town, M.Manze has been serving traditional pie, mash and eels since 1902 and they still use the same recipes too. Impressive. Whether you dine in or take-away you can find a true cockney experience right here.
"The Manze family came over in 1878 and started as ice merchants, then ice cream makers, opening a shop next to the original pie & mash shop on Tower Bridge Road. It’s great to see the shop being run by the 4th generation of the family, so they’re not going anywhere anytime soon."
The first Arments Pie & Mash opened on Walworth Road in 1914, and though it has since moved location in 1979, the business is very proud of its heritage. The pies, whether they’re steak, steak & kidney, vegan or fruit pies, are handmade to a 100-year-old traditional family recipe, including two different types of pastry, one to keep the bottom soft and the other to keep the top flaky and crisp. Beyond its food. Beyond the food, Arments has also been featured in a Maccabees music video, it’s been the subject of a documentary, and it even has a London Borough of Southwark Blue Plaque honouring its authentic pie, mash and eels.
"Arments Pie & Mash opened in 1914 (the year WWI kicked off) on Walworth Road. In 1959 they opened two more shops – another on Walworth Road and a third on Westmoreland Road. The two Walworth Road shops eventually closed and in 1979 they moved again to a larger location on Westmoreland Road, where they are now."
Goddards at Greenwich has been around since 1890 and is a proper old school pie and mash shop. The affordable menu is filled with the classics including minced beef, steak and kidney, and chicken and ham pie served with liquor, gravy, mash, baked beans or peas. And if you’re not down with the pies, David Beckham is a regular and we can all get down with that…
"The pie quality is definitely better than most other spots – they’re also larger and filled with more meat. The chilli vinegar, which is very good, is actually made with real vinegar too."
As well as Maureen’s Pie & Mash just up the road, the people of Poplar also have Eastenders Pie & Mash to get their fix from. Rather than nodding to the soap that shares its name, this shop is a shrine to West Ham so its a popular place to stop for a bite before a game. If you don’t fancy the traditional minced beef pie and mash, Eastenders does chicken, ham & leek pies as well as veggie and Quorn ones, with the likes of apple crumble and school dinner cake for afters.
"The walls are homage to West Ham. The pies were good – nice pastry, a richer brown gravy, crisp on top and soft on the bottom."
Maureen’s Pie & Mash has been cooking on Chrisp Street Market for over 60 years and is still family-run to this day. The handmade pies are baked fresh every day by Maureen’s son Jason, the mash is super smooth and the liquor is made to a secret family recipe. Jellied and stewed eels are also on the menu, as are deep-filled salt beef beigels, and if you can’t make it down to the shop, you can get Maureen’s delivered too.
"Maureen’s is located in Poplar’s Chrisp Street Market. Although they were previously at the other end of the market, the shop has been in this area for over 60 years."
Noted Eel & Pie House is one of the oldest surviving pie & mash shops in the city, though it moved from its original Bow home (opened in 1926) to Leytonstone in 1978. The pies here are still handmade daily according to a traditional family recipe that’s been handed down through four generations and baked in 70 year old gas ovens, with the liquor also made to a secret family recipe. Noted Eel & Pie House is one of the only remaining shops to keep live eels, so if you’re a jellied eel lover, you’ll wanna try them here.
"I really liked the pies here. The mince was a nice rich brown with a strong beefy taste. They had nice crispy tops but the bottoms were soft like the texture of a steak and kidney pudding. The chilli vinegar has a very good kick to it here too. It’s a lovely looking shop and service is friendly."
The Kellys had several pie and mash shops across the East End – Samuel Robert Kelly opened one in Bethnal Green in 1915 and his four children Samuel, George, Matilda and Joe all went on to open eel and pie shops, with the G Kelly on Roman Road (named after George) being founded in 1939. As well as pie, mash, liquor and eels, the shop also sells a selection of fresh seafood from Billingsgate, like whelks, cockles, mussels, prawns and rollmops, from Thursday – Sunday.
"G Kelly opened in 1939 on Roman Road. They used to have a second location but only this one remains. Both were popular hangouts for the Kray twins. As well as pie, mash and jellied eels they also have a small selection of fresh shellfish at affordable prices."
Opened in Camden in 1934, Castle’s is the place to come for the ultimate nostalgia hit. The shop looks the part with its wood-panelled walls, formica, and retro signage, and the prices are pleasingly old-fashioned too (you can comfortably eat for under a tenner). If you do happen to still have room after your pie, mash, liquor and eels, you can get proper old-school puds, like jam sponge and spotted dick at Castle’s too.
"Castle's Pie & Mash opened in 1934. It’s got to be one of the most beautiful pie & mash shops in London. I love the wood panelled walls and fixed brown seating. They also have a big selection of school dinner-style puddings with thick yellow custard at only £3.50 a pop."
The F Cooke pie and mash shop on Broadway Market is no more (it’s now a Cubitts) but the the Hoxton branch is still serving up pie, mash and liqour to hungry Londoners. The Hoxton branch is relatively new compared to the now-closed London Fields one (which opened in 1900) and the original F Cooke, also no longer in business, that opened just off Brick Lane in 1862, but everything is made to the same traditional family recipes. Save room for the cherry pie and ice cream for pudding.
"Robert Cooke, the founder, and grandfather of the current owner, was the first person to pair a minced beef and kidney pie with mash potato and liquor. It quickly became a success and spread across East, North and South London."
Robins Pie & Mash, established in 1929, has been serving pie, mash and liquor for five generations. There are five branches of Robins across east London and Essex, including on Wanstead High Street, and all of them serve handmade pies filled with 100% Scottish beef – and yes, there are veggie and vegan versions available too. West Londoners can get their hands on a Robins pie too as the business also supplies Queen’s Park Rangers.
"It’s a lovely little shop and service is formerly. I liked the pies – the pastry was nice, they had a thick gravy inside and good flavour."
