The Best Pies

London loves a pie and we’ve rounded up the best in town – whether you’re a puff pastry lid kinda person or more of a shortcrust pastry bottom.

Pies have been a staple in the UK for thousands of years and, while they’re as popular as ever, they’ve changed a lot since the days when they were eaten by Roman army soldiers or filled with live birds at Medieval banquets. In London specifically, when you think of pies, you may think of pie and mash shops. Many of these (mainly East End) gems have been around since the Victorian era when pie and mash shops were popularised as places where you could get a fast and cheap meal. M. Manzes and Goddards are among London’s remaining pie and mash shops, both of which have been in operation for more than 100 years. Head to either and you’ll find the dish served with the traditional liquor (parsley sauce).

As well as at these historic shops, you can find pies everywhere in London, from football stadiums to street food markets to pubs. If you’re after a more elevated pie, you’ll find plenty of those too – especially after the city’s recent posh pie wave. At Bob Bob Ricard, for example, there’s a chicken & Champagne pie, filled with shiitake mushrooms, leeks and carrots, and topped with beautifully embossed puff pastry, and a ‘humble’ veggie version with Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms, celeriac, onions, truffle and Champagne, because only here would truffle be considered humble.

Whatever kind of pie you’ve got you’re eye on, here’s where to find it.

HOLBORN DINING ROOM

252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN

Anywhere that has a dedicated Pie Room is gonna be knocking out some epic pastry creations, and that’s exactly what happens at Holborn Dining Rooms. It’s hard to choose between them, but the dauphinoise potato pie and hand raised pork pie are seriously special.

THE WIGMORE

The Wigmore’s elevated pub grub menu (overseen by Michel Roux Jr.) of course includes an elevated pie, like braised beef & onion or chicken & leek with wholegrain mustard mash, which was dubbed a ‘prince of pies’. So it’s perfect if you’re after a pie with a bit more panache.

BOB BOB RICARD

1 Upper James St, London W1F 9DF

The iconic Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard have a chicken, mushroom and champagne pie on the menu, which comes with their name etched into the crust and is possibly the poshest pie in London. Just look at it…it’s a knock out.

WILLY'S PIES

Willy’s Pies might be the new kid on the block but he’s already delivering some of the best pies in London. The pies change weekly but you can usually expect at least one meat, one veggie and one sweet tart too – and all savoury pies arrive ready-to-bake. Willy’s has set-up a perm spot under the arches of London Field’s, but he delivers the goods across London and is available at over 15 stores in the capital for you to get your pie-fix.

THE WINDMILL

6/8 Mill Street, London W1S 2AZ

The Windmill pub in Mayfair take pies pretty seriously – they even have a Pie Club! But if you just wanna eat a pie you can’t go wrong with their market fish pie or suet pudding pie with Dorset mutton shoulder, lamb mince and root veg.

PUTNEY PIES

2 Putney High Street, London SW15 1SL

Putney Pies is West London’s dirty little secret. Serving up handmade pies, pot pies with lids and hot pots, they’ve got everything you could ever want. From the traditional steak and ale to the wild rabbit & bacon, it’s pies how they should be – with lots of mash and gravy.

GODDARDS AT GREENWICH

Goddards at Greenwich has been around since 1890 and is a proper old school pie and mash shop. The 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 two of you can eat here for under a tenner. And if you’re not down with the pies, David Beckham is a regular and we can all get down with that…

GREAT CENTRAL PUB AT THE LANDMARK

The Great Central Pub at The Landmark London is run by chef Matt Fletcher, who worked at the five-star hotel between 2009-2011. For his return, he’s doing classic gastropub fare, so naturally there’s a pie on the menu – the Ginger Pig’s famous steak & ale pie, served with braised red cabbage, green beans, carrots and red wine jus.

KANISHKA

Led by double-Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, Kanishka has an Indian pie on the menu. Tikka masala filling encased in puff pastry, with cumin scented berry compote. YUM.

M. MANZE

87 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 4TW

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 COACH MAKERS ARMS

From pub royalty Cubitt House and chef Ben Tish, The Coach Makers Arms in Marylebone has a good few options for pie-lovers. You might spy a fish pie or a beef shin suet pudding in the savoury section, and perhaps a Bramley apple pie for dessert.

THE GUINEA GRILL

A true classic, The Guinea Grill opened in 1952 on a site that has been home to a pub since the 15th century. And as you might expect from a traditional pub, there are plenty of pies. Some options include beef, oyster and horseradish; steak and mushroom; steak, kidney and mushroom; and potato and Wensleydale too.

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