Jump to: Best pies | Pie week specials
For British Pie Week (4-10 March 2024) it's time to pick out some of the best pies to be had in our fine capital, from the downright decadent to humble (but still delicious) pie & mash shop versions. While some foodies are pedantic about pies, for us whether it was encased in pastry or topped with mash, if we cleared our plates, then it made the cut.
Dauphinoise potato pie at Holborn Dining Room
Holborn - 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Indisputably London's mecca as far as pies go, the Holborn Dining Room takes them very seriously. There's a Pie Room private dining room in the restaurant and a special pie section of the menu too. One of Head Pie Maker, Nokx Majozi's classics is this amazing veggie option - the Dauphinoise potato, Winterdale cheddar & caramelised onion pie. So if you're serious about pies, this is the one place you must visit. If you're strapped for time, order one of their pies to take away from The Pie Hole hatch.
Lobster pie at Mount St Restaurant
Mayfair - First Floor, 41-43 Mount St, London W1K 2RX
The must-have dish at this Mayfair spot is 100% the lobster pie which arrives at your table with a lobster head protruding from the buttery pastry. It's then scooped into bowls revealing a rich bisque sauce and generous amounts of lobster meat.
By the slice at Mystic Burek
Sydenham - 227 Dartmouth Rd, London SE26 4QY
The opening of Spasia Dinkovski's new shop and restaurant in Sydenham has been such an unqualified hit that months on she's had to move across the road to new premises, turning the old space into a kitchen. Come here for slices of her amazing filo pies - options might include brie with tarragon potatoes & honey mustard or lamb sausage with hibiscus onions & Egyptian feta.
Macaroni pie at The Shoap
Islington - 406 St John St, London EC1V 4ND
This newly opened shop and cafe by Angel has recently opened its doors, but Glaswegian Gregg Boyd, the man behind it, has been trading under his Auld Hag brand for a while now. Come for a pint of Tennents and one of his amazing pies. You can of course get the classic Scotch pie, but it's the classic macaroni pie that really gets homesick expats excited.
Sea bass en croute at The Connaught Grill
Mayfair - The Connaught, 16 Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL
Secreted away inside The Connaught is the beautiful grill where this always-on sharing dish is a great option for groups. A spectacular-looking fishy dish your only heartbreak will come in destroying that elaborate pastrywork when it comes to eating it.
Beef pie at Manze's
Southwark - 87 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 4TW
The original Manze’s pie and mash shop was founded here on Tower Bridge Road in 1903 and is still doing a roaring trade today. All pies are made from scratch on-site, starting with the beef which is minced using only prime cuts. As for the liquor, apparently, it includes a ‘special secret ingredient’ which they’re not about to divulge now. We love the Manze website, which bigs up the fact that Jim Davidson is a regular and also boldly states ‘It is also said that David Beckham eats here when he is in England.’ Well, you can’t blame a place for trying.
Always-on pie at The Drapers Arms
Islington - 44 Barnsbury St, London, N1 1ER
This much-loved gastropub in Islington always has a pie on. At the time of writing it was a suet crust steak and Guinness pie. But, there's more. "Best thing about our suet crust pies?" they say is that "People eat them steadily every week whether it’s hot, cold, wet or dry... which is why we picked it as the always-on dish that triggers a £1 payment to Action Against Hunger." Nice one.
Pigeon pie at The Game Bird
St James - The Stafford London, 16-18 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NJ
Set in the cosy confines of this St James's hotel, The Game Bird has a fabulous poultry pie on its all-day menu. And the duck pie here really is an absolute beauty
Steak and kidney pie at The Guinea Grill
Mayfair - 30 Bruton Pl, London W1J 6NL
There's been a pub on this spot since the 15th century and happily, The Guinea still looks fabulously unreconstructed. The steak and kidney pie is an always-on dish that's so important the pie's recipe is kept in the pub safe. The suet lid is baked onto the pie filling and - nice touch - is always served with a ruff.
Chicken, mushroom and Champagne pie at Bob Bob Ricard
Soho and the City
The deliciously OTT Bob Bob Ricard will never be out of vogue. Only they would take something as down-to-earth as a chicken and mushroom pie and elevate it to decadent heights by cooking the filling in champagne, topping it with a pretty patterned crust, then serving it with truffle gravy. Even better (if you're a vegetarian), they also do a Champagne and truffle humble pie made with Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms and celeriac in a truffle and Champagne veloute.
The seasonal pie at The Marksman
Hackney - 254 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ
Head to Hackney's The Marksman and the one thing that's guaranteed to be on the menu all year round is a pie. Every pie is for two people and the current pie, at the time of writing, is a chicken and girolles affair.
See also: their sibling restaurant Lasdun at the National Theatre, which also has a pie on its menu.
The pie of the week at Quo Vadis
Soho - 26-29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL
There's always a pie by chef Jeremy Lee on the beautifully designed Quo Vadis menu. It changes regularly - it might be chicken and rabbit velouté or a guinea fowl, hare and bacon effort that Nigella Lawson described as 'sublime'.
Cow pie at Parlour Kensal
Kensal Rise - 5 Regent St, London NW10 5LG
Inspired by The Dandy, Desperate Dan's famous cow pie with bone marrow is the dish you want to order at this Kensal Rise gastropub. It's huge, so you'll definitely want to share. There's also the Redefine Cow Pie for vegetarians, using Redefine pulled 'beef' and a parsnip instead of bone marrow.
Willie's Pies
This mainly delivery pie shop (although you can also pick them up in Hackney) was created by Will Lewis who has worked in the kitchens at Brat, St. John Bread and Wine and Rochelle Canteen. His pies range from traditional to modern takes, like potato, Gubbeen and spring onion or butter chicken. They come fresh or frozen if you want to get stocked up for the future.
Delivery range: Delivers across London, or collection from Netil Market
Pie Week specials
There are plenty of one-week-only specials going on menus across London for British Pie Week. Here's our pick of the best out there.
- Cubitt House (4-10 March)- Ben Tish has created a new pie that will be on offer at all Cubitt House pubs, the Cow and Ale Pie (pictured above). They've teamed up with The Ginger Pig for this special pie which is a mix of minced beef, diced chuck steak and diced beef cheek plus lots of veg and Doom Bar ale.
- Wagamama - They've added a limited-edition pie to the menu that they've created with Willy's Pies - the chicken katsu pie. The pie is filled with chicken and fresh vegetables as well as Wagamama's own katsu sauce.
- Boundary (Shoreditch, 4-10 March) - They're offering a special deal of a pie (with mash and greens) and a pint for £25 all week long, pies include a corn-fed chicken, mushroom & Champagne pie as well as a Comté cheese & caramelised red onion pie.
- Wiltons (Mayfair, 4-8 March) - Wiltons have added three new pies to the menu for Pie Week, one for each course. For starters, there's a raised pork pie with piccalilli, pickled mustard seeds and pease pudding, for the main course, a langoustine and fish pie and for dessert, an apple and rhubarb pie.
- The Pie Room (Holborn, 4-9 March, 11-3pm) - For Pie Week, Nokx Majozi has created the Pepper Steak Pie which you can pick up from the pie shop next to Holborn Dining Room. South Africa-inspired, it's a slow-cooked pepper steak pie infused with thyme and pepper (£15).
- Mount St Restaurant and The Audley (Mayfair, 4-10 March) - Executive chef Jamie Shears has collaborated with author and chef Ravneet Gill on two limited edition pies served in the restaurant and the pub. Mount St. Restaurant will serve a Rhubarb & Custard pie (£14) topped with rhubarb-flavoured jelly and crushed pistachios. The Audley will feature a Chicken & Marmite pie (£20) served with mash and seasonal greens.
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