They’re the unofficial food of the stadium, the birthday party and the road trip – just add a squirt of tomato sauce and you’re good to go. The meat pie, and its cousin the sausage roll, are the quintessential Australian street food: a warm, hearty filling in a flaky, golden pastry to be savoured anywhere from the pub to the beach to the stadium grandstand. Whether you’re barracking for the home team at the finals from the sidelines or kicking back on the couch, it’s time to ditch the cutlery, break out the Heinz 57 and dive into the best pies and rolls in the country.
TASMANIA
Alistair Wise is one of the most talented (not to mention wackiest) bakers around, so it comes as no surprise that the pies at his Hobart patisserie, Sweet Envy, earn extra points for originality. Take the “tongue and cheek” – a hearty combination of ox tongue and beef cheek – for example, or the prospect of rabbit pies at Easter. Oh, and they do a pretty mean lamb and harissa sausage roll, too. Sweet Envy, 341 Elizabeth St, Hobart, Tas, (03) 6234 8805
BRISBANE
Jocelyn’s Provisions, Brisbane
The pâtisserie darling of Brisbane has got the pie front well covered. There’s lamb and rosemary, chicken and mushroom or beef and red wine, all of which are available in a share-friendly family size if you’re planning on feeding a crowd. Jocelyn’s Provisions, shop 8, Centro on James, James St (cnr James & Doggett Sts), Fortitude Valley, Qld, (07) 3825 3852
The various Boer goat meat offerings from Goat Pie Guy are another top choice for something different. They range from the Indonesian-accented (goat slow-cooked in a rendang-style curry) to the Jamaican-inspired (Caribbean goat curry with turmeric, allspice, chilli and thyme), and you’ll find them at various markets throughout the city; check the website for details. Goat Pie Guy, 0411 016 768
CANBERRA
The French-accented potato and Gruyère pie at Kingston landmark Silo is a saving grace for vegetarians. Silo Bakery + Café, 36 Giles St, Kingston, ACT, (02) 6260 6060
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The artisan pies at Tuck Shop Café are arguably Perth’s finest. They’re made fresh every day and filled with the likes of pork, fennel and cider, wagyu ragù with red wine and parmesan, or beef with bacon and cheddar. Tuck Shop Café, 178 Newcastle St, Northbridge, WA, (08) 9227 1659
The Olde Shed Café, Balingup
If you’re a pastry fan willing to go the distance, make The Olde Shed Café in Balingup your next destination. Gourmet Traveller‘s WA editor Max Veenhuyzen has a serious soft spot for a good sausage roll (“the sausage roll is a total guilty pleasure of mine,” he says) and lists theirs among the best he’s ever had. The Olde Shed Café, The Packing Shed, South West Hwy, Balingup, WA, (08) 9764 1887
ADELAIDE
Star pie-maker Red Door Bakery might be home to a standout Angus beef pie, but it’s the sausage rolls (Berkshire pork and sage, say, or Hay Valley lamb and eggplant) that have really got us talking. Red Door Bakery, 22 Elizabeth St, Croydon, SA, (08) 8340 0306
SYDNEY
The six outposts of Bourke Street Bakery have plenty to offer on the savoury front. There’s a classic beef pie, a chicken, sweet potato, pea and lime-pickle number, a tricked-up beef with red wine and mushroom, and eggplant, spinach and feta sausage rolls (that’s if you can bypass the trademark pork and fennel, of course). Bourke Street Bakery, 633 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW, (02) 9699 1011
The good folk at Flour and Stone have made serious waves across Sydney with their cakes and cookies, and we can assure you that their savoury game is equally as strong as their sweet. The pork and caraway sausage rolls are a clear winner, while on the pie front it’s about slow-braised lamb, potato and rosemary, a chicken, leek and tarragon, and the ratatouille and feta, all with shortcrust on the bottom and buttery puff pastry on top. Flour and Stone, 53 Riley St, Woolloomooloo, NSW, (02) 8068 8818
The main draw at CBD-central Lorraine’s might be the fêted date tart or the cloud-light strawberry and mascarpone cake, but the pork and fennel sausage rolls are worth a visit, too. Lorraine’s Patisserie, Shop 5, Palings Lane, 320 George St, Sydney, NSW, (02) 9254 8009
MELBOURNE
Port Melbourne’s Pure Pie nails it when it comes to variety, with flavours ranging from pork, apple and fennel to beef with cheddar, Guinness and thyme. And the pastry? Perfectly flaky, golden and buttery. Pure Pie, 383 Bay St, Port Melbourne, Vic, 0408 557 215
Artisan favourite Tivoli Road Bakery promises top-of-the-range organic flour and no artificial ingredients in their baked goods. It comes as little surprise, then, that their pie and sausage roll repertoire is a solid one. Tivoli Road Bakery, 3 Tivoli Rd, South Yarra, Vic, (03) 9041 4345
Candied calls itself an “Aussie bakery with an American twist”. When it comes to their pies and sausage rolls, however, it’s true-blue all the way. We like the classic beef, but there’s a steak and mushroom option well worth exploring, too. Candied Bakery, 81a Hudsons Rd, Spotswood, Vic, (03) 9391 1335
