419980 Wed Jul 11 00:43:51 -0700 2007 31 37 Australia/New Zealand 0 2738473 Having seen the recent post about the best burgers in Sydney I thought it was time to open a can of worms with the topic "Who makes the best meat pies in Australia"? If you're Australian you'll know how passionate some people will be on this topic. If you're from overseas, then you need to bookmark this topic and when you get down this way go Chowhounding for this great Aussie icon. Wed Jul 11 00:43:51 -0700 2007 13354 cankles 1 2741216 cankles, you didn't tell us your best meat pie! the bakery in scone (near aberdeen) has produced great pies for years and years. a must-stop place as you drive through (it's on the main road) Bryant's pies in goulburn was another, but they have vanished after the bi-pass was built. Harry's cafe de wheels also rates a mention - not necessarily the best in pie quality(although acceptable), but definitely a must-do experience on the pie trail. Wed Jul 11 16:24:38 -0700 2007 2738473 104230 kmh 2 2741476 The Aussie Pie Stop at Narre Warren does a better than average trad pie.. but has some really fabulous, inventive non-trad pies, such as crocodile or Indian lamb curry. The even do a, **qu'elle horreur**, a floater..... Sacrilege in Melbourne Check out the menu: http://www.aussiepiestop.com.au/menu pg, wandering off singing "football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars" Wed Jul 11 17:59:04 -0700 2007 2741216 86137 purple goddess 3 2742131 you forgot the hills hoist and vegemite in your song, or is that the second verse? Wed Jul 11 22:49:16 -0700 2007 2741476 104230 kmh 2 2742252 Bakeries in the country seem to produce Australia's finest. Though I did travel to Harry's this week for a cheeky pie. Will put it in my places in my next post Thu Jul 12 02:55:41 -0700 2007 2741216 13354 cankles 3 2744870 The bakery in Bright seems to win a lot of awards with its pies... and the trip to Bright is just lovely, especially in Autumn. One place to avoid is our local bakery.. they make the dogiest meat pies ever... I'd go a Four 'N Twenty from the MCG, luke warm and expensive, before I'd buy a pie at Kerrie Road Bakery... Hell, I'd do a Black and Gold from Coles, before I'd eat another pie from there... Thu Jul 12 17:15:08 -0700 2007 2742252 86137 purple goddess 4 2745421 I don't know if they still do them, but the countrylink dining car used to do a good pie (but I haven't done that trip for years now) Thu Jul 12 20:54:10 -0700 2007 2744870 104230 kmh 5 2745443 I think a lot of the meat pie goodness is tied up with where it's consumed. Seriously, nothing better than a Four "N Twenty from the pie warmer at the "G", when St Kilda is CREAMING Essendon.. It wouldn't be a full footy experience without some of the boiling hot filling falling into your palm, or down your chin, sauce on yer footy scarf and crumbs in yer beanie!! But back to good pies... my beef with bakeries is that they don't pre-bake the pie crusts and they sit in a bain marie for hours and the bottoms get all soggy. A soggy bottom is a sure fire was of having the Ultimate Pie Disaster happen... The first bite squooches the filling through the soggy bottom and all over the front of your jacket. oh.. and the penultimate disaster is biting into a pie to find the middle of the filling still cold... **shudder** Thu Jul 12 21:04:31 -0700 2007 2745421 86137 purple goddess 6 2745702 aha, it was the kangaroos & holden cars that threw me off your track. couldn't agree with you more on all of your points, and yes part of the pie is in the experience - even an ordinary pie can be great in the right circumstances. the ultimate BEGINNERS pie disaster needs to be added to the above - biting into an extremely HOT pie and having the lava hot filling squirt onto your face/chin. OUCH! Fri Jul 13 00:55:12 -0700 2007 2745443 104230 kmh 1 2750934 It seems every Australian town's bakery is a must try, though not necessarily living up to the reputation. In WA the Dunsborough Bakery is worthy of a mention, however. And who can forget the original pie cart outside the central Adelaide train station? Sun Jul 15 02:40:22 -0700 2007 2738473 101198 rambo_ando 2 2752042 Any decent pie shop in the CBD? I have one last day here and have yet to have a pie! Sun Jul 15 15:21:46 -0700 2007 2750934 101815 eternalX 3 2752099 for the quintessential experience, get yourself down to woolloomoolloo and have a tiger pie from Harry's cafe de Wheels. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=harry's+cafe+de+wheels&near=sydney&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.875903,151.225863&spn=0.036699,0.08626&z=14&om=1 Sun Jul 15 15:48:38 -0700 2007 2752042 104230 kmh 4 2759060 I have to get into a habit of using the new places feature. Here is a link to Harry's. Tue Jul 17 16:41:33 -0700 2007 2752099 13354 cankles 5 2759928 Very Similar to Harrys is Hannahs in Ultimo - chunky steak with dark peppery sauce. Now if you are driving, from Bowral to Kangaroo Valley, there is a little country store with a very big sign (and an even bigger queue on Sundays) claiming 'The worlds best meat pie'; they are home made, I have even driven two hourse from Sydney for one once, in fact........hmmmmmm Tue Jul 17 23:33:24 -0700 2007 2759060 29880 katea 6 2759984 Other people here might correct me if I'm wrong but I think Hannah's is the supplier to Harry's. They make a great pie. Wed Jul 18 01:06:31 -0700 2007 2759928 13354 cankles 7 2763452 thankyou for solving this - my taste buds thought they were too similar! Wed Jul 18 23:44:52 -0700 2007 2759984 29880 katea 8 2763476 their "websites" have a strinking similarity Thu Jul 19 00:24:44 -0700 2007 2763452 104230 kmh 6 2761666 I ended up at Hannah's and had the tiger pie. Was very good, though weird to think of pie as a walking on the street kind of food. Also, I believe Hannah is much cuter than Harry. :) Wed Jul 18 12:41:29 -0700 2007 2759928 101815 eternalX 7 2762491 I imagine so. I think harry is dead! Wed Jul 18 16:12:52 -0700 2007 2761666 104230 kmh 8 2766535 There's a great write up on wikipedia about the history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry's_Cafe_de_Wheels Thu Jul 19 19:26:19 -0700 2007 2762491 13354 cankles 9 2766550 well done you pie-sleuth! Thu Jul 19 19:34:54 -0700 2007 2766535 104230 kmh 10 4875632 I never miss having one of Harry's Cafe de Wheels bonzer pies everytime I'm in Sydney, whether buying one off the outlet in Haymarket or queuing up for one at 3am down at Woolloomooloo :-) http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/Home.aspx?element=1&category=1 Mon Jul 20 17:30:54 -0700 2009 2766550 143097 klyeoh 5 4915413 a few pics of the infamous Harry's ... Tue Aug 04 00:37:24 -0700 2009 2759060 293679 gdaysydneysider 1 2802439 web page for the great aussie meat pie competition http://www.greataussiepiecomp.homestead.com/page1.html judgements in september Wed Aug 01 02:32:09 -0700 2007 2738473 104230 kmh 1 4859403 I think what is being missed here is a crucial aspect of the meat pie experience. A meat pie is not delicious in spite of it being so disgusting but it is delicious BECAUSE it is so disgusting. I've travelled the country in search of the best meat pie experience - when I lived in Potts Point, Sydney I used to purchase a Shakespeare meat pie and then run it down to Harry's Cafe in Woolloomooloo for conversion into a Tiger (mash, peas and gravy) - I found a pretty good pie in the bakery in Burra, SA back in the 90s but the quality had declined noticably on more recent trips. Pie in the Sky on the Old Pacific Highway near Brooklyn is always very good, especially after racing a time trial (it's close to Calga). Another brilliant pie I had down near Bateman's Bay was an Emu Pie - one of the most delicious meats in the world. But without a doubt, for me, the best meat pie is Bryant's in Goulburn (it's still there, despite the bypass). I returned there for the first time in years last weekend and whilst the pie I ate there was not fantastic (it just wasn't hot enough) I got a take home pack and when heated to the right temperature they were simply magnificent. Not too chunky, excellent gravy and the pastry just melted. I would drive down to Goulburn solely to get one of these pies. Tue Jul 14 19:33:18 -0700 2009 2738473 1093745 Saxivore 2 5021345 BRYANTS YES! also the pie shop on the main road at Aberdeen. Fri Sep 11 00:10:22 -0700 2009 4859403 104230 kmh 1 4873236 Beefy's, in Buderim QLD. Mon Jul 20 04:14:10 -0700 2009 2738473 12911 cap 2 4954438 Worst pies in South Australia,especially curry with sultana's in them. Best pies Lismore,old Telegraph building,mobile type home sells pies out front. See Nardi. Mon Aug 17 18:01:13 -0700 2009 4873236 1102001 Cappymeg 3 4958536 The Old Bakery in Wirrabara makes the finest meat pies I have ever had in Australia... I remember taking a two hour detour just so I could buy a dozen and bring them to dinner in Melbourne!!! They are sensational, as is the place and it's other snacks - best of all everybody is local.. " Previously Old Bakery Wirrabara, now relocated to Stone Hut, just 7kms south of Wirrabara." Wed Aug 19 06:28:07 -0700 2009 4954438 23442 feelinfoodie 1 4970377 The best meat pies in Aussie are in WA- period. #1 - Curry Beef from Brunswick Bakery. #2 - Satay Chicken from Continental Meats, Hamilton Hill just outside of Freo. #3 - Butter Chicken from the same. The pies out east just don't match up. Sun Aug 23 12:57:52 -0700 2009 2738473 1089072 pacafechef 1 5036605 Mexican beef pie from Byron Bay Pie Company. Not traditional, but really that's a good thing when it comes to Aussie pies. Thu Sep 17 07:57:45 -0700 2009 2738473 1110016 kennoath 1 5110617 I spent my childhood stopping in the family car for a Yatala pie after a day in the surf. Yatala Pies is right beside the pacific highway betw the gold coast and Bris. I live in the US now but when ever I drive that road I still stop for a Yatala Pie. I could do with 1 right now!! Sat Oct 17 12:55:36 -0700 2009 2738473 1117045 oinkinkc