pie-not

pie-not is an aussie pie shop located in the back of a tiny, but busy strip mall in costa mesa. it's literally next door to the ever popular sidecar doughnuts. we heard parking can be a problem but we came here on a saturday at the odd time of 4:00 pm. there was no line and we even got a spot in front. surprisingly there wasn't even a line next door.

one of my topnotch foodies recommended this restaurant.he mentioned how great the pies were,how fresh the ingredients are and for variety, there's plenty. when i arrived there, i was amazed by how many varieties they offered with unusual names. i ordered 3 types of pies which were,dog's eye,southern comfort and drunken cow. each pie was delicious,the crust was light and flaky, the pies were stuffed from the base to the top of the pie and the ingredients were well thought out. the names of each pie describes them perfectly. now i can recommend this place because it's worth the trip. simply delicious. great customer service and clean. must try!

awesome aussie pie. came upon this jewel of a place by accident. we have ordered all the pies over time. they are all great! we have also bought the frozen ones and baked them at home, which were just as tasty. i prefer the pies already baked, but for convenience, the frozen ones are good too. i highly recommend pie-not

the 'drover' at pie-not. i am an expatriate brit and love meat filled pastry. i read about pie-not in westways magazine this morning (saturday) and even though i live in san clemente i drove to costa mesa to check it out. all of the items in the display case looked so tempting. i chose a 'drover,' ground angus beef with peas and carrots and topped with mashed potato. as i was eating it i felt like meg ryan in the restaurant scene from 'when harry met sally.' the friendly aussie there told me they plan to come to san clemente eventually, it won't be soon enough for me! he did say their products are available at whole foods at the moment. get yourself to pie-one people, you won't be sorry!

here's the problem with pie-not...  i'm a pie fiend.  i just love it, so there's no way that i can be objective.  i can be very picky about crust and filling, but when i like a pie... i love it.  so, i decided to take my guy along so i could have a second (less black-and-white) opinion.  however, by the end of our meal, we were both fans and planning our second trip.  :) first of all, pie-not makes australian-style meat and vegetarian pies...

what is unique about these aussie-style pies besides being quite savory (as opposed to our american perception of pies...such as apple, peach, banana creme, etc) is their carefully thought-out structure. these are meant to be eaten with your hands. as ryan told us, these gourmet goodies in australia are equivalent to our burgers in american - there are burgers and there are burgers; you eat them on the go, in the car, wherever, and there are marked differences in what makes a good one versus a mediocre one.

pie-not serves delicious handmade australian meat pies. what is an australian meat pie?

bloody good pies mate. the "shroomin" beef and mushroom pie is a good as any gourmet pie i've had in australia ... and i've had a lot of pies in australia. the sausage roll meat could be firmed up a bit but the taste was superb. good job.

amazing. great prices, great food, good coffee.

amazing people and amazing food. it's fresh and healthy.

sprung a leek is premium chunky chicken breast in a white wine cream sauce with tender green leeks in a shortcrust pastry shell with a puff pastry lid. the crust was golden brown perfection. the puff pastry lid was like a buttered croissant. the chicken was moist and white wine sauce was packed with flavor unlike the typical american pot pie. the leek added a refreshing flavor component. it’s definitely a meal in itself. thumbs up, way up!

pie-not was 2 years in the making by co-founders, jai snowdon and ryan lopiccolo. headed by executive chef, samantha boxer, a native of australia born in melbourne, who developed the 24-item menu that features gourmet pies, pastries and desserts. it also serves up organic australian coffee from bun coffee.
blooming hot (above left – coarse ground tr-colored peppercorn braised premium chunky beef). i like spicy food, so naturally i picked this one. it has a nice heat with great peppercorn flavor but not overly spicy that you’ll need to drink a pitcher of water.

dog’s eye (above right – standard aussie meat pie, premium ground beef with finely diced onions). most people are probably familiar with it as the sheppard’s pie. i cannot believe i have been missing it. i am embarrassed to say the only savory pie i’ve had was chicken pot pie. //_^ don’t let the size fool you. it is a hearty meaty meal.

when i think of pies, i don’t exactly think savory. the pies of my dreams have a buttery crust filled with a sugary fruit filling and served a la mode. clearly, i’ve been missing out on the other side of pies – the hearty savory side. the kind you’ll find at pie-not – adjacent to another new favorite of mine – sidecar doughnuts. how fitting. if you’re new, the experience can be daunting like it was for me. several pies are featured in the showcase, the space is small but warm smiles will greet you and walk you through it all. the menu consists of a variety of pies with generous descriptions – enough to leave you hungry and friendly on your wallet. i was already a fan and hadn’t even taken my first bite yet. if you’re looking at the size of the pies and thinking “how’s this going to fill me up” don’t fret. i had that same question too until i “cut” into my pie and noticed the rich hearty filling. i’m sure management would frown upon me for doing that since piehards are encouraged to eat

this is not what aussie meat pies are like, at all. these are horrible. they don't have what the menu says, in fact i only had a choice of a few pies, and it seems like the pies were cooked in the morn and left to sit under a heat lamp all day. the pie crust is bland and stale (would be better from the frozen section from a grocery) and the meat had no flavor. save yourself the money and just make hamburger helper, at least that way you know what you're getting and not-lied to.