10 of Sydney’s hottest pies to try (featuring this raclette cheese-filled weekend special)

Cold, rainy weather calls for the carby comfort of savoury pies: meat pies slathered with rich tomato sauce, cottage pies from roadside country bakeries, and even fancy croissant-shell pies you have to queue for.

This list contains pies from across Sydney’s great spectrum, from the old-school steak pies with mushy peas and mash to the downright bizarre (hello, Buldak noodle pie).

Moon Phase, St Leonards

Char siu king pie, $14

The pastries at St Leonards bakery Moon Phase are a work of art, each encased in an all-white glass display by the counter. This winter, they’ve introduced the “Char siu king” pie, inspired by Cantonese yum-cha. It contains oven-roasted pork with five spice and caramelised onions encased in a buttery golden pastry and glazed with wildflower honey. Order a coffee while you’re there, they’ve created their own signature blend.

Clarke Lane, off Oxley Street, 96-98/545 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, instagram.com/moonphase.au

A.P Bakery

Warrigal greens pie, $14.50

The team at A.P Bakery reworked a sauce from hatted Chippendale restaurant Ester to create the filling for their Warrigal greens pie. It combines native spinach (grown along the Australian coastline) with ricotta cheese from Marrickville cheese makers Vannella and shiro dashi (an umami-rich Japanese sauce) within a thick, golden pastry shell. Prefer a meat pie? Try their smoked brisket filling, using meat from LP’s Quality Meats.

Various locations, apbakery.com.au

Glenorie Bakery Cafe, Glenorie

Beef brisket pie, $10.90

Make the weekend pilgrimage to the rustic Glenorie Bakery Cafe to try its acclaimed meat, potato or pepper-steak pies, but be warned: you’ll be met with long lines of Sydneysiders with the same idea. The beef brisket pie is the bestseller, filled with slow-cooked barbecue beef brisket, mashed potatoes and a secret house-made sauce, and there are sides of mushy peas and mash for traditionalists.

4/930 Old Northern Road, Glenorie, glenoriebakery.com.au

Broomfields, various

Wagyu beef and onion pie, $12

Owner Ryan Broomfield makes pies with rich, buttery shells and densely packed fillings, using produce sourced from NSW farmers. He says the wagyu beef and onion is the best one to try first: “We use a really nice Stone Axe beef, which is braised down over 14 hours with cinnamon, star anise and white pepper to give it a really rich flavour”. Keep an eye out for Broomfield’s Christmas in July range launching at his weekly Carriageworks stall − it’s set to include a pot-roast turkey pie, with sage, onion, cranberry and gravy.

Find Broomfields at Carriageworks Farmers’ Market every Saturday and Northside Produce Market every first and third Saturday of the month, broomfields-pies.com

Upper Crust, Collaroy

Chunky steak pie, $7

Fans of old-school Aussie meat pies, look no further: Upper Crust has been churning out classic chunky steak pies on the Northern Beaches since 1948. The fillings are generous, the pastry is golden, and everything is made from scratch each morning. Their beef Mexican pie has become the bestseller among regulars, described as being “like nachos in a pie”.

1003 Pittwater Road, Collaroy, facebook.com/uppercrustpies

Lode Pies X Capella Sydney, Sydney

Blackmore Wagyu pie with mushroom and chianti red wine jus, $45

This is not a pie to scoff down during your lunch break or one-handed with crumbs flying everywhere on the drive home. This is a sit-down pie experience created by Lode Pies founder and fine-dining chef Federico Zanellato for a six-week Monday-to-Friday residency (commencing June 13) at Capella Sydney’s Aperture restaurant. Diners have the choice of a Blackmore wagyu, mushroom and chianti pie or a truffle and comte pie, and the $45 price includes sides of creamed spinach, salad and a drink. If you miss the residency, try Lode’s much-hyped wagyu and mushroom pie ($14) at its Surry Hills store.

Capella Sydney, 24 Loftus Street, Sydney, capellahotels.com; Lode Pies, 487 Crown Street, Surry Hills,lodepies.com

Sebastien Sans Gluten, Leichhardt

Raclette feuillete, $15.99

Coeliac-friendly French bakery Sebastien Sans Gluten recreates the classic European winter experience of pouring molten raclette cheese over charcuterie in this limited-edition pie. Prosciutto, honey-roasted ham, mozzarella and a gruyere-bechamel sauce are combined with raclette cheese in a shallow, golden puff-pastry pie available this weekend. Missed out? The spinach and ricotta feuillete ($12.95) is an ongoing staple.

131 Marion Street, Leichhardt, sansgluten.com.au

Romeo’s Pie Cafe, St Leonards

Pepper steak pie, $8.50

The pies at Romeo’s are simple, wholesome and unpretentious. A team of veteran bakers, some of whom have made pies for more than 30 years, make up to 400 pies each day, taking pride in creating flaky, thin pastry and rich, saucy fillings, often containing big chunks of meat throughout. Together with Romeo’s comparatively low pricing and attentive service, it’s become a steadfast favourite on Sydney’s Northside.

3/201 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, instagram.com/romeospiecafe

Rollers Bakehouse, Manly

Beef bourguignon pie, $13

Rollers Bakehouse is using its signature croissant dough to create buttery, flaky pie shells this winter. The seasonal pie menu includes a beef bourguignon pie with slow-cooked beef, pancetta, red wine and vegetables; a chicken tarragon pie with preserved lemons, mustard and parmesan; and a Japanese vegetable curry pie topped with crunchy panko breadcrumbs and fukujinzuke (Japanese pickles). Make sure to pick up a croissant while you’re there.

19 Rialto Lane, Manly, rollersbakehouse.com

Westlab Pastry, Cabramatta West

Steak and cheese pie, $6.95

Owner-baker Lita Khorn is best known for her Warwick Farm doughnut shop, The Doughnut Mum, but her pies at Westlab Pastry have the same fun, affordable appeal. Last week, she launched a pie inspired by the hot chicken carbonara instant noodles made by Korean brand Buldak (which recently made headlines for making instant ramen too spicy to be sold in Denmark), but there’s always the bestselling steak and cheese pie for customers who want to play it safe.

467 Cabramatta Road, Cabramatta West,instagram.com/westlabpastry