Pass the sauce! Sydney’s best meat pies

Found yourself starving in the middle of King Street?

A meal fit for a king is only a hop, skip and a jump away – and it comes encased in the pastry of your dreams.

The Pie Tin is a charming homestyle bakery with a fail-safe offering: pies handmade daily on premises from market fresh ingredients.

With a menu that changes daily, you never quite know what sort of flavour parcels the kitchen will dream up. But each day, you can depend on there being a solid array of beef, chicken and lamb-based pies, with plentiful (plantiful?) options for the veg crowd as well.

Craving a cheeseburger? How about a gooey cheeseburger pie, filled with ground beef patty, maple bacon jam, USA-style cheddar and relish? Or perhaps you’d like a creamy takeout curry in pastry form. The butter chicken pie with tomato and yogurt will be your new go-to lunch in Newtown.

A small beverage menu of locally produced craft beer and coffee seals the deal.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Butter chicken pie ($7-$10)

Pair pies with high end dining and you’ve got Lode. The ambitious bakery is a joint project from celebrated LuMi Chef Federico Zanellato and Chef Lorenzo Librino.

If you’re wondering if their creations are as fun to taste as their names are to say, the answer’s in the affirmative. The two culinary geniuses, who’ve described their savoury pies as ‘notorious’, elevate the art of baking and viennoiserie to epic proportions.

Try the Blackmore Wagyu beef and mushroom pie, a time-honoured grouping of flavours that’s no less impressive.

Or if you’re after something really special, the LuMi pithivier. Yes, it’s a $20 pie, but is it worth it? Heaven yes. The rich treat is bursting with Emilio’s butchery pork and shiitake mushroom, with a chicken and cream glaze. It took Zanellato months to get just right.

The result? An ooey gooey, umami flavour bomb you’ll want to savour as slowly as you can.

Dine in if you’ve got time. The narrow pink building Lode lives in is as cute as a button, and there are plenty of sweet pastries on offer for dessert.

Dish Cult’s top pick: LuMi pithivier ($20)

No list about Sydney pies would be complete without mention of Bourke Street Bakery. The famous, flour-dusted institution is a wonderland for pastry lovers.

Better yet, it operates out of about 12 different locations – so wherever you are in Sydney, there’s bound to be a Bourke Street Bakery not too far away.

While the pie selection might be a little smaller than some of the others on this list, it still packs a punch in the flavour stakes.

There are brisket, red wine and mushroom pies; beer, beef, bacon and cheesy mash pies; and piquant chicken and sweet potato pies.

Plus, a diverse assortment of quiches, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sweets to keep you coming back for more.

Vegans, don’t despair. Bourke Street’s esteemed vege curry pie is just as scrumptious as everything else on the menu.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Chicken, sweet potato, pea and lemon pickle pie ($7.50)

Black Star sound familiar? You may have heard of it in the press as home of the world’s most instagrammed cake.

It’s a strawberry and watermelon cake and yes, it’s next level good. But during your Black Star pitstop, don’t overlook the savouries. Get a hot pie in your belly before the ol’ sweet tooth takes over.

Take your pick from lamb, rosemary and red wine, beef and beer or something a bit more unusual on the menu, like Japanese curry chicken pie. At times, there may be a limited edition range of pies to order, so we recommend following their Insta to stay in the loop when new exciting flavours become available.

Pop into the cafe and you’ll also find coffee by creative specialty roasters The Little Marionette and a range of loose leaf teas by Tippity. Needless to say, the desserts are worth hanging around for, too.

What else would you expect from the makers of the world’s most instagrammed cake?

Dish Cult’s top pick: Beer and brisket pie ($7.80)

Renowned slingers of sourdough, Infinity Bakery’s been a Sydney favourite since the 1990s.

While it’s true its bread is still the bomb, the bakery has been fast gaining an additional, secondary reputation over the years… that of bona fide weavers of pure pie magic.

Are the flavour combos simple? Undoubtedly. Don’t expect to find Japanese curry or cheeseburger fillings at this humble establishment. But what you’ll find instead is a pie that satisfies, in spite of – even actually because of – its simplicity.

Unsurprisingly for a bakery that started with a focus on traditional Parisian baking practices, the pastry at Infinity is everything. It’s buttery, crumbly and flaky, with juuust the right balance of lip-smacking saltiness. In other words, whichever pie you select, you can be sure the packaging will perfectly complement its contents.

Choose from chicken and mushroom, beef and mushroom, vegetarian or a traditional roast lamb option. You’ll also be tempted with freshly handmade croissants, cakes, brownies, and a revolving variety of more goodies from the kitchen, so do your taste buds a favour.

Come with an appetite!

Dish Cult’s top pick: Rosemary lamb leg with pea and carrot pie ($9)