Pie-Not

I love Pot Pies! I grew up eating pot pies that were packaged frozen by banquet or Marie calendar’s. There aren’t many places that serve pot pie; I could probably name like two places off the top of my head. But when my cousin told me there was this place that specialize in pot pies and it was close by, I knew i had to try it right away.
It was a pretty small place that didn’t have tables inside where we could sit and eat. We had to sit outside. But when we first got there, I immediately noticed their excellent customer service. The lady in an apron asked if we needed help with anything. I told her it was our first time and she offered to go over the whole menu with us. They specialize in savory pot pies; all of them are hand-​held pies so you don’t really need a fork to eat it but I prefer using it because it could get quite messy to eat with just your hands.
When I saw the menu, I knew I wanted to try them all. And that was exactly what I tried to do. I ordered the dog’s eye, that’ll do pig, drover, and the southern comfort. My favorite pot pie was the that’ll do pig because it was so savory with the ground Angus beef filling, sharp cheese w/​bacon and it also reminded me of the taco snack burritos I use to eat in middle school. The dog’s eye had a sweeter taste of ground Angus beef, minced onions & garlic, dressed in savory gravy. This one had a more prominent flavor. The drover was quite unique because it consisted of peas and carrots and it had a mashed potato top instead of the crispy crust on the top. The flavor didn’t stand out as much as Dog’s Eye but I liked the potato mixture with the meat. Finally, I tried the original southern comfort with is the chicken pot pie with peas, carrot, potato, celery, thy, white wine cream sauce, and black pepper. This one didn’t have enough creamy sauce so it was kind of dry for my tasting. Still delicious though; none were too much or greasy.
After demolishing each pot pie and its flaky pie crust, I wanted to go and try the rest of the menu but my stomach couldn’t handle it. I’ll just have to come back next time. Also, there are few sweet pastries available too. I’m just more of a savory pie kind of guy. I definitely recommend it! P. S. bake-​at-​home pies are also available!

growing up on Banquet’s microwavables and having a random pot pie here and there at restaurants, i’ve always had a love for pot pies. i got curious recently and searched Pot Pies on Unilocal to find Pie-​Not. i was extremely excited because it wasn’t too far from home. we finally got the chance to try it today. the best thing about the pies is that the crusts remain crunchy, and the entire pie is thick enough to stay in tact. we tried Dog’s Eye and That’ll Do Pig. they were both filled with ground beef Dog’s Eye had onions and garlic, which gave the meat a little sweetness to it. That’s It Pig had bacon and was more on the savory side, which i absolutely fell in love with. It reminded me of my favorite elementary school lunch– Taco Calzones. this shot of nostalgia hit me, and i definitely need to go back to try the rest of what’s on their menu! this is a definitely recommended

I went here for the first time and got the Dogs Eye which had ground Angus beef filling, minced onion and garlic, and savory gravy; and That’ll Do Pig which consisted of ground Angus beef, extra sharp cheese, and back bacon. Personally I liked the Dogs Eye because it was on the sweeter side but my girlfriend liked the That’ll Do Pig because it was more savory and reminded her of her childhood favorite: Taco flavored Calzones.
Two hours later we came back with her cousins and we got the Drover (a version of Shepard’s Pie), Southern Comfort (Chicken Pot Pie), and two of what we got earlier. The Drover kind of tasted like beef stew and the chicken was okay, a little bland but still okay.
I got too excited to take photos though. Whoops!

I had the Drunken Cow today. It was awesome! I thought, I needed a fork but the pie held together. The beef was so tender. The wine wasn’t over powering. I was expecting it to be salty but the taste was perfect!!! I wanted to try more. But that will be my next visit to Orange County.

Yummy. Sausage rolls were spot on. Gives me the taste of home. Will be going there again and again.
So glad this is in my area. Will be sharing with oz in America. Keep up the good work!

I noticed this place while I was getting donuts next door at Sidecar. It’s a pretty small place that specializes in Aussie style savory pies. They are all hand-​held pies which look like mini pies. I felt like an amateur asking for a fork but some of them are quite messy to eat with hands.
Dog’s Eye seems to be the most popular item, and it was the one I liked the best out of three pies I tried. It’s the classic Aussie style made with ground Angus beef, minced onions & garlic, and some type of vegetable gravy. This one is quite messy to eat with hands because of the ground beef. This one had little bit of acidity, giving it a more prominent flavor.
Lalo’s Pollo was a special of the day, made with shredded chicken, jack & cheddar cheese, and green enchilada sauce. Flavor didn’t stand out as much as Dog’s Eye but I liked the mild spiciness in this pie.
Drunken Cow had a comforting flavor. It had sirloin steak braised in red wine, garlic, pearl onions, thyme, and marjoram. Steak was fairly tender and flavored evenly.
In summary, all of the pies I tried were good but Dog’s Eye was just slightly better than the other two. All of them had nice, flaky pie crust, and none felt too heavy or greasy afterward.
There are few sweet pastries but I didn’t see any sweet pies. Coffee drinks and bake-​at-​home pies are also available.

This place is heaven. This is one of the places where you know that what you’re about to consume breaks all dietary restrictions, but the pure enjoyment from each bite overcomes that guilty feeling.
I’ve been here a couple times. My favorite is the southern comfort. It is remarkably delicious. The inside is filled with chicken and a delicious sauce. The crust is flaky and just perfect.
Tip: you see no forks or knives or utensils becuase I’ve learned the best way to eat it is WITH YOUR HANDS!
Although a bit pricey, this place uses high quality ingredients that are not meant to be eaten on a daily basis, but moreso for a treat. The atmosphere is fantastic and the workers are great! They even have gluten free options!
BONUS: sidecar donuts is next door so if you have room (which they’re always is for sweets), go crazy nextdoor.

So originally I had wanted to go to Pie Not after Sidecar and Eat Chow, but I decided that a) I was full and b) my friend was full so I decided to make another trip down to Costa Mesa to try Pie Not! Why not? :D
I walked in and the owner greeted me and asked if it was my first time. I said yes, but that I was ready to get the Drunken Cow. He asked me and was like someone prepared, didn’t he? And yep! I Unilocaled it before going knowing what to get hehe: D He also suggested I use my hands to eat it but I was going to drive so I was unable (shhhhh. I didn’t become the Drunken Cow before drivingggg)
Drunken Cow
red wine & roasted garlic braised premium chunky sirloin steak & pearl onions in a shortcrust pastry shell w/​a puff pastry lid.
So the pastry. Mhm mhm mhm. It was hot and it was deeeeelish. I love crust. It’s really really really good. Butteryyyy. The sauce inside is really good. It’s more of a soup-​stew base, one of the thicker ones. But they got steak and red wine and onions inside. The steak is chewy and definitely get the stew with the steak because they are made for each other (:
You start eating it though, and you look up and look back down. Your pie is gone. Your australian meat pie, gone. Just like that. What do you do?
Buy another pie. One is not enough xD
Not many tables inside, some tables outside.
Also: desserts!

Love, love, love. Took me about a year from knowing about this place, to actually GOING to this place. I guess traveling to Australia was a big motivation. Getting a good flat white anywhere is usually the mission. Adding a good meat pie to it just makes it so much better. So far, I’ve tried the below in favorites order:
March special: Tipsy Paddy: Guinness braised beef, cheddar, and. that’s all you need to know.
That’ll Do Pig — rich and delicious
Dog’s Eye pie — Just plain delicious
Hippie Roll — Good flavor and texture
Ghandi Pasty — great insides, but not my favorite bread
The girls that work here are adorable. So far I’ve been three weeks in a row and I have a feeling, because of this review I’m typing up, I’m going tonight. :)
**And now I’ve had the Druken cow (awesome, with the pearl onions) and the most delicious, so moist, lamington.

Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pies has nothing on this place. Came here a couple of times and was impressed with both visits. I’ve tried the That’ll Do Pig, Southern Comfort, and Dog’s Eye. The two beef pies were excellent, but I wasn’t a fan of the Southern Comfort. Didn’t really have the punchy flavors of the Dog’s Eye and That’ll Do Pig. And I do love some punchy, robust flavors. Beyond the food, all of the people working here have always been incredibly friendly and really just a joy to chat with. A great place for a quick and unique bite that’s not (too) messy. Just don’t try to eat it with a fork – especially not a plastic fork – it doesn’t work. Seriously, don’t even try. You’ll just destroy the pie. And possibly the fork.

I came here twice in one week & have absolutely no regrets!
Delicious savory pies that make your mouth water just by walking into the shop. Although the specialization is meat pies, my favorites are the veggie ones (Vege and the Hippie Roll!) The crust is flaky and the insides are piping hot, perfect for a chilly day. I must admit though the bottom crust is definitely hard to cut through, but just pick it up and bite it!
Pies I have had here: Mad Dog (beef), Mary’s (Aussie Lamb), Southern Comfort (chicken), Vege Patch, a special called Tipsy (steak), and the Hippie roll which is more like a pastry. Like I said, the veggie ones are the best but I really loved mad dog and Mary’s as well. These pies are big enough for a meal, but have definitely eaten more than one…
Service here is great and I have never had any problems. The workers explain everything thoroughly and are there to answer any questions you may have.
The reason for –1 star? Because I saw that the prices have went up and $ 7something for a pie is kind of steep. But hey, worth the splurge.

Ever since Costco stopped selling these amazing Aussie pies, I’ve been on the hunt for anything similar! When I saw this place, I had to try it.
To my disappointment, it didn’t meet my expectations at all. I ordered the the Southern Comfort, which was the chicken pie. Not only did it lack in flavor, it was extremely dry. Although the crust wasn’t as flaky as I hoped, it wasn’t soggy. Priced at almost $ 8 per pie, which was between 3 – 4 inches wide, I expected a pie of higher quality and flavors.
Seating is outside. Was relatively easy for me to find, but it wasn’t a busy morning.

A magnificent idea intersects mediocre execution in a newly crowned hipster neighborhood.
Pie-​Not is a two year old fast casual restaurant specializing in a range of gourmet Australian meatpies and pastries in the middle of 17^th Street near the Newport Beach border. The humble meatpie can make those of us that lived in Australia for an extended period of time yearn for a reminder of Oz’s street food scene. That was certainly the case the day I walked in and ordered a Dog’s Eye — their version of the classic meat pie. $ 7.40 and 30 seconds later, I was being whisked away back to Brisbane, Queensland…
For the uninitiated a meatpie is a ridiculously marvelous idea: A puff-​like pastry acts as a serving mechanism for meat loaded fillings containing any combination or seasoning you can dream up. The Dog’s Eye is the quintessential «OG» pie containing ground Angus Beef, Onions, Garlic and a thick, savory Gravy. Pie-​Not absolutely nails the pastry portion with a flaky and chewy crust that never buckles under pressure (the sign of a real deal pie) but disappoints in the filling part. The Beef had a muted flavor and the Gravy failed to elevate the situation. Also, the Garlic was more of a shadow in the background than a flavor contender which was unsatisfying. Pie-​Not isn’t a bad meatpie, it just isn’t a great one either.
In fact, this was more reminiscent of the meatpies served in Brisbane State School’s courtyard cafeteria than the artisan pies made by the masters you would find in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. That is honestly a damn shame because Pie-​Not could have been the first purveyor of the high end meatpie that would take America by storm, particularly in the Northwest and Midwest thanks to winter.
I applaud Pie-​Not for bringing a piece of Oz to us here in OC but can’t help but wonder what could have been.

I’m a big fan of their meat pies. Very comforting and delicious. The times when I have visited the pies are usually fresh out of the oven but there are some days when they run out of a particular choice of pie. The wait isn’t so long for a new batch, (around 20 mins) but it’s definitely best when it’s fresh.
I always have a difficult choice going for one. I have to try or might as well buy most of the different pies for my satisfaction. The drunken cow may be a favorite with the tender beef chunks! Also the Drover is a good one with the mashed potatoes on top. Good balance with the meat although the crusts are the best part of every pies!

Great pie’s with fillings full of flavor all inside a buttery flaky crust. What’s not to love? Good overall size to fill your hunger, but hey, if you are still hungry, it’s not too big that you regret it and KO somewhere. If you are feeling Australian pie’s, Pie-​Not has got it going on. No mash or peas, but it’s A-​OK with me!

I’d been meaning to try this place for a while, mostly because I made an Australian friend and he kept boasting about how great Australian meat pies are. After going to Sidecar a couple times and thinking about getting the pies but having lunch plans for later (so maybe next time), they advertised their celebration of Australia Day on Instagram with a baby kangaroo, so finally they sold me on coming in.
First off, parking here during lunch time is a nightmare. Mostly because there’s SO MANY PEOPLE trying to get donuts from Sidecar at that time. So beware of that.
The pies here were pretty tasty. I got the Dog’s Eye, which is the classic Australian meat pie, and it was pretty good. It wasn’t mind blowing, so I probably hyped it up too much in my head, but it wasn’t bad. If we use a Costco Marie Callender’s pot pie as a baseline (mostly because most people know what that tastes like), the pies pies here take the cake. Not too salty, nice flaky crust, and the meat filling inside is good.
The Australia Day celebration made coming here super awesome though. Australia Day happens every year on January 26, so keep an eye out for a weekend near that date. They brought a baby kangaroo to the courtyard across the street. Let me repeat that. There was a BABY KANGAROO in Costa Mesa. The kids were lining up to pet it, and it was really, really adorable. They were also handing out samples of the digger cookie (yum!), the sag roll (kind of salty), and the hippie roll (not bad), as well as some ginger beer, which unfortunately I didn’t try.
And finally the lamington. I’ve watched CommunityChannel on YouTube for upwards of five years now, and her unfulfilled promise of a lamginton-​making video has not yet escaped me. She still hasn’t fulfilled her promise, and thus I had not yet tried a lamington. This being an Australian restaurant of course had lamingtons and it was actually quite tasty. Definitely met my hyped up expectations.
I’ll be going to Australia in a month, so I’ll probably be back to make comparisons between this tasty joint and an authentic Australian meat pie.

I had no idea I loved Australian hand pies! I really really liked this little pie shop.
Most of their menu are savory pies but they do have a few dessert options. I tried a chicken and leek pie. The chicken was so juicy and the cream sauce was unbelievable tasty. The pie crust was so flaky and buttery. Just heavenly. I also tried one with beef and cheese which was equally as delicious. The guys behind the counter were super helpful and gave me their recommendations. They did not disappoint. They also make hot and iced coffee. Even a flat white! I enjoyed my pies very much and would recommend trying a little something from pie not.

Love love the meat pies.
The only thing that sucks in this area is the parking it’s always pretty packed.
So far I’ve only tried the Mary’s, sprung a leek, and southern comfort. My favorite has to be their chicken pies I wasn’t a fan of the Mary pie which had lamb in it but the sprung a leek and southern comfort reminded me of chicken pot pie but aussie pies have less liquid are meant more for picking up and eating with your hands. One pie is definitely super filling I get full just eating half. Delicious flakey pie goodness.
Also they have at 8am :)
Can’t wait to try their beef pies next.

This place sells Australian meat pies, not sweet fruit pies. This was the first thing the employees made sure I knew. Thankfully, I came knowing what I’d find. :)
Awesome service at the counter. The employees were super helpful in explaining their most popular items. They even let us know that the pies typically eaten picked up out of the tin, and enjoyed like a burger. The pies were warmed up for us, but unfortunately, one was a little stale. I’d recommend getting a freshly baked one, or taking it home to toast up.
Highly Recommend:
–The Dover, that potato parmesan top though. O_​_​O + traditional tomato base beef filling #yum
–The Drunken Cow, awesome sirloin with onion filling.
Their Australian desserts also looked awesome and were priced low, so I’ll be sure to try them next time!

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 at Sidecar!
It was my first time, and the girls working there said the pies are dense and hearty. One hungry person can eat it but also 2 light eaters can share. I ordered the Drover, which is like a Shepherds pie, and the Southern Comfort, similar to a Chicken Pot pie.
In addition to the Aussie pies, they also had small, sweet and savory pastry rolls.
The Aussie pies were $ 6.50 each, and were told that it would keep no more than 2 days in the refrigerator, and to heat it up at 320 degrees in the oven for 20 minutes. They made it just fine on the ride back to LA County. For dinner, Stephen and I decided to split the Drover and we were glad we did. It was truly a hearty pie. A decent layer of the beef and vegs, and a thick layer of the potatoes.
A day later, we also split the Southern Comfort, and it, too, was hearty. Even a day later, the crust was flakey, and the pie was filled with chunks of chicken, potatoes, and veg.
I think I would have liked it if I had some gravy to pour over either pie, but I am not sure if that’s considered «Aussie». Overall a thumbs up on these 2 pies. The prices weren’t bad, as they were filling.