Pieminister

On my first visit to London a friend introduced me to pie and mash, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. I try to find it at least once on every trip to the UK or Ireland, even in warm weather when heavy, meaty, starchy bombs aren’t necessarily what most people crave. Meeting that same friend for lunch in London we ended up here by accident but it was for the best.
The pies are a good size, definitely enough for a filling meal, along with a hefty glob of mashed potatoes and a lake of gravy. They have several traditional varieties, including steak and Stilton (yuck) and steak and ale (yum), and although they’ve been made in advance and are sitting under a lamp they still come out hot and tasty and just that much faster. At a busy lunch rush time I could see the place getting crowded as the seating area isn’t huge, but I expect they’re just as good for takeaway. If you need a quick, hearty, and filling lunch in the area, these pies will satisfy.

I’m not really a fan of pies but I was offered these during Clarkenwell’s design week and I can’t say no to free food!
I had the free-​range chicken pie with mash and gravy and it was AMAZING. I could have eaten two. The peas has an amazing texture and a dash of mint, the potatoes creamy and the gravy thick — just how I like it. I will definitely be coming back.
Unfortunately my wooden fork broke straight away, so I had to eat with my knife, which was the only disappointing part.

I love this place. I really don’t know what the other reviews are talking about, I’ve never been served lukewarm pie. The food is brilliant, and I often go for lunch during the week. The service is fantastic, they have a street stall outside so you only queue if you’re planning on sitting down, and it’s always, always clean.

I’ve walked by Pieminister several times on my way to other lunch places on Leather Lane. Finally went in with some colleagues for a team lunch and was pleasantly surprised. I’m not usually big on pie ‘n’ mash, but I really enjoyed lunch. I had the Heidi pie (sweet potato, goat cheese, spinach, red onion) and mash with gravy.
Pros: Creamy mash, decent gravy, and a very yummy pie. Reasonably priced. Plenty of seating inside for a team of 6.
Cons: Without the gravy, the pie and mash would have been pretty dry. Self-​service all around (cutlery, water and glasses, napkins, condiments) so grab your table first before going to the counter to order. More expensive than other eat in options nearby.
It wasn’t remarkable, but it was yummy and I’d get a pie to go if I wasn’t watching my waistline after the holidays. Was a good treat, but not so good that it would beat my local favourites out for a cheat day.

Very tasty, but left me and my fellow dinning pals feeling sick afterwards. Will avoid from now on.

Definitely not as good a quality as the other locations… thicker, drier crust with chunkier meat. Won’t go back to this location.

I love meat and puff pastry, but they managed to serve me a lukewarm pie with some unappetizing gravy and sides. The pie is not especially good, and the peas are kind of gross, and the potatoes are regular.

After a mentally taxing visit to the British Museum on Sunday, I was strolling my way back home and stumbled across Pieminister, which was uncharacteristically open! It turns out they’re just testing their Sunday opening hours, so time will tell if they continue to serve on church-​going days.
Since the weather was alternating between mild showers and torrential downpour, I figured that a hearty meat pie would be appropriate early afternoon sustenance to fight the grey outside. What better way to fill a belly than a Matador with mash and gravy, right?
At an affordable £6 for a paper box the weight of a brick, you certainly get your money’s worth in sheer mass of food. I took the recommendation of the gent behind the counter and wasn’t disappointed with the filling in my pie: beef, chorizo (my fave!), broad beans, and olives. The one recommendation I’d make is to try and eat in if possible. Even the short few minutes between the shop and my flat were enough for the gravy to thoroughly soggify the pastry.
I certainly don’t condone dining on such heavy fare as Pieminister’s on a daily basis, but one has to survive the English weather somehow…