Where to find the best pies around Australia

Hungry? We quizzed our readers on where to find the best pies around the country. How many have you been to?

When it comes to food in Australia, you might hear about our lack of food culture. I’ll see your point and raise you the meat pie. There is nothing quite as Australian as stopping at a regional bakery on a road trip and indulging in one of the best pies you’ve had that you’ll dream of for years to come.

Everyone has a favourite pie shop they’ve been to around our beautiful country. So much so that when we asked our readers for their recommendations the comments came in thick and fast. Here, find a curated list of where to get the best pies around Australia, according to you, our well-fed readers.

NSW

Milkwood Bakery, Berry

In the heart of Berry on the NSW South Coast, you’ll find this little gem of a bakery that popped up quite a few times in your recommendations. They like to experiment with their flavours here, so expect some uniquely delicious pies.

Upper Crust, Collaroy

Coming in hot on Sydney’s Northern Beaches lies a yellow and green painted pie shop that apparently does a very good pie – you all certainly think so! With a consistent queue out the door, Upper Crust is a pie lover’s paradise.

Couple enjoying pies from The Upper Crust pie shop, Collaroy (Image: Destination NSW) — Upper Crust has the best pies on the Northern Beaches. (Image: Destination NSW)

Dojo Bread, Braidwood

Don’t be fooled by the name, Dojo Bread in the Southern Tablelands town of Braidwood is much more than just bread. According to you, their pies are also worth the drive. So whether you’re stopping on your way in or out of Canberra, or you’re coming for the pies, Dojo Bread won’t disappoint.

The Redhead Bakehouse, Redhead

Serving all your trusty favourites, The Redhead Bakehouse has also branched out its offering with some specialty pies like chicken carbonara and steak, cheese and jalapeno. Yum!

Nimmitabel Bakery, Nimmitabel

The original Nimmitabel Bakery appeared in the recommendations a few times. Why not stop in on your next Snowy Mountains trip?

The exterior of Nimmitabel Bakery. — You all love this quaint bakery in Nimmitabel. (Image: Supplied)

Wild Ryes, Pambula

Located in Bega Valley Shire, Wild Ryes not only serves mouth-watering pies but also roasts their own coffee. Nothing better than a freshly ground coffee with your fresh-out-of-the-oven pie.

Wild Ryes pie and coffee — Wild Ryes also roasts their own coffee. (Image: Supplied)

The Bread Social, Tweed Heads

The Bread Social in Tweed Heads has a gourmet range of pies that you absolutely love. Featuring a braised local grass-fed beef pie, a lamb, veg and tomato pie with a polenta top, and a cauliflower and chickpea dahl pie, your tastebuds will be piqued.

Ganmain Bakery, Ganmain

The Ganmain Pie is somewhat famous, and the recipe is top secret. Located in the Riverina region of NSW, Ganmain Bakery produces up to 15,000 pies per week at some times of the year that are transported all over the state. But there’s no place better to try one than in their home bakery.

Rows of freshly baked Ganmain pies. — Ganmain pies are famous. (Image: Supplied)

Hayden’s Pies, Ulladulla

Driving along Princes Highway in Ulladulla, you can’t help but stop in at Hayden’s Pies . With a line always out the door, you have to figure out why right? Using quality, local ingredients, Hayden’s Pies is a delicious representation of the South Coast.

Woman holding Hayden's Pies. — Hayden’s Pies is a South Coast destination. (Image: Supplied)

Ken’s Humble Pie Shop, The Entrance

Ken’s Humble Pie Shop was voted the Central Coast’s number one pie, and don’t you all agree! Ken uses only the freshest ingredients, prepared and cooked in a traditional time-honoured pie-making way. Meats are slow-cooked or roasted and topped with flaky pastry and baked to perfection.

Robertson Pie Shop, Robertson

The award-winning, famous Robertson Pie Shop is located in the Southern Highlands and is a popular destination for pie-lovers far and wide. Baked fresh daily, the pie shop makes a variety of savoury and sweet pies, so there’s something for everyone.

A row of freshly cooked pies at Robertson Pie shop. — Try the pies at the famous Robertson Pie Shop. (Image: Supplied)

Ridgey Didge Pies, Abermain

Ridgey Didge Pies began by offering a small range of traditional flavoured gourmet pies and sausage rolls, which were so popular they expanded the menu with new flavours and tastes inspired by cultures around the world. They now have over 30 different varieties of gourmet pies for customers to choose from.

A meat pie on top of paper bag that says Ridgey Didge Pies. — Ridgey Didge has over 30 different varieties of pies. (Image: Supplied)

Vic

Austro Bakery, South Melbourne

Austro is a local South Melbourne bakery with big ideas about producing small-batch, artisan products. Their pies are baked fresh every day with Central European flavours and techniques, but with modern accents to suit a Melbourne palate.

Pies fresh out of the oven at Austro Bakery. — Austro Bakery has Central European influence. (Image: Supplied)

Gum Tree Pies, Yackandandah

Gum Tree Pies is a family-run pie shop near Beechworth, that has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition. You simply can’t go wrong with these delicious pies.

Parker Pies, Rutherglen

Parker Pies has 24 pie varieties available in-store or takeaway and every delicious pie is filled only with the freshest local produce available and encased in a crisp, golden pastry. Plus, they have vegetarian options, so everyone will be happy.

Different flavour pies at Parker Pies including Crocodile and vegetarian. — Parker Pies has a pie to suit all different tastes. (Image: Supplied)

High Country Bakehouse, Mansfield

High Country Bakehouse in Victoria’s High Country is worth the drive according to your recommendation. You’ll also get to see the beautiful landscapes of the area on the drive there.

Qld

Yatala Pies, Yatala

Yatala Pies has been a landmark for more than 130 years. From humble beginnings as a small pie shop that sold about 200 pies a day a little over a decade ago, Yatala Pies now sells more than 3,500 pies a day!

Chaffey’s Bakery, Chapel Hill

A city bakery with a country feel, Chaffey’s Bakery came up a few times as your favourite pies in Australia. They also serve lots of your traditional bakery faves.

A chunky pepper pie at Chaffey's. — Try the chunky pepper pie at Chaffey’s. (Image: Supplied)

Beefy’s Pies, South East Queensland

Born and bred on the Sunshine Coast, Beefy’s has grown into a franchise across South East Queensland due to its pie success. It’s also gained the reputation of Australia’s best gluten-free bakery with 2020 and 2021 wins of Australia’s best gluten-free pie at the Official Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition.

Beefy's Signature Steak Pie — Beefy’s Signature Steak Pie has been award-winning since 2002. (Image: Supplied)

Tas

Smith’s Specialty Pies, Salamanca Markets, Hobart

Smith’s Specialty Pies – home to Tassie’s famous scallop pies – appeared numerous times in the recommendations. And more specifically, Hobart’s Salamanca Markets Smith’s Pies truck. The traditional home-style baking includes a wide variety of pie flavours, with many awards being won over the years.

Ross Village Bakery, Ross

The Ross Village Bakery is the perfect place to take a break. They bake daily in the 1860 original wood-fired oven giving it an authenticity that is unmatched.

Baking in the wood fired oven at Ross Village Bakery. (Image: Tourism Tasmania and Adrian Cook) — The woodfired oven gives the pies authenticity. (Image: Tourism Tasmania and Adrian Cook)

SA

Port Elliot Bakery, Port Elliot

Port Elliot Bakery is an iconic part of Port Elliott in the Fleurieu Peninsula that you have all urged us not to miss! With a pie of the month, they are always refining their flavour combinations to bring a fresh taste to their customers.

The exterior of Port Elliot Bakery in South Australia. (Image: Josh Geelan) — Port Elliot Bakery is iconic. (Image: Josh Geelan)

Apex Bakery, Tanunda

Apex Bakery in the Barossa Valley is synonymous with pies. Having been in operation since 1924, there is plenty of history and plenty of experience within the walls.

Man serving people at Apex Bakery in South Australia. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission and Sven Kovac) — Apex Bakery is synonymous with pies. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission and Sven Kovac)

WA

Pinjarra Bakery, Pinjarra

Pinjarra Bakery ’s award-winning pies are the product of pie love, passion and only the best quality ingredients. Whether you prefer the classic favourites or the more gourmet, there’s something for every pie lover.

The ‘Bob’s your uncle’ Chunky Steak & Pepper Pie at Pinjarra Bakery. — Try the ‘Bob’s your uncle’ Chunky Steak & Pepper Pie. (Image: Supplied)

Toodyay Bakery, Toodyay

Toodyay Bakery has won awards for their gourmet pies, sausage rolls and bread, also taking home the award for Australia’s Best Pastie in 2016.

NT

The Bakery, Alice Springs

The Bakery is a local, family business in Alice Springs that prides itself on making quality products using quality ingredients. Their creative pies are made fresh from top-quality, locally sourced meats and vegetables, just the way you like it!

Serving customers at The Bakery in Alice Springs. (Image: Tourism NT and Neil Rilatt) — The Bakery uses only the best quality ingredients. (Image: Tourism NT and Neil Rilatt)

Tommo’s Pies, Darwin

Tommo’s Pies in Darwin began making pies back in the seventies and is still going strong today. Their premise is that a great pie doesn’t need bells and whistles. If a classic beef and mushroom is prepared just right, it can knock the socks off even the pickiest of eaters.

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim , ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas.

eel tank — The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Dumawul walkingtour — Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance. The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.

Kooyoora walking tour — Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Kingfisher Cruises

Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises . Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.

wawa biik

Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik.

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.

Healesville Sanctuary

Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm.

The Grampians

Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.