Pie and Mash | Pie and Mash Shops

Pie and Mash | Pie and Mash Shops | East London

Pie and Mash - What is that? Where can you find great Pie and Mash Shops in London?

There are still a few pie and mash shops around. More café than restaurant, they’re a must for all visitors who want to experience ‘old London’.

The primary dish is pie, mash and ‘liquor’ – a minced beef and pastry pie served with mashed potato and a type of parsley sauce called liquor (although it is non-alcoholic). Liquor traditionally has a green color which is not from food coloring but the parsley and it’s also traditionally made using the water kept from the preparation of stewed eels.

Pie and mash shops also serve old-fashioned desserts such as jam roly poly and spotted dick.

One thing’s for sure - pie and mash dining should no way be treated as a ‘cordon bleu’ experience. This is real old-fashioned, traditional London dining. With all due respect these are not so much restaurants but cafés.

Nevertheless, if you want to experience old London this is an experience you would not want to miss. Pie, mash and liquor, jellied eels and eels with gravy are all very cheap. Our recommendation is try something new!

Here are some Pie & Mash Shops to try – in East London and slightly beyond:

BJ’s Pie & Mash

330 Barking Road

London

E13 8HZ

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7474 3389

Nearest Tube: Upton Park or East Ham (both on the Hammersmith & City (pink) & District (green) lines)

Established: 1985

Pie & Mash Club verdict: Highly recommended

BJ’s is a very popular restaurant. It ‘s very close to West Ham United Football Club and on match days it’s very busy. I have seen the queue stretch 100 yards. However, the queue goes down very quickly as people generally eat their dinner and go (a very fast turnaround). This is not the same on a normal day of course. More of a modern P&M feel to it. Nevertheless serves great traditional food. Very reasonably priced.

Duncans Pie & Mash

365 Green Street

London

E13 9AR

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8552 1288

Nearest Tube: Upton Park (Hammersmith & City (pink) and District (green) lines)

Established: 1971

Pie & Mash Club verdict: Highly recommended

Duncans is another establishment that is by West Ham United Football Club and again it’s very popular on match days. The same rule applies to the turnover of customers as for BJ’s (above). Duncans is situated directly across the road from Upton Park. A typical Pie & Mash shop, you get a real feel of East London here. We also thoroughly recommend the desserts. Very reasonably priced.

Cockney Pie & Mash

314 Portobello Road

London

W10 5RU

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8960 9409

Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith & City (pink) line)

Established: 1996

Pie & Mash Club verdict: Highly recommended

Although Pie & Mash may be thought of as a traditionally East London dish, that is not quite the case. Cockneys is typical of this, being based in Portobello Road in the west part of London. Portobello Road is home to the world famous Portobello Road market where you can by an amazing array of things. Cockneys has been highly rated by the Pie & Mash Club. Superb food. (Cockneys has wheelchair access).

Clarks Pie & Mash

46 Exmouth Street

London

EC1R 4QE

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7837 1974

Nearest Tube: Farringdon (Hammersmith & City (pink) Metropolitan (maroon) and Circle (yellow) lines)

Established: 1962

Pie & Mash Club verdict: Highly recommended

Clarks, originally part of the Manzes chain which pre-dated the war years, was taken over by its present owners in 1962. It’s situated on the edge of the City district of London, a 10-minute walk from Farringdon Tube station. Clarks comes highly recommended by the Pie & Mash club.

The Pie & Mash Shop

171 East India Dock Road

London

E14 0EA

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7515 4553

Nearest Tube: All Saints (Docklands Light Railway (DLR))

Established: 1988

Situated in the heart of the Docklands area (including Canary Wharf), The Pie & Mash shop serves up the traditional fare of jellied eels and pie, mash and liquor. The DLR can be accessed via Tower Hill (District & Circle line) or Bank (Central line) Underground (Tube) stations.

Robins Pie & Mash

105 High Street North

East Ham

London

E6 1HZ

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8472 1956

Nearest Tube: East Ham (District (green) and Circle (yellow)lines)

Established: Not exactly known but definitely pre-World War II

Robins has a number of branches in and around the area, mainly in Essex (Wanstead, Ilford, Romford and Basildon). We couldn’t find a date of establishment but it certainly was pre-war. There is a very warm welcome in Robins and you get a real feeling of East London and the East End. Great food, too!