Summer is for ice cream and frozen treats, but winter? Winter has pie written all over it.
Baked with love, these sweet and savoury pies are just what we're craving this season, so we did the legwork and put together a list of standouts.
Dig into a pies baked according to a Dutch grandmother's recipes, a meaty number that's flambéed tableside, and some global varieties of pie, all in Shanghai.
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BAMBINO
📍600 Shaanxi Road, Jing'an
☎️ 13166296689
Spearheaded by tattoo artist, chef and Shanghai icon Lucky Lasagna, Bambino pushes the boundaries of Italian cuisine with Chinese-accented dishes.
Perhaps you've come here for date night and tried the pastas and focaccia-style pizza, but did you know that the cosy bistro also serves a phenomenal Osso Bucco pie?
One of the heartiest and heaviest dishes on the current menu, said pie is best shared among several diners, who also get to enjoy the spectacle of it being lit on fire.
Is it as delicious as it is interesting though? Our verdict is a resounding yes. The lamb filling is first marinated overnight with lager beer, bay leaves, chili, brown sugar, honey, coffee and mustard seeds before being cooked in stout. Chef Lucky's labour of love is finally served with garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon.
But the best bit is digging into the whole-bone-in-pie's marrow.
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PIE BIRD
📍333 Middle Huaihai Road, Huangpu | 1313 Xinzha Road, Jing'an | 2266 Longteng Avenue, Xuhui
☎️ Xintiandi: 02163016636 | Kerry Center: 0215298025 | West Bund 17717252720
Named after a neat ceramic tool used to prevent pie filling from leaking, Pie Bird has been serving American-style sweet pies in Shanghai since 2018, and has even expanded to Tokyo!
Besides offering popular American classics, like apple pie, coconut cream pie and key lime pie, Pie Bird experiments with different seasonal pies. In fact, they have served nearly 100 different kinds of pie since opening.
For those wanting to try a variety of flavours, get the sampler with eight random slices of pie.
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PIE SOCIETY
📍381 Panyu Road, Changning
☎️ 62146992
British-inspired eatery Pie Society started as a humble pop-up in 2014, making 2024 their 10th year! The name says it all. Started by DJ and promoter Jane Siesta, who was based in the UK while pursuing her studies, Pie Society prides itself on slinging tasty pies made with only the freshest and highest quality ingredients.
Our go-to is the 'Seriously Beefy,' a hearty and filling steak and Guinness pie pairing flaky crust with extra tender and juicy meat. Each pie is served with your choice of beef or onion gravy.
If you're ravenous, opt for the 'Full Monty' — this sees your pie perched on top of a bed of creamy mash, crowned with mushy peas, shredded cheese and onions, and doused in gravy.
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DUTCH PIES
📍780 Wanhangdu Road, Jing'an
☎️ 15026550535
Dutch Pies has been a strong player in the Shanghai dessert game for over a decade. Founder Roel de Ruiter started his pie empire in 2012, and says that while cakes were available in Shanghai at the time, there were no pies like the ones he'd eaten growing up in the Netherlands.
Using his grandmother's recipes, Roel first began baking pies for his friends, but people loved them so much that he decided to go full scale.
Though the menu has grown to include cheesecake, quiche and more, the classic apple pie and rice pudding pie remain the most popular offerings. Creamy and well-spiced, the pumpkin pie is this writer's favourite, especially when topped off with whipped cream.
Dutch Pies also serves a surprise box, which sees 10 different kinds of pie neatly packed into one takeaway box.
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BURRITO EL PATRON
📍278 North Shaanxi Road, Jing'an
☎️ 15921300860
You read it here first! Sort of an 'off-menu item,' Burrito El Patron's empanadas aren't listed on their in-store menu, but can be ordered via several delivery platforms.
Empanadas, a kind of 'hand pie' popular in a number of South and Central America, aren't widely available in Shanghai, making this find extra exciting.
Accountant turned restauranteur Liu Jin abandoned the confines of his desk job to pursue his passion for food. Finding a hole in Shanghai's F&B market that needed to be filled, Liu decided to serve up the kind of Tex Mex creations he misses from the US.
Burrito El Patron's diverse offerings deserve to be explored, but we're here to talk about pie: work your way through all nine kinds of empanadas — since they're small, you can do several at a time.
Some stand-outs include the 'Cheese Burger,' a beefy and cheesy explosion of flavour, and the 'Chipotle Chicken' with its creamy filling and nice, spicy kick.
A generous selection of dipping sauces is available as well, from avocado ranch to 'bang bang' sauce, and chipotle mayo to creamy jalapeño ranch.
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BORSH & KOMPOT
📍1411 Yuyuan Road, Changning
☎️ 18930659944
Best known for its namesake borsh or borscht, a soup widely eaten in Eastern Europe and often containing beetroot, Borsh & Kompot also makes hyper regional hand pies from time to time.
Pirozhki are elongated Russian hand pies, while kubdari are round and flat; both come stuffed with spiced meat. Call the restaurant ahead of time to inquire about availability.
If the savoury options aren't available then, satisfy your cravings for pie by way of dessert. Served à la mode, Borsh & Kompot's apple pie is served in thick slabs, but you won't even want to share.
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DORJE RAM
( 多杰拉姆藏餐吧 )
📍30, Lane 248 Taikang Road, Huangpu
☎️ 18521719090
Dorje Ram is synonymous with yak dishes, our favourite of which is the yak pie.
Dig into this hearty dish of stewed yak cooked with bell peppers and potatoes and covered with a flaky pastry. Don't you just love the diversity of pie culture?
Serving no-frills Tibetan fare, the restaurant can be found tucked away in Tianzifang's narrow alleys, which also house other hidden gems — as you'll discover in our food and drink guide to Tianzifang.
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All images are courtesy of the respective establishments. This article is not to be replicated without prior consent.
