The Braidwood Bakery — Restaurant in Braidwood

This is a modification of the review below

Being in Canberra but having a time sensitive legal matter to briefly attend to on the South Coast at 11AM on Tuesday Feb 25th 2025 but needing to be back in Canberra by 3PM my wife and I did a quick day trip to the Coast. We left Canberra at 8AM and were all done at the Coast by 11:45AM and headed back up to Braidwood by 12:30PM and stopped at the Bakery there for a drink and a pie.

My wife wasn't eating so I went into the the Bakery and straight out back for a pit stop. I went back inside and picked out a drink from the fridge and started walking to the service counter thinking should I eat in (leaving her in the car) or go back and get going and then noticed a customer finish paying and leave with no queue(*) behind her I approached the counter and asked the attendant asked for a pie.

What I got was aggressive eye-contact and a sharp Greta Thunberg style "how dare you" rebuke for queue jumping by the attendant, a mature aged school ma'am type of woman, an ex-headmistress or country hospital matron perhaps.

Taken aback by the aggression I turned around and there was a gentleman standing about 3m away from the cash register hard up on the opposite wall, and about 1m back from opposite the cashier. (* It's a Canberra thing where people stand well away from any counter, so people at the counter don't have to worry about someone seeing their PIN or something, however it does make the queue indistinguishable from people milling around, or waiting for some other reason).

Feeling chastised and embarrassed I apologised and stepped back and to the side while the gentleman stepped forward to the counter, and I apologised to him too, he seemingly none too concerned and unfussed.

Then the headmistress started a conversation with the gentleman about me as I stood there. "I saw him", she said said with a smirk, "come around the corner of the bench and I thought that's a smooth move cutting in there". I had been non-personed into the past already.

She had observed an event and projected her own meaning into that which had nothing to do with me or my pre-occupation. Fair enough, people do. However as someone in customer service her professional approach should have been to think that perhaps there is an aspect going on here of which she was unaware and guided by the old maxim "the customer is always right" she might have thought "maybe he is pre-occupied about something so I will politely ask him to wait". But no she went full aggro right from the start.

Then having achieved her objective of restoring order to her queue she might have thought "Well he has apologised to me for cutting into the line, and to the gentleman, so let's resume normal operating procedure". But no her perception of the event was the reality and I was past history and the transaction had been completed.

Realising this and not wanting to intrude on her conversation with the gentleman about that rude old man I just put the drink down on the counter and walked out. Returning to the car and was on my way it dawned on me that yes I had just experienced yet another Aspie "Iron Lady" interaction, which leaves one feeling as if run over by a steamroller. One of the partners in the business contacted me to say the woman converned had been spoken to and she expressed contrition. I have my doubts as to whether that will be effective seeing as she reminded me so much of other "Iron Lady" Aspies. Nevertheless I hadn't said "never again" and am pleased the business supplied me with a voucher to encourage me back, enough for a pie and coffee for my wife and I. I shall just avoid the 'headmistress' if I spot her serving. My original rating was 1 star so with this professional response worth five stars I have adjusted it to 3...

The Braidwood Bakery offers a typical small-town experience, but for avid pie enthusiasts, the traditional beef mince pie may leave you wanting more. As a self-proclaimed pie connoisseur, I always judge a bakery by its mince pies, and in this case, their offering was average at best.

A few quirks in the presentation stood out. The pie was delivered in a paper bag, without the usual tin foil tray—a surprising detail that detracts from the convenience and practicality of the experience. Adding to the peculiarity was the inclusion of sauce, unrequested, tucked into the bag. For those who believe a good pie should stand strong without condiments, this choice raised eyebrows. Regrettably, the sauce did play a role in salvaging the flavor, as the grungy mince filling lacked the depth and richness one would hope for. The pastry, on the other hand, was decent and provided some redemption.

Service at the bakery was unremarkable—neither poor nor exceptional—and does not warrant a particular mention. Overall, the Braidwood Bakery’s beef mince pie was far from memorable. While it wasn’t a terrible experience, it also didn’t inspire the enthusiasm that keeps pie lovers coming back for more. Here’s hoping their other offerings...

Never have I ever been unable to finish I pie, until now. Two bites down, I had to retire. My partner and baby were also unable to consume it.

I'll start with the chunky chicken (the only pie i have ever been unable to finish). This had to be the worst pie in my life. It tasted like sour, off, salty milk. Pastry was okay, but the contents within said Pastry have ruined my whole experience of this town. Hopefully, it was enjoyed more by a local scavenging bird.

As I love pies so much, I bought two. The next one I got was their 'special' Satay Beef. I must say, satay was a stretch and also beef was a stretch. Due to my hunger, I was overly committed to finishing this bad boy. Halfway through, I had yet to have a piece of beef or any taste of a peanut. However, I pushed on through and received a delightful piece of beef in the last two bites.

Overall, I would say their pies are overrated and disappointing. The staff were very lovely though. I won't...