The Pie Commission — Restaurant in Toronto

WOW ... I did not expect meat pies this delicious from OUR side of the Atlantic. I have been fortunate to be in London a few times to experience the real deal. So my expectations were a tad high (or possibly unreasonably high) but wow, did Pie Commission ever do it justice and then some!

Do you like amazing flavours, tender chunks of meat or vegetables, the flakiest and butteriest crust, and eating incredible food for less than $10? THIS IS YOUR PLACE...sorry, I'm that excited.

A note for everyone who has never been here before... I was utterly confused to find this place at first. I turned off from Queensway into a L shaped parking lot and was completely confused on where the storefront is. The actual door and storefront is facing AWAY from Queensway, it is down the stairs from the parking lot and literally on the south wall of the building. This place is mostly a take away place but in the summer, there are two picnic tables and a few Muskoka chairs you can sit on and enjoy.

Inside is a small but clean storefront with big clear menus and a peak of the sweets and savouries to devour. And when I mean devour... once you try it, you'll agree. I love the fact that all pies are less than $9 and for a combo, easily under $13. For a phenomenal and filling meal, It's unheard of in Toronto. We got the combos... butter chicken, beer and beef, and pulled pork. We got the salad to go with it. I know ... wha salad? But if you have taste buds and like vegetables, the vinaigrette is laced with some magic.

Butter crust... yes I'm writing about the crust alone cause it's that deserving. How many times you've had pie where you bit into it and its a soggy mush or its flavourless cause it has shortening or its overbaked so its a concrete slab. Well, let Pie Commission enlighten you on how amazing crust can be. This one is so flakey, buttery (you actually smell the butter and it totally melts on your tongue), crispy light that it shatters as you bite right into it (sorry, was I supposed to use a fork instead of digging straight in?), and they bake it so its a nice deep caramel so the flavours are wonderfully enhanced. Yes.. they do pie crust right here.

Butter chicken .. I was surprised on how good it was. Seeing I just came from Pukka, I had a great rendition there and I would say Pie Commission is almost as good. There's no heat or nuanced spicing but it was still amazing. Its like an excellent home cooked curry done by someone's grandmother. Big chunks of chicken and plenty of it with lots of chick peas and vegetables. All wrapped in a lot of smooth curry sauce. Definite winner

Beef and Beer ... Another excellent one pie. Oh god, the sauce is so good. You can taste the full flavour of the beef and beer. Just an excellent pairing plus the onions just add to the flavour. It was so good and the gravy... just made kept everything so tender and moist. Can't go wrong with this one.

Salad side... I know, what is so damn exciting about leafy greens. Well, the vinaigrette ... if you love a dressing that completely turns vegetables exciting. I would recommend to try. It is incredibly unusual as it is sweet, tart, and sour. But the sweetness hits you first and then all the flavours jump in.

It doesnt open too late into the night so if you're wanting a pie for dinner, come in earlier so you dont leave disappointed if you want to eat one right there. When we went, they only had half their selection and selling out soooo quickly. About 10 other customers there popped in and grabbed their pies to go in less than 20 minutes. And everyone often left with more than 3 or 4 boxes.

For those who like to eat much later, grab a few of the frozen pies to go... yes thats right! You can indulge in these amazing pies at home fresh by buying the pies frozen and baking it in your own oven. They even offer a discount for 4+ pies!

Overall, I'll keep coming back to try all the flavours and also the seasonal selection. ...

Updated review below**. I’m going to start off by saying I used to be a huge fan of this place, but I stopped going here for a while because I found that the pies were not up to the original standard and the prices went up and the value wasn’t there anymore. This week I couldn’t help myself and I went back and bought some frozen pies to bake later. When I opened the box at home I noticed that the quality has fallen even further, the pie lids were not even on center or completely loose off the pie. The amount of filling has also declined. Then to top it all off, when I baked my pie, it was stuck to the bottom of the aluminum tray, and totally fell apart when I tried to remove it. I can’t believe I paid over $80 for 4 frozen pies and 4 frozen sausage rolls. I guess the jokes on me!!!! Unfortunately The Pie Commission lost a long time customer.

** I am writing an updated of the review I left above. I was contacted by the pie commission and they wanted to make it right. And they did. They gave me an explanation why the pies I ordered previously were not up to standard. I understand their reasons, but for that reason I can’t give them a 5/5 until they address that issue. But I did get to try some other pies like the meatball and the peppercorn chuck pies and they were on point. I will go back for those!!! The customer service is 5/5, they obviously care about their customers because they reached...

I'm a CIA trained chef who took classes under Jacques Pepin. I have a small business known for it's pies among other prepared foods. When I came upon The Pie Commission I had my interest piqued with their claim their all butter crust was flakey. Upon a mission I set out to verify if their crust was truly flakey. When I walked into the shop my senses were awash with the seductive aroma of butter. I asked the young couple behind the counter what pie I should try. They both blurted out the braised beef. I graciously received my pie then sat at the window counter to enjoy. The staff directed me to the cutlery I gleefully waved off. Cutlery I scoffed as I was going full barbarian. I eventually grabbed a fork as the meat came falling out. I popped the pie out of it's aluminum mold. I then flipped it over to inspect the bottom and the sides. Perfect! All golden brown. Now the test of the crust. It was as flakey that they claimed. The filling was both tasty and abundant with meat. The pie melted in my mouth. So scrumptious. I highly recommend this place. Kudos to them to offer HP Sauce and Malt Vinegar along with the standard condiments. I hope they do a short run of mincemeat with beef. Going to try to meet with the owner. Now go out and eat pie. Sorry no photos as I inhaled my pie. Nearly...