Ashby Pies — Restaurant in Ōrākei

I visited the store on Saturday just gone. The pies looked so good and delicious but the taste just didn’t do it for me. I’m visiting from Sydney and made a point to try the pies at Ashby’s after seeing videos on Tiktok. We tried the Birria Pie, Butter Chicken, mince and Cheese & a pork pie. (We wanted the Beef Cheek n Cheese but there was none at the time we were ordering) Unfortunately none of the Pies did it for me. They taste just like the gourmet Pies in Australia and I don’t like Aussie Pies at all. The pies also didn’t taste fresh? Perhaps reheated after being frozen. I’m used to NZ pies having the perfect flaky pastry, actual meat chunks and the perfect meat, gravy and cheese ratio. I’m also used to the bakery’s that make the pies fresh daily. Perhaps the pies were sitting there since they opened as to why the pastry was a little bit firm. I also found the meat in the Birria and pork pies to be dry and not very appetising. The Birria sauce & spices were ok though. The butter chicken pie is not my cup of tea. I couldn’t actually finish the first bite but it’s not normally something I would choose. Mince and cheese was ok, but not up to the normal standard I’m used to for a staple NZ pie. I finished most of it to justify spending over $60 on pies and baked goods. In saying that I’m more than happy to pay more than $10 a pie as long as the taste is on point. The baked goods were ok. We had the chocolate brownie, Afghan and chocolate donut with crunchy pieces. They were ok, but I probably couldn’t give an honest review on the baked goods as the pies left me a little disappointed. The only saving grace from the trip to St Heliers was the awesome weather and...

"Twice the price, Half the taste." The staff member who served me was a tad awkward and pretentious; I got the distinct impression I was not their target clientele which confused me because they sell pies and I love eating them. (Pies, that is, not people who sell pies.) I requested a mince & cheese and handed over a tenner, assuming a little change but was asked for $11! I balked and contemplated leaving but decided to fish an extra dollar out of my wallet thinking "This better be the best damn pie I've ever had!" Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed. It was about 2 small steps above the worst pie I've ever had. The best part about it was the crust, I cant complain about that but the filling had very little flavour, and what little flavour it did have had a peculiar taste I just couldn't quite put my finger on. The "cheese" was just weird, kinda like cream cheese. About 2 hours after finishing the pie, my stomach started churning like mad and continued until the following evening, I'm not sure just how many bathroom visits I took during that time but it was substantially more than my usual - Don't worry, I won't go into further detail here, this is a review, not a horror script. Perhaps I just got a bad batch, in which case I'd be happy to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the high cost and lack of taste are enough to keep me...

As an American, I don't have extensive experience with Kiwi pie culture, but I first heard about Ashby from locals who swear by them. I have since visited about 100 times, and I can say they are BY FAR my favourite pies - ever. The crust is not your standard flaky crust - slightly crispy on top but a bit flattened and wet on the inside - but something richer and cracklier all the way through, but not dry. It tastes like butter, like a good croissant, but sturdier. The pies themselves are slightly bigger around and taller than most pies, with more filling, so they don't sink in the middle but rise up. I have had a bunch of different ones, but I especially love the butter chicken (with BIG chunks of chicken and toasted cumin seeds, yum) and the many vegetarian pies they offer on rotation. My children love their croissant-y sausage rolls and the EPIC cinnamon scrolls. Actually, my children love everything I ever get them there, including doughnuts, pizza bread, cheese scones, raspberry feijoa passionfruit kiwi cinnamon caramel whatever twists. I love their coffee too, and the staff is really friendly and welcoming - like they hire people for their friendliness. It's just dangerous to...