Kiwi’s know a good thing when they see it. The land of Lord of the Rings isn’t much known for anything but those pristine rolling hills, having more sheep than people and being Australia’s little (better looking and nicer) younger sibling (us Canadians know a thing or two about that, too!).
Enter North Shore Pie Co. After opening in Roncesvalles just over two years ago, they’re on a plan of rapid expansion, starting with opening a big beautiful warehouse and retail shop in Etobicoke. The kitchen runs in at 2,000 square feet, featuring all the bells and whistles to crank out an extraordinary amount of pies per day. Also on site is a massive storage facility allowing them to freeze pies and do more wholesale distribution, a key point that owner Anthony Spinley says was lacking at this Roncy shop.
A former pro-Red Bull snowboarder, Spinley moved to Canada and was taken with our obsession for poutine. In New Zealand, their go-to comfort food, even on the go, is a rich meat pie. He felt that the market was in need of something warm, protein filled and luggable, but less deep fried and more hand held. Enter his array of meat pies.
The bakery offers freshly baked pies including mince, veggie (vegan), steak and cheese (a kiwi classic), breakfast pies and the butter chicken pie. All pies are offered in family size ($17), handheld ($6.50) or mini ($20 for 12). The pastry is done in house by another kiwi, ditto the design of the space, even down to the business cards. Everything is pretty much all created by kiwis, even the renovation and build out – a fact that Anthony holds near and dear.
The grab and go counter service offers coffees and drinks, with rustic wood wall features giving it an old world feel. The space is bright and brand new, courtesy of a lengthy renovation converting the building from office to awesome. There’s an adjacent private room that Anthony hopes to screen rugby games on, with large wooden tables perfect for hosting a pie eating contest.
Look for North Shore Pie Co.’s baked goods are their flagship in Roncy or in Etobicoke, but based on his wheeling and dealing, you may even nibble on one at your next event – Royal York is just one of his many wholesale clients.
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Have you tried North Shore Pie Co. yet? What do you think of the New Zealand-style pies? Let us know in the comment section or tweet us at @ViewtheVibe.
