Aussie Pie Kitchen – Reinvented Taste of Down Under in California

Aussie Pie Kitchen –

A Reinvented Taste of Down Under in California

By Samantha Dockser

You’ve never tasted pies like Aussie Pie Kitchen. And even if you yourself are a true Aussie, think again! Nick and Geri opened Aussie Pie Kitchen in Santa Monica 2014. With the help of Chopped Champion, Chef Joe Youkhan, they fully reinvented what it means to make and eat Aussie pies.

For those unfamiliar with Aussie Pies, Nick explains that they are to Australians what hotdogs are to Americans. They’re mass-produced. You don’t quite know what’s in them. They do the trick, but nothing about them is spectacular. Pies are also are hand held, and usually drowned in ketchup, just like a hotdog.

Aussie Pie Kitchen has changed the pie game. For the full story of their conception (and believe me, it’s a good one!) click here! But long story short, their pies take three days to make. They marinate their ingredients for 24-28 hours, then they slow cook for 2-4 hours, and then let it rest another day. Finally, the pies are finished by blind baking a buttery, high quality pastry base and add a separate croissant top. These pastries are delicious yet crumbly to hold, making them different from the original Aussie pie.

What also makes these pies so different is that, unlike the traditional pies, you can’t just douse it in sauce and go on your way. You wouldn’t even want to when the sides at Aussie Pie Kitchen are so delicious. Most of Aussie Pie Kitchen’s pies are served stacked—meaning with a topping or two added. Their sides are as follows: minty, mushy peas, hand mashed roasted garlic potatoes, roasted yams with cinnamon & nutmeg, croissant stuffing with sausage and kale, Mac n 3 cheeses, and Edamame and Sweetcorn succotash. And their pies are then topped with a generous drizzling of creamy thyme or mushroom gravy.

Having never tasted a true Australian pie, I don’t know which is better. All I know is that these pies at Aussie Pie Kitchen are so ridiculously delicious. And they cater!

That is actually how I learned about them in the first place. They catered a dinner at my boyfriend’s office. He texted me immediately to tell me I had to try these amazing pies. And coming soon, their catering is kicking it up a notch with their Piecycle, delivering in the heart of Santa Monica.

Aussie Pie Kitchen offers delicious coffee, pies, and desserts, with a staff that is eager to help you experience and understand your first reinvented Aussie Pie. It was an absolute joy drinking a flat white with my pies this weekend. I tasted all the delicious sides, my favorite being the hand mashed roasted garlic potatoes. And I enjoyed both the Classic Aussie Pie, made of ground beef marinated in red wine, braised in Mirepoix, with herbs & spices, as well as the Surfer’s Paradise. That was composed of green curry chicken thighs in coconut milk & garnet yams.