Pie and Mash in London: The Shops, the Liquor and How to Order

Pie and mash is a minced-beef pie in a heavy suet crust, served with mash and a ladle of pale green parsley sauce. Time Out calls it "London's original street food", and the shops that still serve it are some of the most characterful rooms in the city: tiled walls, marble tops, benches and a queue that moves briskly. Early recipes used eel or mutton, but for the last century the shops have mostly used minced beef.

The trade is shrinking. Five shops are reported to have closed in 2025, among them a much-loved Tooting name, and the Grade II-listed F. Cooke on Broadway Market is now an eyewear shop. Some newcomers have opened, including Barney's in Walthamstow and Bush in Shepherd's Bush. That is a good reason to go to the old ones while you can.

What is liquor?

Liquor is the parsley sauce, and it is pale green rather than white. It is described as a parsley-based liquor, and Time Out says the good stuff has the right consistency and a vivid green colour from fresh parsley. On the table you will usually find chilli-infused vinegar, which is the traditional seasoning, along with salt and pepper.

How to order

The routine at M Manze is the template for most shops. You queue, order and pay at the counter, then carry your plate to a free table with your cutlery. Nobody will bring it to you.

• Pie and scoop. Menus work in units: a pie with one scoop of mash is the standard order.
• Double mash. Ask for it if you want a bigger heap. "Double/double" means two pies and two scoops.
• Eels. They are served stewed or jellied, either as a side or on their own.
• Liquor. It comes poured over, so say if you would rather go without.

The shops

M Manze, Tower Bridge Road

At 87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1, this is the one to start with. Visit London calls it London's longest continuously running pie and mash shop, and the shop has been in the Manze family since 1902. It is Grade II listed, and Time Out picks it as the best in south London. Hours on the shop's own site are Monday to Thursday 10.30am to 5.45pm, Friday 10am to 6.45pm, Saturday 10am to 7.45pm and Sunday 11am to 2.45pm. Monday to Saturday takeaway is available for up to 15 minutes after closing. Borough is the nearest station, about 800 metres away. Expect to pay roughly £10 to £13 for pie and mash, but check before you go. Telephone: 020 7407 2985. Read the shop's own hours on its opening times page.

M Manze, Peckham

The Manze family's Peckham shop is at 105 High Street, SE15, and Time Out calls it "south London's finest". It keeps shorter hours, closing mid-afternoon: Monday 11am to 2pm, Tuesday to Thursday 10.30am to 2pm, Friday 10am to 2.15pm and Saturday 10am to 2.45pm. No Sunday opening is listed.

Goddards at Greenwich

At 22 King William Walk, SE10, on the edge of Greenwich Market, Goddards is a family-run pie house. Visit London dates the family business to 1890, when it first served customers in nearby Deptford. Choices include minced beef, lamb and rosemary, and steak and ale pies, plus vegetarian and gluten-free options and a portion of jellied eel. A minced-beef pie with mash and liquor comes in under £10, according to Lamplit. The shop's own site and Greenwich Market describe daily opening, while a Visit Greenwich listing shows Monday and Tuesday closed, so call 020 8305 9612 before a Monday or Tuesday trip.

G. Kelly, Roman Road

Time Out names G. Kelly, at 526 Roman Road, Bow, E3, as the best in east London. It was founded in the late 1930s and has since been through a full refurbishment, with a new bakehouse and an interior restored to its pre-war look, as reported by Tower Hamlets Slice. Visit London notes a vegan option alongside jellied and stewed eels, and Londontheinside says Billingsgate seafood such as whelks and cockles is sold from Thursday to Sunday. Matchdays at West Ham have become part of its rhythm. Budget roughly £5 to £10 and check hours first.

Arments, Walworth

Arments is at 7 to 9 Westmoreland Road, SE17, and has been there since 1979. The family says it mince fresh Scottish beef daily to a recipe over a century old, and Broadsheet features it as serving pie and mash since 1914. Pies include steak, steak and kidney, vegan and fruit. The shop says it is "possibly the oldest running pie shop", a modest claim that suits it. Kennington is the nearest station at about 900 metres. Telephone: 0207 703 4974. There is more on the shop's own history page.

Maureen's Pie & Mash, Chrisp Street Market

At 6 Market Way, Poplar, E14, Maureen's has traded for more than 60 years, according to Visit London, and it also serves hot salt beef. All Saints and Langdon Road, both on the DLR, are the closest stations. Prices run roughly £5 to £10. It tends to close in the afternoon, so go early.

If you want it dressed up

Two gastropubs do pies in a different register. The Windmill in Mayfair is known for award-winning pies, as Country & Town House puts it: Guinness and braised short rib, chicken, bacon and leek, and pheasant, rabbit and venison, served with greens and gravy and chips or mash. Lamplit counts nine in-house pies and two bookable Pie Rooms. The Jugged Hare at 49 Chiswell Street, EC1Y, near Barbican, is a gastropub with a daily-changing menu and a pie of the day, according to Visit London. Menus at both change, so check what is on before you set out.

A short plan

• For the classic first visit, go to M Manze on Tower Bridge Road.
• For a day by the river, pair Goddards with Greenwich Market.
• For a matchday or Roman Road wander, go to G. Kelly.
• For something with a wine list, try a pub pie.

Whichever you choose, a pie, a scoop, a ladle of liquor and a splash of chilli vinegar is the whole point.