Craving a British Pie in Hong Kong? I Got You Fam
For being a former British colony, it can be damn near impossible to find a quality British pie in Hong Kong, innit? Did I use ‘innit’ correctly? I have no idea.
However, there is one longstanding British gastropub that reigns supreme when it comes to nailing the quintessential buttery, flaky, meat-filled British pie, including mandatory mash, beans, mushy peas, and an extra side of nostalgia, that Brits (and non-Brits as well) wistfully long for while looking out the window of their middle-office hellhole – The Globe.
So, if you’re craving a taste of home, here is what I consider to be the best British pie in Hong Kong.
Pale Ale Travel Note: While there are about one million reasons that I absolutely adore The Globe and consider it to be one of my favorite beer haunts (and one of the most underrated restaurants in the city), this post is strictly about British pies, so let’s get to the good stuff.
The Globe: an Enduring Pie & Beer Institution in SoHo
Website, Address, & Details: https://www.instagram.com/theglobehk/
- Location: Garley Building, 45-53A Graham St, Central
- Price: As of the date of publication, pies clock in at HK$190, which may seem somewhat steep – but when it comes with a generous side of mash, beans, and whatever other side(s) you’ve requested, I consider it a great (filling) deal.
While I didn’t grow up in the U.K., British meat pies are a food that I hold near and dear to my heart and regularly crave. I think it’s just because I have a body built for ‘meat pie consumption’.
That just means I’m built like a bulldozer, perpetually ready to hunker down for a winter nap induced by hearty, savory, stick-to-your-ribs food.
The Globe doesn’t mess around when it comes to pies.
I suspect it’s because this British institution has been around for nearly three decades (rotating between several locations in SoHo), roughly 20 years in its current location on Graham Street, and has been forced to carry the weight of so many Brit’s gastronomic childhoods and teenage years on its shoulders.
It’s simply too important in Hong Kong’s gastronomic and pub scene to fail. It can’t.
Pale Ale Travel Note: The Globe is also behind one of the most iconic Sunday Roasts in Hong Kong, which deserves a post in itself – so keep an eye out.
Why Have a Pie For Dessert When It Could Be Dinner?
That close-up. Damn, that thing thick.
Pie offerings are etched in white lettering on a blackboard to the left of the 360-degree bar, which tells you exactly how indelible these flaky creations are.
You’ll find a handful of classics that have been on the menu longer than that one Gen Z TikToker you saw doing a Fortnight dance outside of Fashion Walk last week has been alive, including:
- Chicken leek and ale,
- Minced beef and onion,
- Pork apple and sage,
- Steak and kidney,
- Cheese and onion,
- Spinach, potato, and mushroom, and my absolute favorite (and go-to),
- Beef, beer and mushroom.
I love the latter to such an unhealthy degree that I’ve only ever ordered it, and the steak and kidney pie once or twice – just because I ain’t no fraud.
It’s a savory, beefy, earthy stew tightly hugged by a delicate yet sturdy perfectly crimped shortcrust pastry that overflows once you cut it open.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: Looking to make it a night and toss back more than a handful of brews along the way? Make sure to check out my post walking you through the ultimate self-guided Hong Kong pub crawl.
Sides are like your cantankerous old British nan used to make every Christmas Eve before one too few many glasses of wine that resulted in your father having to make her say ‘night night’ before 7 PM. That means chips, mash, baked beans, green peas, and mushy peas are all ripe for the picking – with your very own tub of gravy to top it all off.
“Now you will go to sleep, or I will put you to sleep…You’re in my world now, grandma.”
If you haven’t seen Happy Gilmore, please send a carrier pigeon with a formal declaration waging hand-to-hand combat to my office and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Don’t forget to haphazardly mix all your sides together before combining it with an oversized hunk of pie (and filling) you broke off before airplane-ing it all down your gullet. That’s what I do.
18 rotating beer taps and a list of 200ish bottles, of both local and international acclaim and obscurity, ensure that whatever perishing thirst has washed over you won’t yet take you to your maker.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: The Globe actually sports one of the best daily lunch menus in all of Hong Kong. It’s constantly changing, pushing the limits with new, creative dishes, and consistently delivers on all fronts. I strongly recommend making the trip for lunch and reporting back to Big Body about your gustatorial exploits.
No Need to Go Around the World For a Meat Pie When You’ve Got The Globe
Here’s a picture of the drunk apple and blackberry crumble just to get you fully gustatorily torqued. Don’t worry, The Globe (almost always) has a sticky toffee pudding on the menu if that’s more your scene.
I don’t want to hear any more complaining in the men’s changing room at Pure that you simply don’t know where to look for a classic British pie in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, we were all naked so I didn’t want to just chime in, unsolicited, offering up this invaluable advice.
So, I wrote this post.
Local brewery Heroes ‘Cereusly’ IPA is one of my favorites in Hong Kong
I’m happy to go into greater detail about The Globe and why it’s one of my favorite spots in all of Hong Kong (for drinks and eats) if you shoot me an email.
However, I’m currently trying to focus on publishing a healthy chunk of concise restaurant, bar, and cafe write-ups that aren’t my typical 2,500-3,000-plus anecdotal novellas.
Please ‘give a shout’ if you prefer these shorter-style posts or if you want to see me keep putting out longer articles!
Finally, let me know in the comments what your favorite pie at The Globe is! Or, if you have any questions about eating or drinking in Hong Kong, reach out to me at info@palealetravel.com.
Eat and drink well everyone,
Big Body
Big Body is a voracious lov…eater, a cowardly fighter, and a self-proclaimed curry goat BBQ-eating champion (don’t forget the donkey milk) who likes Stoicism, baseball, and writing in the third person. Having worked for himself for the last 7 years, he isn’t particularly successful but he does still drink ice-cold Sapporo draft beers with the best of them and knows his way around a Dai Pai Dong or two. He is based in Hong Kong but you can still find him in Saigon, Osaka, and Vienna for extended periods.