What happens when you hear that a celebrated chef and proponent of molecular gastronomy has started baking his most magnificent creations into deep-pan crusts? You get Wonderpies, a truly magical pie shop, where pastry creations are guarded under glass cloche like the rare treasures that they are. Choose from options like the Nice and Cheesy Does It, a mac and cheese pie topped with béchamel and crushed Cheezels or the carb-loaded Tradie Slammer, which takes a classic beef pie and smooshes it between a brioche bun. All pies have a vegan shortcrust pastry for the base “for better stability”, Raymond Capaldi says. 18 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne. wonderpopanddeli.com.au

This fancy new pie shop in Footscray has forgone the traditional minced beef for deliciously frivolous fillings, created by ex-Supernormal chef, Scott Blomfield. There’s nothing humble about the selection, which includes a lasagne pie, made from layers of Bolognese, pastry and béchamel with a crisp cheesy lid and a chunky pumpkin and tofu cheddar vegan pie, sealed in flaky layers of butter. If you’re more of a sausage roll person, they also do a chicken parmie roll, stuffed with chicken mince, bacon and cheese in a Napoli-style tomato sauce. Still unsure what to order? Get a tasting paddle of party pies and try the whole lot. 297 Barkly Street, Footscray. piethief.com.au.

Yorkshireman Matt Wilkinson opened The Pie Shop next to his restaurant Pope Joan in 2017, making a smooth transition from haute cuisine into hot pies. Despite names like “Bruce”, “Shazza”, and “Darrell”, trust us, these are no bogan offerings. The Vue de monde alumnus puts top produce such as Demeter biodynamic milk and free-range meats to good use in his lunchtime line-up, which includes a spaghetti Bolognese pie with mozzarella crust and a gooey cauliflower and cheese pie. The breakfast pie, aka “Uncle Pete”, takes egg and beans to the next level with jalapeños and cheese. 75 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East. mrwilkinsons.com.au.

Handcrafted and crimped by chef owner Matti Falon, these regal pies are made from a housemade deep-dish flaky pastry filled with slow-braised beef or lamb from Little Creek Farm in Coldstream. Alongside the classics, there’s also mushroom risotto and mac and cheese pie, which we’re pretty sure are side pies, which means you can have two. Skip the Heinz for a skirt of Fallon’s own Dead Horse tomato sauce, made in collaboration with Tom Jacobson of Changz Canteen. The shop may only have a few stools available, however, the beauty of a good pie is that you can scoff one on the spot. 10 Howey Place, Melbourne, princespies.com.

These talented New Zealand expats join a long line of Kiwis adopted by Australia as its own, and one taste of their, admittedly, NZ-inspired pies justifies precisely why we need them. From humble farmers’ market offerings crafted in their St Kilda apartment to the thriving pie shop they now operate in Port Melbourne, one thing hasn’t changed, and that is the delectable all-butter sour-cream pie base, which the couple has perfected, and the sumptuous selections with which they fill them. Chicken, leek, bacon and corn. Braised beef mixes it up with either red wine and rosemary or Guinness and cheddar. Pies aside, they also do an array of sausage rolls, rustic quiches and fruit tarts. 383 Bay St, Port Melbourne. purepie.com.au.

If you have last-minute guests, all roads lead to Meatsmith. Andrew McConnell’s specialty grocer offers a range of luxe family-size pies to bake at home and pass off as your own. For a wow-moment, the pork pie has a marrow bone sticking out of its middle; the marrow seeps into the pie as it cooks. The fragrant Moroccan-style lamb bastilla for two, meanwhile, is a win for date-night with slow-braised lamb, roasted almonds, raisins and spice. 273 Smith Street Fitzroy and 227A Barkly Street, St Kilda. meatsmith.com.au.

There’s plenty more than rôtisserie chicken on the menu at Pickett’s Deli in the Queen Victoria Market. For one, a juicy beef cheek and roast vegetable pie, served with tangy fermented cucumbers. “It’s a long-standing recipe of mine and has always been a favourite,” says chef-owner Scott Pickett. The beef is braised in beetroot juice for a touch of sweetness, and the roasted vegetables and dough are mixed with beef fat to pump up the flavour. “It’s a real heart-warmer.”

Tivoli Road Bakery, with its rough-hewn wooden benches and open kitchen, has cheffy vibes in spades, but at heart, the petite operation on a leafy South Yarra side street is 100 percent bakery. The principle behind master baker James’ pies is simple: quality ingredients and sound technique, but the magic is in the execution and orchestration of flavour combinations that make these pies sing with greater harmony than four and twenty blackbirds. The chicken and pumpkin pie is a case in point. Don’t let the understated name dissuade you, it’s like calling cassoulet baked beans. James tenderly bakes perfume and punch into pumpkin with basil and parmesan which is poured with luscious béchamel in a rich, buttery shell. 3 Tivoli Rd, South Yarra. tivoliroad.com.au.

Just because people don’t eat meat or pastry, doesn’t mean they should be denied a pie. This pastry shop embodies the true Aussie spirit of inclusion, with its selection of gluten-free and vegan-friendly pies. Those with dietary requirements (or not) can snaffle down a lentil and vegetarian curry pie or mushroom, spinach and onion pie, topped with shredded potato in gluten-free pastry. Plus, there’s spinach and ricotta triangles, vegetarian pastries and free-range egg quiches. Don’t worry we haven’t marginalized the meat-eaters, everything can also be made with organic beef and chicken. 228 Gertrude StreetFitzroy. fattoamano.com.au.

If it’s a traditional, home-style ‘call a spade a spade’ kind of pie you seek, head to Richmond’s Bendigo Street Milk Bar for the kind of old-school steak pie upon which this nation was built. The shopfront’s proximity to the MCG certainly adds to the ambience. Chunks of quality beef are patiently stewed to prime tenderness, then smothered in a clingy, sweet onion gravy, before being wrapped in crisp pastry, flaky enough for the perfect mouth-feel, firm enough to hold it all together to the very last bite. Photo: @kenjilopezalt. 37 Bendigo St, Richmond.