Matt Wilkinson, chef and former owner of Pope Joan , turned this small former grocery shop into The Pie Shop in May 2017. Since then, it's been quietly making some of the best pies in Melbourne.

The Allen has a beef and vegetable filling cooked next door at Pope Joan. The mixture is spooned into shortcrust pastry bases Wilkinson assembles in a little space by the front window of The Pie Shop, where you might find him rolling out long, yellowish sheets of pastry on a special machine, before baking in the rear of the store.

Past pies have included the golden-brown, crimped-edged Daryl pie, filled with curried turkey, sweet potato and spinach; the Bruce, a pork-based spaghetti bolognaise in a pastry bowl (pasta and all) that’s baked with melted cheddar and mozzarella on top in lieu of crust; and the Clancy, a vegetarian Middle Eastern mix with pumpkin, Swiss chard and haloumi cooked inside pizza dough, much like a calzone. When Broadsheet last visited, we liked the the Shazza pie, with a caramelised onion, potato and cauliflower-cheese filling that's adapted from a croquette recipe.

The diner-style dessert pies come by the slice (or whole if you pre-order 24 hours ahead) with aerosol whipped cream on the side. They’re on a weekly rotation. There’s been one with buttermilk and Rooftop Honey and another with balsamic stewed strawberries and rhubarb.

Other offerings include St Ali coffee , hot chips, refrigerated Mars Bars and Snickers, and pre-packaged, deep-fried dim sims/