The story
Susie Yang’s love for pie stems from her obsession with American-style sweet pies – the kind available at every stateside diner worth a damn. This infatuation with filling and crust formed across numerous visits to family in the U.S., but every time she returned to Australia she found it increasingly difficult to find a local vendor that was doing the dessert justice. Susie’s solution? Bake the pies herself! At first this delicious hobby was merely to satisfy her own cravings, but after sharing the spoils of her hard work, friends encouraged her to transform her hobby into a vocation. Susie gravitated towards food incubator Wandering Cooks as her starting point for Pie Town, and soon started slinging sweet and savoury pies several nights a week. As you can probably guess, patrons with a penchant for pies flocked to get their fix, and after two years of operating as a successful pop-up, Susie began toying around with the idea of her own bricks-and-mortar bakery cafe …

The space
With Pie Town already well entrenched in the South Brisbane and West End community, Susie’s search for her dream spot took place in the same area. A vacant corner store on Montague Road caught her eye immediately – not only did it boast a charming old-school feel, but it offered space for her kitchen, service cabinets and indoor and outdoor seating. It was a no brainer. An aesthetic overhaul has resulted in a venue that Susie describes as, “cosy but cheeky.” Colour is a consistent fixture of the space, with a crisp red and white colour scheme offset by colourful murals and neon light fixtures. The vibe is clean, inviting and relaxing, with space for 30 guests available inside or in the shaded alfresco area.

The food
At full capacity, Pie Town is capable of producing roughly 750 pies a day. The menu features between seven and ten sweet pies and six savoury pies, with rotating specials popping in regularly. Susie has stayed true to her American influences, with signature mouth-watering options including bourbon pecan pie, key lime, Snickers, pumpkin pie and the classic apple pie (all of which can be enjoyed with a scoop of ice-cream). When it comes to the savoury selection, you won’t find your simple mince-meat pies – Pie Town uses real, locally sourced ingredients across its entire range. Pie Town’s pepper-steak pie is stuffed with slow-cooked chunks of grass-fed Echo Valley beef, the chicken pot pie is filled with free-range chicken, Echo Valley sausage can be found in Pie Town’s sausage roll, and the mushroom bourguignon pie uses fresh field mushrooms. Naturally, you can add whipped potatoes and mushy peas to each savoury morsel, and vegan options are also available. Susie is also empowering some of her Wandering Cooks alumni at Pie Town, serving MYK’s FFF Kefir and fresh salads from The Whole Box (who also provide meatless mince for the mushroom and eggplant roll). Finally, caffeine seekers can sip on fresh barista-poured brew sourced from Wolff Roasters, with loose-leaf tea, milkshakes and ultra-decadent pie shakes also on offer.

Pie Town is now open to the public. For opening hours and contact details, head to the Stumble Guide.