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I love the idea of a warm, savory pot pie in blustery winter weather. But they are hard to find on Bay Area menus, and when I do spot one and order it, I’m often disappointed by the hard, flavorless knobs of crust, as well as the ratio of crust to filling.
So imagine my joy when I stumbled upon a restaurant in Walnut Creek that specializes in pies. Really good pies with exceptional crusts based on an 80-year-old recipe.
The Chicken Pie Shop is located on the short strip of Arroyo Road that connects Broadway to North Main. The restaurant opened last year, so if you typically dine downtown, you might have missed it, just like I did. But you won’t want to miss the food, which is excellent and inexpensive. Here’s our recent experience:
THE VIBE: The capacious dining room is a former sports bar, and managing partner Huy Bui (he owns Mavericks Country Lounge in Pleasanton) is still renovating it to look and feel more like a restaurant, with the recent addition of brick walls and reclaimed wood tables and chairs. Look for more changes in the coming months, including a fireplace and patio. For now, it’s quiet and very roomy. Service was swift and friendly during our mid-week lunch.
THE FOOD: The menu is divided into bar bites and appetizers ($6-$15), like flatbreads and roasted cauliflower; and salads and sandwiches ($5-$16), including burgers and fried chicken, pot pies ($9-$12) and desserts ($5-$7). Given the name of the restaurant and its ties to the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop, we stuck to the pies.
The pie crusts made by executive chef Miguel Mendoza, a former Napa and San Francisco pastry chef, are absolutely delightful: Thin, flaky and buttery, with the ideal ratio of crust to heavenly filling. The star is the All-Meat Chicken Pie ($10), filled with tender, piping hot, pulled chicken (a tad under-salted), rich gravy and green onions. For $3 extra, we got rustic mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked, well-seasoned zucchini and carrots on the side.
Next time, we’re going for the Beef Short Ribs Pie ($11), with braised short ribs in red wine sauce and potato filling. Look for an updated menu with more comfort food dishes, including a turkey pot pie and brunch, coming in February.
DON’T MISS: Save room for the Apple Tartlet ($5), which shows off Mendoza’s mad skills and comes topped with freshly whipped cream. It’s astonishingly good.
DETAILS: Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays at 1251 Arroyo Way, Walnut Creek; https://chickenpieshopwc.com
