Guide to the best pie and mash in London

The Noted Eel & Pie House has been a Leytonstone mainstay for nearly half a century, but its origins go even further back. They've kept things simple throughout. You can choose between a beef pie or a new-fangled soya mince vegan pie, add mash, and drown it all in liquor made according to a secret recipe. For full marks, add hot or jellied eels – The Noted Eel & Pie House is actually one of the UK's few remaining pie and mash shops that still keeps live eels.

Beneath their bright green canopies and in their homey interiors, the Mother Mash restaurants serve classic British comfort food. You can choose from nine types of mash, including traditional options such as bubble and squeak or champ, made with the finest spuds, then combine it to your heart's content with the wide range of pies and sausages. Finally, douse it all in gravy and enjoy.

Arments received a Blue Plaque commemorating its history and local significance in 2013, demonstrating the popularity and importance of this traditional pie shop. The award-winning shop with a charming historic interior bakes pies according to a secret recipe, using different pastries for the bottom and the top to ensure the locally-sourced ingredients lose none of their flavour. Their mash is made without butter or milk, and the green parsley liquor provides the perfect accompaniment. In addition to the traditional beef steak pie, vegan and fruit options are offered too.

Another local veteran, this traditional shop has been around for more than a century, with its oldest branch in Bermondsey dating back to 1902. They serve a mouth-watering menu of pies, mash and green liquor in retro settings, with stewed or jellied eels available as a side as well. The family-run shop also offers all of its traditional dishes for delivery, both hot and chilled.

Barney's Pie & Mash is somewhat out of the way for most Londoners, seeing as how it's located in a primarily residential area on the border between Walthamstow and Chingford. The award-winning shop is worth the trek, however. There's a limited range of traditional pies that changes regularly and includes fruit pies to choose from, with mash and liquor available as well. Seating is limited, but, as ever with pie and mash, takeaway is a solid option.

This traditional pie shop in the East End goes back decades. The family-run Maureen's Pie & Mash makes its legendary pies by hand every day. Only the finest cuts of prime beef are used in the meat pies, enveloped in pastry and baked to golden, crispy perfection. For the complete package, you can add smooth, full-bodied mash and parsley-based liquor, or even some stewed or jellied eels. Veggie pies are available as well.

BJ's Pie & Mash is a snug traditional shop with a couple of wooden tables and tiled walls. This local Canning Town institution serves properly burnt pies, along with your choice of mashed potatoes, liquor, or stewed or jellied eels. If you're feeling adventurous, aren't a stickler for tradition, or simply prefer your potatoes fried, you can also get your pie with chips. Just don't tell your grandparents about this culinary blasphemy.

The F. Cooke family has been in the pie and mash business for more than a century and a half, and they're still using the same recipe as in the 19th century. Their pies, available at branches in the broader London area and even via nationwide delivery, are made from scratch and as authentic as they get. Even the meat for them is butchered on site. Fresh jellied eels are also available at this simple local eatery with a green façade and big windows.

Cockney's Pie & Mash successfully bucks established wisdom about the best pie and mash being found in the East End. Boldly setting up shop in the posh Notting Hill area in the mid-1990s, today this simple, unpretentious eatery has an enviable history of serving freshly baked pies, smooth mash and tangy liquor to Portobello Road marketgoers. 

Not exactly a pie and mash shop, this DIY-style cultural venue in Deptford's railway arches nonetheless serves up delicious veggie and vegan pies, made with ingredients such as jackfruit or goat's cheese. Mash and liquor are available on the side as well, but the real accompaniment comes in the form of various music and theatre events spanning a broad range of genres.

No idea whether anyone from the cast of the beloved EastEnders ever made their way here, but plenty of other satisfied customers have. Situated opposite the DLR station, this traditional shop serves daily fresh pies, mash and liquor. You can try the hearty pies with different meat, vegetable and vegan fillings, and add a splash of plain or chilli vinegar for the cherry on top. The café-style shop also features outdoor seating in front of a colourful mural and offers homemade cakes and barista coffee.

Established in 1890, Goddards at Greenwich is a green-fronted family business that serves up pie and mash in an old-school dining room with white tiles. You can try a traditional minced beef pie with mash and liquor or gravy every day here, with alternative pie fillings available as well, including veggie and vegan ones. To make the whole experience even more authentic, add a side of jellied eels.

G Kelly is a classic pie and mash shop on Roman Road, established in 1939 at a site that had, at that point, been a pie and mash shop for years. Today, G Kelly is run by the original owner's daughter Sue. The simple menu features pies in a buttery pastry, smooth mash and flavourful liquor (vegan options available), as well as classic sides like jellied eels and pickled eggs. This is also the closest pie and mash shop to London Stadium, so it makes sure to stay open on West Ham United FC mash, er, match day.

A traditional British eatery in Tooting, Harringtons Pie & Mash serves homemade savoury pies, along with creamy mashed potatoes and a side of parsley liquor – you can even get a whole jug of the latter. In the cosy, old-fashioned shop, you can order your food at the counter, then sit at one of the few tables to enjoy your meal. Takeaway is also available. For more than 100 years, the family-run restaurant has remained a much-loved choice for those in search of a hearty, satisfying meal.

The Rosewood Hotel's fine dining establishment is quite the departure from the local pie shop, but it definitely takes its British roots seriously. Stylishly furnished with copper, wood and leather, the Holborn Dining Room features a dedicated Pie Room, where pastry experts bake refined takes on the humble British classic. You'll find options such as chicken, chestnut mushroom & tarragon pie, or pork pie with pork shoulder, smoked bacon, fennel seed and sage, on the main restaurant's à la carte. The pie-tin-decorated room also doubles as a private dining room.