M. Manze is perhaps the longest-surviving pie-and-mash shop in London, having been in operation since 1902 when it was founded by Italian immigrant, Michele Manze, whose 3 grandsons run the business today.
What’s not to love about a place where the waitresses all call you “luv” in their broad Cockney accent? Service is quick, and you get what are essentially Manze offerings prepared using recipes which have remained unchanged since it all started.
I re-try P&M about once every 5 years, hoping that I suddenly realise that it’s actually terrific stuff, and I’ve been wrong all these years. Sadly I still find it entirely tasteless. Shame really, as I love the shops and the heritage, but even a basic chip shop pie is a much better meal, IMO.
Thanks for this post Peter, I read it and put M. Manze on my list of things to try in London. I had a pie and mash with a side of jellied eels. The minced beef pie was delicious. Crispy top and flaky soft inside crust with a juicy meat interior. However I don’t think I’m a big fan of the parsley sauce, which I found slightly thick but mostly tasteless with a hint of parsley. Some salt helped. Mash was ok but maybe could have benefited from some more fat.
The jellied eels looked a little weird but were quite good. Cold with firm meat, and nice broth flavored jelly. A little tricky to dig all the the meat off the bones.
