Where to Eat Savory Pies in Chicago

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Sweet pies get all the attention, but anyone who thinks pie should be limited just to dessert is missing out. A pot pie or a slice of savory pie or quiche is an entire meal. And while chicken pot pie is still the most popular in America, there’s a whole world of breakfast, lunch, and dinner pie out there — literally. Chicago piemakers incorporate flavors from all parts of the globe to satisfy just about any taste. Here’s a list of places you can find them.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

This Lincoln Square bakery and cafe serves a rotating array of quiches for breakfast and a comforting chicken pot pie with a butter crust for lunch.

Instead of hamburgers, Australians eat their meat, vegetable, and bread together in pie form. But they eat them the same way, with their hands and smeared with ketchup. Barangaroos serves the classic mince — beef and sauteed onion — but there’s a long list of other flavors, including chicken tikka masala, Buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and a vegan shepherd’s pie. The West Loop location inside Chicago’s French Market carries a more limited selection.

Empanada Mama & The Pie Man offers a choice between six-inch empanadas or five-inch mini-pies. Each option comes with a different array of savory fillings, including curries, meat and gravy, vegetables, and mac and cheese.

Chiya Chai Cafe’s pies are only available at the Logan Square location, and they each have a distinct South Asian flavor: masala chicken, chicken balti, spicy pork with garlic and ginger, and a vegetarian option with curried kale and potatoes.

For nearly 50 years, the signature dish at this Lincoln Park standby has been the pizza pot pie: a thick Sicilian crust stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, sausage, and mushrooms (there’s also a vegetarian option). Order it by the pound or half-pound to eat right away, or frozen to take home.

Though it’s best known for its sweet pies, Bang Bang Pie also sells savory pies and quiches. The menu varies depending on the season, but there’s usually a classic chicken pot pie and a vegetarian Southern tomato, filled with spicy tomatoes and cheddar cheese. All pies are available whole or by the slice.

At this recently opened Lincoln Park Anglo-Indian spot from Hogsalt Hospitality, it’s always London in 1926, which means the pot pie menu is filled with very rich and savory options, including pheasant and foie gras, oxtail and red wine, steak and ale, and the classic chicken.

Chef Trevor Teich’s new restaurant is most celebrated for its tasting menu, but there’s also a downstairs bar where diners can drop by for a drink or a shorter meal, including the very petite and very rich lobster pie, filled with bisque and topped with puff pastry.

When it comes to a quick meal, never underestimate a Middle Eastern hand pie. Sultan’s Market offers three choices: beef and lamb, vegetarian egg and cheese, and the classic spinach, which, as served here, also happens to be vegan. Sultan’s Market also has locations in Lakeview and Logan Square.

Sweet pies and quiches rotate endlessly through the Spinning J pastry case, but there are two savory constants on the pie menu: chicken pot pie and saag paneer pot pie, made with spinach, cheese, and Indian spices. Eat them at the Spinning J’s vintage soda fountain or purchase a prebaked pie to reheat at home.

At this modern Korean fine dining restaurant, chef Dave Park only offers his caramelized kimchi and braised beef pie during the holiday season, for Thanksgiving and Christmas preorders, and fans have to be on high alert in order to score one before they sell out. But the scramble is worth it, because there is nothing else like them in Chicago.

The Hoosier Mama pie selection never skimps on the savory options. Chicken pot pie is usually available whole or by the slice, but, should they appear, don’t pass up the pork apple sage supper pie or the chicken tomatillo pot pie. There’s also a daily selection of hand pies. Hoosier Mama has additional locations in Evanston and Lincoln Square.

Open since 1907, the Walnut Room survived Marshall Field’s transformation into Macy’s with most of its menu intact, including the chicken pot pie. (The recipe, developed by a millinery clerk named Mrs. Hering, actually dates back to 1890, when it was served in an earlier Field’s location.) Lunch there is a classic Chicago experience, especially during the holiday season, when the room is dominated by an enormous Christmas tree.

Maya-Camille Broussard named her pie business after her father, Stephen J. Broussard, a criminal defense attorney and pie enthusiast. A permanent location is still pending, but Broussard’s quiches and savory pies, including a vegetarian chili pie topped with a square of cornbread, are available at markets around town.

Pleasant House in Pilsen has a whole section of its menu devoted to its “Royal Pies,” which come with traditional British fillings like steak and ale, and less traditional ones like vegan squash and sweet potato with Middle Eastern spices. Order them with a topping of mashed potato, or grab a few frozen pies to eat at home.

This Lincoln Square bakery and cafe serves a rotating array of quiches for breakfast and a comforting chicken pot pie with a butter crust for lunch.

Instead of hamburgers, Australians eat their meat, vegetable, and bread together in pie form. But they eat them the same way, with their hands and smeared with ketchup. Barangaroos serves the classic mince — beef and sauteed onion — but there’s a long list of other flavors, including chicken tikka masala, Buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and a vegan shepherd’s pie. The West Loop location inside Chicago’s French Market carries a more limited selection.

Empanada Mama & The Pie Man offers a choice between six-inch empanadas or five-inch mini-pies. Each option comes with a different array of savory fillings, including curries, meat and gravy, vegetables, and mac and cheese.

Chiya Chai Cafe’s pies are only available at the Logan Square location, and they each have a distinct South Asian flavor: masala chicken, chicken balti, spicy pork with garlic and ginger, and a vegetarian option with curried kale and potatoes.

For nearly 50 years, the signature dish at this Lincoln Park standby has been the pizza pot pie: a thick Sicilian crust stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, sausage, and mushrooms (there’s also a vegetarian option). Order it by the pound or half-pound to eat right away, or frozen to take home.

Though it’s best known for its sweet pies, Bang Bang Pie also sells savory pies and quiches. The menu varies depending on the season, but there’s usually a classic chicken pot pie and a vegetarian Southern tomato, filled with spicy tomatoes and cheddar cheese. All pies are available whole or by the slice.

At this recently opened Lincoln Park Anglo-Indian spot from Hogsalt Hospitality, it’s always London in 1926, which means the pot pie menu is filled with very rich and savory options, including pheasant and foie gras, oxtail and red wine, steak and ale, and the classic chicken.

Chef Trevor Teich’s new restaurant is most celebrated for its tasting menu, but there’s also a downstairs bar where diners can drop by for a drink or a shorter meal, including the very petite and very rich lobster pie, filled with bisque and topped with puff pastry.

When it comes to a quick meal, never underestimate a Middle Eastern hand pie. Sultan’s Market offers three choices: beef and lamb, vegetarian egg and cheese, and the classic spinach, which, as served here, also happens to be vegan. Sultan’s Market also has locations in Lakeview and Logan Square.

Sweet pies and quiches rotate endlessly through the Spinning J pastry case, but there are two savory constants on the pie menu: chicken pot pie and saag paneer pot pie, made with spinach, cheese, and Indian spices. Eat them at the Spinning J’s vintage soda fountain or purchase a prebaked pie to reheat at home.

At this modern Korean fine dining restaurant, chef Dave Park only offers his caramelized kimchi and braised beef pie during the holiday season, for Thanksgiving and Christmas preorders, and fans have to be on high alert in order to score one before they sell out. But the scramble is worth it, because there is nothing else like them in Chicago.

The Hoosier Mama pie selection never skimps on the savory options. Chicken pot pie is usually available whole or by the slice, but, should they appear, don’t pass up the pork apple sage supper pie or the chicken tomatillo pot pie. There’s also a daily selection of hand pies. Hoosier Mama has additional locations in Evanston and Lincoln Square.

Open since 1907, the Walnut Room survived Marshall Field’s transformation into Macy’s with most of its menu intact, including the chicken pot pie. (The recipe, developed by a millinery clerk named Mrs. Hering, actually dates back to 1890, when it was served in an earlier Field’s location.) Lunch there is a classic Chicago experience, especially during the holiday season, when the room is dominated by an enormous Christmas tree.

Maya-Camille Broussard named her pie business after her father, Stephen J. Broussard, a criminal defense attorney and pie enthusiast. A permanent location is still pending, but Broussard’s quiches and savory pies, including a vegetarian chili pie topped with a square of cornbread, are available at markets around town.

Pleasant House in Pilsen has a whole section of its menu devoted to its “Royal Pies,” which come with traditional British fillings like steak and ale, and less traditional ones like vegan squash and sweet potato with Middle Eastern spices. Order them with a topping of mashed potato, or grab a few frozen pies to eat at home.