Pyrenees Pies & Takeaway

If you're passing through Avoca, Victoria, the pie warmer at Pyrenees Pies & Takeaway is probably what will pull you in. It calls itself the home of the crocodile pie, and the menu runs well past the usual mince and steak. Locals mention crocodile and camel pies, plus buffalo, and one visitor came away with kangaroo tandoori, Thai green curry crocodile and smoky BBQ emu, all under pastry that held up well. If you'd rather stick to the classics, an onion pie and a sausage roll have their fans, and one regular reckons the sausage rolls here are the best in the country.

It's a proper bakery, with pies, pastries and sausage rolls straight from the oven, but also a full takeaway counter. People talk up the chicken and chips, chicken bites, burgers, and the chips and gravy. The vanilla slice gets a good word too, firm enough to bite without it squashing out the sides. There are cakes and Beestings as well, and coffee and breakfast if you're starting the day here.

You can eat in or take it with you. There's seating inside and out, and some people carry their pies across the road to the covered seating or down to the river for a picnic. There's free street parking and a car park, including a wheelchair-accessible one, and they take cards and tap-and-go payments. The place is also LGBTQ+ friendly. It's open daily, though check the hours before you head in.

Value gets a nod, with people saying the portions are generous and the prices fair. Friendly service gets a mention, with one customer naming Kiri and Josh as staff who made their stop. A few visitors have felt the counter service was short on warmth, so it may depend on who's serving and when. The food, on the other hand, keeps drawing people back, including those who've been stopping in for years on the drive home.

For a bakery in Avoca with a few surprises behind the glass, this is the one most travellers on the Pyrenees run end up at.