Pippa’s Bakehouse

Pippa's Bakehouse is a small bakery in Omeo, Victoria, and pies are what it's known for. People who stop in on the drive through the high country tend to leave talking about the pastry, which has a reputation for being properly flaky and homemade.

The pie cabinet covers the classics and a few less usual picks. Beef and pepper steak are the staples, with cheese and bacon beef and beef and burgundy for a heartier option, plus a cauliflower, broccoli and cheese sauce pie that has won over more than one visitor. Sausage rolls get the same praise, and there's a hotdog-style pastry with a bacon white sauce that one traveller called out as something special. On the sweet side, the vanilla slice is the one people keep raving about: generous in size, with light crisp pastry and a whipped custard filling. The jelly slice, custard tart, strawberry cheesecake and apple and custard turnover also get a good word.

Pippa's also does proper coffee and breakfast, and one visitor reckoned the coffee matched anything from a laneway cafe in Melbourne. You can take your order away or settle in at the seating inside. If the weather's kind, the memorial park is a short walk away for a picnic-style lunch.

Locals and passers-through alike mention the helpful staff, and the prices are seen as fair for the size and quality, with the bigger specialty pies described as good value. It helps that getting there is easy, with free street parking and a free car park, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and card and tap-and-pay payments accepted.

The bakery opens early on weekdays and keeps shorter hours on weekends, so check the hours before you head in. If you're coming late in the day, expect the selection to be thinner as popular lines run out.

For a bakery in Omeo, Victoria, this is a dependable stop for a pie, a slice and a good coffee, if you're a local or on your way over the Great Alpine Road.