G Kelly Beat Local Rivals

G Kelly - Traditional Pie & Mash Shop Review

You may have seen our recent review of S & R Kelly to celebrate their 100th birthday. In that review I said I had saved space in order to eat another pie at their competitor G Kelly, located just down Bethnal Green Road in London. They literally are a couple of moments away from each other. If only such a situation existed on every street.... that's the Pierate dream world!

Originally I had planned one review of both places as a head to head. The only problem was there was a clear winner in my eyes, and it was G Kelly. It didn’t feel quite right to tell S & R Kelly that they are losers on their birthday. But now…. well I am going to have to say sorry guys but G Kelly pipped you to the post on this occasion!

As seems common in the London Pie and Mash world, these two shops were founded by members of the same family but now are in separate hands. The pie in question at G Kelly was very much in the same vein as the S & R Kelly version, as is the tradition (see our article on traditional pie and mash shops for more info). Whilst pie and mash cost the same in both places, G Kelly slightly undercut S & R Kelly with the pie option being only £2. G Kelly was a little run down, but to me this seemed charming. There were more old fashioned features than the relatively modern looking S & R Kelly. The liquor was perhaps a bit too floury at G Kelly but most importantly the G Kelly pie was a bit more moist, and better filled so it takes the prestigious title of Pierate Bethnal Green Road Pie & Mash shop of choice.

Condition – 4.3 out of 7
Colour – 4.0 out of 7
Cost - 6.1 out of 7
Capacity – 4.3 out of 7 – Again, quite small but it was well filled on this occasion.
Chewiness - 4.2 out of 7 – Some nice crunch to the pastry in places but it was mainly soft and slipped down well (and wasn’t chewy like S & R Kelly).
Content – 4.0 out of 7 – Simple and meaty. The pastry tasted a bit flour-y but still nice.
Consistency – 4.0 out of 7 – I would have another

Traditional Minced Beef (G Kelly [E2 0DJ]) 
4.41/7 

SJL