Pleasant House Bakery

So you’re a couple of cocktails in at Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar, and your stomach starts to rumble. You check out the menu for a tasty bar snack to munch on, only to find beverages.

Don’t worry though. Buttery, flaky deliciousness awaits you less than five steps away. Right next door to Maria’s sits Pleasant House Bakery – a quaint English restaurant serving up scrumptious, savory pies.

From the outside, Pleasant House looks like a small, cream-colored cottage you might actually see in the English countryside. Take a step inside and you’ll be greeted with the wafting smell of fresh-baked dough and braised beef. Yum.

With only about six tables, the dining area is small, but that’s what gives this bakery character. You feel as if you’re sitting down to eat in your grandmother’s dining room – in England, of course.

Pleasant House offers a daily selection of sweet and savory Royal English Pies. You can’t really go wrong with your pie selection – all of the fillings are nestled inside of their perfectly flaky, perfectly buttery homemade crust.

If you’re a carnivore, go for their classic steak and ale pie – beer-braised beef married with carrots and herbs. My only wish was that it had been packed more full of meat. You know – I want it exploding out of the pie as I cut in. Again, that’s my carnivorous side coming out.

Vegetarian? Try the mushroom and kale pie – flavorfully filled with scallions, white wine, herbs and Parmesan.

If you’re not feeling a pie, they have salads and spuds. And each day of the week has its own special. I say try Friday for another English staple: fish and chips. But, if you’re craving red meat, pop in on Tuesday (aka burger night). Did I mention I like red meat?

Pies, burgers and fries – oh my! But wait, it gets better. Pleasant House and Maria’s have a little kinship going on. You can order your pies at the bakery then walk back over to Maria’s and enjoy your cocktails while waiting. They will even deliver your pies to you at Maria’s, where you can sip on your brew and munch on your grub simultaneously. So that’s meat pies and boozy cocktails all brought to you without barely having to move a muscle – basically my ideal situation.

What more could a girl ask for? Oh, dessert you say? You got it. Pleasant House offers an assorted selection of desserts daily: tarts, trifles, cookies, bread pudding, the list goes on. Chocoholic? The dark chocolate custard is a must. The texture is dead on – not too dense, just the right amount of airiness. Plus, it’s dark chocolate so it’s not too sweet.

So next time you’re headed to Maria’s, make sure to put in your order at Pleasant House first. Talk about a power couple.