The story
M. Manze has been standing on Tower Bridge Road since 1892, making it one of London’s oldest pie and mash shops—and walking through its doors feels like stepping into a culinary time capsule. The no-frills atmosphere is part of the experience: glossy eels sit in their liquor, and the signature pie and mash arrives with a secret sauce ladled on top. Creator Francesco Zini praised the pie’s “great meat texture and crunchy pastry,” while Mark Wiens calls the shop “a classic East End institution” serving the capital’s original fast food. Not every palate is won over, however. Jack’s Dining Room admitted the pie and mash “wasn’t for me,” but found the stewed eels “surprisingly good and worth trying for the culture.”
Whether you’re a curious local or a first-time visitor, M. Manze offers a genuine, unapologetic slice of London’s culinary history. Its 4.6-star rating reflects deep affection for a place that has barely changed in over a century—and that’s precisely the point. From jellied eels to hearty pie plates, this is affordable, unfussy food that has sustained the East End since the 19th century. It may not be for everyone, but its authenticity makes it a quintessential stop for anyone wanting to taste the city’s past.
Synthesised by AI from every creator’s review. First reviewed 2025.
Most-loved dishes
AI summary of what 5 dish mentions say about the food
M. Manze’s pie and mash earns fervent praise for its comforting, no-frills perfection, with reviewers celebrating the warm, nostalgic vibe of a classic London eel house.
“I really like the texture of the meat inside the pie. I would eat it as street food around the city. The pastry is also good, crunchy on the outside and well moistened on the inside.”
“The pie is filled with minced beef, and the pastry is crispy on the bottom and soft on top. You flip the pie over, add chili vinegar and white pepper, then pour the liquor (parsley sauce) over everything. The chili vinegar hits you immediately with its fumes. The mash is starchy and needs the pepper. The liquor is a parsley sauce that's not too strong initially but you taste the parsley in the back of your throat a few seconds later. It's thick, tasty, affordable, and nutritious — exactly what this dish has done for hundreds of years.”
“When you walk in they have a massive pie and mash bar. They fill your plate up with beef patties, a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, and pour gravy all over it. Honestly, the sliminess of the gravy is grossing me off a little bit, but something tells me after like 10 pints of Guinness this could hit. How do you eat pie and mash? You might slit a slit in your pie, you'll add your salt, your pepper, and then the liquor — it mixes in with the gravy of the meat. The final touch: some chili vinegar. Godspeed to me. It's definitely not horrible, and I could totally understand and respect people who grew up with this and love it, but personally this is just not for me.”
What creators say
3 creators have covered M. Manze. Most active: Francesco Zini, Mark Wiens, Jack's Dining Room
A historic fast food spot in London, open since 1901, serving classic British pie and mash with a secret liquor sauce — the pie is delicious, with great meat texture and crunchy pastry.
Dishes mentioned
Pie and Mash
I really like the texture of the meat inside the pie. I would eat it as street food around the city. The pastry is also good, crunchy on the outside and well moistened on the inside.
M. Manze is a classic East End institution serving pie and mash — London's original fast food — since 1892, with a timeless atmosphere and affordable, hearty food.
Dishes mentioned
Pie and Mash
The pie is filled with minced beef, and the pastry is crispy on the bottom and soft on top. You flip the pie over, add chili vinegar and white pepper, then pour the liquor (parsley sauce) over everything. The chili vinegar hits you immediately with its fumes. The mash is starchy and needs the pepper. The liquor is a parsley sauce that's not too strong initially but you taste the parsley in the back of your throat a few seconds later. It's thick, tasty, affordable, and nutritious — exactly what this dish has done for hundreds of years.
Jellied Eels
The jellied eels are cold and refreshing. The jelly just melts in your mouth — it's like a jelly soup, eel soup. The eel itself has a naturally buttery, fatty, creamy texture, but because it's cold, that fattiness hardens a bit. You still get the creaminess, and you almost need to chew and drink at the same time. Be careful of the bone in the center.
- Jack's Dining RoomMixed
Trying pie & mash for the first time, Englands oldest fast food#pieandmash #london #londonfood · @ 0:00
A traditional pie and mash shop where the pie and mash itself wasn't for me, but the stewed eels were surprisingly good and worth trying for the culture.
Dishes mentioned
Pie and Mash
When you walk in they have a massive pie and mash bar. They fill your plate up with beef patties, a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, and pour gravy all over it. Honestly, the sliminess of the gravy is grossing me off a little bit, but something tells me after like 10 pints of Guinness this could hit. How do you eat pie and mash? You might slit a slit in your pie, you'll add your salt, your pepper, and then the liquor — it mixes in with the gravy of the meat. The final touch: some chili vinegar. Godspeed to me. It's definitely not horrible, and I could totally understand and respect people who grew up with this and love it, but personally this is just not for me.
Stewed Eels
Just when I thought I was done with the pie and mash, the woman came over and told me the traditional way to eat it is with stewed eels. It's not the most delicious looking item, but I will try everything once. As scary as this looks, it actually tastes really good. The eel just melts in your mouth, and the consistency of it is kind of fun to eat. I think it's definitely worth a try though — it's one of those things, it's for the culture, like you do it for the people of England. You guys should try it, it's honestly good. It's actually surprisingly not that — it tastes like just like a regular white fish.
