Lode Pies and Pastries is a high-end bakery by Federico Zanellato and Lorenzo Librino who bring a fine-dining spin — with premium ingredients, creative twists and extreme attention to detail — on baked goods. Since their original store in Surry Hills, the bakery has expanded to various locations around Sydney.
2022
The small space featured a glass counter that displays one of each item on the menu.
Cinnamon Guy ($7.00). It used cinnamon spiced butter and a sticky cinnamon glaze.
Before we get into the other pastries, there must be mention of this cinnamon scroll — a pastry made by Lode and supplied to Stitch Coffee but not available at Lode itself — that is an absolute winner and convinced me to make the trek into Surry Hills. It is quite simply the best cinnamon scroll I’ve eaten to date, knocking the previous favourite from Flour Shop down to the runner-up position.
The cinnamon-spiced butter and sticky cinnamon glaze were absolutely delectable. The cinnamon glaze gave it a crisp and sticky ‘shell’ that hid soft and tender layers of pastry that gave every bite an impeccably balanced level of cinnamon, sweetness, and butteriness. There was no residual hint of bitterness from excess cinnamon nor any overwhelming dairy flavour despite the richness of the buttery pastry. I could eat this every day.
Cardi G ($8.00). It used cardamom and ginger spiced butter.
This was available at both Stitch Coffee and their physical store. The ginger was surprisingly mellow and together with the cardamom lent a gently spiced quality. The laminated pastry itself was buttery and flaky much like the previous pastry, with the exception that the crunch from the glaze being replaced by the crunch from the sugar crystals. The Cinnamon Guy was more suited to my tastes but this was also very satisfying.
Everything Yuzu ($11.00). It featured yuzu curd, candied yuzu, and cream cheese/creme patissiere.
With firm hopes from the Cinnamon Guy and a serious weakness for yuzu, this was the pastry that drew me to their Surry Hills location. The lamination is a work of art. The pastry here was crisp on the outside with buttery and tender layers on the inside. The candied yuzu brought a pop of intense yuzu, while the interior yuzu curd was a pleasing thickness with a rich yuzu flavour. While I was prepared to scrape the white dollop aside, its lightness and mildness were surprisingly pleasant and cut through the richness of the curd well.
Mr. Peanut ($11.00). It’s a croissant with peanut butter and raspberry jelly.
The wavy layers of lamination here gave the croissant a very pronounced crunch that continued through much of the height of the pastry and made it challenging to eat for someone with a small mouth. That aside, the peanut butter had a pleasingly deep savoury flavour that complemented the raspberry jelly, which had retained some whole raspberries for pops of notable tartness that offset the sweetness of the jelly itself.
Crown 487 ($15.00). This beauty is a labour-intensive pastry made in limited quantities daily (up to 24) and featured croissant dough, white chocolate crème, raspberry glaze, pistachio and rose petals.
The pastry layers here were impeccable with tender, buttery layers that were offset well by the fruity tartness of the raspberry glaze, the warm nuttiness of the pistachio and the gentle floral notes of the rose petals. Given the richness of the pastry itself, though, we found the white chocolate crème too heavy and overwhelming. We would’ve enjoyed it more without the white chocolate.
2023
Cinnamon Guy ($8.50).
The cinnamon scroll now had a cinnamon sugar dusting, a departure from its previous sticky cinnamon glaze. Nevertheless, it continued to reign as one of Sydney’s finest cinnamon scrolls, with its expertly laminated layers retaining their delightful interplay with the spiced cinnamon butter. This combination of sweet and savoury, coupled with a crisp exterior and a tender interior, remained flawless, even though the presence of sugar crystals might make it slightly messier to consume.
Passionfruit Custard Tart ($9.50).
The tart’s appearance brought to mind the Portuguese Tart from Tenacious Bakehouse (run by a former baker from Lode) with its crispy and flaky pastry layers embracing a similarly generous amount of custard. However, the bold, tangy passionfruit flavour of the velvety custard, topped with a brûléed finish, elevated this tart to a higher level. The base leaned slightly towards softness rather than crispness, yet the overall experience of the tart was a passionate delight. It was worth each bite, and its size (10 cm in diameter) was akin to approximately four regular Chinese egg tarts.
2026
This is Lode Pies & Pastries, focused on laminated pastry and savoury pies. The Chatswood location is our first revisit since the expansion of the original Surry Hills operation.
Bolognese Pie ($14.00) — wagyu beef with béchamel sauce
The pastry presented with a deeply golden finish and visible lamination. Initial contact delivered a crisp, flaky exterior, breaking into multiple fine layers with a pronounced buttery richness. The immediate impression was of a high-spec, restaurant-level pastry.
The filling leaned heavily towards meat rather than sauce, with a generous quantity of wagyu beef in distinct, chunky pieces. Through the mid-palate, the béchamel integrated with the meat, introducing a creamy element that softened the overall profile. The interior pastry remained slightly under-set, absorbing some of the filling and reinforcing a lasagne-like structure, where layers of meat and cream sat within the pastry shell. Shaved parmesan across the top added a concentrated umami note, sharpening the richness.
Despite the density of the filling, the pie held structure well, with no sogginess at the base. The balance sat firmly on richness and savoury depth, with minimal acidity or sweetness to offset, relying instead on texture and dairy elements for variation.
Overall, a buttery, well-layered pastry with a dense, meat-driven filling; rich and cohesive with a clear lasagne-like profile.
Lode Pies & Pastries is located at 487 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, as well as various locations around Sydney.