Jochheim’s Pies – Bowen Qld

Jochheim’s Pies is a Bowen institution. This bakery has been operating since the 1960’s and showing no signs of slowing down. Current owners Tuan and Vy took over in December 2019, however Tuan has been working here since arriving from Vietnam in 2010. The family owned and operated a bakery in Vietnam but sadly ’s were not on the menu. Before arriving in Tuan didn’t even know was a meat was !!! Now he’s a master making over 12 different varieties for the hungry locals and passing tourists.

This joint is so famous even the legendary Hugh Jackman was a regular here during the filming of Baz Luhrmann’s movie “Australia”. How cool was that !!!! The coolest cat in town smashing ’s on a regular basis while giving the staff generous tips. What a bloody champion. After meeting all the staff it was time to get cracking.

This weeks of choice was that easy it wasn’t funny. I was here to try one and one only !!! Joccheims famous “Jackman Special Hunky Beef” To be honest I’ve only ever had two man crushes in my life, the first one was the late great Patrick Swayze and the second is the boy from Oz “Hugh Jackman” so I had to try a named in his honor.

THE REVIEW

1. Value for Money – I’m not going to lie $6.65 is up there in price. While the was a decent size, it wasn’t anything out of the box. $6.65 represents ok value. 7.5/10

2. Meat Ratio – Excellent value !!!! Totally full. Bulging at the seams. Great job guys. 10/10

3. Meat Flavour – Zero complaints, this flavor was superb. The chunky meat and mince was tender and fine, while the gravy mix was perfect. Once again nothing special or fancy but this had a incredible flavor and was top notch. 9/10

4. Pastry – Pretty good !! The base was almost perfect and the top was flakey, crispy and full of flavor. 9/10

5. Temperature – perfectly cooked. Entire smoked in about 6 bites. 10/10

Overall Rating

45.5/ 50

Overall this was just as good as the bloke it’s named after. The meat was incredibly tender and the pepper flavor was perfect. The pastry was also of the highest quality and the temperature was spot on.

This place has been around for almost 60 years and theirs a reason for that. I was totally blown away by how busy this bakery can get. Every time we drove past the line up was at least 4/5 people deep. All lining up to smash a endless list of goodies. This place is a absolute must stop over while your in the Bowen area. Open Mon to Sat, everything sold here is fresh and made with love.

Tuan, Vy and all the amazing staff, thanks for having me in on short notice and showing me around. This bakery is a real family affair, with everyone knowing their roles and the getting on with the business of making the highest quality of product and the locals and tourists froth on it.

To the town folk of Bowen, thanks for your hospitality. It was my first time to the area in nearing 25 years and I won’t be waiting another 25 to return. The areas offers so much, while keeping that country town feel. I need to throw in Cape Hillsborough !!! This place was breathtaking and it’s a place everyone should visit once.