I always knew about Albie’s Pasties. There’s a sign on I-75 that points to the factory in Gaylord, or at least I have an image of it in my head. I finally decided to pick up one of their pasties in a nearby grocery store and after scouring through a couple Krogers and a Meijer in metro Detroit, I found some at Hollywood Markets.
According to their website, Albie’s started as a carry-out pasty shop in metro Detroit in the late 80s, but soon grew and turned into a plant and distributor of all kinds of things that are made of flour. Based off the site, there are a few things of immediate concern. The pictures of pasties not in casings are all fake unless the 6 oz. pasties look vastly different. Along with that, this is another shop that claims to have ‘famous’ pasties and I’m positive that isn’t the case.
As for the pasty (heated in the oven), everything about it looks mass-made from the flimsy handle to the clump of meat and vegetables in the middle. The crust still has a good flavor and has some flake likely due to the lard.
The same can be said about the insides that have a nice flavor with a touch of parsley in the seasoning. It looks, unsurprisingly, straight out of a factory. The meat mixture includes beef suet, which may have something to do with the crust not sticking to the insides. After a couple bites, I could’ve easily removed the crust top and have a perfect oval of meat and vegetables by itself. In fact, it almost looks like a burger. The veggies are all diced and the ratio is good with a decent amount of rutabaga and they seem oddly separated from the meat, which is likely from the suet. Apparently, that’s the way to mass produce pasties.
This pasty at least tastes like a pasty and that’s always the first goal. The downfall is in the presentation with how it’s made. Also, at only 10 ounces, it’s one of the smaller pasties on the market, although it is only a few bucks and still filling. I believe these are only available in stores because the factory in Gaylord is only open for tours.
Taste: 4 (out of 5)
Crust: 3.5 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 2 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3) I’m being nice.
Would I come back for Pasties?: 0 (out of 2)
Total Pasty Ranking: 12.5 (of 20 points)
Reviewed Spring 2018
They most definitely ain’t the greatest pastys of all time but a 62.5% rating??? Where you gana find a better pasty south of the UP or Mackinac city?
These are delicious and available for about ten bucks a 4 pack at a lot of grocery stores throughout the lower peninsula.
Probably give them about an 84%to be more realistic.
If you love or even like pastys these are definitely worth checking out!
I may have been harsh but I’ve definitely found better options south of the bridge (https://thepastyguy.com/pasty-rankings-lower-peninsula/). The ease of purchasing Albie’s is definitely a boost in the rating, but that’s assuming you don’t have anywhere else nearby.
Please tell me where I can find Albie’s pasties near Holland, Michigan!! Meijer used to carry them, as did Family Fare, but I cannot find them anywhere now! Thank you!
I’ll try my best. I’m not sure why they’ve stopped supplying places. Maybe only temporary.
where can i buy albies pasties near me rockford mi
I can’t be for certain, I’d contact Albie’s directly for that information. https://albies.com/contact/