As of Summer 2019, it appears all Weldon’s Pasties locations have closed shop.

Weldon’s Pasties slogan is “Just Like Homemade,” which is nice, but they are missing a key opportunity to blend the Upper Peninsula into their shop. “Straight outta U.P.” or “Just like the Yoop” would be more eye grabbing and make more sense.

Alas, they probably chose the name back in the 80s so there’s no turning back now. Nevertheless, the owner of Weldon’s Pasties is from the U.P. and his recipe comes from his mother’s traditional recipe, which is all that needs to be said.

I visited the take-out only joint in Sterling Heights that I happened to hear of the day prior while scouring the Internet (this shop has since closed as of spring 2018). There is also a bigger shop located in Livonia.

I turned questioningly into a small shopping center off 15 Mile Rd. and eventually came to the small Weldon’s location in the back corner. It was everything one would expect from a pasty shop, outside of it not being in the middle of nowhere on the side of a major road. In case you didn’t know, that’s about 90% of the places in the U.P.

It had a classic pasty-shop feeling with the owners (possibly the Weldons) only coming to the door when they heard the bell ring as the door opened. They had hot and frozen options and all I cared about was the hot. I want my pasty as soon as I smell them… and of course, hot.

Outside of the familiar vibe from the shop, the actual pasty felt all too similar to previous ones I’ve experienced. That’s good to an extent, especially for those looking to suppress their Yooper urge for pasties.

Per usual, I went with the traditional beef pasty. It was the perfect size, which not many pasty places can say. Everything inside was diced and tasted as one would expect, but the disappointing part for me was the meat. It had a somewhat frozen, bland flavor that tasted like they chopped up ground beef, didn’t season it, froze it, and then threw it in with the vegetables before wrapping it up into the pasty.

There wasn’t much meat in the first place, but when you did get some, it kind of dragged down the overall flavor, which was unfortunate.

Everything else was spot on. The crust wasn’t overpowering as it had the desired taste and flakiness required to make a great pasty.

I will note that either the pasty or their packaging method didn’t hold the heat in for long. Having a pasty stay relatively warm for only 20-30 minutes is a bit strange, considering they were created to stay warm from morning to lunch time for coal miners.

Taste: 3 (out of 5)
Crust: 4 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 2 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3)
Would I come back for Pasties?: 1 (out of 2) Only if I’m in the area.

Total Pasty Rating: 13 (of 20 points)

(Reviewed Spring 2016)