Taking a walk around Boise, you can find cuisine from all over the globe. Your taste buds can travel the world, while still staying a few minutes drive from home, but up until very recently, this city has lacked the taste from down under.

Now, Kiwi Shake and Bake has made it so we can finally bask in the wonderful flakiness of meat pies that make you feel as if you are truly in New Zealand.

Located on the bottom floor of the Afton in Downtown Boise, this is a bakery like none other in the city. They serve traditional New Zealand food, as well as pastries and drinks found closer to home.

Walking in, you are greeted by 12 flavours of ice cream and a chocolate fudge spout. You may wonder if you are at the right place, but the big sign behind the adjacent pastry counter assures you that this is, indeed, Kiwi Shake and Bake.

Pies come in a variety of flavours, from veggie to cranberry chicken, and are displayed in a glass case to the right of the counter, just like any other pastry shop. The pastries are also in a glass case to the right of the pies, so when you order, the food is taken off of it’s shelf in the glass case and is ready to be eaten. There is no wait time for your food, so this makes for a good drop-in, fuel-up place.

There is not an obvious menu to inform of the prices, so you are left to order without knowing how much you are about to pay. After ordering, one will learn that the meat pies are usually around 8 dollars, and the pastries are about 4. The flavours of the pies and pastries are labeled in writing on the glass counter, which makes ordering a bit easier, but that is to be expected.

According to Devon Smith, a first time customer, the food was a little less than impressive. “Basically, there was one cranberry in my chicken cranberry pie, so it just tasted like chicken,” he said. The pies were also a bit dry, compared to the traditional American Chicken Pot Pie, but overall, the taste was exquisite.

The restaurant is a bit dark, and the inside is made to look unfinished, but it only adds to the aesthetic. A fireplace surrounded by couches cozies the atmosphere a bit more, with a big screen TV above it where customers can catch a game.

The staff is very friendly, and unlike most pastry shops or cafes, they will bring water in fancy mug-glasses with metal straws instead of plastic. They will also clean the table for you and take your plates, a welcome surprise.

A mix between a bar, a cafe, and an ice cream shop, Kiwi Shake and Bake is the place for trying something new. It is the perfect place to chill and enjoy a game on the couch, have coffee with some friends, or be whisked away to the other side of the globe.