Perky’s

Amazing food… The meat pies are unreal… Been eating here for a few years off and on, and it’s so consistent!

My review is strictly regarding the meat pies. I took 4 different types to go.
I have tasted three of them so far and these things are «Off the Chart»!!!
Light flakey crusts with absolutely perfectly cooked and spiced fillings.
I may wish I had never found this place. It is too good not to come back again and again and etc.
A real jewel hidden away in a business park in Kearny Mesa.

I’ve never had better South African food! Cornish Pasties, Curry Chicken Meat Pie, and Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie all did not disappoint. There is definitely love made into these items. The crusts, breading and innards were so fresh and amazing. The ingredients used were so high quality. When biting into any of these items real delicious butter is what you taste. This place is meant for take out as they only have two small tables inside but you most likely won’t make it home with it as you’ll want to devour the whole thing in the parking lot. It’s a little hard to find so follow the signs.

4.5 Star Food. Meat pie: perfect pastry, steak inside: delish. Chicken Curry/rice:spicy and rich. I grew up in the UK and these pies remind me of PUB Grub. Tasty and filling. Small place, friendly owner. Check it out!

Really amazing south african place… loved the meat pies and curries here… never thought i would say this but the curry here is better than most of the Indian places in SD… we got here right before the closing hour, but Graham was kind enough to give us a tour of his kitchen and educate us on South African cuisine.
Ps: It is a very small place and bit hard to find… but dont judge the book by its cover.

Incredible! I got a rare chance to visit a bit after hours. He was so knowledgeable and passionate. Plus he even snuck me a taste of the sausage and steak jerky… that I will gladly be returning to buy some before going back home.
I had the Pepper Steak pie (awesome) and some curry rice (it has meat too and great flavor).
Come early, they close at 5pm. It is difficult to find but this is truely a precious gem that I encourage everyone to visit.

We had been watching Vloggers that live in South Africa and they kept telling us that they had these drywors (jerky) or rusk (crispy bread?) or were having a braai (i think that is a bbq to us) with some boerewors (sausage that is in a long spiral?). Eventually my super carnivore husband caved and was like «where can we get this kind of food?» A quick search led us to Perky’s. Their facebook page had a post where one of the people we were familiar with from youtube (Jeremy Loops) had just visited them that past week. So now we had to go.
The place is in a business/​industrial complex, not typical. Once you are inside, it is teeny and there are maybe two tables and 4 chairs? We didn’t really look around, we were on a bit of a mission to find drywors.
We didn’t know the name of what we were looking for at that time, but a little looking around (it was in the back of the refrigerated case) and we saw it. Unilocalers had suggested the savory pies, so we had to try them too. We got the pepper steak pie and drywors to go. Ask the pricing as it can add up.
Once home, my husband dug into the pie. The pie was stuffed with meat. Had a good crust. It was absolutely fantastic. A small seeming pie made for a very satisfying meal.
The jerky was spiced with cardamon and other yummy spices. It smelled like Christmas somehow. It was a delight to the senses.
Overall the food was excellent. The owner was super friendly. The place was small, but good for take-​out.

I’ve come twice now. Had the peppered steak the first time, chicken curry pasty the second. You can’t beat it. The owner is friendly. I read a negative review about him not having food because he is closing for the weekend. LET THIS BE KNOWN: He’s not had food when I’ve gone around 10:30am, and do you want to know why this is good? Because when he doesn’t have something prepared, IT IS BECAUSE HE MAKES IT FRESH DAILY

This place is small… as in only 2 tables with 2 chairs surrounding each, which is wishful thinking because the table is actually sized for 1 adult, or, I guess, maybe 2 children. Basically, the dining ambiance is lacking, so I took my chicken pot pie to go eat in a more appropriate and spacious environment, the dealership where my car was getting serviced. The pie was hot and the crust was flakey and kind of delicious. However, I found the all white meat chicken to be dry and lacking flavor.

Ok, I was on Unilocal to find a motorcycle shop and it highlighted Perky’s. Intrigued, I drove there. There is no sign, just a door in an industrial park. The place smelled heavenly. Cheerful people bustling about in the back ground. A few trays of hot pies on the counter. Near the doorway is an eclectic bunch of South African candy. The owner was a delight and gave me his two cents on how curry is made right.
I ordered a chicken curry pie and the steak and pepper. The steak and pepper was in a puff pastry crust in a tin. Thoughtfully, the tin had holes in it to make the crust, well, crustier. The chicken curry pie was a hand held one in a wonderful crust. We ate these picnic style in the park. Please go get one for yourself. You will be glad you did! Delicious.

This place is pretty damn good and FILLING! It looks like it’s primarily a catering business and supplier for other shops hence the location is extremely obscure and inside a group of business buildings. The quality of the food is A+. Everything tasted gourmet and fresh. The herbs and spices really really wake up my senses. I got a mushroom/​chicken pot pie and it was a surprised how crispy the crust was and how warm the filling was because it was inside a small glass display box. Apparently the owner said it’s heated so that explained things. In addition to the meat pie, the owner gave me a portion of their chicken curry with rice to sample and it was amazing! His jerky and dehydrated sausage was super flavorful too. The prices are admittedly a bit high but I understand that he’s putting out quality not crap. For the average person, I’d say his portion size would be pretty filling especially the meat pies. I like how he has frozen food that you can take home to prepare too like samosa’s and sausage filled pastries. Very awesome stuff. I’ll be back for the jerky!
In summary, the food is 5 stars but unfortunately the location and hours make it less accessible so that is the main reason for the 4.

Where to start!!! Perky’s food is absolutely AMAZING! Brings back so many memories of being back home in South Africa. Graham & Mez will do anything to make sure that you are comfortable and enjoying the food.
They have an assortment of freshly baked savory pies daily such as pepper steak, chicken curry, chicken and mushroom, cornish pasty and vegetable curry.
Definitely go on a Friday when they do fish & slap chips.
Yet again, I went today and was super excited, as Graham has brought on the famous Peri-​Peri chicken sandwich, which was incredible.
Lastly, they sell alot of different South African candy, sodas, and condiments. Please do yourself a favor, if you are wanting to try something different, go check them out, you will not be dissappointed! :)

Pepper steak meat pie! Give it a shot. Nice little pot pie with tender steak and a strong pepper taste. This place has a tiny front section with 2 small tables that seat 2, and one slightly larger and separated off one that sits maybe 6 – 8.
Graham (owner?) was shorthanded this Friday so it was a bit hectic for him. Despite this, he was very courteous and I had a nice chat with him.
Pepper steak meat pie — Best
Fish & Chips Fridays– A large fillet of fish pan fried? I think. Not like British Fish and Chips which is heavy on the batter. Salt and Vinegar chips. Not as good as the meat pie.
Coconut covered dessert — Not sure of the name, but he knew I was curious and let me try one. I love coconut and this was deliciously sweet, a nice end to my heavy meal.
The place apparently sells a lot of things to go and frozen to take home and bake, so you can take the goodness home for later.

When we drove up we were a bit confused about the location (is this right? It’s supposed to be right here… wait, is that it?) and when we walked up to it we weren’t entirely sure it was even a restaurant. In fact, if there wasn’t already a couple eating at the one (visible) table they had, I may still have been unsure. I also noticed, with relief, the case of meat pies which was the whole reason we were there. Woohoo!
There was no one at the counter to help us, but luckily I was immediately drawn into the collection of packaged foods and chocolates. Lychee juice? Yum! Aero chocolate? I love those.
As I peruse the goods, my husband peeks around the back to the kitchen and I hear him in conversation with someone back there as I start checking off every chocolate bar I want to try… and what is that delicious square looking thing with the coconut on it?
The owner, Graham, comes out and first serves us our meat pies. We also order the dish of the day, the chicken curry and that takes a little longer so we sit and start on the pies. My daughter bites into the chicken curry pie and her eyes light up. I glance away from my husband for a second and when I look back his pepper steak pie is halfway gone! Wait! Let me try! Wow… that is good. The crust? So… gooooood. The steak? Super peppery. Super delicious. We were supposed to share the pie, but all I was allowed was that one bite. My daughter was nice enough to let me try two bites of hers, but it also disappeared quickly. Giant chunks of moist chicken. Crust was perfect. My curry came out and the plate was piled high. This was fantastic. The chicken was moist and delicious. The curry was flavorful and hearty. There was no way I was going to be able to finish this.
I look up from my food to see another meat pie in front of my husband. Chicken Mushroom. While I was in love with my curry, I jump into the Chicken Mushroom meat pie determined to get my share. I didn’t have to worry. My husband was so full from his first pie that he couldn’t finish the second. I happily finished it off for him. We all had some more of the curry plate and took the rest home.
Not only was the food delicious, but Graham stayed out with us and showed us many of the other foods he had. He told stories of his place, of the foods in South Africa and of his recent vacation. The descriptions of the desserts his wife makes made my mouth water (even though my belly was stuffed). He gave us samples of his beef jerky (delish). And that delicious square looking thing with the coconut on it? We got to try that too. OMG! Marble cake soaked in chocolate and rolled in coconut. SOOOO GOOD! A fantastic experience all around. In fact, we went on to run the errands we had and when we were done, we stopped back on the way home to grab some meat pies (and chocolate) to take home for dinner.

Shhhh!!! This place is a secret! Hard to find — so think of this as a ‘Raiders of the Lost Meat Pie’ where you must carefully sort the clues (photos enclosed) to find this tiny little gem of a deli. I call it a ‘deli’ because this is more of the place where you grab your pie ‘n go…
Unfortunately, I came too late for the pepper steak meat pie — but the two that I did buy — AWESOME. The chicken curry pie was sweet with a hint of fire — almost like a Thai curry. The beef in the Steak pie just falls apart in your mouth. Cover them both in a tasty pastry puff — and you’ve got a winner. Then top the winner with the fudge which was just a burst of sweetness with a caramel finish. Make you want to go? Well, fire up that vehicle!
I met the owner, Graham, who was extremely helpful in describing the different pies, desserts, South African Spices and treats adorning his little deli store. He also sells a wide assortment of sausages for the grill, dried sausages (the sample I had was incredible), and South African jerky.

This is why Unilocal was invented.
I would never of known or found this place without Unilocal.I’m British, the South Africans have similar pasties and pies… they taste sensational. Look out for the sign… back of a business park. Well worth it! Best discovery I’ve ever found in Unilocal

Came in today with a coworker not knowing what to expect. I never had south african food before, so I was relying on my fellow Unilocal reviews and pics and decided to give it a shot.
It was kind of hard to locate, but GPS and a few signs helped me find where it is. If you know where Societe brewing is, its past it and the 3 driveways to the right.
We were greeted by Graham (owner of Perkys) and he gave us a run down on what was he had. (Chicken curry w/​rice, and the different types of pies he had in the warmer). I asked for the most popular Pie, which turned out to be the Pepper steak pie and my coworker got the Chicken curry w/​rice. We ended up splitting the 2 so we can get a taste of different items.
Food:
$ 7.00
Pepper Steak Pie: 4 thumbs up. The pepper steak was really tender, perfect amount of pepper. Pepper not over powering whatsoever. The Pie crust was perfect. crispy flaky on the top and yummy goodness on the inside.
other flavors: mushroom steak, chicken, chicken curry.
$ 12.00
Curry Chicken w/​Rice: This was like no other curry i have tried. The ingredients and the heart put in to this dish is something like a home cooked family meal. The chicken was ever-​so tasty and moist, the curry was most flavorful and was well balanced with the rice. It just felt like a home cooked meal.
Inside the shop:
Its small. they have 2 tables that can sit 2, and a 8 person table in back. The ambiance was very homely. It didnt really feel like a restaurant.
Graham has a whole bunch of different types of South African items that range from chocolates to bread spreads to beans and other items.
Graham gave us samples of his Sausage jerky and his Steak jerky, both of which were good.
There is also uncooked pies and other goodies that you can buy and take home to cook at your convenience.
The price may scare you, but the quality and the freshness of the food was way worth it. Nothing to complain about at all.
Go give this place a shot. Rely on your fellow Unilocalsters and see why Perky’s is a 5star’er.

Just had the most delicious Chicken curry pie. Grahame and Mez really know what SA food is about.
Try their lamb curry and rice, milktert and fudge

Hidden little gem in the back of a business area. Confusing at first when you walk in.
«Is this just a store?» «There’s only one table for two, can we sit and eat or is it only to go?» «Where’s the menu and prices?» «Is this a restaurant?»
Some of the thoughts I had when I first arrived because it is a very small shop.
They have a select menu everyday with 1 – 3 featured items. And then there’s a glass case that has the little meat pies for you to choose from. They looked small to me, so I ordered a plate as well which I shouldn’t have because one meat pie is more than filling which was a complete shocker to me.
They are all delicious. Try the pepper steak meat pie! (They are roughly $ 7 each) That first bite and your initial reaction is priceless. Every thing tastes so fresh and you can feel the love that is out into this handmade food from this family. So much meat is packed into this little pie full of so much flavor Ive never had anything like it.
Graham and his family were very kind and welcoming people that shared information about South Africa and its culture. He taught us so much and it was delight to be here and meet these people. I will return because I have to try bunny-​chow!
Only thing I can say is I wish there was a price list or a menu. I ordered 2 meat pies and plate of food (chicken and rice curry) and a South African sparking juice and my total was $ 34.

Friendly owner and great food!
Graham taught me much about south African foods and culture.
This location takes patience to find but it’s worth it!
I recommend taking your order to go. There’s only two tables for two people each.
I loved the sausage jerky and lemon desert.