BJ's Bakery at 1016 Omahu Rd in Frimley, Hastings, is known for the crumbed meatball, a Hawke's Bay dish that the website says dates back to the 1970s. Each one is a rich savoury meat filling in a roux, hand-rolled and coated in a golden crumb, then deep-fried. The bakery also makes pies, with standard mince and steak alongside venison and smoked brisket, the Red Rocket, and a corned beef and mustard sauce pie. The website says the bakery has won a Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Award, in 1998, and that it supplies the crumbed meatball to 80 per cent of the bakeries around Hawke's Bay. The meatballs are also sold in a 50-pack.
The bakery has a place in the Hastings Meatball Festival, which the website says draws thousands of people to the city streets. Nearby figures are not in our listing, so there is no local comparison to make. The website names James Buckrell as the current owner and says he trained as an engineer before taking up pie-making. Our pick in Hastings for a meatball and a pie.