Savory Pies At The Breslin Restaurant, Highlands Restaurant And Tuck Shop Restaurant

Any seasoned boozer will tell you that an empty stomach is a perilous condition. But rather than rely on the same usual bar fare, try the latest darlings of the pub room: savory pies.

And while we've already figured out where to procure them for our home bars, here's where you can find them during a night on the town:

The Breslin While you wait out the (massive) crowds for a table at April Bloomfield's new spot, munch on a puck-size pie ($6) at the bar. Piping hot and oozing with Stilton and stewed beef, it goes perfectly with a pint of the modestly amaroidal house cask ale, the Breslin Aberdeen ($8). 16 W. 29th St. (between Broadway and Fifth Ave.); 212-679-1939 or thebreslin.com

Highlands This handsome gastropub has a menu full of meaty Scottish classics like haggis and pork faggot, but a vegetarian shepherd's pie ($18)–with a mushroom filling insulated by an inch-thick layer of mashed potato–is a standout dish (and no less hearty). Try it with a dram from the clipboard of whiskey offerings, like the butterscotch-vanilla scented Compass Box Asyla ($10) or the gently spiced Glenfiddich 15-year-old ($15). 150 W. 10th St. (at Waverly Pl.); 212-229-2670

Tuck Shop When the second outpost of this Aussie sanctuary opened in the East Village this summer, fans of Vegemite and Tim Tams rejoiced. And with its impending liquor license, the restaurant will soon have plenty of Australian brews like Coopers and Boags to match the "Chook 'n Ham" (pictured, $5), a peppery chicken-and-pork affair bundled up in a buttery, flaky crust. 115 St. Mark's Pl. (between First Ave. and Ave. A); 212-979-5200 or tuckshopnyc.com