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The 36 Best Pie Shops in America

The 36 Best Pie Shops in America

The word “pie” can describe a number of different food preparations. Shepherd’s pie, for instance, is a dish of seasoned ground lamb or beef topped with a “crust” of mashed potatoes. Frito pie is a Tex-Mex specialty of beanless chili spooned into a bag of Fritos. Hand pies are (usually) crescent-shaped closed pastries, like Latin American empanadas, with sweet or savory fillings.

When most of us think of pies, though, what we have in mind is most probably a pastry crust filled with cooked fruit or custard, sometimes with more pastry on top in either a latticework pattern or a solid sheet. That’s the kind of pie most often found in pie shops, and that’s the kind of pie we love so much that it’s even become one of our nation’s symbols — as in the expression “As American as apple pie.”

In order to determine the best pie shops in America, 24/7 Tempo compiled a list of the pie shops, bakeries, or pastry shops rated highest on Yelp. From that selection, we chose the highest-ranked examples at which pies were the specialty or main focus.

Early English settlers brought the idea of pie in that sense across the Atlantic (the Spanish reached what is now the United States first, but if they brought pies, they were likely of the empanada variety). Apple pie became popular because apple trees grew particularly well in the New World and because the fruit was easy to store for the winter.

An English pie made with spiced squash evolved into our familiar pumpkin pie, which first became popular here in the early 1800s. It remains a holiday standard, and the spice mixtures used to flavor it now get added to all kinds of other products.

Regional pie variations like Florida’s Key lime pie or Maine’s blueberry pie have found their way into the mainstream bakery repertoire, and such other favorites as pecan, peach, Boston cream, and lemon meringue are available far and wide.

There’s room for creativity in the pie world, too. One example is New York pastry chef Christina Tosi’s popular Milk Bar Pie, made with a toasted oat crust and a buttery, gooey brown-sugar filling. (It used to be called Crack Pie, a name deemed offensive because of its association with drug use, and was renamed.)

Whether you prefer tradition or innovation — or a little of each — America’s best pie shops have got a slice (or a whole pie) for you. Many states have their own versions of iconic pies, and some have even passed legislation electing an emblematic dessert. Here are 50 popular desserts from every state everyone should try.

Source: Bountiful Pies

36. Bountiful Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 5
> Location: Salem, Oregon

The crust is a star at this Salem pie shop. “Best crust I’ve ever had!” exclaims one Yelper. “The crust is layered like pastry dough,” another explains. According to other five-star reviews of the place: “The peach blueberry was FANTASTIC!;” “a superb slice of Fresh Marionberry Pie…earns the highest rating;” and “the lemon cream pie melts in your mouth.”

Source: Lambert's Southern Pies

35. Lambert’s Southern Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Maryville, Tennessee

When a Maryville local sampled a slice of peanut butter pie here last year, he wrote on Yelp that he “was really at a loss for words…They created a texture in this pie that I wasn’t expecting and [that] was totally amazing.” Caramel apple, chocolate cream, and Key lime get shout-outs, too.

Source: JaWanda's Sweet Potato Pie

34. JaWanda’s Sweet Potato Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Birmingham, Alabama

As the name of this popular pie shop suggests, sweet potato pie — a soul food specialty — is the focus here, but in addition to the basic pie, there are pecan, orange crème cheese, and marble chocolate (among other) elaborations of the original on offer. “Every bite of every pie I’ve ever had here was delicious,” writes one Yelp reviewer.

Source: Pop Pie - Costa Mesa

33. Pop Pie – Costa Mesa
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Costa Mesa, California

Its headquarters and flagship bakery are in San Diego, but this Orange County outpost of Pop Pie wins praise on Yelp for its globally inspired butter-crust pies, both savory (classic chicken pot pie; Green Hog — made with pork shoulder, tomatillos, chiles, and cheese) and sweet (honey bourbon pecan; salted caramel apple crumble).

Source: Pure Love Pies

32. Pure Love Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Bloomfield, New Jersey

“Pies pies and more pies!” enthuses one Yelp reviewer. Another loves it because “It doesn’t succumb to crazy, wallet-draining, practices…[but instead] offers delicious specialty pies at a fiscally responsible rate.” Pecan pie is a favorite, and there are more unusual items like navy bean or butternut squash pie.

Source: Pie Lady Cafe

31. Pie Lady Cafe
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Moorestown, New Jersey

Yelp users love this place. “”Under $5 for a big slice of quiche or pie, under $2 for a cup of coffee…,” writes one (and the coffee is La Colombe, some of the best). Another likes that the pies aren’t too sweet — even such delights as apple crumb and pineapple coconut. (The scones get high marks, too.)

Source: Elsie Mae's Canning and Pies

30. Elsie Mae’s Canning & Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin

The blueberry-peach offering here is “easily the best pie I’ve ever eaten,” says one Yelper. Such other combinations as blackberry-cherry and strawberry-rhubarb win plaudits, too, as does an unusual salted honey pie. Elsie Mae’s also sells a variety of bake-it-yourself pot pies to take home.

Source: Panbury's Double Crust Pies

29. Panbury’s Double Crust Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Both sweet pies and savory hand pies (“inspired by traditional British, South African, and Australian hand pies and pot-pies,” according to the owner) are on the menu here. Steak and stout and chicken and mushroom are customer favorites among the hand pies. Though meat and poultry pies are what win the most Yelp attention at Panbury’s, the mini apple and cherry pies are well-liked, too

Source: Real Pie Company

28. Real Pie Company
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Sacramento, California

“[S]ooo good!” writes one Yelp reviewer of this bakery’s jumbleberry (i.e., mixed berry) pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Others hail the butterscotch-banana cream, strawberry cream, and dark chocolate variations, among many others.

Source: Rymolene's Pies

27. Rymolene’s Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 5
> Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

There’s “any kind of pie you could imagine,” writes one Yelp reviewer, at this “hometown gem.” Apple pear geranium and nutty chocolate chip are among the more unusual choices. The shop also has a cereal bar, offering 15 or 20 different cereals and a like number of toppings.

Source: Pie Heaven Bakery Cafe

26. Pie Heaven Bakery Cafe
> Overall Yelp Rating: 5
> Location: Atlantic Beach, Florida

When you visit this pie shop and cafe near Jacksonville, reports a Yelp user, “You open the door and the smells waft over you…[it] evoked my grandmother’s kitchen.” (The bakers are said to be “sweet little old ladies.”) Triple berry, salted caramel apple, chocolate bourbon pecan, and margarita Key lime pies are among the attractions, and there are savory pies as well, including chicken pot pie.

Source: Hawaiian Pie Company

25. Hawaiian Pie Company
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

“[M]elt-in-your-mouth buttery fruit pies” are on the menu at this family-owned bakery. Flavors rotate, but Hawaiian passion pear with “our signature buttery Hawaiian topping,” pumpkin custard, and cherry crumble are typical choices. Fans on Yelp appreciate the fact that pies are available in mini as well as regular sizes, and that “Their crusts are amazing — tender and flaky.”

Source: Pie Oh My!

24. Pie Oh My!
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Maplewood, Missouri

Pie Oh My!, a “cute little mama papa shop with a relatively small menu” (according to a Yelper) in a St. Louis suburb, serves such pie varieties as blueberry sour cream, coconut cream, Key lime, lemon meringue, and peanut butter and jelly chess. “It’s easy to go crazy in this store,” adds one Yelp reviewer.

Source: Petsi Pies

23. Petsi Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

“Totally the best pies in New England,” one Yelp reviewer proposes. “Any pie is awesome,” says another. “Petsi is hands down the reigning queen of pies!” exclaims a third. The specifics? Such treats as mixed berry, banana cream, apple crumb, and especially chocolate bourbon pecan, mentioned favorably in numerous Yelp posts.

Source: Livin' The Pie Life

22. Livin’ The Pie Life
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Arlington, Virginia

Yelpers love “The salted caramel chocolate chess pie (rich and decadent) and the pear and sour cranberry pie (a nice balance of tart and sweet)” at this D.C.-area bakery, as well as the Key lime pie, described as “sweet with a bit of tart, enclosed in a crust that will leave you licking up the crumbs off the plate.” And another reviewer found the caramel apple example “some of the best pie I’ve ever had. Incredible. Crispy crust, sweet caramel, cinnamon-y apples.”

Source: PIE BOSS

21. Pie Boss
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Aurora, Illinois

South African-style savory pies are the specialty here — chicken pot pie, for sure, but also cheeseburger, spicy mixed vegetable, spinach and feta, sometimes spicy lamb or chicken peri peri…. But pie-like vanilla and chocolate custard tarts (the latter with “tons of flavor,” according to Yelp) and apple crumble are greatly appreciated sweet options.

Source: Oak St. Pie Co.

20. Oak St. Pie Co.
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Roanoke, Texas

One Yelp reviewer reports “I’ve tried lemon meringue, chocolate cream, pecan & coconut meringue, all of them melt in your mouth delicious!” at this bakery in Roanoke, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. To another, “This is definitely one of the best (!!!!) pie shops in the area and [I] definitely recommend every pie enthusiast to check this place out!”

Source: Fayetteville Pie Company

19. Fayetteville Pie Company
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina

From savory (sweet potato and pulled pork, chicken Cordon Bleu) to sweet (Black Forest, cookies and cream), the pies here are described on Yelp as “sooooo good!” and “amazing.” “While there are few choices at a time on the menu,” notes one review, “there is always something for everyone.”

Source: Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies

18. Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Brooklyn, New York

Florida usually claims Key lime pie for itself, but some of the best anywhere is baked in Brooklyn, according to Yelp. Made with butter, graham cracker crumbs, and fresh Key lime juice, the pies are available in three-, four-, eight-, and 10-inch versions. As one reviewer puts it, the pie has “a nice tang and [is] super rich and dense!”

Source: My Sugar Pie

17. My Sugar Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Zionsville, Indiana

This family-run “gourmet homemade” pie shop in suburban Indianapolis (there’s a second suburban location, too) sells everything from old-style lattice-crust apple and Dutch cherry to sugar cream Hoosier Sugar and chocolate chip “I Love You” pies. One visitor calls My Sugar Pie the “cutest little pie shop ever” on Yelp, adding that the pie crust is “perfection and each of the fillings were so good”

Source: Betty's Pie Whole

16. Betty’s Pie Whole
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Encinitas, California

Piemaker Betty Harris “ain’t giving away her wares” at her establishment in northern San Diego County, one Yelper warned, but according to another, “The pies here are AMAZING!” Strawberry rhubarb, chocolate cream, and Beth’s Berry Crumbly pies are among the offerings that get singled out, and on the savory side, Grandma Lucy’s chicken pie is said to be “delicious beyond measure!!!!”

Source: Anita C. via Yelp

15. Upper Crust Pie Bakery
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Overland Park, Kansas

“I had a slice of the Strawberry Rhubarb a la mode,” reports one pie fan on Yelp, “and could have sworn it came right out of Grandma’s oven.” One initially skeptical resident of this Kansas City suburb told the review site “Visited location. Smelled smells. Bought fresh out of the oven pie. Ate pie. Craved more pie. Craving pie while writing this.” Raspberry peach and Dutch apple are among Yelpers’ favorites.

Source: P is for Pie Bake Shop

14. P is for Pie Bake Shop
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Orlando, Florida

P is for Pie describes itself as “a small batch artisan bakery specializing in sweet and savory pies and variations of pies, cakes, cookies, etc.,” adding that “Everything is made from scratch, by hand, incorporating natural, seasonal and local ingredients to every extent possible.”

Bacon caramel pecan hand pies and strawberry basil tartlets are among the dishes favored on Yelp, and one reviewer praises the crusts here as being “flaky, sturdy and buttery — everything you want in a crust.”

Source: Donna K. via Yelp

13. Pie Society
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Savannah, Georgia

Meat pies, including chicken and thyme and steak and ale, are the specialties here, but the chocolate silk and apple pies are among the sweet offerings that Yelpers like. “Don’t go somewhere kitschy in Savannah,” one reviewer advises. “Come here.”

Source: Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop

12. Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop
> Overall Yelp Rating: 5
> Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Buttermilk Sky is a franchise operation, including more than 20 units around the South and Midwest, with a concentration in Texas. The operation in this city southeast of Nashville wins plaudits from Yelp users for “The most amazing pie I’ve ever had!” and for its “taste of southern tradition.” The peanut butter cream pie and pecan pie with toasted coconut and chocolate chips win special notice.

Source: Pink Pie

11. Pink Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Hollywood, Florida

Mini pies are the thing here, with Oreo Nutella, coconut dulce de leche, and Key lime being among the variations particularly appreciated by Yelp reviewers. “Why limit yourself to having one regular sized pie when you can have three or four (or more) bite sized ones?” asks one. The bad news? Pink Pie isn’t exactly a shop — it’s a booth in the community’s Yellow Green Farmers Market, open only on Saturdays and Sundays.

10. I Like Pie Bake Shop
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Claremont, California

This Southern California bakery offers an array of seasonal flavors — including pumpkin praline, caramel apple, and salted caramel banana — as well as items like cherry, mixed berry, and savory Moroccan Veggie and butternut squash hand pies. “So yummy” and “SO GOOD,” write reviewers on Yelp.

Source: A la Mode Pies

9. A la Mode Pies
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Seattle, Washington

Writing on Yelp, one fan enthuses “These guys absolutely BLEW US AWAY with their pies.” Marionberry hazelnut, white chocolate banana cream, and classic Key lime and apple pies are among the offerings singled out by reviewers on the site. And, yes, you can get your pie à la mode.

Source: Pots & Pans Pie

8. Pots & Pans Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

How much do pie-lovers appreciate this place? “I actually wrote a motivational post on Instagram over Pots & Pans pot pies last week,” writes one on Yelp. Peanut butter and jelly and black bottom frangipane are among the favorite sweet pies sold here, and on the savory side, the biscuits and gravy pie gets mentioned often.

Source: Proud Pie

7. Proud Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Katy, Texas

This bakery in suburban Houston is appreciated by Yelp reviewers for its judicious hand with sugar. “I expected the chocolate silk and the sweet fudge [pies] to be overly sweet, but they were just perfect!” says one. “The snickerdoodle peach and caramel apple were both fresh and full of flavor without being cloyingly sweet,” reports another. Still another comments, in a five-star review, “Great location, inviting atmosphere, great coffee and pie!”

Source: Sister Pie

6. Sister Pie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Detroit, Michigan

“The menu at Sister Pie,” according to this Motor City bakery’s website, “is nontraditional in flavor combinations, rustic in execution, and constantly changing to honor the local agriculture of Michigan.” They add “We make our pie dough by hand daily and most often communally.” Current seasonal offerings include brandy pecan, salted maple, and pfeffernusse. “Sister Pie is top shelf and deserves all its accolades,” reads the introduction to one five-star Yelp review.

Source: Proper Pie Co.

5. Proper Pie Co.
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Richmond, Virginia

New Zealand-inspired pies both savory and sweet fill the menu here. Pie relatives like sausage rolls and Cornish pasties are offered, too. Among the sweet specialties are what a Yelp review calls a “tangy” and “excellent” sour cream and blueberry crumble. A banoffee pie, made with bananas, cream, and toffee, is highly recommended by another review, and a lemon ginger blackberry pie is “delicious.”

Source: Andy N. via Yelp

4. Hoosier Mama Pie Company
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Chicago, Illinois

One of two locations (the other one is in nearby Evanston), this pie shop sells what one Yelp reviewer calls “Freaking amazing pies.” Others chime in with comments like “IMPRESSIVE sour pies,” “the fillings were all wonderful,” and “a nice mix of classics and modern takes on nostalgic flavors.” Among favored pies: lemon chess with blueberries, peach raspberry walnut, and banana cream.

Source: Pie Junkie

3. Pie Junkie
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

“Let’s all eat more pie!” exhorts this tiny pie shop’s website, going on to explain that “Pie Junkie bakes homemade classics and fresh, original recipes from scratch each day” — to the tune of more than 20,000 pies per year. “Oh Pie Junkie how I love thee,” rhapsodizes one Yelper, going on to name-check such variations as Drunken Turtle, French Silk, Bird Dog Buttermilk, and Peanut Butter Chocolate. A “phenomenal pie spot!” says another.

Source: Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen

2. Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Louisville, Kentucky

“The chocolate chess pie, the chess pie, the caramel apple pie, and the ice cream are all worth it,” one Yelp reviewer assures us of the wares served up by this dessert emporium, which has eight locations in Kentucky and southern Indiana. This Bardstown Road outpost in Louisville also earns Yelp praise for its double-crust apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream, its chocolate pecan pie, and its “fabulous” blueberry pie. One reviewer cuts to the chase: “Yes just go here if you’re debating it.”

Source: Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits

1. Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits
> Overall Yelp Rating: 4.5
> Location: Chicago, Illinois

Scratch biscuits with various toppings (one combination includes candied bacon, braised greens, egg, and hot sauce) are one of the attractions at this two-location Chicago establishment. But the pies — for instance chocolate caramel, chocolate pecan, Key lime, and apple — are serious, too. The California Avenue shop is a Yelp favorite for pies like almond cardamon, blueberry pistachio, pink lemonade, and pecan chocolate — as well as a savory Buffalo-style-chicken pot pie. A plus at this location when the weather warms up again: “a really lovely outdoor space they call the pie garden, which is great to sit and eat pie/drink coffee.”

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