Where to find the best pies in Philadelphia

Bringing pie to the party is an important task. It’s the part of the dinner that everyone looks forward to, and some may even go as far as to leave room in anticipation of a slice. After the appetizers, salad, and main course, pie is a sweet ending shared by everyone around the table.

Pie is one of the most nostalgic desserts, bringing people back to fond memories of baking with elders, learning the delicate process of rolling out the crust, making the filling, and bringing those components together. Baked at the beginning of the festivities to be enjoyed at the end, pie is one of the few dishes that bookends a holiday.

Pies transport us back to the familiar flavors we grew up with and culinary traditions that have been passed down through the generations. “When I bake, I want people to think about their grandmother’s or their great-grandmother’s cooking,” says Amy Edelman, owner of Night Kitchen Bakery. “Pie evokes a sort of feeling of a family and cooking with the family.”

The idea of encasing food in a form of pastry crust dates as far back as Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, whose tomb has drawings of a pie-like food filled with nuts, honey, and fruits. The Greeks are credited with creating meat pies, which the Romans took and distributed across the Roman Empire. The predecessor to American-style fruit pies, including our iconic apple pie, stems from England with recipes dating as far back as the 16th century. Although pie’s popularity in the United States is a result of English colonization, the dessert tradition is seen as predominantly all-American.

Aside from the nostalgia, one of the best parts about pie is the variety. There are so many different pies — fruit pies, nut pies, custard pies, pudding pies, cream pies. If you can dream it, you can likely make it into a pie.

Philadelphia has no shortage of incredible pie makers sharing this delicious piece of culinary heritage. Every recipe may be unique to each baker, but pie has a taste, smell, and tradition that resonate with so many of us. As we pass slices of it around the table, we share a piece of ourselves, our personal history, as well as our collective history. Here’s where to get some of the region’s best pies.

For Pennsylvania Dutch baked goods, Beiler’s Bakery in Reading Terminal Market is a trusted spot. In addition to its doughnuts, it’s got whoopie pies, cakes, and pies, including the Pennsylvania Dutch classic shoofly pie. Shoofly pie is a molasses pie covered in a thick layer of fine crumbs. Local lore says its name comes from the fact that the sweet pie would always attract flies, causing bakers to wave their hands over the pie and say, “Shoo fly!” Beiler’s shoofly pie is rich with a deep cinnamon sugar and caramel flavor, but it’s the textures of the crust, the molasses filling, and the crumbs on top that make this one of the best shoofly pies in town. It’s perfect for dessert or paired with coffee the morning after a big family dinner. Also find cherry, rhubarb, sweet potato and other pies.

📍 51 N. 12th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 📞 267-318-7480, 🌐 beilersdoughnuts.com, 📷 @beilersdoughnuts

Bredenbeck’s is an institution in Philadelphia’s pastry world. The bakery has been churning out cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, and ice cream since 1889. If you’ve been to a Philadelphia wedding west of the Schuylkill, chances are you’ve eaten a Bredenbeck’s cake. If you’re looking for an old-fashioned pie, this is the spot. It’s got all the pie hits like lemon meringue, key lime, apple, and cherry pie. Order it plain or get a lattice or crumb crust on top.

📍 8126 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 📞 215-247-7374, 🌐 bredenbecks.com, 📷 @bredenbecks

Flying Monkey Bakery doesn’t take any shortcuts when it comes to making pies. Every crust is rolled by hand and made from scratch using real butter. And the key lime pie crust is made with graham crackers baked in-house.

For Elizabeth Halen, crust is key.

“The crust is the vehicle for the pie,” said the owner of Flying Monkey Bakery in Reading Terminal Market. “We’re committed to butter and our pastry craft.” Flying Monkey offers pies all year round, including a peanut butter cup pie, a flourless lemon coconut, and a s’mores pie made with the same house-made graham cracker crust. But come the holiday season, the focus is on its three traditional pies: a classic pumpkin, pecan, and the customer favorite apple with oat crumble topping.

“We’ve always done a version that has a really nice savory oatmeal, salty topping to it, so it’s a nice contrast to the sweet filling,” Halen said.

Pies are nine inches and feed up to 8 people. If you want to make sure you get the pie you’re craving, call ahead.

📍 1136 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 📞 215-928-0340, 🌐 flyingmonkeyphilly.com, 📷 @flyingmonkeyphilly

Amy Edelman of Night Kitchen Bakery is passionate about making pies using only the best ingredients. Every apple crumb, for example, is loaded with six whole Granny Smith apples encased in a crispy, all-butter crust. If you order the apple crumb pie, Edelman recommends heading down Germantown Avenue to grab a pint of salted caramel ice cream at Zsa’s. Along with the classic apple, Night Kitchen Bakery offers key lime pie, chocolate pecan, and cherry crumb, as well as seasonal tarts including mixed berry.

📍 7725 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 📞 215-248-9235, 🌐 nightkitchenbakery.com, 📷 @nightkitchenbakery

You don’t have to be vegan to love Crust Vegan Bakery’s pies, which are sweet and rich withcrustsjust as luscious as your conventional pie. Order the peanut butter mousse pie with cookie crust, smooth peanut butter mousse filling and a ganache topping. The chocolate blood orange pie is a chocolate shortbread crust, filled with blood orange curd, topped with ganache, stars and glitter for some extra flare. Shoofly pies, pie-themed pop tarts, ice cream brownie pies and peanut butter cup snack pies are also available for Pi Day.

📍 4409 Main St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19127 📞 215-701-4230, 🌐 crustveganbakery.com, 📷 @crustveganbakery

Reading Terminal Market’s first Black-owned bakery is all about the sweet potato — sweet potato cake, sweet potato cheesecake, and, of course, sweet potato pie. Sweet potato pie is a staple at Black gatherings, especially during the holiday season, and the recipes for this traditional dessert are oftentimes passed down from matriarch to matriarch. Tia El, the owner of Sweet T’s Bakery, is the keeper of her family’s recipe, which she shares with everyone who orders a pie at her Reading Terminal bakery.

“I was making sweet potato pies for years with a recipe that my grandmother shared with me personally with my own twist,” El said. “My sweet potato pie stands out from everybody else because I still do things the old-fashioned way and I hand mix everything.”

Sweet T’s Bakery offers three sizes of pies: ranging from a small, personal-sized “sweetie pie” to a large pie for the whole family. Every pie comes with a creamy and spiced sweet potato filling that’s amplified by the subtle cinnamon graham cracker crust that is served with a love of tradition.

A sugar-free option is available too.

📍 1136 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 📞 267-319-1819, 🌐 sweettsbakery.co, 📷 @_sweett

For four generations, this German bakery has brought sweet treats to neighbors in Mayfair. All pies are made from scratch and are baked with a touch of German tradition. Find assorted pies everyday of the week — including lemon meringue pie on Tuesdays. It’s gemütlichkeit in every bite.

📍 4164 Barnett St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19135 📞 215-624-0117, 🌐 haegelesbakery.com

Throughout the year, the Frosted Fox Cake Shop offers seasonal pies to customers craving a dessert other than cake. In the spring, keep an eye out for its summery peach crumble, strawberry rhubarb crumble, key lime with meringue, and mixed berry pies.

It’s offering a to-go service so you can order at the door or place an order ahead of time over the phone.

📍 6511 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19119 📞 267-900-5453, 🌐 frostedfoxcakeshop.com, 📷 @frostedfoxcakeshop

Tartes offers personal-size tarts (or tartes, as the shop calls them) in a wide range of flavors, making it easy to mix and match different desserts to please everyone. For chocolate lovers, grab the chocolate crème brûlée tarte, which is made with a vanilla bean custard coated in a chocolate espresso ganache glaze. For those who prefer fruity flavors, try the pear-raspberry almond and blueberry lemontarts. Its window is openfor walk-up orders, but you are encouraged to order ahead of time — especially if you want a particular tart or you’re placing a large order.

📍 212 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 📞 215-625-2510, 🌐 tartespastryshop.com, 📷 @tartes_oldcity

With the wide selection of decadent pies at Pie and Plate, it can be tricky to pick the best one.

Creamy and a little tart, find key lime custard in a butter graham crust with a swirl of whipped cream on top. There’s also a soufflé atop a gooey, rich chocolate pie in a butter crust. But maybe, you’re in the mood for apple slices nestled in a sweet, creamy sour cream custard with a buttery brown sugar crumble. No matter what you order, you can’t go wrong with these made-from-scratch pies.

📍 43 N. Main St., Ambler, Pa. 19002 📞 267-468-7171, 🌐 pieandplate.com, 📷 @pieandplatecafe

Across the bridge in Moorestown, Christine McHale is the pie lady who serves up whatever pie your heart desires. Get a whole or slice of seasonal and decadent pies made with local fresh fruit and ingredients in a buttery, flaky crust, housemade graham cracker crust, or housemade chocolate Oreo crust. It’s always best to order ahead of time for whole pies.

📍9 East Main St., Moorestown, NJ 08057 📞 856-778-PIES (7437), 🌐 pieladycafe.com

Fishtown and Old City have one thing in common — hand pies from Little Susie’s. At both locations, order pies with cinnamon spiced honeycrisp apples, strawberries and cream, and chocolate, espresso pocket-sized pies. Savory pies are offered too.

📍Multiple locations, 🌐 littlesusies.com, 📷 @littlesusies

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