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The Best Pie in Every State and Washington, D.C.

The Best Pie in Every State and Washington, D.C.

PEOPLE teamed up with dining guide and restaurant news site Eater to find the most heavenly slices across the country

By Stephanie Emma Pfeffer

September 27, 2019 02:16 PM

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HOW WE CHOOSE

Credit: Sister Pie

For our 51 winners, we worked with Eater and its regional bureaus to choose the best-tasting pies, giving special weight to those with regionally inspired recipes and locally sourced ingredients.

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ALABAMA

Credit: Pie Lab

Pie Lab

1317 Main St, Greensboro

The sweet, handmade Bourbon Pecan — one of the top sellers at this beloved pie shop founded on "community and conversation" — is shipped to farmers' markets throughout the state.

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ALASKA

Credit: Talkeetna Restaurant

Roadhouse

13550 E Main St, Talkeetna

Hikers fuel up with a hearty breakfast and a slice of Blackberry pie at this bakery, which sits inside a hostel and roadside inn on the way to Denali, the highest mountain peak in the country.

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ARIZONA

Credit: Jill Richards

Little Miss BBQ

8901 N 7th St, Phoenix

At their Texas-inspired barbecue joint, Scott and Bekke Holmes’s Smoked Pecan pie is made from Bekke’s grandmother’s secret recipe — and cooked in the smoker for an extra layer of flavor.

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ARKANSAS

Credit: Maria Langley

Tusk & Trotter

110 SE A St, Bentonville

The state’s unofficial dessert is Possum pie, and this version has house-made pecan sandies, vanilla-bean cream-cheese frosting, chocolate custard and coconut marshmallow.

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CALIFORNIA

Credit: Meghan Reardon

The Apple Pan

10801 W Pico Blvd

The Banana Cream pie at this 72-year-old diner is made daily with ripe bananas, silky custard and soft, billowy cream.

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COLORADO

Credit: Rachel Adams

Wednesday's Pies

1422 Larimer St, Denver

Once you find the tiny subterranean shop — nestled in the entrance of a speakeasy — choose from one of the three daily pies that are always changing. Caramel Apple is a best bet.

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CONNECTICUT

Credit: Gina O’Sullivan photography

Michele's Pies

666 Main Ave, Norwalk

Michele Stuart started baking her grandmother’s pies in her ski condo in Vermont before relocating to Connecticut, where her Apple Crumb is a National Pie Championship award winner.

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DELAWARE

Credit: Matt's Fish Camp Bethany

Matt's Fish Camp

28635 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach

At this coastal Delaware fish shack, the SoDel Lime pie is a year-round staple, featuring a creamy custard made with lime and orange zest, tequila and elderflower liquor — all piled into a house-made Nilla Wafer-and-coconut crust.

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FLORIDA

Credit: Mikes Pies

Mike's Pies

8625 Florida Mining Blvd, Tampa

Their award-winning Killer Key Lime has a filling made with just egg yolks, condensed milk and lime juice, poured into a graham cracker crust made with brown sugar and butter.

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GEORGIA

Credit: Morgen Purcell/Lemon Brands

The Busy Bee

810 M.L.K. Jr Dr SW, Atlanta

The Ol’ Fashioned Sweet Potato pie is a southern classic at this soul-food spot, which was listed in the famous Green Book guide for travel and vacation as a safe place for African-Americans during the civil rights movement.

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HAWAII

Credit: Ryan Siphers

Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop

820 Olowalu Village Rd, Lahaina

It's worth standing in line for the Pineapple Macadamia Nut, baked in a flaky crust with hints of fresh cherries and topped with locally grown macadamia nuts and a brown sugar cookie crumble.

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IDAHO

Credit: Melissa Head

Trudy's Kitchen

3876 Highway 21, Idaho City

Size matters at this diner located off a scenic highway in an RV park, where the Chocolate S’mores takes up nearly the entire plate with cream piled six inches high.

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ILLINOIS

Credit: Hoosier Pie Mama Co.

Hoosier Mama Pie Company

1618 W Chicago Ave, Chicago

Tart cherries meet sweet apples in this Apple Sour Cherry pie, which is topped with a crunchy oat crumble. Try a pie flight (available on Fridays) if you can’t decide between the many seasonal flavors they offer.

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INDIANA

Credit: Zoë Taylor

Milktooth

534 Virginia Ave, Indianapolis

This homey diner is open only for breakfast and lunch; no matter when you go, try the Blackberry Plum “pop tart.”

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IOWA

Crouse Cafe

115 E Salem Ave, Indianola

The succulent Cherry pie from this small hometown diner is consistently named one of the state’s best, thanks to its tender, flaky crust.

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KANSAS

Credit: Bonjwing Lee

Rye

10551 Mission Rd, Leawood

Chef Megan Garrelts, who co-owns the restaurant with husband Colby, is a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef 2017-2019 — and her fall Apple pie is not to be missed.

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KENTUCKY

Credit: Matthew Patrick

Magee's Bakery

726 E Main St, Lexington

The original location opened in the 1930s, about 70 miles away in Maysville, where the Transparent pie — made mostly with butter, cream, sugar and eggs — became widely popular.

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LOUISIANA

Credit: K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen

416 Chartres St, New Orleans

Try Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Sweet Potato Pecan pie — creamy sweet potato filling topped with roasted pecans, served with Chantilly cream.

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MAINE

Credit: Moody's

Moody's Diner

1885 Atlantic Hwy, Waldoboro

The 4-Berry pie at this roadside diner on Route 1 between Portland and Arcadia National Park is bursting with the state’s finest blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.

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MARYLAND

Credit: Dangerously Delicious Pies

Dangerously Delicious Pies

2839 O'Donnell St, Baltimore

Filled with pancake batter and fresh berries, the Blueberry Pancake pie is almost a breakfast entrée — especially when topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar.

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MASSACHUSETTS

Credit: Brian Samuels

Veggie Galaxy

450 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge

The vegan Lemon Meringue at this vegetarian diner is filled with lemon-and-passion-fruit curd and generously topped with caramelized egg-free meringue. Order a 9-in. pie or, if you don’t feel like sharing, a mini personal pie.

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MICHIGAN

Credit: E.E. Berger

Sister Pie

8066 Kercheval Ave, Detroit

The signature Salted Maple pie is simplicity at its finest, made with pure maple syrup and topped with flaky sea salt in a crispy crust made with French butter.

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MINNESOTA

Credit: Jackie Menth

Honey & Rye

4501 Excelsior Blvd, Minneapolis

Women-owned and community-driven, this bakehouse features a seasonal Peach Blueberry pie — ripe peaches gush among tart blueberries all buried under a brown sugar crumble.

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MISSISSIPPI

Credit: The Crystal Grill

The Crystal Grill

423 Carrollton Ave, Greenwood

Chilled to perfection, the Lemon Icebox pie is made with condensed milk, egg whites and lemon juice set in a graham cracker crust and topped with two inches of fluffy whipped cream.

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MISSOURI

Credit: Sweetart Bakeshop

SweetArt

2203 S. 39th St, St. Louis

The family-owned bakeshop/cafe/art studio supports local businesses by sourcing ingredients and equipment from the area to make delicious desserts, like the Peaches n’ Cream, available only when peaches are in season.

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MONTANA

Credit: Mary Lou Covey

Loula's

300 2nd St East, Whitefish

Housed inside a historic building in the center of a resort town in the Rocky Mountains, this spot bakes more than five versions of Huckleberry pie — each made with different fruit options, all raveworthy.

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NEBRASKA

Credit: The Village PieMaker

The Village Piemaker

100 W. Hendricks St, Eustis

Baked in small batches with fillings from scratch, the Cherry is one of many classic pies frozen with a flavor seal that are sent to grocers all over the Midwest and can also be shipped directly to you to bake at home.

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NEVADA

Credit: Gabrielle Geiselman Malone

Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House

3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas

The Creole restaurant in the MGM Grand serves chef Emeril Lagasse's rich and velvety Banana Cream pie with caramel drizzles and chocolate shavings. The crust, which has bananas mashed into the graham crackers, is a standout feature.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Credit: Denise Nickerson

The Bakeshop on Kelley Street

171 Kelley St, Manchester

A vintage recipe from the 1970s, the Grasshopper is a no-bake pie made with crème de menthe and chilled for a refreshing minty flavor.

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NEW JERSEY

Credit: Holiday Snack Shop

Holiday Snack Bar

401 Centre St, Beach Haven

Get transported to the ’50s at this old-school beach diner, where the No Name pie with coconut, pecans and chocolate chips tastes, well, righteous.

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NEW MEXICO

Credit: Five and Dime General Store

Five & Dime

58 E San Francisco St, Santa Fe

At a snack bar in the back of a general store, the Frito pie comes as a single serve bag of corn chips smothered with chilli, cheese and onions.

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NEW YORK

Credit: Victor Garzon

Petee's Pie Company

61 Delancey St, New York

Pull up a stool at the retro counter and ask for a slice of the Almond Chess pie, an amaretto-flavored take on the southern classic with a bottom layer of chocolate ganache and toasted almonds on top.

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NORTH CAROLINA

Credit: Kaitlyn Goelen

Poole's Diner

426 S McDowell St, Raleigh

The Tomato pie from chef Ashley Christensen, who won the 2019 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, gets its kick from buttermilk cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard and thyme.

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The Best Pie in Every State and Washington, D.C.

1 of 52

HOW WE CHOOSE

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ALABAMA

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ALASKA

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ARIZONA

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ARKANSAS

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CALIFORNIA

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COLORADO

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CONNECTICUT

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DELAWARE

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FLORIDA

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GEORGIA

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HAWAII

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IDAHO

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ILLINOIS

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INDIANA

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IOWA

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KANSAS

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KENTUCKY

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LOUISIANA

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MAINE

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MARYLAND

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MASSACHUSETTS

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MICHIGAN

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MINNESOTA

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MISSISSIPPI

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MISSOURI