Pie 🥧 Restaurants… where did they go?

There was a House of Pies in Bellevue, Wash. that my family used to go to. I don’t know why it closed.

hadn't thought about it.......but I think you're right OP

Florence Pie Bar, 17 Main Street, Florence, MA 01062

Just outside of Northampton MA

We had a few pie places here but they are all gone. You can get giant pies that are delcious from Costco, Sams Club etc. for about 1/2 the price.

This is why I left the USA

Thankfully, the House of Pies in Los Feliz is still there.

What's a "pie"?

Just go to Perkin's, OP. They're still selling pies.

Big Boy strawberry pie!

They even had one in Tehran.

Let's...

There are 6 House of Pies locations in the Houston area.

Texans love their pies!

[quote] Just go to Perkin's, OP. They're still selling pies.

And Village Inn

Used to love the Polly's in downtown Santa Monica. Great burgers and pie. It closed years ago when the landlord TRIPLED their lease.

There are still some Marie Callender's and Coco's Bakery Restaurants around the L.A. area. Not really a fan of the food at either, though. I remember usually ordering a salad. And driving 15+ miles just to get a salad and pie? Probably not going to happen.

Coco’s, Carrow’s, Marie Callendar’s; yeah we loved our pie shops in SoCal back in the day

Mmmm .... pie.

if that's one thing Trump could do, he could bring back the goddam pie shoppes.

I do think they got too expensive R4.. just not worth it

R15 I miss Coco's and especially, Marie Callender's. MC's had really good food and a salad bar. Not sure why they went defunct. This new fast casual stuff like Chipotle certainly isn't cheap and the quality isn't there.

You could make your own.

In Flyoverstan, every other restaurant serves pie. It’s not a novelty like California where people don’t eat.

People will stop watching Mildred Pierce, because it won't make any sense to them......

I like pie.

I'm in San Francisco and was trying to think if we had one then I remembered Shari's in San Bruno. My fat ass thanks you, OP!

They realized that most people can't tell the difference between homemade and Costo pies and hiring people who can make homemade is now very expensive, so why go to the trouble.

The vast majority of restaurant food these days is just thaw, heat and serve.

[quote]What happened to pie and coffee shops? Don’t people like pie anymore?

Ozempic.

Seriously though it is probably a matter of low margins not being able to support a pie "focused" menu. The few times I go to higher end places, they are busy. It seems like the Applebee's and Denny's of the world are the ones having a hard time.

Last time I was in the mood for pie, I bought a whole peach pie at Dupars at the Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax. Dupars is known for their pies. And I've had excellent pie there in the past.

This time, the pie was perfectly adequate. Nothing to complain about. But it also wasn't anything special either.

R25 that's a sad state of affairs. The populace has been dumbed down and accepts mediocrity.

Meanwhile, at least in SoCal,, there are donut shops galore. My little suburb (pop under 20K) has three. And three cookie shops, too.

I used to work at Coco’s in the 80s but I don't remember their pie. Then again, I was usually high on my shift.

Where can I get a hair pie?

My town has a commercial specialty pie maker - good quality. It serves the surrounding region, which adds up to a retail market of about 1 million. It was bought out by Sara Lee but still uses the same recipes. I think almost all the restaurants in town use it, because the quality is dependable.

I bake pies myself, but I'm not embarrassed to serve one of the local brand.

[quote]Used to love the Polly's in downtown Santa Monica. Great burgers and pie. It closed years ago when the landlord TRIPLED their lease.

Trivia: Kathy Griffin worked as a waitress there and served me more than once.

I make my own . . .

You need to work on your soggy bottom, r34.

Des Moines in the 70's = Poppin' Fresh Pies

36 posts and no one mentioned DuPar’s? For shame.

Just a few minutes from the gay mecca of Saugatuck:

[quote]36 posts and no one mentioned DuPar’s? For shame.

r37, meet r27

They got replaced by the frozen yogurt shops, then the cupcake shops, and now probably the food halls.

This year is my "year of pie."

I've already made a peach pie with the 5 peaches my little peach tree grew in this new rental house. I didn't have enough peaches, so supplemented with two store-bought peaches and an apricot and nectarine I had on hand. I made a new pie crust I'd never used before, and it was quite excellent. I was unable to eat the entire pie within 5 days, so I cut up the remainder and froze it. I warmed up a piece last night and it was SO delicious.

I made a chocolate silk pie a week ago with a homemade oreo cookie crust. I haven't made it in around 4 years or so. Better than I remember.

The wild blackberries are ripe in my backyard, so I'm making a mini blackberry pie tomorrow or Saturday.

There is a Gravenstein apple tree that is very pregnant with apples and although I don't normally associate August as fall/Autumn per se, I may need to make a pie within the next 3 weeks. And my neighbor to the left of me has a huge pear tree, which is a shame for him because he doesn't like pears. I will attempt to purloin some from him, and will make a combo apple-pear pie, which I've done before and loved. Can't wait. I think I'll try to make some mini pies (instead of a whole one) and freeze them for future enjoyment.

I'm growing huge pumpkins as well as mini/sugar pumpkins in anticipation of making some pumpkin pies and pumpkin butter this October/November/December.

Mmmm, pie. Love it.

My aunt (RIP) made the best pies from scratch I have ever eaten. She had no recipes. It was a handful of this, a pinch of that. She made three types of pies for Thanksgiving: apple, pumpkin (yes from a real pumpkin), and mince, although she bought the mincemeat from the local butcher (see link).

When she died of lung cancer (younger than I am now), she took her skills and talent with her. She had a son who sometimes watched her. but I don't think he learned anything, or even has the ambition to bake a pie.

She spoiled me for any other pies, no matter how good they might be. If the crust isn't made from scratch, it'll always be "store-bought" to me.

[quote] Perkin's

Oh, dear.

Some of the best pie places I ever experienced were in the Midwest.

Norske Nook in Wisconsin was one of them. Der Dutchman in Indiana (with another location about 45 minutes outside of Columbus, OH) was another.

The food in both places was serviceable at best, but the pies were truly heavenly.

Shit. Four N Twenty closed in 2020.

I’m sad.

R39 thank you. It deserves more than one mention.

We used to go to the DuPar’s at Crenshaw & Imperial, in Inglewood, all the time (late 60s and early 70s).

I once stopped in Pie Town, New Mexico on a road trip. Check it out, OP. They even have a pie festival in September.

You're right, R43!

Sorry.

Apple Pan is still going, but be warned: their seasonal strawberry pie is not worth the price; stick with the apple.

We all came to the realization that pies, in fact, suck

Brits go to American pie shop in London

3.14159265359

[quote]What's a "pie"? —Dafur Orphan

Think of it as a pile of dung with a dirt crust.

R45, Damn. There were two locations, one on Van Nuys Blvd in Sherman Oaks, the other on Laurel Canyon Blvd in Valley Village, which I used to frequent until I moved out of the area. Both shuttered during the pandemic.

Kate Bush sang a whole song about it.

Make your own mincemeat & freeze it to make pies & tarts as needed.

GREEN TOMATO MINCE FILLING (approx 6 C)

4 C (approx 1 1/4#) green tomatoes (diced fine)

4 C (approx 1#) green apples (unpeeled - diced fine)

1/2 C+ 2 Tbsp (approx 3 oz) currants

2 C (approx 10 oz) raisins

2 C + 2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 C + 2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 1/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp cloves (ground)

1/2 tsp very rounded allspice (ground)

1/2 tsp rounded mace or nutmeg

1/2 tsp rounded black pepper (ground)

1 1/2 tsp table salt

8 oz mixed candied fruits or citron (diced) (I prefer citron)

4 oz butter (cold, sliced thin)

1/2 C brandy (or 1/4 C brandy & 1/4 C dry sherry)

Combine all except butter & liquor(s) in large pot.

Simmer very gently approx 3 hrs (uncovered -- stir occasionally).

Stir in butter & liquor(s).

Simmer very gently approx 1/2 hr (uncovered, stirring occasionally, til thick).

Cool -- refrigerate (or freeze).

The Marie Callendars in Miracle Mile in LA was excellent. Their pies was always superb.But that location closed 7 or 8 years ago.

Now the closest Marie Callendars is in West LA on National Blvd. at Sawtelle Blvd. The pies and the food there aren't quite as good as it was in the Miracle Mile location. But when I need a pie fix, that's where I would go.

Pies, you say?

Still holding it down in Pasadena: the venerable Pie & Burger.

Boys, boys, boys -- my pie hole is officially demanding pie. Hit me with your favorite recipe, something foolproof enough for a total novice. Gracias.

"Just go to Perkin's, OP. "

When I was a kid, Perkin's was called "Perkin's Cake and Steak". They may sell pie, but they'll always be "cake" to me.

[quote]I was unable to eat the entire pie within 5 days,

You're not trying hard enough.

I made another small tarte tatin. Here's my problem: I see a deal I can't pass up (and I should) and thing I have to figure out what to do. A three-pound bag of gala apples for $1.99. I've now made two tarte tatins and an apple salad, and I still have more apples left. Oh, I found some blackberries in the refrigerator, so they got added to the tarte, if you were wondering.

dam fine cherry pie

R38 “I went to Saugatuck and all I got was this pie!”

Do you like lemon meringue pie?

There was a pie shop on Union Street in SF in the 90s. I can’t remember the name or when it closed, but it stayed open late on the weekends. YUM.

In New Orleans, the Pontchartrain Hotel's Caribbean Room is famous for its Mile High Pie:

Come for the fascism, stay for the pie!

There ought to be a law requiring pie shops to publicize what kind of shortening they use in their pâtes.

Grandma's Pies, on the mainland just past the rotary. They had the best peanut butter banana cream pie.

R30 At the Coco's we once had near us, there was a large glass case of pies up by the cashier. Beside the customers in the restaurant who might order one to take with them, people would come in and just buy a pie to go. The selection was pretty similar to what they still sell at their remaining locations.

Pie n' Burger is still going strong, OP.

Don't know if it still happens, but many people used to order their Thanksgiving pies from places like Marie Callender's. You usually had to order well in advance, and there was always a huge crowd picking up pies the day or two before the holiday.

Ever since Cackle Cackle stopped posting from Half-Moon Bay the market for pies has collapsed.

[quote]Meanwhile, at least in SoCal,, there are donut shops galore.

They're *everywhere* and my understanding is that they're mostly run by Hmong immigrants. So the problem is that we need an immigrant community that's interested in opening pie shops.

Portland used to have Quality Pie which was open all night and attracted all the drag queens and strippers after their shifts at the bars.

My mother, a common waitress, used to bake pies at the diner where she worked

r34... wild blackberries...Gravenstein Apples...hmmm...it's beginning to smell a lot like Sonoma County:)

In Santa Rosa, here's our LGTBQ+ owned (a Bear couple, of course) pie shop. No need for chains or agribiz ingredients. They also serve the best ice cream in town. Curiously, our ACE Hardware store had a freezer case near the register that's full of pies only.

I'm cheap and make my own pies. It really is as easy as pie if you have a food processor to pulse some frozen cubed butter with flour and ice water to make the crust. Blueberry pie is the easiest. No need to pre-bake the crust. Just mix berries with some sort of sugar or sweetener, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour. Dump it into the crust and bake.

I remember a Mother Butler’s Pies place connected to a Denny’s in Fort Lauderdale during the 1970s. They were pretty good!

Hit it, Dinah...

A slice of pie isn't fattening enough anymore. No joke.

These days it's about 800 calorie cookies at shitty places like Crumbl.

R79 - I believe Dinah sang backing on this one from the 40's.

We have a Marie Callenders near us. Their fresh strawberry and fresh peach pies are still the bomb.

r77 I love Noble Folk. I rented a cottage in Healdsburg for a month a few summers ago. What a lovely town.

r77 Yes, I am in Sonoma County

R53 is trying to turn this into a scat thread...

God that's good...

a graham cracker crust anyone?

I've never had it, but I think pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust might be good.

Perkins or Tippins were the shit!

R87 - I've only had it with cheesecake. It's messy and not my preference. I like a firm pastry crust.

^ Key Lime?

Fluffo

Hm, I think Key Lime and Graham Cracker might be good, too. I don't care about the mess.

R90: I'm sure you like LOTS of things "firm"

No. Pie is gross.

I find it interesting that meat pies are hugely popular in the UK and Australia (maybe in Canada and New Zealand?) but not so much here. I mean outside of things like chicken pot pie, you don't hear too much about meat pies.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn

I can make any of those pies @r97 for under $10 using all organic ingredients, except maybe the chocolate ones and Key Lime, in about 20 minutes, not including baking time.

Tourtière is big in Québec r96. I also see salmon pie quite often.

Is the House of Pies still on the Camino in San Mateo?

[quote] —Dustin (Fat whore)...

with an apparently fat cock, too.

[qquote] The Marie Callendars in Miracle Mile in LA was excellent. Their pies was always superb.But that location closed 7 or 8 years ago.

So were the hot fudge sundaes in large glass goblets.

[quote]These days it's about 800 calorie cookies at shitty places like Crumbl.

Places like Crumbl are why suburbs have a bad name.

r100, don't think so. There's a sleazy-looking diner on El Camino called Heidi's Pies. I never stopped there, mostly because I never wanted to spend a minute more than necessary on The Peninsula, where I worked. I think the only Marie Calendar's Pies in the area was at Tanforan or Serramonte. Went there with a coworker a few times for lunch "hour". I'd always get French Onion soup, a glass of Red Wine or two, and a slice of berry pie. Not cheap. It was the 1990s. A splurge for Haute Cuisine du Mall for me back then.

You're right R101. My bad.

^^^^You're right [R104]. My bad X 2.

—It's been a while

Inflation and of all things, Sysco restaurant supplier killed the pie restaurants.

We have a handful of Village Inns here in Tampa but the local one is falling apart with age and one of them became a pot dispensary when a slice inched above $4. Sysco supplies a passable range of pies and desserts for restaurants that reduces the payroll hours required to make a pie.

It also costs a small fortune to eat out nowadays, my mom couldn’t cook to save her life and would take us out to HoJo’s for every meal and we knew the entire staff. When one of the waitresses quit, it was like losing an aunt! And yes, I was a fat kid.

That damn Crumbl and Insomnia cookie chains fill the need I guess. Not impressed.

Fruit pie fillings are easy and a good way to use up fruit in season. Basically, fruit, sugar, a little lemon juice, maybe tossed with a little flour or corn starch if the fruit is too juicy, a tiny pinch of salt and a pat of butter, and you're good to go. Now they make pie crusts and sell them in the refrigerated section near butter (usually). One of the grocery stores I go to sells them for about 2.50 for two crusts. Just leave them out to thaw a bit for about 15 minutes and unroll onto your pie plate. Easy peasy. Right now, peaches are just coming into season. Or mix them with blueberries for something even tastier.

I recall a chain of inexpensive restaurants called The Pie Plate in New England (Connecticut) when we were in school back in the late 1980’s. I haven’t thought about them in years, but remember the pie was just ok. A Dutch Apple Crumb pie had a thick, crispy sweet topping and the apples didn’t taste like they came from a can.

R108, tapioca is even better than cornstarch for thickening.

R105 - R101 is still right. 😂😂😂

A new House of Pies is coming to Venice, CA

Or is not coming…

Pie fans are cumming soon…on edge.

Maison des Tartes would be a better name. Or Kuchen Haus. Or Casa de Pies.

[quote] That damn Crumbl and Insomnia cookie chains fill the need I guess.

They are such blah, bland cookies.

Crumbl has a huge store and a teeny tiny offering. A selection of four cookies is NOT a bakery. Their popularity is a total mystery to me.

Crumbl cookies are absolutely awful. I can't believe people pay for that shit.

This comes from someone who just baked 1500 cookies (18 different kinds) for my son's wedding. And most of mine were fucking awesome (that was the consensus of the guests).

Can anyone explain why there’s always a line at Crumbl on 7th Ave just below Whole Foods? They don’t appear to be Chelsea-ites. Fat, yes—Gay, no.

Crumbl is trendy, even if it sucks shit.

The same is true of those awful cronut bakeries, or Chick-fil-A.

I hope Crumbl crumbles.

Did they used to be Crumbs and then did a "rebranding?"

*

Crumbl was founded by Mormons. They love sugary crap since they abstain from caffeine and alcohol.

I have never once in my life been tempted to buy a single giant cookie from a place like that. Cookies are the easiest thing in the world to bake.

Dustin @r117 is my kinda Daddy!

Crumbl is frau bait. Watching them squeal with delight over a cookie is downright embarrassing.

Crumbl does THIS to fraus.

And to you chunky whores, too.

Sysco ruined a lot of the restaurant industry.

R126 They’re becoming more of a monopoly every day.

Crostata is easier to make.

[quote]Crumbl was founded by Mormons. They love sugary crap since they abstain from caffeine and alcohol.

That explains a lot.

[quote]Cookies are the easiest thing in the world to bake.

Don't get crazy on me now, R122. There are many cookies that are relatively easy to make, many others are not. Several things can go wrong too. Trust me.

I like lemon knots. 🍋 🪢

r117 Dustin, did you have a cookie table? I thought that was a Pittsburgh-area exclusive.

Nevermind cookies, find me a good lemon square.

R131 - yes, I did a cookie table. Both my sons went to Pitt and grew up in PA. The wedding was in the Pacific Northwest, but there were a good number of people from PA there. It's not only in Pittsburgh. Back in CT they used to do it back in the day. I don't know if they still do. Traditionally, it was done by the family and friends, but I really didn't want to enlist others and try to coordinate that. Sometimes it's better to just do somethings yourself. I started in late April and froze them (except for the pignoli cookies). Once I streamlined the process, it went fairly easily.

Sorry I rambled on. Yes, Pittsburgh is ground zero for cookie tables.

sugar

butter

flour

My favorite is/was Coconut Cream Pie from Frisch's Big Boy (Ohio). They're struggling to stay afloat.

I love tarte au sucre

Dafur Orphan: where's Dafur?

The "pie restaurant" seems to be a California thing.

Where I grew up in Mass. I don't remember any pie restaurants. Pie was served in diners. Other than that, I don't recall any restaurants devoted to pie.

I can't believe Frisch's is struggling!

I miss King's pies, but that chain has all but collapsed.

I also never heard of "chicken and waffle" until I saw Mildred Pierce in the '80s or '90s.

Open Your Piehole

Yinzer @ r139, have you been to Butterjoint @ N. Craig and Bayard? They make pies and they're really good. Besides the restaurant, which is on Craig, there's an adjoining bakery right on the corner.

R142 I haven't! Will have to check it out.

Not a full time resident any more but am there a few times a year.

r138, in California, a "Pie Shop" is to pies as Friendly's is/was to ice cream.

I recently visited my sister in her hometown of hickville and drove past a " betty's pie"

R138 - it was the same in Connecticut. Greek diners.

I did live briefly in California as a teenager and I'm trying to remember House of Pies. I do remember Pioneer Chicken. Though that has nothing to do with pie.

I meant R139^ (me)

Interesting. My grandparents immigrated to New Jersey from Greece. Of course, they owned a diner, but they served "American" food, probably with lemons and oregano in everything. And cloves. I have a menu from the 1930s somewhere. I think pie and coffee was 15 cents. My Mom taught me how to make pies when I was an adult. She also made various cookies like a banshee for special occasions. Like, for days. I just learned here that it's called "A Cookie Table". Who knew? I was fat until the teenage hormones kicked in.

The MA diners weren't Greek. Some had Irish names.

There's still a Polly's Pies in Long Beach. The other one closed and was partitioned into Dave's Hot Chicken and ... Nothing Bundt Cakes. In the same three block area, there's already a cookie shop and two cupcake stores (and three smoothie joints).

That is not a recipe for real mincemeat, R56.

The weird part about that song, r134, is that a traditional pie crust recipe doesn't call for sugar.

R244 no. As there is no such thing as Friendly’s in CA.

Dupar’s and Marie’s and Coco’s were to pies as Winchell’s was to donuts and Swenson’s was to ice cream.

R144

I've never heard of a pie restaurant.

It's still a restaurant that serves food (typically general American fare, like a diner), but also has a visible and robust pie counter at the front. It's like a Denny's with a family bakery in the lobby. You can go there to eat, or to buy a pie, or both.

r153, yeah, tell me about it. I grew up here, but spent the last six years or so commuting to see my hubs, who lived in Salem, MA, so I got to know the folklore, which consists of eating at Friendly's and that fucking blizzard of 1978.

And don't forget, Carrow's cares.

Fribble has no meaning in CA.

Carrow's cares? What is that?

The poster was saying to me (from MA) that something iun LA was the equivalent of Friendly's in MA.

*in...

And it’s not. And just like that…needs a proper analogy

And what would that be?

Something in CA that was as known for X as the pie shops were known for pie. To wit, Winchell’s or Swenson’s or In n Out, or even Pea Soup Anderson’s. Lots of choices…

Dupar's is closing I think.

WTF... LA?! How DARE you.

Carrows was another chain of "Pie Restaurants" (diners) in CA that went under. Their motto was "Carrows cares(tm)". My Noth Shawr Zaddy says that Friendly's was your typical American diner that specialized in ice cream. Out here, diners served pies, until they didn't. I don't know why. Hence, OP's thread.

R164. You still don't get it.

R164 I posted that the "pie restaurant" as a concept, must be a California thing. I said in Mass. we don't have pie restaurants.

The person replied:

in California, a "Pie Shop" is to pies as Friendly's is/was to ice cream.

Meaning: as Friendly's is/was to ice cream...in Massachusetts.

It's a simple analogy.

R166 Friendly's isn't a diner. It's a chain of ice cream shops. It's changed a little over the years but they were a small colonial-looking building with a cupola on top that had sit-down and take-out ice cream cones, sundaes, shakes, ice cream sodas, frappes, etc. In addition, they served breakfast in the morning, as well as burgers and sandwiches (short order cooking) later in the day. Usually had boys at the take-out, and girls in dresses waiting on tables.

Per r169, " they served breakfast in the morning, as well as burgers and sandwiches (short order cooking) later in the day...". Hmmmm...sounds like a diner to me. Zaddy, from Salem, MA, says he's going to put a hex on you and wants me to come to bed instead of posting on DL because the cat is chewing on his CPAP hose. Warning: he also lived in Lynn, from whence I rescued him, so he could come and beat the crap out of you.

R170 I don't know why you're arguing with me. Have you ever been there? There is one in my home town. I went there hundreds of times, I had friends who worked there. It's an ice cream shop. They sell quarts of ice cream in all the supermarkets here. Here's an old menu. You could get lunch there. It wasn't a diner.

article 2009 NYTimes

about "the cookie table"

We have pie restaurants in Montreal . Rockaberry is a local chain but there are other better options. Rockaberry charges about 12$ for a wedge.

R151, I know that "real" mincemeat has meat in it -- usually suet in the traditional English version. But I don't eat meat & many Americans don't want any in their dessert, so this is my favorite recipe. It's easy (a food processor really helps for all that chopping) & makes the kitchen smell great. And it helps to use up green tomatoes!

R57, R102. The Miracle Mile location was a Callender’s, not a Marie Callender’s. While they both had the same pies, Callender’s was an upscale version of Marie Callender’s with a different menu and more elaborate interior.

Pie! Pie!

Pie Iesu