There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good, well made pie: light, buttery, flaky crusts paired with delectable, fruity or creamy fillings – a heavenly culinary adventure. Between its world-class bakeries, local niche restaurants and made-from-scratch farmers’ market pies, Edmonton has some spectacular pie offerings.
Stepping into Duchess is like entering a Parisian pastry lover’s dream – gorgeous glass cases full of exquisite delectables: macarons, éclairs, verrines, cakes, scones, cookies, tarts, shortbread, croissants and pies¬ – oh, the pies. Duchess’ pie offerings include full and individual coconut cream, banana cream and sour cherry pies, as well as a seasonal offering. The cream pies perfectly blend creamy flavour with light, fluffy whipped cream, and the sour cream cherry is paradise in a pie plate: Sweet and tart with the perfect crust.
Cleary, Vi’s is all about the pies, and they have an enviable dessert counter to rival any bakery in town; it’s full of cakes, tarts and pies of every flavour imaginable. Offerings change daily, but their coconut pie is unrivaled. Instead of a straight up cream pie, it’s a textured, chewy coconut pie, paired with a gooey, coconut cream centre. Other fan favourites include sour cherry, pumpkin, Chai and lemon meringue.
Based in Lacombe, with booths at various markets in central Alberta, Cutie Pies also holds a booth at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. Cutie Pies bakes from scratch, miniature (good for one or two people) pies in a wealth of creative and delicious flavours, including Dutch apple, French coconut, turtle, peanut butter cup, Saskatoon, blueberry and sour cherry. They even have Oilers (peach and blueberry) and Flames (peach and sour cherry) themed pies!
An Edmonton institution since 1983, Fife N’ Dekel, originally an ice cream parlour, is now a sandwich shop and caterer with multiple locations, and it’s famous for pie! You can get whole pies or by the slice in any flavour imaginable. Fife N’ Dekel has all the classics (apple, blueberry, banana cream, cherry, pecan, strawberry rhubarb) and specialty pies like raisin, sour cream and fruit blends and the Flapper (a prairie custard and meringue pie).
A barbecue smokehouse featuring amazing Southern style cuisine (think bourbon and brisket), Meat also has the best damn pecan pie Edmonton has to offer. Perfectly balanced, it’s dense, rich, nutty and chewy with a buttery sweetness and light crust. Meat serves this delectable pie with vanilla ice cream.
A popular downtown diner locally renowned for its brunch offerings, Blue Plate also serves up a spectacular chocolate peanut butter pie. A chocolatey cookie crust layered with creamy chocolate peanut butter custard and then topped with a rich peanut butter whipped cream, this pie is a Reese lover’s daydream.
Another local joint known for its fab diner fare (Monte Cristos, Reubens, meatloaf), Urban Diner is beloved for its two most unique pies: Banoffee and lemon sour cream. The Banoffee is a wonderfully decadent English pie with bananas, cream and toffee and the lemon sour cream is, in my opinion, even better than a lemon meringue pie: It’s creamy, lemony deliciousness.