There’s no question about it: pie is better than cake. What is cake but sponge and frosting? Yawn. Pie, however, is unpredictable. It takes us all over the flavor map with custards, creams, fruit fillings, curds, and some surprising things (see vinegar pie, below). The crusts are flaky or puffy or crumbly or sandy. The look is latticed or smooth, caramelized or vividly colorful. Sorry, Kylie. Pie wins. 

Cake or Pie?

Editor-in-Chief Keith Recker and Online Editor Kylie Thomas bicker regularly. At the office, it’s affectionately referred to as “the weekly beef.” A recent kerfuffle involved their very different feelings about cake and pie. Kylie likes the former and Keith the latter. Read Kylie’s piece to find out where the best cake in the city is and then make the decision for yourself: Cake or Pie?

Bakeries Serving Up the Best Pie in Pittsburgh

Piebird

5304 Butler Street, Lawrenceville

Their lemon custard pie recalls a time before those little boxes of Jello pudding mixes took over our taste buds. The eggy custard, fragrant with lemon, washes over the palate with its rich texture and lovely flavor.

Sidecar

200 North Craig Street, Oakland

Vinegar pie? YES, Virginia. Vinegar pie! It’s not possible to explain the sweet, tart, smooth, curd-style filling of this delight from Sidecar. You just have to try it…ideally alongside a cup of coffee or tea, with a few minutes to stop the world and really enjoy it.

Pie Place

1775 North Highland Road, Bethel Park

Is there anyone who does not LOVE the way a slice of key lime pie cleanses the palate after a great meal? (Pipe down all you chocolate cake lovers out there and leave some air in the room for the rest of us.) Pie Place makes a great version that avoids artificial coloring and leans wholeheartedly into the gorgeous tang of citrus. The filling of their mixed berry pie is also a winner.

Five Points Artisan Bakeshop

6520 Wilkins Avenue, Point Breeze

This place is seriously dangerous to those of us with sweet tooths. The croissants are bronzed and the cookies are complex. The muffins are memorable. The breads are bodacious. But the chocolate pecan pie is perhaps the most tantalizing thing on offer. The flavors take over the senses, provoking a little swoon of delight. A single-serving mini pie is a meal in and of itself.

350 Bakery

2427 South 18th Street, Allentown

Strawberry rhubarb and apple hand pies combine delightfully flavorful fillings with a crust that’s thick enough to support a handheld dessert, but flaky and delicate enough to delight you with every bite. Before you know it, there won’t be a crumb left.

Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe

416 Library Street, Braddock

Aunt Cheryl herself whispered into my ear the ingredient that she thinks sets her sweet potato pie apart from all others. I’m not going to repeat what she said. I will tell you, though, that she brings decades of experience and a lot of skill to the way she combines top quality ingredients to produce the best sweet potato pie you will ever have. She’s absolutely got the touch.

Story by Keith Recker
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce

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