If pumpkin spice rules over fall beverages and baked goods, then pumpkin pie has dominion over the Thanksgiving dessert table. We considered it our duty, then, to buy a bunch of local pumpkin pies from bakeries around Pittsburgh, try them all, and let you know which one we liked the best. 

A Taste Test to Find the Best Pumpkin Pie in Pittsburgh

The best pumpkin pies have a flaky — but not dry — buttery crust that’s not overdone. 

The filling should be firm enough to keep its shape when cut, and must include a balanced mix of spices. The pie should look glossy and smooth, with an orange-brown, warm amber, or deep golden-tan color. Cracks in the filling are a tell for overbaking or a sudden temperature change while cooling. 

The judging panel clocked store-bought, soggy crusts, pies that tasted more like a candle than a bakery confection, and flavorless, flimsy, or suspiciously firm filling. 

Who Are the Contenders for the Best Pumpkin Pie in Pittsburgh?

• 350° Bakery
• Eat’n Park Family Restaurant
• Grandview Bakery
• Pittsburgh Pie Guy
• Third Space Bakery
• Giant Eagle Market District
• La Gourmandine
• The Pie Place

Each pie was cut into equal slices and served to each member of the judging panel, who were not informed which sauce they were trying. After sampling all eight and tallying the votes, the judges declared a winner and a runner-up.

How We Chose the Best Pumpkin Pie in Pittsburgh

TABLE invited Rick Sebak, WQED food documentarian and man-about-Pittsburgh; Kye-Won Doyle, chef/owner of Korean eatery, POCHA; and Pittsburgh content creator Abbey Kugel, AKA @abbey.in.the.city, to participate in tasting and judging.  

The judging panel also consisted of TABLE Magazine editorial staff members: Editor in Chief Keith Recker; Publisher Justin Matase; TABLE Arts & Culture Editor Sean Collier; Operations Director Star Laliberte; Online Editor Kylie Thomas; Advertising and Editorial Coordinator Ethan Chmura; Shady Ave Associate Art Director Evan Okun; and Digital Content Strategist Amanda Reed.

The pies were rated in six categories: appearance, crust flavor, crust consistency, filling flavor, filling consistency, and overall flavor.

What is the Best Pumpkin Pie in Pittsburgh? 

Before naming the best pumpkin pie in Pittsburgh, there are some superlative pies to note. 

The lowest-rated pie came from Giant Eagle Market District, with a filling consistency one judge simply described as “ugh.” However, this pie found a fan in Collier, who wrote that it “checked all the boxes.”

“The added flavor complemented rather than fought,” he added. 

The next-lowest pie came from Eat’n Park. Judges noted its filling was gelatinous and tasted like a “nutmeg fail.”

“The bottom two earned their low scores with an undercooked, Sysco approach to crust and a low-budget, zero dark ginger, zero spice ethos,” Recker said.

The pie — technically a tarte — with the best presentation came from La Gourmandine, adorned with a wide ribbon of homemade vanilla whipped cream topped with decorative dashes of cinnamon.  

“The presentation really made it for me,” Okun wrote. “I also thought the thicker filling was nice.”

Third Space Bakery was the runner-up, with some judges — including Abbey Kugel and this humble writer — putting this pie as their top pick.

“[Third Space Bakery] had my favorite overall flavor and my most liked crust,” Kugel noted. “[Pittsburgh Pie Guy was] my close second favorite, and I might have liked that filling better.”

The winner by far was Pittsburgh Pie Guy, thanks to the pie’s flaky, homemade crust and flavorful firm filling. In fact, this pie earned the top spot for seven of the 11 judges.

“The consistency was perfect with great spice balance,” Doyle wrote in her judging notes. 

So, how does the Pittsburgh Pie Guy feel about having the best pumpkin pie in Pittsburgh?

“It feels really great!” Lou Butler, Pittsburgh Pie Guy owner, said. “We are proud of the honor.”

Butler started Pittsburgh Pie Guy with a college friend in 2012 as a “foray into the food business world.” He closed shop in 2014, and then restarted it by himself in 2022 after living and working elsewhere, including in Georgia as whitewater raft guide and in Montana as a ski instructor. He started it back up using the same business model: renting kitchen space and selling primarily at farmers markets. Other than pumpkin pie, you can also buy savory pies and quiche from Pittsburgh Pie Guy at seven weekly markets. Pittsburgh Pie Guy sells to local food purveyors, including Local Provisions, Mort’s Fresh & Local, Harvie, and Bantha Tea Bar. 

Butler now isn’t the only Pie Guy on the team. “There are also nine of us now!” he said.

Tips on Baking the Best Pumpkin Pie, From the Winner

• “Use fresh roasted squash rather than canned pumpkin.” 
• “Dial the sugar back a little bit.” 
• “Use brown sugar instead of white.” 
• “Par bake the crust before filling it!”

Nail your crust with a pastry chef’s best pie crust recipe. 

Skip the pie completely and bake these pumpkin spice recipes instead, or bake this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust.

About the Author

Amanda Reed has written for Popular Science, Pittsburgh Magazine, Pittsburgh City Paper, Very Local Pittsburgh, GearPatrol and TheStreet. Amanda earned the 2021 Ray Sprigle Best of Show Award from the Western Pennsylvania Press Club for a story on stressed-out college counseling centers. She lives in Bloomfield with JunkJunk, a handsome, sad-looking tuxedo cat who wants only wet food and attention.

About the Photographer

Kylie Thomas is TABLE Magazine’s Online Editor, covering Pittsburgh food, drink, and going out, including the Things to Do in Pittsburgh column. A Point Park University graduate, her work has also appeared on The Takeout, QBurgh, and Empire Extreme. She also runs the photography business Photos by Ky. 

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