Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And you don’t have to limit yourself to the classics when it comes to dessert.
Phoenix-area bakers on this list are making all kinds of creative and traditional options from scratch, along with fillings that change seasonally, from cherry crumb to bourbon pecan to butterscotch meringue and Moscow mule. However, if you want to go full Americana, you may be interested to know that pecan pie is technically more American than apple pie. Why? The nuts are indigenous to the U.S. and grown only ina rectangular area from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Illinois and Iowa.
Here’s your guide to pie shops in metro Phoenix.
Pie Snob
With locations in Arcadia, Uptown and Chandler, Pie Snob sells pies whole or by the slice. You can even order a Frankinpie made of six slices of any of the available pies. There are plenty of seasonal flavors that come into rotation, like apple crumb, apple double crust, chocolate pecan, pumpkin, cherry crumb and key lime.
Details: 3933 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-956-7662. And 6522 N. 16th St., Suite #1, Phoenix. 602-266-0511. Also, 250 S. Arizona Ave., Suite #4, Chandler. 480-855-1019. piesnob.com.
Mamma Toledo’s The Pie Hole
Self-taught baker and sweet lover Tonya Saidi started her business to “feed and nurture the world one dessert at a time.” It began with baking for friends and family until she opened her food truck in 2011. In 2014, she outgrew the truck and opened her own brick-and-mortar, which USA TODAY named on its best pie shops list in 2020.
Mamma Toledo’s offers sweet and savory pies, hand-held pies, take and bakes, breakfast and cakes — including cheesecakes.
Details: 15414 N. Seventh St., #6, Phoenix. 602-332-7346, mammatoledos.com.
Piefection
This shop started when Cheryl Standage, who learned all things pie from her grandmother, decided to leave the corporate world and focus on baking in 2012. Now, she owns two stores in Mesa and Scottsdale, one in Chandler and another in Queen Creek. She offers sweet and savory options in categories like cheesecake pies, citrus pies, gluten-friendly, no sugar added, orchard fruit pies, rich creamy, seasonal pies, pot pies and quiches.
Details: 6731 E. Brown Road, #104, Mesa. And 9015 E. Via Linda #103, Scottsdale. Also, 2100 W. Chandler Blvd, #33, Chandler. And 20311 S. Ellsworth Road, #113 Queen Creek, 480-218-7437, perfectionaz.com.
Quiches and Pies
Quiches and Pies is the casual counterpart to Chef Fabrice Buschtetz and his wife Máiréad’s Cuisine Wine and Bistro. In addition to pastries and quiches, the shop offers pies such as Bourdaloue pie, a poached pear and frangipane pie, caramelized apple, Belgian chocolate truffle and Bourbon pecan pies.
Details: 961 W. Ray Road, Chandler. 480-465-7168, quichesandpies.com.
The Pie Box at Rock Springs Cafe
In business for over 90 years, the cafe and Pie Box are located at Rock Springs Village. The Pie Box building, completed in 2021, offers whole pies. Order pies by the slice at the cafe. Shipping is available nationally. Choose between cream pies, which include banana, coconut, lemon meringue and chocolate; fruit pies, such as apple, rhubarb crumb, peach, mixed berry crumb; or specialty pies, like chocolate cherry cream pie and seasonal ones like pumpkin.
Details: 35900 S. Old Black Canyon Highway, Rock Springs.623-374-5794, rockspringscafe.com/store.
Reporting by Bahar Anooshahr, Arizona Republic
