Introduction
Growing up in Australia, “pies” meant savoury pies, or more precisely, meat pie. Sometimes it was a chunky soup of beef encased in a thick pastry bowl, occasionally topped with mashed potatoes, other times it was a casserole of chicken, carrots and peas in an half-moon pastry. By contrast, “pies” in the U.S. are more often than not, a reference to a sweet pie. Over the last five years in NYC, we crisscrossed the city to find and sample the most delicious sweet pies. From fruit pies to pumpkin pies then to chocolate and honey pies and everything else in between, below is our round-up review of where you can find in NYC the best sweet pies in each category. Happy autumn season all!
*Updated January 2023.
Key Lime Pie
Dessert destination: Steve’s Key Lime Pie, Red Hook.- Short and sweet story: Zinging with lime, Steve’s key lime pie is summer in your mouth while autumn is in the air. Read our previous in-depth review of Steve’s here.
Apple Pie
- Dessert destination: Little Pie Company, Meatpacking District, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: Little Pie Company’s “Sour Cream Walnut Apple” may be the best seller, but we love more, its old-fashioned apple pie. Because, what’s better than apple pie? An apple that resembles a hot air balloon!
Sour Cherry Pie
- Dessert destination: Pies ‘n’ Thighs, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
- Short and sweet story: Pies ‘n’ Thighs’ sour cherry pie is sweet and tart at the same time, and miraculously, does not a possess soggy bottom. For other berry pies, we have seen pies with blueberries, cranberries and a rarer sighting in NYC, huckleberry.
Banana Cream Pie
- Dessert destination: Pies ‘n’ Thighs, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
- Short and sweet story: The American version of the English banoffee pie does not have sticky caramel, but it is an equally messy mountain of cream over a plantation’s worth of bananas, all encased within a golden crushed wafer shell. Note, you must love bananas to love this slice.
Pumpkin Pie
- Dessert destination: Bubby’s, two locations in Tribeca and Chelsea, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: The worse pumpkin pie is little more than orange-coloured baby food baked into a short crust pastry, and there are many bakeries in NYC that make such tragedies. Some of the better bakeries infuse their versions with strong hints of cloves and cinnamon, but the very best pumpkin pie may be found at Bubby’s. As pictured below, Bubby’s pumpkin pie is embellished with caramel and pecan pralines.
Pecan Pie
- Dessert destination: Petee’s Pie, Lower East Side, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: Petee’s Pie’s pecan pie is not as overly sweet as that found at other bakeries. Instead, it features a silky, almost gelatinous, brown butter base with honey tones.
Salty Honey Pie
- Dessert destination: Four & Twenty Blackbirds, Gowanus, Brooklyn.
- Short and sweet story: Flock to Four & Twenty Blackbirds for a pie of smooth honey custard with a flutter of sea salt, and lots of butter in the crust. Note that this is Lilliputian in size, though. Read our previous in-depth review of Four & Twenty Blackbirds’ pies here.
Mississippi Mud Pie
- Dessert destination: Little Pie Company, Meatpacking District, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: Aside from the above-mentioned apple pie, Little Pie Company offers another standout pie called the Mississippi Mud Pie. It is essentially, chocolate fudge in pie form. Looks like mud, tastes like heaven.
Salty Chocolate Chess Pie
- Dessert destination: Petee’s Pie, Lower East Side, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: Similar to Little Pie Company’s chocolate pie, but this time, Petee’s Pie offers chocolate brownie in pie form, with a sprinkling of salt.
S’mores Pie
- Dessert destination:
- Butter & Scotch, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
- Lafayette, Soho, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: How to describe a pie in less than ten words: Sir, can I have some more s’more? Go to Butter & Scotch for a s’mores pie sized-up for a dinner party, and to Lafayette for when it’s just you. Read our previous in-depth review of both of these excellent s’mores pies here.
Almond Chess Pie
- Dessert destination: Petee’s Pie, Lower East Side, Manhattan.
- Short and sweet story: Yes, there are three awesome pies from Petee’s Pie featured on this list, and this is the third! The Almond Chess Pie is for when you can’t decide between an almond croissant for breakfast, and a chocolate pie for afternoon tea. 😛 Note, the almond and amaretto tones are pronounced, so this is a love-hate slice.
Crack Pie
- Dessert destination: Momofuku Milk Bar, various locations.
- Short and sweet story: Much has been written about the Crack Pie, recently renamed in the spirit of politically correctness to simply, “Milk Bar Pie.” It’s addictive…in a good way. And Lilliputian…in a bad way. Read our previous in-depth review here.
Dessert Correspondents 
