Best pies on Long Island
Long Island pies are crowd-pleasers, welcome at celebrations year-round. And the people who bake them best are devoted to handmade ethos, a wide variety of flavors, and above all, the quality of their products. These are pies like Grandma used to make — sometimes literally, as it’s not uncommon to see an actual grandma (or grandpa) in the kitchen — and bakeries preserving a tradition as old as the Island itself.
Cooperage Inn
2218 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow
Stop by this farm-country stalwart for a potpie-centric meal, or order a dozen in advance and pick them up from the dedicated window. There are large pies and small, sweet (coconut cream, Key lime mousse) and savory (jambalaya, short rib), but the crown jewel is the chicken potpie. Under the “NoFo Pot Pie” label, Cooperage Inn also sells pies at about a dozen East End locations. More info: 631-548-7437, nofopotpies.com
Jericho Cider Mill
213 Rte. 106, Jericho
Jericho Cider Mill is Nassau County's go-to location for all things apple-related. There's an unsurpassed selection of varieties, all from New York State, and that bounty is used to make a number of fine pies, including apple, apple cherry, apple peach and apple cranberry. More info: 516-433-3360, jerichocider.com
Hometown Bake Shop
2 Little Neck Rd., Centerport
Sweet or savory? So many decisions, so little time. A compendious and creative list of dessert pies commands the most attention, and deservedly so, but don’t overlook the British meat or chicken potpies either. As for the sweet, expect all the traditional favorites, but also black bottom pies with a bourbon oat filling, burnt butter chess pies, cannoli pies, devil’s food — you get the idea. More info: 631-754-7437, hometownbakeshop.com
A freshly baked blackberry pie at Hometown Bake Shop in Centerport. Credit: Heather Walsh
Kensington Pies
548 East Meadow Ave., East Meadow
Antonio Trozzo moved from England to New York and dearly missed the savory pies of his homeland. So he learned to make pork pie, steak-and-kidney pie, chicken-and-bacon pie, shepherd’s pie, Cornish pasties (filled with beef, potato and turnip), vegetarian, Indian-inspired Balti pie — 35 pies in all, including five made with fruit. After a year of farmers-market success, he took over a pizzeria in East Meadow and added his pies to the menu. They also are available refrigerated or frozen. More info: 516-794-0044, kensingtonpies.com
Carissa's The Bakery
68 Newtown Lane, East Hampton
Carissa Waechter sells a double-crust apple pie and a seasonal fruit galette pie with berries and a double chocolate flourless cake with Swiss meringue frosting, but the rest of the stock is subject to the market and the baker's inspiration. (Other locations at 221 Pantigo Rd., East Hampton, and 3 Bay St., Sag Harbor). More info: 631-527-5996, carissasthebakery.com
Torte Jeff Pie Co. and Bakery
218 E. Main St., Port Jefferson
Offers a rotating list of freshly baked fruit and cream pies that include apple crumb, strawberry rhubarb, peach crumb, coconut custard, Key lime, banana cream, lemon meringue, pulled pork, chicken enchilada or brisket ale. The Thanksgiving Dinner pie is one of its top selling pies. Cookies, brownies, ice cream cookie sandwiches and custom cakes also are available. Specials change weekly. More info: 631-456-1532, tortejeffpie.com
The brisket pie at Torte Jeff Pie Co. in Port Jefferson. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Wickham's Fruit Farm
28700 Main Rd., Cutchogue
This North Fork bicentennial farm specializes in growing fruits. With over 100 acres in production, you can find fresh fruits from April through October. In the farm kitchen, they are baking pies daily with a standard selection including apple, blueberry, cherry, peach and strawberry rhubarb. One also can find different seasonal mixed fruit pies throughout the year. Thanksgiving orders start in early November. More info: 631-734-6441, wickhamsfruitfarm.com
Junda’s Pastry Crust & Crumbs
1612 Main Rd., Jamesport
Christopher Junda once sold his wares on the street. But that was 25 years ago, before the popularity of his apple strudel, based on a family recipe, began attracting fans from all over the Island and beyond. These days he’s happily ensconced in Jamesport’s oldest private structure, turning out bespoke, fabulously flavored pies in flavors like apple pear, apple caramel crumb, sweet potato brown sugar meringue pie, pumpkin pie and more, all of them available at his shop and sometimes at restaurants and many local farm stands. Pro tip: Don’t like jelly doughnuts? Junda’s will make a believer out of you. More info: 631-722-4999
An open faced blueberry pie at Junda's Pastry Crust & Crumbs in Jamesport. Credit: Randee Daddona
Biscuits & Barbeque
106 E. Second St., Mineola
Housed in a vintage diner, Mineola’s singular Southern-inflected smokehouse also has a reputation for terrific pies. Choose among bourbon pecan, Key lime, banana cream, turtle (chocolate cake, candied pecans, chocolate mousse and caramel in an Oreo crust. Heavens!) and seasonal fruit specials. More info: 516-493-9797, biscuitsandbarbeque.com
Fairview Farm at Mecox
19 Horsemill Lane, Bridgehampton
In addition to produce, herbs and cut flowers, this family-owned farm stand features extensive pie varieties including apple, apple blueberry, four berry, pecan, chocolate pecan, pumpkin and over 20 other fruit pies. There also are potpies, including a rich-tasting duck and chicken potpie. More info: 631-537-6154, fairviewfarmatmecox.com
Diane's Bakery Cafe
23 Bryant Ave., Roslyn
This venerable bake shop opened in 1982, and its blueberry-raspberry-strawberry pie remains the most popular, but Diane Margaritis’ chocolate mousse and banana cream versions are equally prized, followed closely by pecan and apple, the perennial favorite. Apple aficionados take note: When it comes to the cinnamon-nutmeg divide, Diane’s allegiance is to the nutmeg camp. Together with lemon juice, the bewitching spice tends to heighten and not mask fruit flavors. More info: 516-621-2522, dianesroslyn.com
A pear tart at Diane's Bakery in Roslyn. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Bayview Market & Farms
891 Main Rd., Riverhead
This roadside establishment's flagship (a second market is in Jamesport) boasts a wondrous selection of local produce and a much smaller — but not to be overlooked — pie concern. Among the five or so flavors available at any one time are all the usual suspects, but the peach is a standout. You won't find a better sweet-but-not-too version on the Island. More info: 631-722-3077, bayviewfarmmarket.com
Hallock’s Cider Mill
1960 Main Rd., Laurel
Don’t let the name fool you. This is one of the Island’s premier pie shops, offering an extraordinary variety on the daily, and many more made to order, from strawberry rhubarb to bumbleberry. But don’t overlook the refrigerated pies, especially Hallock’s Key lime (luscious!), another simply called Sinful (sinful!), and a peanut butter mousse pie drizzled with fudge and baked in a peanut and chocolate chip crust (need we say more?!). More info: 631-298-1140
Torta Fina Bake Shoppe
80 Deer Park Ave., Babylon
This place never seems to disappoint, particularly when it comes to everybody's favorite — the apple. The shop's year-round devotion to the fruit includes everything from double crust to streusel crumb to an irresistible caramel variety. Fall brings companion fruits like cranberries to the apple mix, along with its ever-popular coconut custard, bourbon pecan and pumpkin pies. More info: 631-669-0824, tortafina.com
Caramel topped apple pie at Torta Fina Bake Shoppe in Babylon. Credit: Bruce Gilbert
Krieg’s Bakery
39 W. Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays
"It’s the kind of pie you think of when you think of an old-school pie," said the counter attendant. Old school is generally a good thing when you’re talking pie, and so it is with this stalwart 30-plus-year-old shop, which takes a lightly sweet approach to fruit pies, and counts among its fans the Hamptons crowd, for whom a summer pilgrimage is mandatory. A few varieties are available every day (don’t miss the top-selling lemon pie, with its impossibly tall peaks of meringue) but many more are made to order. Favorites include chocolate pudding, pecan and Boston cream. More info: 631-728-6524, kriegsbakeryhb.com
Briermere Farms
4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead
It’s Destination One on any new Long Islander’s list, but don’t be fooled by the aw-shucks farmhouse facade. Briermere is nothing short of a pie factory, a well-oiled (buttered?) machine where two dozen flavors are sold by the hundreds on gorgeous fall weekends. Don’t miss various iterations of its "cream pie," an open-faced pie filled with fluffy cream and topped with fruit. More info: 631-722-3931, briermerefarms.com
Youngs Farm
91 Hegemans Lane, Glen Head
For some, pie-buying means farm stands, and there are few quainter than this charmer. The pastry for the terrific pies is made in an unorthodox fashion: Youngs’ pie crusts are an unusual blend of vegetable shortening and flour, bringing small-batch credibility to a large-batch affair. Autumnal apple pies are always big sellers, along with such summertime hits as blueberry and peach and perennially popular Linzer tarts. More info: 516-626-3955, youngs.farm
A lattice pie at Youngs Farm in Glen Head. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Olish Farms
75 Eastport Manor Rd., Eastport
Owner Donny Olish prefers to source fruit locally for his prodigious shop, although given the variety of pies on offer — more than 30, including several with no sugar added — he’s sometimes forced to look farther afield. Berry fans, meanwhile, need look no farther than this Suffolk stalwart and Olish’s Fruit of the Forest, in which strawberries, rhubarb, apples, blackberries and raspberries join forces to produce a pie for the ages. More info: 631-325-0539, olishfarms.com
Kerber's Farm
309 W. Pulaski Rd., Huntington
Prepare to be assaulted by the delirium-inducing aroma of freshly baked pies as soon as you walk through the door, with apple, blueberry, cherry, coconut cream, s'mores and Key lime (seasonal) in the air. And the Kerberry — a mélange of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries — counts Oprah among its fans. More info: 631-423-4400, kerbersfarm.com
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
