Since pi is constant and pie is one of the continual joys in life, Pi Day (3/14) — which seamlessly blends math and pastry arts — is our new favorite holiday.
There are all types of pies and crust-wrapped delicacies, but for this glorious holiday, we are sticking with the sweet stuff. As bakers all around the Twin Cities are feverishly pressing dough into tins and filling them abundantly, we rounded up some of the finest pies in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Bakery pies
Black Walnut Bakery: Pastry chef Sarah Botcher started out selling pastries from a small table at the Minneapolis Farmers Market and quickly grew a passionate following. Inside her sunny Minneapolis shop, the lemon tarts (which are definitely pie adjacent, if not technically pies) are filled with springy-tart curd ($6) and the banana cream pie ($6) is down home cream and crust. 3157 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., blackwalnutbakery.com
The Buttered Tin: There are two locations of this lively cafe owned by pastry chef Alicia Hinze, both with drool-worthy pastry cases. The pies are so fun to order in advance. Buy a frozen one to save for a later date, or pick up a freshly baked one (from $29). Flavors run the gamut from French apple and pecan bourbon to lemon meringue and one that's flavored like toasty s'mores. 237 E. 7th St., St. Paul; 2445 NE. Marshall St., Mpls.; thebutteredtin.com
Dave the Pie Guy: Respect to the guy who puts the pie front and center. This south Minneapolis cafe has a selection of breakfast and lunch savory dishes, but we all know the real star of the show here, sweet fillings in a flaky crust. Pies come in various forms: quiche ($8.95) and mini pies ($6.95), and the selection of slices and whole pies is vast. Prices range from $4.50 to $39.95. 3544 Grand Av., Mpls., davethepieguy.com
Honey & Rye Bakehouse: The care and quality of a pie begins with the crust, and the buttery one holding all the goods at this St. Louis Park bakery tastes like love. Order a whole pie ($32) or a slice ($4.50) for same-day pickup and enjoy the flavor of the day, or place a special order in advance for Key lime, chocolate coconut cream, blueberry streusel or salted banana caramel cream pies. 4501 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, honey-and-rye.com
Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit: The cafe bakes up biscuits and pie — both acceptable breakfast foods — as a tribute to the buttery floured arts. You could bring a slice home for dessert, but grabbing a slice ($6) inside Tara Coleman's cute shop is an ideal way to start an otherwise unremarkable weekday. Hot Hands also thrives on variety. There are fantastic savory pot pies to take home ($12.95) and pie shakes ($8.95) for a leveled-up sweet treat. Special for Pi Day 2023, Hot Hands is selling slices two for the price of one. 272 Snelling Av. S., St. Paul, hothandspie.com
Muddy Paws Cheesecake: OK, cheesecake isn't pie, but we thought a day of $3.14 slices of cheesecake was worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning? The St. Louis Park bakery is celebrating 30 years. Choose from more than 25 flavors daily; planning ahead and ordering will give you more than 200 options. 3359 Gorham Av., St. Louis Park, muddypawscheesecake.com
Sarah Jane's Bakery: This neighborhood bakery is ground zero for great Midwestern pie. There are all kinds of classic flavors to choose from, including apple, cherry, berries and French silk ($17-$20). Order ahead and don't be shy about grabbing a couple of doughnuts for the drive home. 2853 NE. Johnson St., Mpls., sarahjanesbakery.com
Vikings & Goddesses Pie Co.: The St. Paul kitchen where Rachel Anderson makes her decadent pies will be open for whole pie preorders and walk-in slices on Pi Day (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.). You better believe there'll be her standout milk and cookies pie, plus other fun flavors like grasshopper (chocolate mint), lavender lemon meringue and roasted pineapple with tamarind caramel. 2036 Marshall Av., St. Paul, vikingsandgoddessespiecompany.com cq
Yum Kitchen & Bakery: Solo-sized pies ($6.95) from the always abundantly stocked pastry case are about as tropically transporting as a piña colada. There's coconut cream pie, with sweet shreds of coconut blended into a crumbly vanilla wafer base and topped with coconut milk pastry cream, a swirl of whipped cream and toasted coconut shavings. On Pi Day all three Yum locations also will serve up equally transportive individual Key lime pies. 164 N. Snelling Av., St. Paul; 4000 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park; 6001 Shady Oak Road, Minnetonka; yumkitchen.com
Restaurant pie
CōV: All of CōV's desserts are meant to serve two to four people family-style, including an $18 slice of Key lime pie so massive it comes with a steak knife for carving. But no one is going to make you share this tart, creamy, graham cracker-y delight. 700 E. Lake St., Wayzata, covwayzata.com; 3155 Galleria, Edina, covedina.com
Hi-Lo Diner: You can't properly enjoy this historic diner without saving room for a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. Try the black bottom banana cream pie ($7): smashed chocolate cookies provide a crunchy basin for the sweet cream of rich banana flavor, with a thick layer of rich ganache between them. It's all topped off with a swirl of whipped cream. 4020 E. Lake St., Mpls., hi-lo-diner.com
Key West Bistro: Proper Key lime pie is a ticket to a more tropical climate. Inside this brightly colored restaurant dedicated to the fun and flavors of Key West, it's mandatory that Key lime pie be on the menu ($5.50). The tangy and particular tartness from the tiny citrus shines through like a blast of sun and ocean spray on a hot and humid day. 2803 E. 38th St., Mpls., keywestbistro.com
Murray's: Just get the raspberry pie. We know if you're dining at Murray's it's probably for one of the legendary steaks, but it is imperative that room is saved for pie. This raspberry pie is a stunner with whole raspberries delicately placed one by one into a perfect, flaky crust ($10). Its simplicity and stunning flavor will justify the room you saved. 26 S. 6th St., Mpls., murraysrestaurant.com
Myriel: Karyn Tomlinson's Highland Park restaurant seems like the perfect date-night destination, a place worthy of fancy shoes. But tucked into the dessert menu is pure Midwestern comfort. Her pie crust is so dialed in that it's rumored to have clinched her win at the 2018 Grand Cochon, the national whole-heritage-hog cooking competition (one of her entries was Lard and Apple Pie). 470 Cleveland Av. S., St. Paul, myrielmn.com
Revival: This popular fried chicken restaurant has a banana cream pie that's legendary. Chef Thomas Boemer's recipe is packed with bananas underneath a mountain of ever-so-slightly sweetened whipped cream ($6). 8028 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park; 525 Selby Av., St. Paul; and at Revival Smoked Meats, 4537 Nicollet Av., Mpls.; revivalrestaurants.com
Turtle Bread: Is there anything better than lingering over a long lunch with friends? Actually, there is: lingering over a Turtle Bread meet-up with besties and sharing bites of pie. We egregiously left this perennial favorite off our Pi Day list last year and readers were quick to set us straight. We're so glad; otherwise this winter might have passed without a thick slice of bourbon pecan pie and a cup of creamy coffee. There are four year-round flavors offered as well as three seasonal varieties. 3421 W. 44th St., Mpls., 4205 E. 34th St., Mpls., 4762 Chicago Av., Mpls.; turtlebread.com
Boutique pies
Fruit and Grain: Emily Lauer has been popping up with her divine pie stand since 2018. For Pi Day she's doing a special pickup at Wild Flyer Coffee Shop and is a familiar face at farmers markets during the summer. Order up whole pies or her charming little hand pies. Her lineup changes often, so check the bakery's website for current availability. Prices range from $10-$35. fruit-grain-bakery.square.site
Heather's Pies: Heather Keogh's pies are almost too gorgeous to eat — almost. Her buttery crusts hold all kinds of flavorful ingredients and have the polish of a five-star dining experience. There's no physical shop, so order online (orders are already closed for Pi Day). Keough has everything from basics like apple or blueberry (from $38) to giant slab pies for a crowd ($58) and message pies. heatherspies.com
Sweet Potato Comfort Pie: How about a pie that does more than feed a body, but also nourishes the soul? Rose McGee has been using baking as a form of activism with delicious results. She began baking and selling sweet potato pies in 2014 after Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. The pie, which she calls the sacred dessert of Black culture, has been shared and served for generations. Proceeds help further the nonprofit's mission to heal and uplift the community. For a limited time, Rush City Bakery is making McGee's pies and they can be ordered frozen and shipped for $49.99. sweetpotatocomfortpie.org
