National Pie Day: How To Celebrate

We love a good reason to eat our favorite food. While many consider March 14 “Pie Day,” (stemming from the number Pi equaling about 3.14), there’s actually another date on the calendar where you can feel free to stuff your face with pie. Nuclear engineer, brewer and author Charlie Papazian designated Jan. 23 “National Pie Day” which coincides with his own birthday. Since 1986, National Pie Day has been sponsored by the American Pie Council (there really is such a thing!), so we wanted to pull together a list of some of the best spots in town. From pie shops to bakeries, diners and more, it’s time to get your pie on this weekend.

Pie Snob is not actually for snobs although the shop certainly knows its pies. The bakery also sells cheesecake, but we’re going to focus on the pies right now! There’s always a weekly menu of featured selections (this week has Butterscotch and Caramel Apple, just to name a few). The fruit pies come with your choice of crust like crumb and lattice. If you’re not in the mood for a whole pie, the mini ones are just $6 a pop and come in fun flavors like Almond Joy and Razzleberry. Pie Snob has two locations in Phoenix; www.piesnob.com

Mamma Toledo’s The Pie Hole started as a food truck in 2011 before opening up as an official storefront. Owner Tonya Saidi is influenced by her mother’s recipes and bakes every pie with lots of love. Due to the pandemic, the shop is offering curbside pickup as well as walk-in pickup with a mask, Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other great thing about Mamma Toledo’s is its savory offerings like the Green Chili Gringo hand pie for breakfast and Vegan Red Curry Vegetable for lunch. If you’re looking for something sweet, try the regular 10 inch pie in flavors like Brown Sugar Pie and Raspberry Cream Cheese or Banana Crème and Peanut Butter Chocolate 5 inch mini pies. Whole pies are also available to order. Mamma Toledo’s The Pie Hole is located at 15414 N. 7th Street, Suite #6, Phoenix; 602.332.7346; www.mammatoledos.com

Piefection brings the perfection to pie, and it has a huge menu, from a pie of the month to orchard fruit pies, rich and creamy pies, custard pies and savory pies. All 9 inch pies even come in a reusable tin that they’ll wash for you if you bring it back. If you can’t have sugar, there are also a few pies baked without it. Not to miss as well are their signatures like Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream, Arizona Orange and Kentucky Derby. If you want to bake at home, there’s Family Green Chile Beef or Pork Pot Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. Piefection is located at 6731 E. Brown Road, #104, Mesa, 480.218.7437; www.piefectionaz.com

Pie usually plays a part in Southern cooking, so you better believe Welcome Diner has it on its menu, in the form of its famous house-made mini pies. There’s Chocolate Pecan, Lemon Chess or Tart Cherry Filling in a flaky crust. Get one for $2.75 or the trio for $8. And if you’re there for the pie, you might as well get some of the tasty other Welcome Diner dishes like the Fried Green Tomato Sando, Jackfruit Po’Boy and Biscuits and Gravy. Welcome Diner is located at 929 E. Pierce Street, Phoenix; 602.495.1111; www.welcomediner.net

My Mother’s Restaurant is all about home cooking made in the most nutritious way possible. There’s a ton of good comfort food options on the regular menu, but we’d be remiss not mention the big slices of homemade pie in flavors like Cherry, Pumpkin and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream. Seasonal favorites also include Peach and Strawberry Cream. Whatever you do, make sure you save room for dessert! My Mother’s Restaurant is located at 4130 N. 19th Avenue, Phoenix; 602.279.7225; www.mymothers.business.site

When driving in or out of town, you may have seen signs for the Rock Springs Cafe. The restaurant is so known for its pies that they’ve designated a separate building to house all of their baked goods. You can head there for pick up or get delivery. Take and bake your own like Apple and Mixed Berry Lattice Top Pie or pick one of the regular selections. This is a great place to get a Tennessee Lemon Pie, Pecan Pie, Coconut Cream Pie and more. Rock Springs Cafe is located at 35900 S. Old Black Canyon Highway, Rock Springs; 623.374.5794; www.rocksprings.cafe

La Grande Orange is just as known for its regular menu as it is for its bakery. The LGO Bake Shop was born in 2005 from a desire to create handmade baked goods from scratch and put a twist on cult classics. Of course that includes pies. Choices include Chelsea’s Key Lime Pie, Buck’s Lemon Meringue Pie, Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Pie, and you can’t really go wrong no matter what you pick. La Grande Orange Bake Shop is located at 4410 N. 40th Street, Phoenix; 602.254.5440; www.lgobakeshop.com