This post was written before the COVID-19 outbreak, but I decided to let it run for Pi day as scheduled. In Seattle, we’re eating our Pie on Pi Day at home in Seattle — but when things pick back up these are some great places to go. Put them on your calendar for PIE day, which is January 23.
Whether it’s Pie Day (in January) or Pi Day (in March), chances are you’ll end up seeing a lot of articles about pie on either day. Here’s another one. These are my favorite go-to-places for the pie in Western Washington including the best Seattle pies . It’s a small selection but please know that I have suffered (in the form of many delicious calories) for this post –and I plan to suffer more before next Pie Day by visiting more pie places to add to the list!
Do you have a favorite? Take the survey or note your go-to pie place in the comments at the end of this post. There’s also a link to an interactive map of the places in this post.
This post contains affiliate links. What that means is that if you click a link that is an affiliate link and make a subsequent purchase, I get a small commission that helps offset the costs of running this site.
“[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is a damn fine piece of pie!” Or so I thought Special Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks fame said while drinking a cup of joe over the cherry pie at the Double R Diner.
This became a subject of discussion and argument, easily solved in this day and age by YouTube videos. Fortunately, someone put together a video of all the pie and coffee moments (and there are many) from David Lynch’s surreal PNW murder mystery. Argument solved. The coffee was the damn fine thing.
My favorite quotes in the mix? “This piece of pie is a miracle,” “This pie will kill you,” and “I plan to write an epic poem about this gorgeous pie.” I’m not a (good) poet, so count this post as my epic poem to gorgeous (and tasty) pies in Western Washington.
These pies are all little miracles, and none of them will kill you (well, I supposed they could if you lived on a pie diet), and the list does include the cafe where Special Agent Dale Cooper had his damn fine cup of coffee (and pie.)Best Seattle Pies and Best Pies
Our Pie Picks: Best Seattle Pies and Best Pies in Western Washington are:
Chimacum Cafe
Chimacum
Chimacum used to be just that place with all the farms that you passed through to get to Port Townsend.
Except for one thing — the cafe. And that was specifically for the cafe’s pies.
Now Chimacum has a great Farmer’s Market and farmstand and Finn River Cidery, but the cafe — and its pie — still remain.
The Chimacum Cafe is a diner-style place, but their pie is well worth a stop. Now that we live closer, I’ll confess to finding a reason to drive there on a rainy afternoon with the real motive of sitting at the counter, drinking coffee, and eating pie. The cafe features a large pie case and an extensive pie menu.
Pie Pick: My pick: the wildberry pie, when in season. My daughter disagrees and adores their Toll House pie.
Twede’s Cafe
North Bend
If you’re a Twin Peaks fan, you probably already know that Twede’s was the Double R Diner. It was where Dale Cooper experienced that damn fine coffee and miraculous cherry pie.
The interior has been restored to retro fashion with red chairs and barstools, and the cafe capitalizes on its link to Twin Peaks with branded coffee cups.
Pie Pick: Cherry, of course! The restaurant offers other selections, but their cherry pie, topped with some ice cream, was, actually, damn fine. And I’m not usually a cherry pie fan.
Now, if they could actually offer up a damn fine cup of coffee as well…
A La Mode Pies
Seattle, Phinney Neighborhood
A La Mode Pies in Seattle’s Phinney neighborhood is my favorite new “pie find.” They offer seating space, espresso drinks, and also provide take-home pie dough.
Pie Pick: Their most popular pie is, for a good reason, the Blue Hawaiian, consisting of blueberries (of course) along with coconut and pineapple. The crust was perfectly crumbly, and the pineapple flavor wasn’t too strong.
This is the pie I want to write the epic poem about. But — don’t worry — I won’t publish it here.
The Pie Lady/Elsom Cellars
Seattle, SODO area
If you go looking for pie, you might be a bit confused at first when Google Maps leads you to a wine bar.
Elsom Cellars in Seattle’s SODO area is also home to The Pie Lady. They make wine. They make pie. So, of course, they can recommend some pie and wine pairings for you.
My visit there was during the day, so I only chose to pair my pie with coffee — and this coffee was damn fine, served up in a French press. The Pie Lady offered a modest selection of 6-8 gorgeous pies arranged down the counter.
Pie Pick: the berry pie and its crust were pie perfection, but they all look good.
The atmostphere was a bit more upscale than your average pie place — high ceilings with beams and a rustic wine bar combined with friendly staff made this a cozy and fun place to eat pie on a rainy morning.
Pie Bar
Seattle, Ballard and Capitol Hill
The sign says it all: Pie + Booze. Another place where pie and alcohol meet! If you’re not 21+, you can get your pie through a little pie window, but if you want to sit down, you’ll need to wait until adulthood.
The pie is excellent. Pie Bar also has a full bar and pie-themed drinks.
Pie Pick: Ballard Bumble Berry Crumble, which has a mix of things for the indecisive: apples, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and crumble topping.
Pair that will a Bumble Berry Pietini and you’ll need to do spin classes for days.
Honorable Mention for Best Seattle Pie
Dahlia Bakery
Seattle, Belltown
Tom Douglas’ Dahlia Bakery ends up on many lists of favorite Seattle pie stops because of their famous Coconut Cream Pie. So why did it end up as only an “honorable mention” on this list?
Several reasons:
- While I never met a pie I hated, coconut cream’s not my favorite. While I will admit to consuming the entirety of the piece pictured here, it left a lingering film of sweetness in my mouth long after the pie was gone.
- Because the coconut cream pie seemed to be the only pie choice.
- Because seating for the bakery is minimal — there are a few tables outside, but on a drizzly Seattle day, you’ll want to take your pie and go.
But DO go to the bakery! They offer a bunch of other delicious treats, including yummy mochi donuts.
Map O’Pie
On another page, we have an interactive map of the pie places mentioned in this post. Click here or on the map to view it in a separate tab.
What’s the Best Seattle Pie or the Best Pie in Western Washington?
Weigh in with our pie survey!
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