A round pan filled with ooey-gooey sweetness (or savoury-ness) and crumbly, baked-to-perfection dough.
- RELATED: Where to Find Toronto’s Best Waffles
Could there be a greater way to end (or start) a meal? Whether you are a pro-filling enthusiast, or if there is no such thing as a tart with too much crust, this list has got you covered.
Brickworks Ciderhouse may not be top of mind when you’re pondering pies of Toronto, but if you haven’t given their pies a try, you’re definitely missing out! Brickworks Ciderhouse not only uses fresh-pressed Ontario apples for their line-up of hand crafted ciders, but they also make a mean apple pie using Ontario Gala apples and an old family recipe.
Check out this and many other mouth-watering pies of Toronto in the list below.
This Indie88 feature is presented with Brickworks Ciderhouse.
Brickworks Ciderhouse | 799 Queen Street East
Just like their fresh-pressed hand-crafted ciders, the delectable pies at Brickworks Ciderhouse are made in-house using fresh Ontario apples. The crisp, buttery crust sits atop the best Gala apples the province has to offer. This unbelievable pie is handmade using an old family recipe from one of the founder’s families and is one tasty treat you just can’t miss out on.
Wanda’s Pie in the Sky | 287 Augusta Avenue
The destination for classic pies done right, Wanda’s is a certifiable institution in the eclectic Kensington Market neighbourhood. With its kitschy décor and impressive lineup of other baked goods, Wanda’s Pie in the Sky is a perfect, budget-friendly spot to grab a sweet snack.
Bean and Baker Malt Shop | 326 Harbord Street
Go back in time with this fifties style Malt shop on Harbord St. that serves up all your favourite diner desserts. With pocket-sized fruit pies, savoury and whole personal pies ordered from North Shore Pie Co., pie fans will not only love the space, but the food. With servers dressed in traditional fifties diner uniforms with the white cap and red bowtie, don’t expect any of today’s music to play here.
Dessert Lady | 12 Cumberland St
A Toronto-style bakery with over 350 items on their menu, of course they’re serving up some delicious pies. Starting at $9, these ladies have all your favourites, from Classic Apple Pie to Cherry to Pumpkin. Not only can you get great pie, but with a menu as big as Dessert Lady’s, the skies the limit here.
Mabel’s Bakery | 323 Roncesvalles Avenue; 1156 Queen Street West; 746 St. Clair Avenue West
The staff at Mabel’s takes great pride in their delectable offerings, specifically with their pie selection, as evident by their tradition of selecting the freshest fruit and fillings and toasting them up until the crust is a golden flaky masterpiece. Sour cherry, lemon meringue, and key lime are a few of the deliciously famous titles available year round.
Tori’s Bakeshop | 2188 Queen Street East
Tori’s Bakeshop is an “eco-friendly, all-natural organic bakery” that carries gluten, dairy, egg, and casein-free treats, so you can indulge without the guilt. Their all-organic seasonal fruit pie is gluten-free and is baked with whole food ingredients so everyone can enjoy.
Kanga | 65 Duncan Street
Erynn and Megan felt a void in Toronto’s food scene when they returned from their year down under – the Aussie meat pie. Kanga serves up traditional Australian meat pies, with perfect singular portions that you can grab on the go. They’ve got lots of savoury options, as many star minced beef, chicken and a creamy zucchini option too.
OMG Baked Goodness | 1561 Dundas St W
OMG is a sweet and savoury bake shop famous for their cupcakes, but they have some great pies and tarts too. Offering both vegan and gluten-free options, OMG Baked Goods offer seasonally-inspired fruit pies, as well as butter tarts. The list doesn’t end there though, they’ve also got home-made pop tarts, croissants and cheesecakes on their menu.
Flaky Tart | 711 Mt. Pleasant Road
Billed as an “old school bakeshop that marries nostalgia with whimsy,” you’d be hard pressed to find anything less magical than a “flaky tart” tart. Fresh (and oftentimes inventive) ingredients are sourced with care, while the baking process is handled with an acute attention to detail and tradition, topping it all off with a dusting of snowy sugar.
Hansen’s Danish Pastry Shop | 1017 Pape Avenue
Located a short walk north of Pape Station in the heart of Pape Village, the charming Hansen’s Danish Pastry Shop has been serving East Toronto with traditional European desserts for over fifty years. Fresh bread, strudel, Danish (duh) and the best pies this side of the Don River — Hansen’s truly is a shop-til-you-drop kind of bakery.
Phipps Bakery Café | 420 Eglinton Avenue West
Proudly serving midtown for nearly thirty years, Phipps is not only a purveyor of gourmet lunches and coffee, but also a master crafter of baked goods, with virtually every flaky concoction you could name. But where this delightful café succeeds is the pie department, churning out oven-perfected dishes in a variety of sizes including a personal-pan (3”) for those who aren’t interested in sharing. Try the chocolate pecan, the apple crumble, or one of many double-crust pies.
Madeleines | 348 Ryding Avenue
A bespoke pastry house, every pie here, from sweet desserts, to quiches, to savoury vegan vegetable, is made fresh to order. You get to customize the size and select your own fillings from an extensive list, including mouth-watering options like peach raspberry amaretto, chocolate bourbon pecan, or savoury Mediterranean ratatouille. Variety with a touch of self-service, Madeleines truly is the best bakery for the indecisive dessert-er. Visit their website to learn more about stockists throughout the city.
The Pie Commission | 887 Dundas Avenue West, 935 The Queensway
The people have spoken! The Pie Commission claims to have reinvented the savoury pie with their mouth-watering menu that stars braised beef, beef ‘n beer, and butter chicken, to name a few. All of the pies are made from scratch, and served hot in a sleeve for maximum on-the-go snacking, or with fries and salad. In 2013, The Pie Commission opened its Etobicoke factory outlet to the public, dishing out frozen and fresh pies from their take-away window.
The Lakeview | 1132 Dundas St. W
One of Toronto’s popular restaurants, Lakeview, takes pie to the next level. With their “world famous” delicious apple pie milkshake, they mash up two favourites into one. Customers can still get pie and milkshakes separately, but why would you want to now?
Lana Gay joined Martha & Emily from Brickworks Ciderhouse for Black Creek Community Farm’s 3rd Annual “Dinner at the Farm” fundraiser. The event featured culinary enchantment using locally grown fruits and vegetables along with an exclusive cider made by the Brickworks team.
As part of Brickworks commitment to using fresh, local ingredients, this cider was crafted using sumac and honey sourced directly from the urban farm itself, added to a base of fresh-pressed Ontario apples. Check out the below video to learn more.
(Main photo by Kanga)