Northern California is known for its iconic sourdough bread and sweet treats at bakeries like Tartine in the Mission District in San Francisco.
But if you’re willing to venture a little bit outside the Bay Area, you can find some absolutely incredible pies.
Many of these are humble pies (see what we did there?) with legacies dating back decades. They’re all absolutely delicious and worth the drive.
Here are three Northern California pies to try before you die.
#3: Olallieberry Pie at Duartes in Pescadero
We’ll forgive you if you have no idea what an “Olallieberry” is.
As this diagram from Wikipedia illustrates, the lineage of this berry is complex!
Suffice it to say, it’s a hybrid of a variety of different berries, including multiple varieties of blackberries, raspberries, and more.
I find that the Olallieberry tastes like a mixture of raspberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant. It has that bramble quality you might find in berries you picked in the woods.
That makes it perfect for the rough-and-tumble coast in Pescadero, about an hour south of San Francisco.
Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero has changed very little in over 130 years. It was a Wild West saloon when it was founded in 1894, and it still retains a bit of that character now.
Importantly, they have been crafting local Olallieberries into incredible pies for decades.
Top your slice with a bit of whipped cream, wolf it down, and then head over to the beach for Pescadero’s iconic tafoni rock formations.
#2: Christine’s Upper Crust in San Rafael
This is the most accessible pie on our list. Although Christine’s Upper Crust bakery is located up in San Rafael, California, you can get their pies at most Whole Foods locations and other fancy grocers around the Bay Area.
Christine’s Upper Crust makes some delicious berry pies, but our favorite is their pumpkin. The crust is incredibly buttery, and the filling is solid, flavorful, and creamy.
You could easily buy one of these and pass it off as homemade at your next Thanksgiving celebration!
#1: The Famous “Walkin” Pie at Delfino Farms in Camino
The owners of Delfino Farms have seven kids. They originally jokingly named their farm “Kids Inc.”
With so many kids running around, the owners of Delfino had a problem. They’re part of the famous Apple Hill Growers collective, a group of farms that grow apples and serve apple products up in the hills, about two hours out of San Francisco.
Of course, they wanted to give their flock of children plenty of pie, but their kids would always spill it on the ground.
Thus, the “Famous Walkin’ Pie” was born. This is a circular apple pie formed by hand from a big chunk of spiced and sweetened apples.
It’s wrapped up in buttery dough, and the whole thing is baked.
Delfino Farms then douses the pie in their cider sauce, a caramel sauce made with cooked-down apple cider, and tops it with a big scoop of French vanilla ice cream.
True to the name, you can eat the pie while walking around the beautiful property, which has a vineyard on a hill and a lawn where people hang out and picnic.
The pie is gooey and hot, and pairs perfectly with the ice cream on top.
You can get the walkin apple pie, as well as many other apple creations, at Joan’s Apple Bakery on the Delfino Farms property.
If you consider yourself a true pie connoisseur, you’ll need to try all these pies in Northern California.
Add them to your bucket list, and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Just remember to save us a slice! And join our Foodie Bites newsletter so we can keep you in the loop if we add more pies to the list.
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“humble pies (see what we did there?)”
Yup. Do I win a pie?
This is a hidden gem located south of San Jose. You can pick/buy fruit at certain times of the year. They have a mini store where you can buy dry fruit., jars of jelly etc. but you have to stop at the food barn and treat yourself to a piece of pie or take one home to the family. The pies are to die for!
Gizdich Ranch
55 Peckham Rd.
Watsonville CA 95076
(831) 722-1056