The 18 best pies in Chicago

Former fine-dining pastry chef Paula Haney made a name for her pies at farmers markets and coffee shops. Now she sells seasonal creations (from strawberry-rhubarb in spring to apple and pumpkin in fall) and signatures (like her incomparable banana-cream and the Malört-inspired "Chicago Sunrise"), along with Metropolis coffee, at her tiny, retro pie shop. The pies are, in a word, extraordinary.

The flavors at Bang Bang rotate regularly, offering a taste of seasonal produce and funky flavor combinations concocted for special holidays. Come summer, diners might be able to grab a slice of lemon pie with tangy lemon cream, frothy lemon mousse and lip-smacking lemon curd. In the winter months, keep an eye out for more indulgent creations, like the chocolate-caramel pie with shortbread cookie crust. Key lime is available all year for good reason—it's an excellent example of what the little shop can do. Citrusy custard pools in a graham cracker crust before being topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. It's spectacularly simple yet inexplicably divine.

Maya-Camille Broussard launched Justice of the Pies as a way to honor her late father, a criminal defense attorney and a self-proclaimed pie aficionado. Tou can find Broussard and her delicious slices at Muse Coffee Studio and Overflow Coffee, or get them shipped directly to your door via GoldBelly. The sublime lavender-lemon pie tastes even sweeter when you find out that Justice partners with nonprofits to positively impact the lives around them.

Maybe it's the giant pie sculpture in the window here that seduces you and draws you in. Or maybe it's the fact that eating at this charitable café is an easy way to support an organization that provides hunger relief. Whatever it may be, it certainly doesn't hurt that the pie is expertly crafted in classic varieties like French silk, chocolate cream, Michigan sour cherry and key lime. Inhale the shop's brilliant aroma and feel good about giving back.

Let's be honest: You're probably not going to Joe's explicitly for the pie. But maybe you should. The dessert menu is stacked with tough decisions: Key lime or banana cream? Chocolate fudge or peanut butter? Old-fashioned apple or Boston cream? There's not a bad choice in the bunch, but we're suckers for the banana cream.

Stephanie Hart turns out a number of “down-home delights” at her bakery, many of them smacking of the shop’s eponymous ingredient. Fans flock to the shop's two locations—one in Grand Crossing, the other at Navy Pier—for Hart's famous laser pie, which is stuffed with sweet potato chunks and topped with caramel, chocolate and nuts. Don't tell your granny we said so, but her sweet potato pie is one of the best we've ever had.

Eméché isn’t just a name for the Bronzeville bakery, but it’s the story of the bakery’s roots. Started by Chicago native Janell Richmond, Eméché (which translates to "tipsy" in French) began with Richmond making alcohol-infused cupcakes in her New York apartment. After moving back to Chicago, she opened up her brick-and-mortar shop in 2019 and while she still sells alcohol-infused treats, the bakery has a whole range of specialties, including pies in classic flavors like pecan and key lime, ranging in price from $20-30.

Travel back in time (if only for an hour) at this charming Humboldt Park pie and soda shop that's outfitted with old-timey barstools and beautiful vintage accents. Despite its decor, the pies on offer aren't stuck in the past: Diners can choose from imaginative flavors like yuzu-matcha meringue, s'mores, lemon-lavender and key lime-hibiscus. Order a slice and a house-made soda, hunker down in a booth and transport yourself to a simpler time.

We love tucking into an order of chilled crab claws at Shaw's, but we're always sure to leave room for dessert. The seafood restaurant’s key lime pie is arguably the best option on the menu and is crafted with an almond-graham cracker crust and buttery-smooth filling. If you prefer a fruit-based confection, opt for the raspberry pie, which is stuffed with berries from Mike & Jerry's berry farm in Washington state.

If you want to show up your entire family at Thanksgiving, bring a pie from Vanille Patisserie, a French pastry shop with locations in Lincoln Park and Chicago French Market. Every year, the bakery puts out a roster of tempting seasonal confections, like pumpkin with cinnamon whipped cream and chocolate Nutella French silk. Place your order in advance—these pies go fast for good reason.

Typically anyone who abides by a gluten-free diet would have to count pie out when it comes to their dessert table, but that’s not the case with Andersonville's Defloured, an entirely gluten-free bakery. Defloured’s pies, which are made with a variety of alternative flours, including brown rice flour and tapioca flour, are special-order only, and require a seven-day advance. In addition to the bakery’s pie options, it also offers an array of baked goods, including nearly 20 different types of cookies.

By employing homeless and otherwise at-risk youth and training them to enter the hospitality workforce, this nonprofit café doubles as a social venture. That's all the reason you need to walk through the front door, but after just one bite of their key lime or dark chocolate pecan pie, you'll be a repeat visitor for years to come.

When you’re thinking of two foods that work seamlessly together, empanadas and pie aren’t usually the first two that come to mind, but Empanada Mama and the Pie Man have made the two baked items seem like a natural fit since the shop first opened in 2020. Despite opening in the midst of a pandemic, the thriving bakery has been able to build up a decently-sized menu that features not only nine different sweet pies, but a whole host of savory options as well. Full pies are available at the Lakeview bakery for either $32 or $39, depending on which flavor, while individual slices are $7 each.

Sugargoat is not chef Stephanie Izard’s first restaurant venture in Chicago, but it’s certainly the Top Chef winner’s sweetest. The bakery opened up last year inside Izard’s Little Goat Diner in the West Loop, and during the year it’s been open has already been noted for its kooky and delicious desserts, including its chocolate french fry pie, which, true to its name, has a chocolate malt filling and a fry crumble crust. The bakery has an additional seven pies on its menu, all with some unexpected twists.

Between the bourbon, the live music stage and the disturbing mannequin of a cowboy urinating in the women’s bathroom, one could make a lot of bad decisions at this River North barbecue joint. Here’s one you won’t regret: ordering a slice of pie for dessert. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Delight—made with Valrhona chocolate ganache and house-made peanut butter—is positively insane, a marriage of comfort food and unimpeachable finesse.

Years after building up a devoted following out of the Long Room's kitchen, chefs Kyle Schrage and Jim Torres have set up shop in a brick-and-mortar location in Edgewater, serving griddled burgers and warming comfort foods. Equally appealing, though, is the pub's rotating roster of pies by the Milwaukee cafe Honeypie. Pie maker Valeri Lucks dreams up these 11-inch confections in a cascade of flavors, from seasonal picks like peach blueberry and Door County cherry to piquant combos such as ginger chai cream and old fashioned buttermilk and jam.

As its name suggests, this Lincoln Park- and Streeterville-based bakery is as sweet as pie—and luckily, the menu offers a laundry list of actual pies to boot. Nine-inch whole pies come in flavors like apple, pecan, peanut butter chiffon and Oreo. Just don't be surprised when you leave the store with a box of whimsical cookies, brownies and cupcakes; the pastry case at Sweet Mandy B's is irresistable.

Though Heather Bodine-Lederman—the mastermind behind this 100 percent vegan bakery—has turned her attention toward cakes since starting Pie, Pie My Darling in 2014, you can still find some pretty delicious pies on the menu now and again. Stay tuned to the bakery's Instagram to watch out for pie offerings, which come in unique flavors like Butterfinger, raspberry Danish and chocolate peanut butter pretzel, and don't hesitate to grab a slice of fresh-baked cake from The Handlebar and Upton's Breakroom in the meantime.

Note: The bakery's West Town storefront is currently closed due to COVID-19, but you can still place orders online.