The 11 best pies in NYC

This pint-size Lower East Side pie shop opened a charming Clinton Hill café that has become one of our favorite date spots in the city. Petee’s bakes many sweets we love, like icebox lemon poppy-seed meringue and banana cream pies, but the absolute best for the Thanksgiving season is the creamy coconut custard. And if you're looking for a baking project, Petra Paredez recently released her first cookbook, Pie for Everyone. 

Pecan pie is already perfect, and sometimes when chefs tinker with the classic by adding chocolate, they end up ruining a good thing. But Four & Twenty Blackbird’s bittersweet cocoa concoction will make you reconsider; it’s our go-to for holiday potlucks when we’re looking to impress our hungry friends.

An oat–graham cracker crust cradles a velvety organic pumpkin filling at this beloved bakeshop in Red Hook. In traditional fashion, the creamy filling is shot with a cabinet’s worth of autumnal spices—from nutmeg and cloves to vanilla and ginger.

Williamsburg’s cult-status Southern chicken-and-pie joint does right by this old-fashioned granny staple. A banana cream base nestles chunks of fresh bananas in a Nilla wafer crust, topped with whipped cream, a dusting of spicy nutmeg and whole Nilla wafers.

Dominique Ansel's limited Pie Nights sell out quickly—and each offering is more enticing than the last. The Hawaiian chocolate haupia pie arranges dark chocolate mousse, coconut lime gelée, toasted coconut and coconut ganache in a chocolate sablé crust. We always keep our eyes on the Thanksgiving special pies, too. 

The namesake pies at this Red Hook operation—mahogany-brown graham-cracker crusts filled with a condensed-milk custard laced with real-deal key lime juice—are baked in batches of just 12 for meticulous quality control.

Little Pie Company began in the apartment upstairs until it became so popular it just had to expand, earning fans like Oprah Winfrey and Sarah Jessica Parker along the way. The sour cream apple walnut pie is a refreshing twist that brings a little bite to the classic.

Breads' world-class chocolate babka finds new home in a chocolate chip–sprinkled Nutella-coated pie shell. The braided stunner will make bubbe proud, even though you didn’t bake it. It's a limited offering that we always keep tabs on each year.

Avid surfer and baker Tracy Obolsky's (an alum of heavy-hitters like Morgansterns's and Cook Shop) bakery is open well after traditional beach season. Her roster of freshly-baked offerings, specifically her fruit pies, will be sure to impress this holiday season.

Traditional pumpkin pie gets a highbrow makeover at the brick-and-mortar offshoot of Umber Ahmad’s online bakery. A buttery crust brims with delicately spiced pumpkin puree that’s topped with picturesque creme fraiche whipped cream.

​​A staple for the surrounding Muslim community, Abu’s has been dishing out bean pie on Fulton Street for a decade. It’s the perfect treat to bring to the table this holiday season. 

If you’re traveling outside of NYC in the coming weeks and months, Junior’s has terrific name recognition that they’ll appreciate beyond the five boroughs. The pumpkin pie cheesecake tops a graham cracker crust with layers of New York cheesecake, pumpkin pie filling and swirls of pumpkin buttercream.