Chow Lists

• 1. Fat Apple's

  7525 Fairmount Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530

  The texture of the filling is rich and creamy. If you like a spicy pie though, the spice is mild. There is also a Fat Apple's in Berkeley

• 2. Masse's Pastries

  1469 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709

  Lovely, tasty little pumpkin tart decorated with a pretty leaf cut out. However it is a tart and not a pie. It didn't give me my pumpkin pie rush.

• 3. Crixa Cakes

  2748 Adeline St, Berkeley, CA 94703

  A deep dish pie, but every good thing about pumpkin pie is in there ... deep pumpkin flavor, rich creamy, custardiness, the perfect balance of spices, the lightest notes of brown sugar and perhaps maple syrup or molasses (but not obnoxious). The buttery deep dish crust worked so well, enough to contain the pumpkin filling.

• 4. Water Street Bistro

  100 Petaluma Blvd N Ste 106, Petaluma, CA 94952

  Based on this report- "Though I've had from-scratch pumpkin pies before ... this was unlike any of those efforts and light years better. Coarse-textured with some fiber, the pumpkin filling was barely sweet and had a deep roasted squash flavor with a hint of brown spices in the background. It had set-up nicely without being too firm or too wet. The oh-so-flaky crust was the stuff of dreams and even the bottom crust had flaky layers. So light and tender, the touch of a fork broke off a shard and a blizzard of short, buttery crumbs"

• 5. Mission Pie

  2901 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

  One of the best versions I have ever had and one of the few versions that makes it correctly from fresh pumpkin. No heavy spice but a lovely light flavor and texture. The crust was just perfect ... so tender ... just perfect. From another poster:"The pie was pretty darned good. Organic everything "except for the butter", they said. Whole wheat crust with a nice whole-wheat tang. Very subtle spicing, no taste of molasses at all. Real clear taste of pumpkin coming through. "

• 6. Beckmann's Old World Bakery

  104 Bronson St # 6, Santa Cruz, CA

  Sold at about 50 Bay Area farmers markets. The pumpkin pie is perfect. The filling is smooth and the spicing is one of the best balanced that I've ever tried.. It is sweetened with honey and that is a nice touch. I always like Beckmann's buttery, flaky, pleasantly crumbly (but not too) crusts. Beckmann's suggests heating pies for a few minutes and... wow !!! Even better. There's a pretty crust maple leaf cut out on top of the pie

• 7. Bear Claw Bakery

  2340 San Pablo Ave, Pinole, CA

  Pure pumpkin pie perfection. The pumpkin filling has this wonderful, rich smoothness has a butteriness to it. The spice is very muted but complements and accents the pumpkin flavor. Nice shortening crust with maybe a bit of butter in it.

• 8. Nation's Giant Hamburgers

  6060 Central Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530

  This small chain has various locations in the Bay Area. Not bad for a chain pie. It is great in a pinch for a last minute choice. The sweet potato pie, actually tart, is tons better than the pumpkin which is ok, but not enough pumpkin flavor for me, the texture isn't dense enough and is little too sweet. From one poster:"The sweet potato filling isn't overly candied and the texture is rustic with some small bits of sweet potato and not overly emulsified. The short crust is good, albeit a bit soft on the bottom."

• 9. It's All Good Bakery

  5622 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA

  Borrowing from another poster, the sweet potato pie makes me swoon, especially warm from the oven. Perfectly spiced and smooth, and pleasantly firm filling that is not too sweet with a very nice crust. As someone else wrote "The pie crusts are damn perfect, not just perfect - DAMN perfect” There is also a Vallejo location

• 10. Boulettes Larder

  Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111

  To try: One year they did a wonderful Hungarian pumpkin pie (grated pumpkin lightly flavored with black pepper) that was really nice. And, not pumpkin, but winter squash

• 11. Duarte's Tavern

  202 Stage Rd, Pescadero, CA 94060

  I'm not a fan of Duarte's pies in general because I don't like the crust. It is not buttery enough for me. However, others are fans of the pie. Some places like Milk Pail in Mountain View carry frozen pies

• 12. Swanton Berry Farm

  25 Swanton Rd, Davenport, CA 95017

  To try based on this report (may be available at local farmers markets) - "Pumpkins are for sale, as well as pumpkin pies at $18 for a whole or $4 per slice. The bonus with the slices is that they're topped with an ice cream scoop-size of thick and heavy whipped cream. The crust is very good, flaky and buttery in taste. The filling of fresh pumpkin is quite dense and pulpy (vs. the custard-like texture of the recipe on the can of pie filling) and heavily spiced."

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