Pies are a holiday classic. Whether it be pecan, pumpkin, chocolate cream, or vanilla meringue, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. In order to serve my community with informed, multi-dimensional, useful journalism, I set out on a mission to determine the best pie in Portland.
I gathered four of the most readily available people I could find to join me on this journey: sophomore Brennan McEwen and seniors Sheadon Ocker, Keenan Donahue, and Max Jacob-Kurilo. We tried three of the most popular pie shops in the city including Pie Spot in NE Portland, Petunia’s Pies & Pastries in Downtown, and Lauretta Jean’s in SE Portland. From each store, we bought one slice of their classic apple pie, and one slice of their signature pie, or whatever their employees said was their favorite. This allowed us to compare apples to apples (literally) while getting a sense of each store’s unique strengths.
We scored each apple pie using a specific scoring system. Testers would score the crust from zero to three and the filling from zero to seven. The scores were then added together to create a summative zero to ten rating. The signature pies were simply scored zero through ten. Together we created a pie-power-ranking that would dictate the tides of taste for years to come:
#3: Petunia’s Pies & Pastries
610 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Petunia’s Pies and Pastries offered the most welcoming dining area of all the eateries we tried, however that was about as far as the praise went. At the time of our visit, we only had three types of pie to choose from. Luckily among those options, there was an apple pie. Along with the specialty blueberry peach pie, the total price was $16.
The slice of apple pie was very visually appealing, but we were let down upon first taste. “Eating this pie is like traversing the Sahara desert: you see an oasis of flavor but it’s just a cruel mirage… nothing but sand,” said Max, describing the crust. Likewise, Brennan was generally not impressed; “The flavor of apples was overshadowed by the dry crust and pungent cinnamon.” The crust and filling were simply underwhelming; however, it would be cruel to say the pie was poor. Our taste-testers certainly had no issue putting it down in a few quick bites.
The specialty pie featured a blueberry-peach filling with a coconut flaked crust. Luckily, this slice was better than its apple counterpart. The flavor combination was unique and, for the most-part, worked well. “Those blueberries and peaches are in a relationship. It’s not perfect, but they’re honest with each other and it works,” described Sheadon. Pessimistically, Max said, “The flavor is explosive and hits very hard, but the underlying dryness of the crust is hard to ignore.” The apple pie scored an average 2.6 while the peach blueberry pie scored a 6.2.
#2: Pie Spot
521 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
Located on the inner east side, adjacent to Sandy St, Pie Spot is a Portland staple. The chain also has a shop on 70th and Glisan. Instead of selling slices, Pie Spot sells mini-pies, roughly five inches across with lots of crust to go around. We bought a brady apple and a marionberry mini-pie for a total of $12.
The brandy apple mini-pie featured perfectly sized apple chunks with a beautiful cinnamon sugar finish. “It tastes like a warm hug from a strong man,” remarked Sheadon. The only thing holding it back was the 360-crust; “it is a little bit dry and leaves something to be desired,” said Max. While the crust was crumbly, it was nothing special and dragged down the pie’s overall score.
The specialty pie, marionberry, was solid but nothing exceptional. The marionberry compote filling was remarkably sweet without becoming overpowering. The flavor was indeed more memorable than the average apple pie. “The marionberry adds a nice tartness; the flavors contrast very well,” said Max. Overall, the apple pie scored an average 7.3 while the marionberry underperformed at 6.5.
#1: Lauretta Jean’s
3402 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
Just 15 blocks west of Franklin, Lauretta Jean’s is easily the most accessible pie option. The southeast classic features an incredible amount of quality options all featured in a large spinning glass case. We bought a slice of the apple-walnut and blueberry-victoria pies for a total price of 13 dollars.
Our taste-testers were unsure of the apple pie at first sight. It looked slightly mushy, potentially the product of a sloppy cutting job on our part. However, after biting in, the tasters were blown away. “The crust is light and delicate while the filling has a sweet, flavorful bite,” said Brennan. Lauretta Jean’s crust, with a flakey and crunchy bite, was by far the best among the pies we had previously tasted.
The specialty pie, dubbed the blueberry-victoria, layered sponge cake, lemon curd, and blueberry compote all topped with whipped cream to make it the most memorable pie we tried. The flavors combined magically leaving our tasters speechless…almost. “The pie had a perfect mix of fruit and cream…utter goodness,” said Brennan. Among all the pies we tasted, the blueberry victoria was the only pie to receive a single perfect score, nevertheless three perfect scores. Overall its average score was 9.6 and the apple pie’s average was 8.2.
Our scores support the conclusion that if you are looking for a holiday pie, Lauretta Jean’s is the place to go! From their website you can order whole pies for $41. We challenge readers everywhere to visit not only Lauretta Jean’s, but other eateries to reach their own conclusion about the best pie in Portland.
A table of overall pies scores from each of the tasted establishments. Lauretta Jean’s recorded the highest scores by a large margin. Table via Oscar Ponteri
From left to right: the blueberry victoria and apple pies from Lauretta Jean’s. This Southeast classic received the highest overall scores for both pies. Photo via Oskar Fraser
Our taste-testers devour their pies as junior Emil Nelson looks on. I enlisted four professional tasters, not including Emil, to test the pies. Photo via Oskar Fraser
