Grand Traverse Pie Co.

525 W. Front St., Traverse City, MI - (231) 922-PIES

Overview Reviews(1) Rate Restaurant Upload Photos Bookmark Email

Posted By Michael Stern on September 21, 2002 4:42 AM

If you were led into this place blindfolded, you’d have no trouble naming its specialty, for the air is perfumed by the unspeakably delicious aroma of baking crust and bubbling-hot fruit filling. As the name suggests, it is a limited-service restaurant where pies are virtually all that matter. Indeed, other than coffee and a few kinds of cookie, pies are the only thing on the menu; and much cross-counter business is whole pies to go.

There are a handful of tables inside and (when weather permits) outdoors, to which you can carry a warm, just-cut slice and appreciate the absolute goodness of a pie that is individually crafted out of raw fruit and sugar (never any gelatin or thickeners other than plain flour) in a crust rolled from dough made from scratch daily.

Northern Michigan is the fruit capital of the Midwest, where apples, cherries and blueberries are harvested in abundance, and it is the double-crust fruit pies that are the need-to-eats. Among the varieties available, most of them named after sights and places around Traverse Bay, are Suttons Bay blueberry, Front Street apple, lakeshore berry, Union Street peach strawberry, and Long Lake berry cherry. Some thirty varieties are in the kitchen’s repertoire (not all available every day); and in addition to the signature fruit pies, there are Key lime, coconut cream, and (in season) autumn harvest pecan and Northport pumpkin.

We swooned over Peninsula apple crumb with its rich, crunchy topping, after which we walked out with a nice selection of GTPC preserves, including cherry barbecue sauce and cherry jalapeno salsa.

In addition to the original store in Traverse City, Grand Traverse Pie Co. has shops in Brighton and Okemos, Michigan. Mail-order pies are available, shipped 2nd Day Air Monday through Wednesday.

Overall Rating

8 out of 8 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes