Restaurants

Taste Test: Vancouver’s best pies

What's better than pie? The best pie in the city, is what. (So pie. Pie is better than pie.)

By Jennifer Elliott /

What’s better than pie? The best pie in the city, is what. (So pie. Pie is better than pie.)

The set-up: Two of Vancouver’s most acclaimed chefs and one very keen VanMag reader are locked in a room with six of the city’s best pies placed before them. Their task? Do a blind tasting and let us know whose pie reigns supreme.

Winner: The Pie HoleRaspberry cream crumble with lime, $24

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The unanimous choice as numero uno. The pretty little pie had “a great combination of textures,” according to Dang.The Pie Hole3497 Fraser St., Vancouver7832 6th Street, Burnabythepiehole.com

Silver: Savary Island Pie CompanyCherry, $32

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The pricey West Van shop was also the unanimous choice for silver, with the judges fawning over the beautiful crust and homemade taste.Savary Island Pie Company,1533 Marine Dr.,West Vancouversavaryislandpiecompany.com

Bronze: The Pie ShoppeBlueberry and vanilla, $28

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The judges loved the lightly sugared top and the texture—and purity—of the filling.The Pie Shoppe,721 Gore Ave.,thepieshoppe.ca

And the runners up are…

Tartine Bread and PiesBlueberry, $20

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The “BB” on the top was a nice touch, but no one was jacked up about the filling. “Tastes slightly weird” was overheard.Tartine Bread and Pies,770 Beach Ave.,tartine.ca

Aphrodite’s Café and Pie ShopApple blackberry, $30

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The centre had risen dramatically, making cutting it into recognizable slices almost impossible. Insides were described as “wet,” but the panel liked that the pie wasn’t overly sweet.Aphrodite’s Café and Pie Shop3598 W 4th Ave.,organiccafe.ca

CostcoRhubarb strawberry, $12.49

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Thrown in as a control. Though it was cut into small pieces, our testers knew something was amiss: “The crust tastes like Crisco.” Still, they didn’t mind the 2.5-kilo low-priced behemoth.Costco,605 Expo Blvd.,costco.ca

As rated by these expert judgesRobert Belcham is the chef and co-owner of Campagnolo and Campagnolo Roma.Quang Dang is the executive chef at South Granville’s West restaurant.Meighan Makarchuk is the web content manager at the Vancouver Aquarium—and our Twitter contest winner. 

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