Thanksgiving and pie go together like turkey and gravy, and now is the time to place those orders. Find classic apple, pumpkin and cherry, as well as elaborate flavors such as ginger, ube and even bacon-topped, at these area bakeries.
Acme Pie Co.
Owner Sol Schott has no shortage of dessert options for your Thanksgiving table. You can place orders up until the bakery is maxed out—likely around Nov. 22, Schott says. Acme is offering 10-inch pies ($34 each) in six different flavors: apple, apple cranberry, mixed berry, pumpkin ginger, pecan chocolate and sweet potato. Order online, by phone or just stop in. 2406 Columbia Pike, Arlington (Columbia Pike)
Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery
Chef David Guas is offering eight traditional and “not so traditional” pies ($23-$28.50) for the Thanksgiving holiday. Go classic with pumpkin, pecan, roasted sweet potato or bourbon chocolate pecan. Or branch out with snazzy flavors such as apple cinnamon crunch, bacon cayenne pecan, Virginia peanut pie or GW lemon chess pie (the GW, as in George Washington, is a reference to the Gristmill at Mt. Vernon, with which Guas has an exclusive partnership). Order up until noon on Nov. 24 and at least 48 hours in advance of pickup. Bayou will also offer a limited number of pies for walk-in customers on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to Thanksgiving. For every dozen pies sold, the restaurant will donate one pie to PathForward, an Arlington nonprofit that fights homelessness. 1515 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington (Courthouse)
Best Buns Bakery & Burgers
For two weeks only, this busy bakery, coffee shop and burger joint will offer classic pumpkin pie and chocolate bourbon-pecan, made with a trio of chocolates and topped with pecan pieces. Add on an order of parker house rolls to accompany your Thanksgiving feast. If you want other autumnal desserts, Best Buns bakes up goodies like pumpkin spice cupcakes and apple pie Danish, too. Pie orders open Nov. 13 on the website or in the Best Buns app and require 24 hours notice. Order and pick up between Nov. 13 and 26. 4010 Campbell Ave., Arlington (Shirlington), and 8051 Leesburg Pike, Tysons
Colada Shop
Arlington restaurateur Daniella Senior is prepared to put some Cuban flavor on your Thanksgiving table in the form of a 10-inch dulce-de-leche pumpkin pie or apple-guava pie. You’ll find both flavors at the cafe’s locations in Clarendon, National Landing and the Mosaic District. Order by Nov. 25. 2811 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon); 244 19th Court, Arlington (National Landing); and 2920 District Ave., Merrifield (Mosaic District)
Founding Farmers
This restaurant, which is majority owned by American farmers, is open on Thanksgiving Day, and also offers a full holiday menu to heat and eat at home. Find a selection of traditional holiday pie flavors, including pumpkin, apple and pecan, or opt for a pumpkin-spice cheesecake or salted caramel cheesecake. You can make the holidays even sweeter with the restaurant’s selection of house-made candy bars, such as the Snackers (caramel, nougat and Virginia peanuts), the Happy Almond (shredded coconut and toasted almond) or the dark chocolate Peppermint Crème. Order by noon on Nov. 21. 1800 Tysons Blvd., Tysons
Gwenie’s Pastries
Put a little Filipino flavor on your Thanksgiving table with a vibrantly hued ube pie—a graham cracker crust filled with ube halaya (purple yam) and topped with the bakery’s signature ube cream. Baker and co-founder Stella Fernandez has been bringing family traditions and recipes to the DMV for more than 15 years with her Rockville, Maryland-based bakery. The bakery recently opened a storefront in National Landing. Order 2-3 days prior to your desired pick-up date. 1417 S. Fern St., Arlington (National Landing)
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
Opened in 1975 by Wolfgang Büchler, who hails from the shop’s namesake German city, this beloved bakery is selling seasonal flavors including Dutch apple (a deep-dish pie filled with apples, cherries and raisins), mincemeat (with apples, raisins, nuts, spices and rum), pecan and pumpkin. The choices also include year-round favorites such as apple, banana cream, Boston cream, cherry, chocolate mousse, coconut cream, key lime, lemon meringue, Linzer torte and rhubarb pies. Order and pay online by Nov. 21 or just stop by and see what’s on offer. 2150 N. Culpeper St., Arlington
Jake’s Ice Cream
Ice cream pies and cakes are available year round at this scoop shop that employs people with disabilities (as does its sister store, Jake’s Gourmet Popcorn). The lead-up to Thanksgiving brings seasonal ice cream flavors such as pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice latte. Around Thanksgiving, the shop will release its most popular winter flavor: peppermint. You can customize your cake or pie with any of the 24 ice cream flavors available at any given time, specifying your preferred design and decorations, or opting for traditional rosette-style icing. Place Thanksgiving orders by Nov. 23. Some pies will be available for grab-and-go, but custom orders should be made at least 48 hours in advance. 6353 Columbia Pike, Falls Church
Joon
For a Thanksgiving with international flair, order Persian-inspired treats from this upscale restaurant—a collaboration between chef and cookbook author Najmieh Batmanglij and Christopher Morgan, a former co-executive chef of Michelin-starred Maydan in the District. Decadent crowd-pleasers include a Chocolate and Kataifi Pie ($140) with dark chocolate ganache, creamed pistachio and sour cherry meringue, or the Apple Tarte Tatain ($100) featuring a buttermilk pie crust, cardamom and toffee ice cream, topped with candied walnuts. Order by Nov. 22. 8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna (Tysons)
Livin’ the Pie Life
Proprietors Heather Sheire and Wendy MacCallum are taking orders for pick up now through Nov. 19. and recommend that customers freeze their purchase until Turkey Day. (Follow these directions for thawing and serving.) Orders for pick up closer to Thanksgiving are already sold out. Note that not all flavors are available for pickup on all days, so if you don’t see the one you want, try another day. Options start at $30.95 and include 8- or 10-inch pies such as apple caramel crumb, caramel chocolate chess and pecan. Gluten-free selections include pumpkin chiffon ($44.95) and Wendy’s Miami Key Lime ($42.95). There are other temptations to boot, such as cookies in flavors like peanut butter, ginger molasses and chocolate chip ($18 for four); take-and-bake pie dough for crust ($7.95); and three types of quiche ($37-$39). 2166 N. Glebe Road, Arlington
Maman
Preorders are underway at this New York City-based bakery and cafe that opened in Courthouse in the fall and the Mosaic District in June. Choose from their classic pecan or pumpkin pie, or a spiced apple crumb pie topped with a cinnamon oat crumble and other spices. The 9-inch option ($39) serves 8 to 10 people, and the mini pie ($7) serves 1 to 2 people. Place orders by Nov. 24. 2055 15th St. N., Arlington (Courthouse) and 2920 District Ave., Fairfax (Mosaic District)
Northside Social
Both the Arlington and Falls Church locations of this cafe, wine bar, bakery and coffeehouse will offer four holiday pie flavors this year: maple pumpkin ($35), apple cinnamon ($40), brown sugar pecan ($39) and chocolate chip espresso cookie dough pie ($40). Each 9-inch pie will be baked in a signature, all-butter crust. The Thanksgiving takeout menu also features quiches, rolls and retail items such as wine, beer and pastry boxes. Orders must be placed at least 48 hours in advance, and the cut-off is midnight Nov. 21. 3211 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon) and 205 Park Ave., Falls Church
The Happy Tart
Need a special dessert but can’t do wheat flour? All of the goodies on Kerrigan Firth’s extensive Thanksgiving menu are gluten-free. This year she’s simplified the preorder menu to focus on crowd favorites, but be sure to order soon, as she typically sells out. Look for fan favorites such as apple pie made with Gold Rush apples and pumpkin pie. Other options include sour cream apple, pumpkin praline and chocolate pecan. Prices for the 9-inch pies range from $35-$55. Alternatively, opt for a cranberry Linzer torte (it’s also dairy-free), a pumpkin roll or a box of six Thanksgiving cake pops ($28.50). The bakery also turns out gluten-free baguettes, biscuits and brioche loaves. Order by Nov. 20. 410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church
Pastries by Randolph
There are many reasons to be thankful for the 9-inch seasonal pies at this 30-plus-year-old sweets emporium in the Lee Heights Shops. Choices include apple, cherry, apple crumb, pecan, pumpkin and pumpkin mousse ($26-$38.00). Got a chocolate craving? The bakery also has cupcakes, Chocolate Dream cookies and a Dark Chocolate Mousse Ribbon cake. Note that the kitchen is no longer certified kosher. Order by Nov. 24. The bakery will be open on Thanksgiving, but only from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. 4500 Cherry Hill Road, Arlington (Langston Boulevard)
Sunday Morning Bakehouse
This Bethesda-based bakery that recently opened in McLean has Thanksgiving pre-orders going until Nov. 23. Pickup or delivery is Nov. 26. Finish off your holiday meal with their Dulcey Apple Tart, layered with a pecan oat crunch, apple pie compote, a cremeaux made with Valrhona dulcey caramalized white, apple cider caramel glaze and a topping of mascarpone whipped ganache chocolate ($40). Or choose from classic Thanksgiving sweets such as a pecan or pumpkin pie (both $36). 1796 Chain Bridge Road, McLean
Tatte Bakery
Get your order in by Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. for a classic apple or pumpkin pie, a pumpkin pie with pecans or a maple pecan pie. Other dessert options include a honey apple cake, cinnamon rolls and gingerbread tiles. Choose a pick up date between Nov. 21 and 26. 2805 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon), 269 19th Court, Arlington (National Landing), 1001 W. Broad St., Falls Church
Village Sweet Bakery
The pies on Dawn Hart’s Thanksgiving menu are twists on classics. For $35-$38, try a pumpkin pie with cider crust and house-made whipped topping, or a chocolate bourbon pecan pie with salted caramel drizzle. Other desserts include pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust, apple cranberry with Dutch streusel topping and gluten-free flourless chocolate cake with espresso ganache (you know, to fight the food coma). To make your table extra special, order custom place-card cookies shaped like leaves. Prefer your sweets in loaf form? Get a pumpkin chocolate chip, apple candied ginger or cranberry orange loaf ($25). Order by midnight on Nov. 20. 5872 Washington Blvd., Arlington (Westover)