Miami's Five Best Places to Eat Pie on National Pie Day

If you need an excuse to eat, check Google's national food holiday calendar. Every day brings something tasty to celebrate. This week, favorites such as French toast, lemon cream, mousse, and fritters have a day of observance. And today is National Pie Day.

There's another National Pie Day listed January 23, which is why the holiday might sound familiar. It may be an oversight, or it could simply mean someone wanted another reason to down a few more slices of dessert. Whatever the case may be, take the excuse, snag a pie, and celebrate. Don't worry, though, the next one will come in less than two months.
1. Fireman Derek's Bake Shop & Cafe
Fireman Derek's rainbow-painted pie shop needs no introduction. For National Pie Day, visit the hole-in-the-wall Wynwood storefront for a thick slice of chocolate cream pie ($6). Hugged by a crisp Oreo crust, each slice is topped with about an inch of Nutella-flavored whipped cream. It's all crowned by a cookie crumble with a chocolate drizzle on top. Individual slices are filling and can easily be shared by two or three eaters.
2. The Dutch
With pastry chef Joshua Gripper on staff at the Dutch, the new-American eatery is one of Miami's leading destinations for pie. For the holidays, Gripper is whipping up four pie varieties, including his famed salted lime pie topped with house-made coconut ice cream, passionfruit sauce, and whipped cream, as well as sweet potato pie with brown butter ice cream; banana cream pie with caramelized banana and caramel-chocolate sorbet; and warm apple pie with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream. All cost $12 per slice.
3. Zak the Baker
This past Thanksgiving, Zak Stern opened his 7,000-square-foot art-gallery-turned-bakery (297 NW 26th St., Miami) down the street from his original Zak the Baker location. Besides choosing from nearly 3,000 loaves of bread churned out each day here, diners can find an assortment of freshly baked pies. Flavors rotate but often include a chocolate caramel chess, crumbly Dutch apple, pecan bourbon, and lemon blueberry meringue.
4. Knaus Berry Farm
This sweets-filled farm stand, which opened for season at the end of October, brims with sticky cinnamon rolls and fresh strawberry milkshakes. But the Homestead bakery/market has something else worth trying too: the shoofly pie ($9.45 per pie for special order). The Pennsylvania Dutch classic features a brown-sugar crumb topping and and a hearty candied center.
5. Juicense
At the Coconut Grove juice store Juicense, find a selection of raw, vegan pies. For autumn, owner Mariana Diez is featuring a limited-edition pumpkin-flavored variety made with a blend of pumpkin, dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, agar-agar, and pumpkin spice, creating a thick and creamy filling with a light pumpkin aftertaste. Otherwise, she always has a chocolate tart and a key lime pie variety year-round at the shop. Pies cost $36 each.

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