9 places to get pies for Thanksgiving around Tampa Bay

Just before Halloween at Village Inn on St. Petersburg’s Fourth Street, Chrissy Seifert was gearing up for the chain’s biggest time of year: pie season.

Seifert, who has worked at the location for about three years, is part of a special pie team that assembles a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. Five or six people come together to fill the many, many orders ahead of Turkey Day, getting to work prepping fresh fruit pies as early as two weeks before then switching over to the creamier varieties.

Village Inn opened in 1958 in Denver and has corporate and franchise restaurants throughout the country, with many Florida locations. It’s a local go-to for pie, with a menu of more than 15 flavors divided into classic fruit, silks and creams, and seasonal. The most popular? Seifert guessed chocolate silk. Her favorite is coconut cream.

If you’re seeking a pie you don’t have to bake this Thanksgiving, there are several places to look around Tampa Bay. Some spots like Village Inn stock a wide variety of pies year-round, while other local bakeries offer seasonal specials.

Village InnA banana cream pie from Village Inn. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]

The easiest way to order a whole pie is on the chain’s website, villageinn.com. You can select which pie you want and when you want it. Some locations, like the one at 9107 Fourth St. N. in St. Petersburg, offer a curbside pickup option. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, cars are likely to snake around the building to grab their confections.

Wright’s Gourmet House

Another classic Tampa Bay spot that stocks desserts all year, Wright’s is best known for its cakes and sandwiches, but around Thanksgiving it offers two solid whole pie options: pecan pie (available in November and December) and pumpkin pie (available in October and November). Call 813-253-3838 to order; the deadline to get a pie by Thanksgiving is Nov. 15. 1200 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; wrightsgourmet.com.

Bandit Coffee Co.

This St. Petersburg coffee shop and cafe is once again offering up some scrumptious-looking pies for Thanksgiving. This year, you can choose from a Dutch Apple Pie, made with all-butter crust and Honeycrisp apples, and the Bandit Key Lime Pie, made with a graham cracker crust, lime curd and salted vanilla meringue. You can place your order at bit.ly/banditpies2024, and pick up between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Bandit, 2662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. A very limited amount of pies will also be available for walk-up that day. banditcoffee.co.

The Pie Factory

Since 1990, this Largo spot has been slinging pies. It all started with the key lime pie, developed from a family recipe, and they have since expanded to offer a slew of other baked goods. The 20-plus pie options on the menu range from strawberry rhubarb and apple caramel nut to sweet potato and chocolate cream. Call 727-287-2080 for information about pre-ordering for Thanksgiving. Check out the drive-thru on the east side of the building for maximum pie pickup convenience. 12777 Walsingham Road, Largo; floridapiesandcakes.com.

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Explore all your optionsAlessi Bakery

A Tampa institution for more than 100 years, Alessi Bakery recently moved to a new location but is still serving up its specialties: pastries, Cuban sandwiches, scachatta pizza. They’ve also got whole pies, if you want to bring home a slice of Tampa history this Thanksgiving. Choose from a 9-inch cherry, apple, pecan or pumpkin variety. All online orders require a minimum of 24-48 hours. 2909 W. Cypress St., Tampa; 813-879-4544; alessibakery.com.

The PearlWater Street restaurant The Pearl is offering whole pies for Thanksgiving. [ Courtesy of The Pearl ]

Pro tip: Check with your favorite restaurants and see if they’re offering special pies for the holiday. One such spot is Water Street gastropub The Pearl, which is offering four pies that nod to the spot’s Ohio roots: brown sugar, creamy pumpkin, classic Dutch apple and buckeye. Call 813-709-7776 to place your order. Orders must be in by Nov. 20 for pickup on Nov. 22 at The Pearl. 823 Water St., Tampa; thepearlrestaurant.com.

Sweet Caroline’s

This Palm Harbor scratch bakery and cafe stocks pastries, bread and cakes, and also offers pies for Thanksgiving. Check their website, sweetcarolinesbakery.com, or call 727-781-1888 to order. Pie flavors include Dutch apple, pumpkin chiffon, traditional pumpkin, chocolate bourbon pecan, coconut cream and fresh fruit options. It’s best to get orders in by the Friday before Thanksgiving. 3347 Tampa Road, Palm Harbor.

Mike’s Pies

Pies from this Tampa-born bakery can be found all over the nation now, but the original spot opened in South Tampa in 1992. In 2020, Mike’s Pies moved into a new 53,000-square-foot facility to keep up with demand. Locals can check out the pies at a couple of retail locations: 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., Tampa; 100 Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs; and 14943 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. Pie options range from gluten-free key lime and southern pecan to a list of fruit varieties like apple crisp, blueberry and cherry. Seasonal options include sweet potato and pumpkin. They also stock a variety of cheesecakes. Thanksgiving pie orders must be placed by Nov. 15. To order a pie for local pickup, call 813-249-7437 or email jennifer@mikespies.com and specify the date you want to pick up. mikespies.com.

Pane Rustica

This South Tampa bakery gets in on the Thanksgiving dessert game with from-scratch pies made with a buttery crust. Flavors include pumpkin, cranberry blueberry, pecan and apple tart. Grab a loaf of the spot’s yummy sourdough or seven-grain bread while you’re picking up your pie. Call 813-902-8828 or email pane@panerusticabakery.com to order. 3225 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa; panerusticabakery.com.