Pie in Palo Alto

Palo Alto's best-known pie comes from a diner that has been baking on Emerson Street since 1923. Around it you can find French holiday tarts downtown, fruit tarts by the slice at a mall boulangerie and a weekly-rotating chain in Mountain View that sometimes puts mini pies on the menu. Pie in this town is a holiday business above all, so this guide also covers how to plan Thanksgiving and December orders.

Prices and menus come from each bakery's own website in late October and early November 2026. For cakes, see our custom cakes guide.

Pie at a glance

American pie or French tart?

The two traditions look alike in a bakery case but eat differently.

• American pie uses a flaky, buttery crust in a deep dish, often with a top crust or a crumb topping. Fruit fillings are generous and juicy. Cream pies use a cookie or graham crust filled with custard and whipped cream.
• French tart uses a shallow, crisp, sweet pastry called pâte sucrée, often lined with almond cream. The fruit sits on top under a glaze. Slices are thinner and neater.
• Galette is a free-form tart folded at the edges, rustic and quick to bake at home.

For a traditional Thanksgiving table, the Creamery's American pies are the closer match. For a dinner party, a French tart cuts cleanly and travels well.

Palo Alto Creamery: the pie counter

The Palo Alto Creamery makes everything from scratch in its own bakery. Pie runs through its menu. By the slice, fresh-baked pies cost $9.25 and rotate among apple, chocolate pecan, cherry crumb and blueberry. Cream pies are also $9.25 a slice: banana cream with vanilla custard and white chocolate in a graham crust, chocolate cream in a chocolate graham crust and key lime. Order any slice a la mode with the Creamery's ice cream.

Whole pies take most of the holiday orders. The menu lists apple, blueberry, lemon meringue and seasonal mixed berry at $49. Cherry crumb, chocolate cream, banana cream, key lime and chocolate pecan cost $46. Seasonal pies at $46 include peach, strawberry rhubarb and pumpkin. Every whole pie comes in a glass plate with an $8 deposit, refunded when you bring the plate back. In early November 2026 the Creamery's home page carried a banner telling customers to order holiday pies and cakes now.

Savory pie fans should know about the turkey pot pie on the dinner menu, $24.50, with turkey breast, cream sauce and vegetables under a flaky crust. The Creamery is open daily from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., or 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

French tarts for the holidays

Mademoiselle Colette opened its Thanksgiving pre-orders on October 26, 2026. The holiday list has three tarts, each sold individually or in a size that serves 6 to 8:

• Pumpkin tart with vanilla caramel and a sour cream whipped ganache.
• Pecan tart with maple, silky vanilla caramel and caramelized pecans.
• Apple tart, which the bakery calls its classic apple pie, with Granny Smith apples, cinnamon crumble and vanilla whipped ganache.

The list adds a pumpkin spice Basque cheesecake, a pumpkin cake, a pecan and maple cake and a Fall Harvest sourdough loaf. Allergen notes are posted with each item; several contain fish gelatin, which matters for vegetarian guests. Outside the holidays, its year-round lime and raspberry tarts serve 6 to 8 and can be ready the next day.

La Baguette: tarts by the piece

La Baguette at Stanford Shopping Center sells individual 4-inch tarts: apple, peach and pear with almond cream at $8.50, key lime at $8.50 and fresh fruit or raspberry at $9.50. A 3-inch strawberry chocolate tart is $10. For a table, a 7-inch apple tart, a large fresh fruit tart and a 10-inch strip tarte aux pommes, which must be ordered ahead, cover six or more. The bakery opens at 8 a.m. daily and closes at 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Nearby

• Woodside Bakery and Cafe, Menlo Park. The European-style bakery at 325 Sharon Park Drive, family owned since 1981, lists pies among its specialties and takes advance orders by phone at 650-854-6207. Call to ask about its holiday list.
• Crumbl, Mountain View. The cookie chain at 660B San Antonio Road says its weekly rotating menu ranges from cookies to mini pies and cakes. What is on offer changes each week, so check the app.

Planning a Thanksgiving 2026 pie order

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Pie is the one thing nobody wants to bake on Wednesday night, so bakery order windows fill fast.

1. Order by mid-November. Pre-orders often close a week or more before the holiday or when a bakery hits capacity.
2. Pick up on Tuesday or Wednesday. Fruit pies keep a day or two at room temperature. Cream and pumpkin pies go in the refrigerator.
3. Plan one pie for 8. A standard pie cuts into 8 slices. For a mixed dessert table, one pie for every 10 to 12 guests is enough.
4. Return the plate. The Creamery refunds its $8 deposit when you bring back the glass plate.
5. Check closures. Many bakeries close on Thanksgiving Day itself. Our Thanksgiving weekend guide covers what is open.

Our Thanksgiving in Palo Alto page covers the turkey trot and restaurant dinners.

Baking your own

If you would rather bake, the downtown Saturday and California Avenue Sunday farmers markets sell seasonal fruit through the fall. Our farmers markets guide has times. For pans, rolling pins and pie weights, see our kitchenware guide.

Storing and serving pie

• Fruit pies keep loosely covered at room temperature for a day or two. Warm slices at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
• Cream, custard and pumpkin pies must stay refrigerated and are best within two or three days.
• Meringue weeps in the fridge. Serve lemon meringue the day you pick it up.
• Freezing works for baked fruit pies, wrapped well, for a few weeks. Thaw at room temperature and crisp in the oven.

Dietary notes

Pie crusts are made with wheat flour and usually butter, so standard pies are neither gluten-free nor vegan. Pecan, almond cream and frangipane fillings contain nuts. Gelatin turns up in some whipped toppings and mousse-style fillings, which matters for vegetarian guests, so read the allergen notes or ask. For gluten-free baked goods, see our gluten-free guide.

Frequently asked questions