The Portland Bakery With The Best Slice Of Pie I've Ever Had

In the pressing debate between pie and cake, I'm firmly pro-cake. Good cake is much easier to find than good pie. But if everyone knew how to make pie like they do at Lauretta Jean's Pie Bakery in Portland, Oregon, then cakes would have a problem. I'm from Portland but currently live in Los Angeles. I can find decent pies here, although none of them made it to my list of favorite LA desserts. Every time I'm home in Portland, I stop at Lauretta Jean's and get a slice.

Most often, the slice I get is the Salted Honey pie. The crust is thick and flaky, and inside is a buttery honey custard. Flecks of Maldon salt on top cut through the sweetness. I like a rich dessert; my partner does not but returns for the fruit pies every time we're in town — she's often torn between a streusel topping and a pie topped with more of that flaky crust.

If the Salted Honey is sold out by the time I get there, I'm okay — everything else is still phenomenal. The cream pies and the seasonal fruit options are also worth the drive to Southeast Division Street. On my last trip I had a slice of Blueberry Victoria, which had a layer of thick, whipped cream, blueberry jam, and a layer of sponge cake. It was beautiful to see the pie and cake communities come together in one delicious crust.

I wasn't aware of Lauretta Jean's until it moved into its Southeast Division space in 2012. Before that, owner Kate McMillen was selling pies at the Portland Farmer's Market and had a small location on Southwest Pine. The space feels built for the fall — hardwood tables and shelves, glass cases loaded with baked goods, wallpaper with leaves and citrus, and multiple low light sources make it the right spot to duck into on a crisp Portland day to have a slice of pie and a mug of coffee.

My current home of Los Angeles has some great bakeries that I frequent. The rest of the baked goods at Lauretta Jean's would hold their own down here. I particularly love the quiche, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and unbelievably overstuffed cream puffs. I've eaten so much Salted Honey pie here that I'm amazed I've had room to try the rest of the menu. To-go pies are sent home in glass Pyrex (which we here at Mashed think is the best pie pan you can use). Returning the pan gives you a discount on the next pie. So many Portlanders take full pies home that the shop is having trouble sourcing more Pyrex. Until it finds more (or makes a connection with someone at the company), the bakers are using a metal tin that browns the crust just how they like it.