As the leaves change and whispers of the winter cold creep in, it’s good to indulge in the trademarks of fall at its peak. In the spirit of the season, we toured a few Minneapolis pie hotspots to identify the best places to buy this fall treat.
Our first stop was McDonald’s where we ordered an apple pie and got a small, strudel-like pastry for a striking $1.06. It was served warm, and its strudel characteristics made it extremely convenient and mess free. However, it was relatively small and not made to be two servings, so we each got only a bite. In that one bite, the toasted crust added a pleasant crunch and the cinnamon-apple gooeyness in the middle was sweet and tasty. The apple chunks even tasted real! For its low price and on-the-go convenience, McDonald’s pie was surprisingly impressive and earned a two out of three rating.
The next stop on our pie tour was Dave the Pie Guy, located in South Minneapolis. In contrast to McDonald’s, our expectations walking in to the bakery were high considering it is a pie restaurant. While the building didn’t have great curb appeal, we were greeted by Dave himself along with the sweet smell of many pies the moment we walked in. The staff was very personable and we were served our pie on two separate plates without asking, as Dave assumed that we were splitting our slice. The pie was delicious, with a crumble crust, not too dry and paired perfectly with some classic vanilla ice cream. Dave was excited to share with us that his apple-streusel pie, sold for a solid $6.70, won a blue ribbon at the “Miss America of pie competitions all the way down in Florida.” The overall cozy feel of the place, friendly employees, and outstanding pie made Dave the Pie Guy our favorite pie place of the afternoon and merited a three out of three rating.
Our final destination was Perkins, where we ordered a single slice of apple pie for around $3. This was easily the worst pie we’d had all day. The crust was incredibly dry and the gooey middle was more slimy than anything else. While the other pies had counterbalanced their dry and wet textures, the Perkins pie failed to have any mix at all. The apple chunks were a bit too solid for enjoyment and the pie had an overall slightly nauseating affect. The fact that the Perkins workers didn’t seem to want to help us, even though we ordered a simple slice of pie, certainly didn’t improve our overall experience. Perkins received the lowest rating of the day, with a pitiful zero out of three.
Overall, through our afternoon of pie tasting, Dave’s apple-streusel pie at Dave the Pie Guy blew the other competitors out of the water for flavor, texture, customer service and overall experience. However, if you aren’t looking for a sit down experience or you’re running low on time but still want a taste of the season, head over to your nearest McDonald’s and you won’t be disappointed by the on-the-go treat. We encourage you to get out, eat some pie and enjoy the fall season while you still can! 
