A non-exhaustive list of pies to try in Manila

When Filipinos think of pies, the first thing that comes to mind are fast food fried pockets of dough filled with fruit. While those pies are still delicious, nothing beats homemade. These pies are made-to-order, handmade and baked fresh by home bakers that have turned their passion into a quarantine business. Better yet? Getting a box of these bakes requires zero baking skills. 

Hey Pie People

Photo courtesy of Hey Pie People/Instagram

Sagan’s personal Instagram page is a pie trap. A mom of three, her pie experiments shared equal billing with her twins.

Her pies’ crusts are golden, flaky, but not to the point of crumbling to touch. The filling, although thin for the calamansi caramel pie, looked every bit luscious. The chocolate pudding pie was altogether a different story. The filling was—in Gen Z speak—“thicc AF,” overflowing even, the kind you’d want to charge face first to devour. Herring, the baker whom I entrusted to fulfill all my sweet carb needs, gave it a glowing endorsement: “This is the best pie I have EVER had!” 

Casa Luisa

Mangoes are easily the most accessible and prized local fruit so it makes sense that a Filipino-made pie should star it. But Casa Luisa in San Pedro, Laguna takes it up a notch by adding queso de bola and kesong puti to it. To round it all off, it is infused with sampaguita for that floral undertone. Juicy chunks of ripe mango layered atop a rich cheese mousse are nestled in flaky, buttered crust and finished with grated queso de bola and fresh kesong puti. 

Apo Baking Society x BWB Kitchen

@nolisoli.ph This one’s for chocolate lovers out there 🍫🥧 #fypシ #foryou #tiktokph #nolisoliph #desserttok ♬ Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) – MUNA

Another contender in the flaky crust category is this collaboration between Quezon City-based bakers. Expect classic pie flavors like chocolate and cream, lemon meringue, lime, and pecan from this duo, because you can never go wrong with them, TBH.

Casa Plana by Secret Passion

Casa Plana only has one pie on the menu, and that’s their apple crumble pie. They’ve been baking since 2007, so they have a long list of loyal fans that line up for a box of these delicious pies. Each pie is layered with chunks of fresh apples stewed in cinnamon sugar and topped with a sweet and salty crumb topping. If you’re not one for pies, this might be the slice that changes your mind. 

You can place your orders through their Instagram

Mrs. Makes

Fans of New York’s famous Milk Bar, this pie is for you. Mrs. Makes serves up a local incarnation of the dessert bar’s famed pie that’s ready for delivery. Just like their namesake, these crack pies are made with an oatmeal cookie crust and a sweet custard filling. They also have three flavors to choose from. The OG, which is the classic crack pie, the nutcracker, which has a nutella infused custard and the caramelt, which has a salted caramel custard topped with dark chocolate shavings. 

You can place your orders through their Instagram

The Manila Baker

If you like sitting by a fire and making toasty s’mores, this pie is worth a try. The Manila Baker’s campfire pie is the pastry version of the beloved camping snack. Each pie is made from a graham cracker crust, filled with two layers of milk and dark chocolate and topped off with a toasted marshmallow layer. You’ll be transported fireside with every bite. 

You can place your orders through their Instagram

This story was originally published on September 2020

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