The Ultimate Pie Shop Road Trip In North Dakota Is As Charming As It Is Sweet
By Tori Jane|Published July 11, 2022
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
If there’s anything most folks these days can agree on, it’s this: pie is pretty magical. It comes in hundreds of possible flavors, and even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you’ll find a pie to love (pizza pie, anyone? Try our North Dakota pizza shop road trip!). Our love of pie is the reason we went ahead and put together this deliciously delectable pie shop road trip in North Dakota; we’ve found some of the most beloved, top-rated bakeries in the entire state and put them all together in this handy little road trip just for you. It totals 489 miles, and drive time is about seven hours and 45 minutes – though, of course, you’ll definitely want to make stops along the official route, which you can find on Google Maps.
Our first stop takes us to Family Bakery and Restaurant, in Mandan. If the rave reviews express anything, it's that this little hole-in-the-wall serves up some of the best pie in North Dakota. It doesn't look like a whole lot from the outside, but don't be fooled - within those walls, there lies some of the tastiest pie you'll probably ever have. You can't miss it.
Up next we depart for a long drive to Hunter, North Dakota, where we'll check out Hunter Cafe and Bakery. You've got to believe us when we say this is seriously the best pie in the area - maybe even the best pie on this road trip! Can't-miss selections include strawberry rhubarb pie, lemon meringue pie, pumpkin pie, and so many more. "Yum" doesn't even begin to cover it.
Our third pie shop stop is none other than Deaner's Diner, a to-die-for mom-and-pop joint with a sense of humor and a pie menu to die for. Here, you'll indulge in pie flavors both classic and modern, and you won't regret a moment of it. The only thing you WILL regret is if you fail to bring any home with you; that would surely be a tragedy, and we can't have that, so better grab a few, just to be safe.
Our next stop brings us to a place you might never expect: a little travel stop in Tower City. Tower Travel Center truly has some of the hands-down greatest pie in North Dakota - if not the entire northern Midwest. We're so certain Tower Travel Center has the best pie in North Dakota that we've featured it before!
Finally, we end our adventure at a delightful little German mom-and-pop restaurant called Fried's Family Restaurant. The entrees and the pies here are worth the trip out, and we definitely think you'll be as hopelessly obsessed as we are once you've tried it.