Pie a la Road: Central Montana’s Pie Trail

1. Spud’s Café, Chester

My visit to Spud’s Cafe in Chester reminds me that if I really want a piece of pie I may need to call ahead. There were five of us in our group that stopped in to Spud’s on a weekday afternoon. We soon found out that there was only one piece of peach pie in the cooler. We ordered it along with five forks. A sharp-eyed member of our group scanned the menu and discovered that Spud’s also serves homemade fry bread, a treat with Native American origins. An order for fry bread was placed and soon a hot, fresh piece was delivered with both butter and honey. My advice - if you get to Spud’s on a day without pie, go for the fry bread. It was awesome! More

2. Log Cabin Cafe, Choteau

The challenge at the Log Cabin is choosing what kind of pie you want. The day I stopped they had 16 different kinds of pie along with four different cheesecakes. The waitress said their most popular pie was peanut butter cream, followed by strawberry rhubarb. I was tempted with both of those but instead chose mudslide pie which was a whipped chocolate cream with a graham cracker and oreo crust. I loved it! My friend had tripleberry pie and it looked delicious. The Log Cabin has a warm, homey feel with a varnished log interior, wagon wheel accents, and there is one handmade wooden table that even has a Singer sewing machine base.

3. Home Cafe, Conrad

This local cafe was opened in 1958 by the current owner’s parents. It is still in the same location and has the same booths although they have put a small addition on the facility. I had my choice of strawberry pie, cherry berry crunch pie and sour cream lemon. My choice - sour cream lemon which was perfect for a warm summer day! I was also able to visit with the owner to learn the history of the restaurant. His wife bakes the pies and she is also a quilt maker. Several quilts were hanging in the cafe and he said she changes them out seasonally. More

4. Shade Tree Cafe, Denton

I happened by the Shade Tree just by accident. Denton is the turnaround point for the Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner train and I was meeting a passenger who would deboard the train at the halfway point of the ride that day. The Shade Tree looked so inviting with beautiful pots of flowers outside. As I walked into the cafe my eyes went to the pie menu on the wall where I saw sour cream raisin, cherry, rhubarb and walnut pies listed. Walnut pie sounded so good. I explained to the waitress, who was also the cook and owner, that I was in a hurry but since we were developing a pie trail I’d sure like a piece of walnut pie and a little bit of ice cream to go with it. She said that was her first time to make walnut pie and she felt it wasn’t thick enough, the crust wasn’t her best, etc. Let me tell you - that pie was awesome! She found a winner in that recipe and I hope she keeps making it. I’ll be back! More

5. Cozy Corner Cafe, Fairfield

I had eaten lunch before at the Cozy Corner but had never had their pie. A friendly waitress greeted me and said they had tripleberry, peanut butter, red raspberry and peach. My choice was tripleberry but, by time the waitress got to the cooler to get the pie, someone else ordered it and the last piece was gone. She felt so bad and went to talk with the owner. I was soon invited back to the spotlessly clean kitchen by the owner to watch my personal tripleberry creation being made! I learned that they make their own pie crust and she had one in the freezer. They also make their own fillings from scratch, even their pudding fillings. The owner said she could have a piece of tripleberry pie for me in about 15 minutes. A mixer was started to whip cream for the topping, the crust was put in the oven to bake and filling was readied. I soon realized that the Cozy Corner was busy catering an all class reunion that evening and lots of people were in town. No worries from the owner or the waitress - they were incredibly accommodating and I thoroughly enjoyed my fresh made tripleberry pie with a layer of vanilla pudding and homemade whipped cream on top. The same folks own the Golden Harvest Cafe in Dutton and you’ll find tempting pies there too. More

6. Wake Cup Coffeehouse, Fort Benton

Fort Benton’s Wake Cup Coffee House & Restaurant has joined Central Montana’s Pie a la Road, a 19-location pie trail that weaves through 13 counties. Located in the historic Culbertson House on Front Street in Fort Benton, the Wake Cup faces the river levee and the Missouri River. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served along with specialty coffee drinks, teas, wine and beer. More

7. Little Montana Truckstop, Grass Range

When I walked in to the Little Montana Cafe the first thing I saw was a cute sign that said “Pie Fixes Everything”. After scanning the handwritten pie list of the day I ordered peach pie. I have told this story several times - I wish I would have had a ruler to measure just how thick that peach pie was. Fresh peaches, an egg wash on an oh-so-flaky crust and a generous portion were thoughts that made my notes. I’ve heard from some people that they always pre-order an entire pie to go when they are driving through Grass Range. That’s a good idea to remember! Nothing is fancy here, just good homemade food and yummy pie. More

8. Double Barrel Coffee House Café, Great Falls

I’ve eaten a lot of varieties of pie as Central Montana’s Pie a la Road pie trail has developed but I had never heard of sugar cream pie. There were other kinds available but I was intrigued by this new one and opted for cranberry sugar cream pie. If you're not into pie, then order up some of their sweet and savory homemade biscuits. The menu is extensive so if the baked goods don't tempt you then try a burger, breakfast burrito or even a salad. More

9. Family Affair Restaurant, Great Falls

Owned and operated by two sisters and their mother (the pie baker), this is another out-of-the-way gem. A small breakfast and lunch only restaurant, you can order breakfast all day but I highly recommend working in a piece of pie, perhaps after a bowl of their homemade soup. My choice here was difficult. I really wanted to try their lemon meringue pie because of the “mile-high” meringue. Well, it wasn’t mile high but it would take a lot of talent to make meringue that tall. I selected huckleberry pie because I hadn’t had that anywhere on my pie trail research. Oh my! Wonderful huckleberry flavor, a supremely flaky crust and the following story to go with it. The tiny Mom bakes all the desserts and when she makes pie she rolls out 32 pie crusts at a time! Other dessert specialties she makes are bread pudding with rum sauce and cinnamon rolls. Her energy level amazed me and I will be back to sample that lemon meringue pie. More

10. Roadhouse Diner, Great Falls

Roadhouse Diner is known for several things – their amazing and unique burgers, delicious fries, large portions, fun location. You get a lot of food in that burger but the novelty is really the combinations and names of the burgers. I’ve never had red hots on a burger before, nor peanut butter and jelly on a burger…and the list could go on with unique burger toppings. Part of the menu changes with limited offerings of specialty burgers and it’s fun just to see the names and toppings they come up with. More

11. The Lunch Box, Havre

Downtown Havre’s Lunch Box restaurant had some unique pie offerings the day I was there. I chose turtle pumpkin but it was a difficult choice between banana cream and peaches and cream. Their pie crust recipe is three generations old. Let me tell you about my pie selection - there were pecans on the bottom graham cracker crust, then whipped pumpkin mousse topped with whipped cream and pecans. Oh yeah, I ate it all! The Lunch Box has homemade bread and soups made from scratch daily and the menu has over 70 sandwich choices. More

12. Wolfer’s Diner, Havre

This 50’s style diner is probably best known for burgers, fries and milkshakes but I was in search of their homemade pie. My choice - peach with a crumb topping. The bottom crust was good, the peaches were fresh and I loved the crumb topping. Other pies on the menu the day I was there included tripleberry, apple, rhubarb and blueberry. I’d love to take my granddaughters to Wolfer’s because they serve kids meals in a cardboard 50’s style car. Fun decor and a diverse menu make it a good stop. One local businessman said he had to eat at Wolfer’s at least once a week! More

13. Tall Boys Tavern, Hobson

Homemade pies are now on the menu at Tall Boys Tavern in Hobson. This local gathering place touts Montana-made items. The dining menu includes steaks, burgers, soups and more. There are only a couple pies available each day, but blueberry peach or cran-apple were the selections on a particular day and they were beautiful and yummy! More

14. Brooks Market and Deli, Lewistown

I knew I’d have a difficult choice to make when I walked in to Brooks Market & Deli and saw six kinds of pie on the daily menu. Would it be cherry, mixed berry, peach, strawberry rhubarb, Dutch apple or Marionberry? I had recently watched my neighbor’s rhubarb plant growing taller and taller and I had visions of those ruby red stalks baked inside a flaky pie crust. My choice of pie at Brooks Market was strawberry rhubarb. More

15. Ma’s Cafe, Loma

I knew I’d find good homemade pie at Ma’s because I’ve eaten there quite a few times. The day I stopped at Ma’s they had peach (with lattice top and red hots), sour cream raisin, apple, coconut cream and peanut butter chocolate. I was tempted by the coconut cream but the waiter said sour cream raisin was his favorite. That helped make my decision! It was super thick sour cream raisin, very filling and delicious. Pies, cakes and cinnamon rolls at Ma’s are all homemade along with monster-sized cookies. The full service restaurant also has dinner specials and themed dinner nights. More

16. Crazy Mountain Inn, Martinsdale

This turn of the century restaurant and inn was once selected as having the best pie in the state by Montana Magazine! Sour cream lemon is my all time favorite here and that is always what I order. In fact, I’ve never tried any other pie there. The restaurant has also been awarded “world’s best chicken fried steak” by Esquire Magazine. Everything is homemade and many ingredients are grown out back in the garden. Martinsdale may be a tiny town in an out-of-the-way location but it’s worth the drive. More

17. The Griddle Restaurant, Shelby

The Griddle Restaurant has started offering a few pie selections to go along with their tasty menu. With a variety like peach, lemon merigue and coconut cream, you should be able to find a pie for anyone's tastebuds. The Griddle is located on Shelby’s Main Street in the middle of several locally owned stores. Iconic neon signs line the street giving the town a homey and fun vibe. More

18. Branding Iron Café, White Sulphur Springs

Central Montana’s Pie a la Road (pie trail) welcomed the Branding Iron Cafe in White Sulphur Springs to the trail. Pie a la Road features locally owned restaurants and I’ve discovered that many of them (including the Branding Iron) are located in small rural communities like White Sulphur Springs. The list of pies can change but on a particular day the choices could be chocolate cream, banana cream, lemon meringue, coconut cream, cherry, blueberry, apple, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb and pecan. The Branding Iron is open year round from 6:30am to 8:30pm so stop on by and leave room for pie! More