Acme Pie Company — Local services in Arlington

I really wanted to like Acme's pies, but in the end, I feel like these bakers don't understand their medium and the kind of people who like to eat pie. First, they use vegetable shortening for their crusts, which is great for vegans. But for people reared on flaky crusts, butter or especially lard are the gold standard for a crispy, flaky crust. The crust was ok but not great--about what you would expect from a cafeteria pie or a Pillsbury rollout crust. It was the filling where these pies really went off the rails. Acme was kind enough to let me try the lemon chess in the store. It was nearly inedible--so overly saturated with nutmeg that it tasted like soap. I purchased 2 pies--a key lime with coconut and a sour cherry with a (non-vegan) crumble top. The key lime was the better of the two though I prefer a non-standard, less bitter filling. They definitely went hard for the lime zest! The cherry was, frankly, disappointing. The crumble top helped to salvage the vaguely greasy side crust, but the filling was unforgivable. In fairness to Acme, I ate this pie as a leftover, so it had been refrigerated overnight. But, unfortunately, that refrigeration gave up the game. (And frankly, it is a NORMAL thing to do, to eat leftover pie for breakfast.) There was precisely ONE CHERRY in the filling on a 2" slice. Further, the filling was so aggressively spiced that it tasted like a Christmas candle. I admire Acme's desire to turn pie-baking into an art form, as one employee explained to me when I called to inquire about their selection. The problem is, millions of bakers have already quietly done this in their home kitchens, with children and grandchildren, on special occasions and when the fruit comes in. Pie doesn't need to be complicated, and it doesn't need to be reinvented. Fruit pies should celebrate the fruit, and pie crusts should celebrate the skill of the baker. Less is more. These bakers are well-intentioned, and I want to support local businesses. But that cherry pie just made me sad...and miss my...

I ordered the sour cherry and pecan chocolate for Thanksgiving and was utterly disappointed. The cherry was filled with an almost gelatin concoction which I thought was rhubarb. If it wasn’t for the occasional whole cherry, I would have thought I received the wrong pie. The flavor was also heavy on nutmeg, perhaps cardamom. Certainly not the cherry pie my family was expecting. As for the pecan chocolate, the chocolate was entirely missing from the flavor and appearance. Everyone thought it was just a standard pecan pie. Overall, for the flavor options and price I was expecting more. I don’t believe I will purchase...

First time going to Acme Pie Company. It was a little hard to notice, as the sign didn't pop out from the street. Best thing to do is go past it and park in the parking lot on the left hand side and walk back up...if you get to the CVS, you've gone too far. There was a great assortment of pies, and ready to eat. We got a key lime pie...was hoping for a lemon chess pie, but they were out for the day. The person taking the order was extremely nice and accommodating. They even loaded up our bag with extra plates, forks, and a plastic knife so we could eat it at the park. Definitely will be getting repeat...