The Pie Hole — Restaurant in Burnaby

I must reluctantly give The Pie Hole 4 stars based on the fact that it is likely the best overall pie that can be purchased. It is not the best value for pies, which I would award to Krause Berry Farms.

While their pie may be the best store bought pie, I have had many non-store bought pies that exceed the quality of any store bought pies, including my own pies (by my own tastes at least). I'm not sure why even a freshly baked, purchased pie at $30 can't match homemade pies by amateurs, but there you have it. The shortcomings here, to my tastes at least, are that the filling is too sweet, and the crust has no chew to accompany the flake, especially the bottom crust which was almost cracker or cookie in consistency.

On the positive side, the crust is flaky and the filling is flavourful.

One last criticism is I ordered their pie from the website and then picked it up. When ordering online you rely on the pictures and the pie I selected seemed 3 inches thick and packed with filling. I thought $30 was expensive, but if it really did have that much filling it may be reasonable. When I received my pie it was of average size, and the filling was no more substantial than any other well made pie. Had I not been mislead by the photo, I may not have noticed, although I also may have deemed the pie too expensive to order at all.

Overall, if you are jonesing for a quality pie, you don't have the time or means to make one yourself, and you are OK spending $30 ($40 if you also buy ice cream there to complete the meal) - then this is the only real game in town. It is superior to grocery store pies, and you don't have to drive to Langley to get it.

I'll be back, and curse under my breath as I shell out $40 for my ice-cream...

I want to preface this by saying I had a pie delivered from the place, so I can't really comment on the atmosphere and service.

My wife brought me the 5 inch Reese's Peanut Butter pie, even explaining that the staff member who helped her said it was the best one they had. If that's the case, then I'd be incredibly wary of trying any other product they may offer.

The pie I received looked appetizing and was packed in a way that it wouldn't get wrecked in transport. That's about where the good ended. The whipped cream tasted like the stuff Dairy Queen uses, the pre made "whipped product" that comes in a see through plastic piping bag and never melts. The graham cracker crust was probably the hardest crust I've ever eaten. My spoon (I had to use a spoon since the pie was stuck in the tin it came in) couldn't even break the bottom of it without me using a ton of pressure. The cream cheese filling was airy, which was good, but there was zero peanut butter taste outside of the three quarter pieces of a peanut butter cup they put on the top for decoration. It was like eating a less sweet plain cheesecake. This leads me to believe that the pie was frozen for several days and then thawed out later, which is an absolutely awful thing to do to a cheesecake style product if you want it to retain any flavor.

For $14 before tax for a five inch pie I was expecting something great. It didn't have to be the best thing I've ever eaten, but I was expecting higher quality and taste than what I can get at a grocery store.

Save your money and try many of the other amazing dessert places in Burnaby and Vancouver. This...

I've bought about three large pies from the Pie Hole, along with a few smaller ones and a couple of miscellaneous items.

I have to admit that the quality can be a bit hit and miss. I decided to try them out due to their stellar reviews - and I do admit that some of their pies are decent (I enjoyed their pumpkin pie). Their staff has also been helpful, though I'd wish they would provide more info on the best way to prepare and eat their pies (instructions have been missing in the past).

I have unfortunately had a couple of very average pies and have found the quality of the crust or fillings to sometimes be sub-par, especially for the price. Most recently, I ordered the Birthday Pie, and was disappointed to find that the filling appeared to look quite different than what was advertised in promotional pictures. Normally I don't mind too much, but the amount of filling also seemed less than expected. Lastly, I found the crust a bit underwhelming (tough, maybe old or a little stale? Not sure).

I think this is a great local business and will probably try another pie again at some point in the future. In the meantime I have to admit I'm a bit...