As good as grandma's? Three of the best pies Indy area has to offer

Everyone has their own Thanksgiving traditions. For example, I like to start my Thanksgiving with a long jog and a light breakfast. Notably, the breakfast consists primarily of pie.

Look, if you’re going to go through the trouble of preparing the pies beforehand, why deny yourself a sneak peak at the fruits of your labor?

While the vast majority of pie I’ve eaten on Thanksgiving is prepared by a member of my family, I’m not so naïve to think other places can’t whip up a mean apple or pecan. I recently sampled a slew of pies in and around Indianapolis so I could tell people, like IndyStar readers, where to find a worthwhile slice this holiday season.

You really can’t go wrong ordering pie at any eatery in Indy, but the treats at these venues stand above the rest in my estimation.

My Sugar Pie's pumpkin praline pie

40 E. Pine St., Zionsville

Hunks of pecan nestle into little valleys of crystalline brown sugar atop classic pumpkin pie filling. Even doused in sugar, the pecans are hearty and just as savory as they are sweet. After your fork glides through the pumpkin, the bottom crust flakes apart into soft, buttery sheets.

As I struggled not to inhale my slice, I tried to determine what food the pie reminded me of. Aromas of toasted nuts, caramelized brown sugar and mildly spiced pumpkin filling comingle in your nose and give the pie a flavor akin to barbecue, if only for a split second. If that sounds off-putting to you, I pity your taste buds. This pie is sweet, savory, faintly smoky and far greater than the sum of its parts. On a holiday often teeming with uncomfortable discussions, this mashup of two classic pies can be a rare, shining example of harmony and cooperation at the Thanksgiving table.

Ralph’s Great Divide's slice of the day

743 E. New York St.

You might not expect to find a great slice of pie on a menu that features a dish called hot pot pig, but that’s part of the Great Divide’s charm. The cozy tavern dishes out daily pie slices for around $5, and I encourage you to save room next time you’re on the east side of downtown.

The day I visited, coconut cream was the special. The Great Divide’s take on the classic pie is a towering heap of cream and whipped topping adorned with shreds of toasted coconut. Appearance is a mere fraction of the culinary experience, but there’s an undeniable joy in watching a server set a cartoonishly large piece of pie in front of you.

The crust is tender, buttery and perhaps the best of any pie I sampled. I suppose it helps when the dough is saturated by the miniature skyscraper of sugar and fat on top of it.

Tiny pockets of air perforate the luxuriant coconut cream, making for mouthfuls that are airy yet rich. Brambles of interwoven coconut shreds add chewiness and nuttiness to the mountain of fluff. It’s like this pie was engineered as the perfect counter to a greasy sandwich.

You can keep your celery sticks and water crackers. I’ve found my ideal palate cleanser.

Pots and Pans Pie Co.'s sweet potato pie

4915 N. College Ave.

I’ve eaten a lot of excellent pie this November, but only one slice made me pause and furrow my brow in deep concentration as if I were trying to solve an ancient riddle. There’s so much to enjoy in Pots and Pans’ sweet potato pie, from the crackery crown of golden crust to the featherlight pecan pralines that instantly crumble in your mouth.

The filling feels and tastes like the best kind of sweet potato — the one that spends a smidge too much time in the oven, turning delightfully soft and a touch sweeter than you expect. Despite the small mosaic of caramelized sugar atop the pie, the relatively rustic filling refuses to be outshined.

Still, the best bite includes a heap of the toasted marshmallow meringue. Lines of rich caramel color slalom across the pristine white meringue where its upraised ridges caught the brunt of the heat. Listen closely as you rake your fork through the marshmallow fluff, and you’ll hear hundreds of minuscule bubbles foaming like little waves. Everything about this pie feels meticulously crafted, and the topping is no exception.

Pie is practically synonymous with family and nostalgia, so even the best bakery in Indianapolis might not measure up to your grandmother’s kitchen. Still, whether you won’t be around your go-to pie provider this holiday season or you just want to try something new, you don’t have to journey over the river and through the woods.

Of course, if you feel like you need a specific reason to eat good pie, you might be beyond my help.

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter @bradleyhohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: On National Pie Day, try one of the best pies Indianapolis has to offer