Culinary Trails
Hoosier Pie Trail
Indiana's contribution to the nation's pie mythology is sugar cream. Nowhere else will you find this deceptively simple, almost translucent pie gracing menus, bake shops and supermarkets all over the landscape. We might take our creamy, clear, melt-in your mouth pie for granted, but the taste is a revelation to foodies from other regions where chess, Osgood and shoo fly pies prevail. Sugar cream, or Hoosier Pie, is Indiana's come-home-to dessert, with cream pies and blackberry cobbler tying second place for local flavor. Fresh top quality ingredients are important, and recipes passed down as family heirlooms have slight differences. A few of these recipes have been shared, others are still a closely guarded secret.
You can find a Hoosier pie or other homemade fruit or cream pies at these local bakeries and restaurants in Indiana.
We recommend that you use an Internet mapping service for the detailed directions you might need to find the recommended restaurants and businesses.
Click here to download a PDF file of the trail information.
Apple Hill Orchard
6235 N. Ford Road 812-324-9010
(Highway 41 N. in Knox County)
Bruceville, IN 47516
Karen Black bakes her pies, tarts, breads and doughnuts in the huge open kitchen at Apple Hill Orchard's airy log lodge. She uses the Orchard's peaches, apples, cherries and blueberries to make full-sized and mini pies that can be eaten on site or taken home and savored later. In the center of the orchard, the lodge crowns the top of a hill and provides a commanding panoramic view front the wide front porch. Karen also uses her produce to make preserves and jellies, and fresh produce is for sale along with the cider made on site. Of course, there is ice cream for peach milkshakes and to cozy up on the plate with a slice of pie. Open July 5-December 23, Mon.-Thu. 9 am-6 pm, Fri.-Sat. 9 am-7 pm. Closed Sundays.
Mrs.Wick's Pies
100 Cherry St. 765-584-7437
Winchester, IN 47394
Mrs. Wick's is the cozy home-style bakery and restaurant next to the Wick's Pies factory in Winchester. Mike Wickersham's father began the pie company in 1944, and his mom opened Mrs. Wick's 20 years ago to showcase more than 32 varieties of handmade pies baked on the premises and offer them the way pie should be served – with a scoop of ice cream. Today the extensive menu includes breakfast, lunch and dinner specialties, but you can still get a slice of freshly baked pie with ice cream for around $3.00, and you can take home perfect pies, "seconds," pot pies and noodles at the factory discount. Wick's patented sugar cream pie, along with pecan and German chocolate pies are carried in the freezer sections of most supermarkets in Indiana. Factory tours are offered on Wed. and Thu. in April, May and June, and Mon.-Fri. in September and October. The restaurant is open Mon.-Fri. 6 am-7 pm, Sat. 6 am-2 pm.
The Attic and Coffee Mill Cafe
631 W. Main St. 812-265-5781
Madison, IN 47250 http://www.atticmadison.com
Judy George's pleasant café has a signature pie – Dutch apple with caramel icing – that makes it harder to choose the very good key lime and Hoosier pies under glass on the counter, so you will have to stop more than once. Her famous pimiento cheese sandwich joins fresh main dish salads, soups, wraps and paninis on the inventive menu, and an array of specialty coffees and teas are offered as well. A small culinary shop at the back of the café features Midwest and Indiana specialty food products to take home. Open Mon. - Sat. 11 am - 2 pm.
Café D'Lish
620 W. Kirkwood Ave. 812-334-2233
Bloomington, IN 47404
Chef Randy Grohe uses his grandmother's recipes as a springboard for the home-style comfort foods like brisket, meatloaf and chicken and dumplings at Café D'Lish where the motto is "celebrate traditions." The traditions include peanut butter pie and generous fruit cobblers, Randy's Hash, biscuits and gravy and that really unique Bloomington specialty: fried pork brains. The stuffed French toast, California-style eggs benedict and quiche are more eclectic, but just as carefully prepared. The café fills all of the rooms in this older roadside home that offers outdoor seating in warm weather. Open Sunday-Thu. 7 am-3 pm, Fri.-Sat. 7 am-8 pm.
TripleXXX Family Restaurant
2 N. Salisbury St. 765-743-5373
West Lafayette, IN 47906 http://www.triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com
Triple XXX is thought to be the oldest drive-in in Indiana and is located "on the Hill" near Purdue’s campus. This Purdue favorite started life as a root beer stand, serving the famous Triple XXX Root Beer in 1929, and part of the original structure is still in use today. Beloved menu items include buttermilk biscuits and gravy made with local sausage, the 100% sirloin chopped steak sandwiches, the hand-cut pork LeRoy Tenderloin, spicy curly fries and the flaky-crusted fruit- stuffed pies baked on the premises. Retro counter seating gives customers a ring-side view of the prep area and grills. Full breakfast menu, kids menu, ice cream and dinner platters also are available. Open 24 hours, Monday through Saturday.
Clay's Family Restaurant
7815 N. Old Highway 27 260-833-1332
Fremont, IN 46737
If you are driving up I-69, don't leave Indiana without stopping at Clay's, just south of the Michigan border on Lake George. Clay's famous fish dinner is $5.99 with two sides and a roll, but spring for the made-to-order fried biscuits to share and save room for the "made in-house from scratch" pies. We liked the rhubarb and peach, but are told by locals that the Oops! Pie, a warm pecan-chocolate chip dessert, is Clay's signature. Clay's is an all-family establishment, with sons and daughters managing and serving. One of the waitress's sister, Chass Baker makes the tender shortcrust pies daily. Open Tues.-Fri. 11 am-8 pm, Sat. 8 am-8 pm,
Sun. 8 am-3 pm.
Lelli's Hatchery
118 S. Elizabeth 260-665-9957
Angola, IN 46703
Upscale dining on the site of a 1930s chicken hatchery; the building Lelli's is housed in was built prior to 1870. The award-winning restaurant features a scampi recipe from John Lelli's father's restaurant in Detroit and is known for great seafood and pasta, Motor City ribs and the Hatchery classic prime rib. Cedar planked duck, grilled quail and very reasonably priced gourmet sandwiches round out the menu. Lelli's is well known for its homemade pies, so save room for dessert. Open Mon.-Thu. 5-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-10 p.m.
Cindy's Diner
Corner of Wayne & Harrison 260-422-1957
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
John Scheele bought this classic 1952 diner as a Mother's Day present for his wife Cindy, and they restored it in 1990. Their motto is "feeding the world 15 people at a time" - that's the number of stools at the red counter. Breakfast is served all day and John says that Garbage is the #1 order for lunch. Garbage is Cindy's name for a hearty blend of eggs potatoes, cheese, onion and ham served with excellent raisin, sourdough or wheat toast. Cadillac coffee is served, along with cherry and vanilla cokes, root beer floats and shakes. Besides the full breakfast menu, sandwiches, sides and soup round out the menu. John makes pies several times a week (rhubarb is a favorite) and the Murphy's Dime Store donut machine keeps rolling those fresh cake donuts out, to be topped with maple or chocolate icing.
Open Mon. - Sat. 6 am - 2 pm. Sun. 7 am - 2 pm.
Nick's Kitchen
506 N. Jefferson 260-356-6618
Huntington, IN 46750 http://nickskitchen.net
Home of the breaded pork tenderloin since 1908, this downtown diner is filled with friendly local regulars from 6 am to 2 pm daily. Owner Jean Anne Bailey bakes all the pies and marinates the giant tenderloins overnight to give them their famous juicy tenderness. This is the starting place of our tenderloin trail, since Nick's claims the honor of serving the first breaded pork tenderloin sandwich from a street cart in downtown Huntington. Business was soon good enough to move into a fine brick building on Jefferson Street, and Nick's has been at its cozy location ever since. Sugar cream and black raspberry pie are dessert favorites, and sausage gravy is served over biscuits or potatoes on an extensive breakfast menu that also features Belgian waffles. Very reasonably priced sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped milkshakes round out the lunch menu. The ½ pound Quayle Burger, named after former Vice President Dan Quayle, with fries is the most expensive menu item at $7.95. Open Mon.- Sat. 6 am - 2 pm.
Johnny's
26 Riverside Drive 260-356-5129
Huntington, IN 46750
Johnny's has been a family dining landmark in downtown Huntington since 1948. The little fieldstone building houses a revolving pie case that shows off a variety of homemade pies. Old-fashioned pie, Toll House pie, peach crumble and chocolate silk pie are just a few of the local favorites, so save room for dessert!
Open Mon.-Sat. 11 am - 2 pm for lunch and 4 pm - 9 pm, or until 11 pm on Fri. and Sat. Sunday 4-8 pm.
The Hostess House
723 W. Fourth St. 765-664-3755
Marion, IN 46952
This 1912 Georgian Revival mansion is the historic treasure of downtown Marion. Designed by a talented local African-American architect who was the son of a slave, the pillared mansion is a mini-mall of shops, museum displays and beautiful dining rooms. The food is as renowned as the history, with poppy-seed bread, an outstanding fruited chicken salad, and butterscotch and lemon meringue pies taking pride of place. Homemade soups, salads, steamed vegetables and sandwiches are always available, and specials, such as roast pork loin, make the most of local seasonal foods. Open weekdays 11 am to 1:30 pm for lunch only. Shops are open Mon.-Fri. 10 am-4 pm. Reservations encouraged
Concannon's Pastry Shop
620 N. Walnut St. 765-288-8551
Muncie, IN 47305
Pies, cakes, cookies, candy and pastries …did we mention pies? Mike Concannon's glittering bakery across from Muncie Central High School is filled with temptation from the signature chocolate crème filled cake to turnovers and caramel corn. Fresh bread and doughnuts, cookies, lemon streusel cake and sugar cream pies, oh, my! Concannon's has been family-owned since 1959 and is a sweet Muncie tradition. Open Mon.-Fri. 5:30 am-5:30 pm, Sat. 5:30 am-5 pm.
Cabbage Rose Eatery
118 N. Pendleton Ave. 765-778-1944
Pendleton, IN 46064
The rooms of a Victorian house in downtown Pendleton have been turned into a bustling lunch and tea room, filled with shoppers enjoying strawberry tea, cashew chicken salad, whole wheat croissants and heavenly chicken velvet soup. You can even eat on the front porch if the weather permits. Beth and Gary Yeary own the Rose, and a young pastry chef named Chrystin Adams makes the wide range of desserts that the restaurant is noted for. Coconut cream pie is the signature dessert, but bread pudding, caramel yummies and lemon cakes are among the seasonal specials. Open for lunch only, Mon. - Sat. 11 am - 2:30 pm.
Lisa's Pie Shop
5995 Highway 31 317-758-6944
Atlanta, IN 46031
Lisa bakes her award-winning handmade pies daily in the little tan shop beside the highway. She makes a great sugar creme pie from a secret recipe, but her rhubarb and fruit pies are favorites, too. Pick up a "Pie in a Jar" for gift-giving or for opening after your fresh pie has been gobbled up. You'll need to take these pies home, since there is no dining area at Lisa's, and you might want to visit early in the day for best selection. Open Tues.10 am-6 pm, Wed.-Fri. 8 am-6 pm, Sat. 10 am-5 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Highway 38 Diner
350 W. State Road 38 765-521-2877
New Castle, IN 47362
This is a gem of a roadside Hoosier diner, housed in an unassuming tan brick building on Highway 38. Open the door, and the sunny yellow walls and regular diners will offer a hearty greeting. Choose between smoking or non-smoking dining rooms, decorated with glamour shots of classic sports cars and find a booth. The daily specials are posted, and include chicken and noodles on Thursdays, chicken and dumplings on Fridays, and pan-fried chicken on Fridays and Sundays. The diner bills itself as the home of the mile high burger, and the classic breaded tenderloin, served with homemade potato chips. Lots of homemade side dishes and a full breakfast menu that includes fried mush, oatmeal and the "Working Man Special" (3 eggs, smoked sausage, ham or bacon, home fries or hash browns, biscuits and gravy and coffee for $6.25), mean you can eat healthy or hearty here. But don't pass up dessert - freshly baked cream pies and fruit cobblers, cakes and rhubarb squares. The sugar cream pie has a dusting of traditional nutmeg, and the peanut butter, coconut and chocolate pies have local diners debating their favorite. Open Mon. - Fri. 6 am - 8 pm, Sat. 6 am - 3 pm, Sun. 8 am - 2 pm.
HighPoint Orchard and Farm Market
3321 N. U.S. Highway 421 812-663-4534
Greensburg, IN 47240
The brick federal style homestead on the highest hill in Decatur County is a breathtaking backdrop for the blooming acres of fruit trees where that surround Karen and Randy Cyman's farm market and lunch room. Fresh baked goods include pies, breads, cupcakes and cookies, donuts are made each morning, and chicken salad, sandwiches, colorful salads with edible blossoms and soups are served for lunch. There are lots of local specialty foods and garden gifts to buy in the shop, along with extra baked goods to take home, and flowering hanging baskets as well. Cider and the many varieties of apples and Asian pears from Highpoint's orchard are available in season, culminating in an annual Apple Fest the second weekend in October. Open Tues. - Sat. 9 am - 6 pm. Lunch served 11 am - 2 pm.
Stories Restaurant
109 E. Main St. 812-663-2114
Greensburg, IN 47240
Lewis and Katherine Storie opened their Main Street restaurant in 1977, and their children, Don, Chuck and Beth have made it as much of a landmark as the tree top county courthouse across the street here in Greensburg. The place hums with conversation as patrons happily tuck into the plate lunches and pies that are better than homemade, thanks to the second generation's dedication to their art. Don's wife, Annie makes all the salads and pan fries the famous chicken, while Chuck's wife, Jane bakes the generous pies: coconut, banana, apple crumb, peach, butterscotch, cherry and graham cracker (a vanilla custard with a golden meringue) that are on the menu daily, plus offering a seasonal pie, such as fresh strawberry for late spring. Biscuits and gravy and hotcakes top the full breakfast menu, and the plate lunch specials come with three sides. Of course, there is a really Big Tenderloin (premium Indiana pork, cut fresh, marinated and breaded) on the sandwich and dinner menu along with roast beef Manhattan, cod fish tails, pork BBQ and burgers, N.Y. strip steak, ham, chicken, shrimp and catfish. Homemade salads, soups and sides round out the classic Hoosier offerings. Open Mon. - Sat. 8 am - 7:30 pm. Closed Sunday.
J. Edwards Fine Chocolates, Cakes & Gifts $$
2106 W. Sycamore St. 765-626-0142
Kokomo, IN 46901
This little shop across from the hospital is full of beautiful gifts and dense homemade candies, and a case filled with tempting cakes that are available by the piece, or whole. The carrot cake is special enough for fans to drive 30 miles for, and the seasonal cakes, like the three layer Triple Berry Compote, are works of art. Hummingbird, Red Velvet, Maple Walnut and Mandarin Orange are just a few of the tempting flavors you may find in Ryan Conwell's and James Glaub's cake case. They recommend giving 48 hours notice for a particular cake order, more during the holidays. We can also recommend the cheesecake, caramel apples, chocolate covered strawberries, or potato chips when available, and the giant milk chocolate and caramel sea turtles. Kat Tails and Kitty Kat Tails are the names of the addictive caramel and chocolate dipped pretzels in glass jars on the counter. Open Tues.-Fri. 10 am-5 pm, Sat. 10 am-1 pm.
G G's Grille
309 Ferry St.
765-457-2220
Vevay, IN 47043
Jenny Brindley received the Indiana State Main Street Award for her renovation of this beautifully detailed historic storefront diner, a centerpiece of Vevay's revitalization. Sweet potato fries with Jenny's brown sugar dip are highly recommended to go with the wide array of big sandwiches and salads served in the casual eclectic dining room or at the counter. Appetizers and specialty burgers round out the menu. Jenny's Grandmother bakes the irresistibly rich Italian cream and strawberry cakes, muffins and apple dumplings, and Jenny bakes the pies. Open Mon. - Thurs. 11 am - 5 pm, Fri. - Sat. 11 am - 9 pm.
