Al B.
Yelp
Uniqueness: Many unique types of mini pies to choose from! Ube, Mango, Apricot, not the usual flavors
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Recommendation? Highly recommend their lemon tart and chocolate caramel. Anything with crumble is also amazing!
I was surprised for years that The Giving Pies was literally right next to a Greek spot I would come by from time to time, and was craving some delicious pies from this place. Of course we all know the drama and amazing public outpouring of support for this tiny shop but want to try to give an unbiased review aside from the news of that.
Coming to this spot on a weekend was not crowded as the hype had died down at this point, and there was a small line of around 5-6 people waiting. Since this is a small business, the pace could be slow but trust me when we get to the quality of these pies, it was worth it. The shop is small with a window of various assortment of mini, medium, and large sweet pies and also some savory pies (quiches possibly?) as well. They have your typical pecan, chocolate, and berry flavors but what surprised me and also was a big plus in my opinion was their assortment of unique other flavors such as pear, apricot, ube, and mango for example. I decided to get a mixed box of chocolate, mango, ube, pecan, lemon, and apricot for take out, and by the time I got home and tried them--wow for quality of pies in general, these were probably one of the best I had in a while in the South Bay. It's been a while since Marie Calendars closed if I'm trying to think of any pie or traditional pie locations but if you want a legitimate pie albeit a mini pie, this was the spot to go to. The lemon tart was delectably sweet, tart and soft, consistency of what you'd expect from a perfectly made lemon tart that had a perfectly thick yet thin crust. The chocolate (caramel) tart was a surprise to me as it was definitely better than what you'd expect from a chocolate tart. The apricot and mango tarts each were sweet and fresh and I loved the crumbles on top that was better than a typical crumble/strudel. The pecan tart was at the bottom of my list but not that it was bad but it was like any other pecan tart. Service here I could tell they're short staffed but were very friendly and made sure you got the tarts you wanted and hoped we liked them. Prices for these pies can be pretty steep at around 3-4 dollars for their mini tarts but trust me, it was well worth the try. If you come earlier, I'm certain there's plenty more flavors to choose from as well.
Giving Pies being a spot that was in my opinion literally unknown until I was in the area to actually see it was one of my best decisions when it comes to desserts, specifically to tarts & pies. If you're willing to spend a little extra, you'll be enjoying probably one of the best pie spots in the South Bay and helping out a great small business. Give this place a try once with their small tarts for starters (lemon and chocolate is best in my opinion) and I know you'll be back to try some more. A high recommendation in my eyes and I know I'll definitely buy some more when I'm back in the area.