Betty’s Pie Whole Saloon opened in December of last year. The eatery is by the founder of Elizabethan Desserts and occupies the former space of Elizabethan Desserts (with the cupcake bakery moving to a new location nearby).
Offering both sweet and savory pies, the space has been completely transformed into an Old West feel. They have a variety of pies for dine-in or take-out.
We were coming off a long day, so we got ours to-go. The staff was very helpful in describing and recommending pies for us to try and we ended up with quite a few.
The Field Hand
We chose this savory hand pie, filled with cheddar, broccoli and chicken. I really dug the branding on top. I accidentally heated this one a little too long so the top turned quite dark, but luckily it didn’t taste burned. The filling reminded me of a chicken pot pie. The exterior is a yeast dough that was more bread-like rather than a pie crust.
The Mule
This hand pie had an herb crust, filled with creamy mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese and broccoli. Of the savory pies, we both enjoyed this one more, mainly because of the mashed potatoes. While I liked both pies, they also didn’t really stand out for me. However, I felt completely different about the sweet pies.
Cherry Baby Lattice
This mini pie was calling out to me, with its dark red juices overflowing across the surface. It did not disappoint. A good balance of sweet and tart, intermingled with thick strips of sugar coated pie crust.
Pecan Pie Bite
We also got a pecan bite and I wish we got a mini pie version rather than just one bite because this bite was very promising. The filling is dense, sweet, sticky, and everything a pecan pie should be.
Lemon Pie
The lemon pie was good too, especially if you enjoy lemon pies. The filling was tart and thick, reminding me of lemon bars.
Overall, we had a good time here. I enjoyed the sweet pies more than the savory ones but I would like to dine in and try some of the traditional savory pies that are not hand pies. I am happy that we now have an exclusive pie shop in San Diego churning out some pretty tasty pies.
Betty’s Pie Whole Saloon
155 Quail Gardens Dr
Encinitas, CA 92024
https://www.facebook.com/BettysPieWholeSaloon
The little pies here are so darling! I think I just have a soft spot for mini things. I like how the cream on the lemon pie looks like little clouds.
I love mini things too and I also like how the cream is on the lemon pie. Normally I’m not a fan of the dotted decoration, but it works for this one.
What a charming place! Too cute! Encinitas was one of my favorite places to hang around, when I lived in SD. Again….envious, I may just have to open my own place!
you should definitely open your own place!
I’m curious about some of their savory pies! So how does Betty’s compare to the Pie Hole in Pasadena?
I prefer Pie Hole, but I enjoyed the pies at Betty’s too.
How funny – I totally loved the savory pies more than the sweet ones. But, we didn’t try any fruit pies, just cream ones and I thought they were way too sweet. There’s a pot pie with kielbasa in it that was really good.
Ooh I recommend the fruit ones as they weren’t too sweet. I want to try the traditional savory pies next time rather than the hand pies
i took dinner home a few weeks ago from this place, and we tried the non-hand pies. I liked them both, very much: the one that has a big ol’ meatball in it, and another that had chopped sausage (perhaps a linguica?) inside. Both were very tasty.
I agree the sweet pies were very good, too. I figured I’d try the hand pies on the next trip.
Ooh I was totally eying the meatball one. I need to go and get the savory non-hand pies.