Although Boston-born, the Boston Cream Pie is not as ubiquitous as one might assume in Boston. Select shops, however, make an excellent version of this pie ranging from classic takes (including the original birthplace of the dessert) to unconventional but mind-blowingly delicious twists. Check out the six places below when you need your fix!
1. Omni Parker House, Downtown
If you’re craving Boston Cream pie, what better place to go than its original birthplace! Then just the “Parker House Hotel,” French pastry chef Sanzian created the cake in 1856 as a signature dessert for the hotel which was the first hotel in Boston to have hot and cold running water and an elevator. The cake was inspired by French custard desserts and was originally named the House Chocolate Cream pie, it is likely until the dessert was popularized nationally that it adopted the name “Boston.”
You might be kicking yourself wondering why to this day it’s called a pie when in fact it is clearly a cake, but the answer is simple. Pie pans were used interchangeably to make cakes back then, according to What’s Cooking America. The Parker House’s version today comes as an individual four-inch round cake with layers and layers of creamy custard and a finish of chocolate ganache!
60 School St, Boston, MA 02108
2. Union Oyster House, North End
Not too far from the Omni Parker House, you can grab yourself a slice from another historic location, the Union Oyster House. While they didn’t invent Boston Cream Pie, they make a pretty darn good one. And you’ll be eating in America’s oldest restaurant.
41 Union St, Boston, MA 02108
3. Flour Bakery, Multiple Locations
The local favorite makes one of the best Boston Cream Pies in the city! Founder Joanne Chang’s motto is “eat dessert first” and it’s pretty easy to do when you have a slice of their perfectly spongey, creamy, sweet, and salty Boston Cream Pie.
Find Flour Bakery in various locations across Boston and Cambridge
4. Bova’s Bakery, North End
If you’re in the mood for a richer version of Boston Cream Pie, Bova’s got you covered. Their creation features both a yellow and chocolate custard in addition to the chocolate ganache layer on top.
134 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
5. Union Square Donuts, Multiple Locations
Not in the mood for pie (or cake, should we say)? Union Square Donuts put their spin on the classic dessert with their brilliant donut version. It’s filled with yellow custard and glazed with a salty chocolate ganache all encased in the fluffiest brioche dough fried to golden brown perfection.
Find Union Square Donuts in Brookline, Fenway, and Somerville
6. The Ritz- Carlton Boston, Downtown
Just in time for National Boston Cream Pie day on October 23, Pastry Chef, Christopher Goluszkam has added a Boston Cream “Pie” Cheesecake to Artisan Bistro’s dessert menu. The variation will include a vanilla cheesecake with a pastry cream center, chocolate sauce, vanilla cake crouton, and whipped cream.
Chef Goluszkam says about the dessert, “I like how it’s a different interpretation of a local classic. The crunchy vanilla cake crouton really heightens the creaminess of the cheesecake and still delivers that classic cream pie taste that all of us Bostonians truly love.”
10 Avery Street Boston, MA 02111