Where To Find the Best Shoofly Pie in Lancaster County
One of the best (and most delicious) ways to immerse yourself in Lancaster County culture is to sample our regional cuisine. Pennsylvania Dutch foods are typically comforting dishes using recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, often of German heritage. When it comes to dessert, you need to try Lancaster County's signature sweet – shoofly pie!
Shoofly pie is to the Pennsylvania Dutch what pecan pie is to a Southerner. Simply put, it's a dark molasses pie with a buttery crumb topping. It's so sweet and gooey, you have to shoo the flies away! You can find shoofly pie at Amish roadside stands, farmers markets and on the dessert menu at any Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant. We've got a list of bakeries that are serving up some of the best shoofly pie in Lancaster County. Eat a slice while you're in town and grab a whole pie to take home!
Just a half mile from After Eight Bed and Breakfast is Dutch Haven, an Amish craft store easily identified by its windmill that serves as a local landmark along Route 30. Time Magazine dubbed Dutch Haven's shoofly pie the best in America, but you'll have to try it for yourself. They've stayed true to their original 1946 recipe and will gladly offer you a free sample when you stop in.
In nearby Bird-in-Hand, you'll find two places to acquire this rich, gooey dessert. You can enjoy a full meal at Bird-in-Hand Bakery and Cafe on the Old Philadelphia Pike, but save room for their shoofly pie made from scratch using Grandma Smucker's time-honored recipe. The Smucker family has been part of the Bird-in-Hand community for over 110 years. This is not to be confused with the Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop on Gibbons Road, whipping up delicious, homemade baked goods for 50 years. Their decadent shoofly pie has earned the local newspaper's Reader's Choice Award for best pie 10 years running.
If you find yourself exploring the Leola area, stop in at Achenbach's Pastries, a community fixture since 1954. Try not to get distracted by the fried-dough goodness of their famous Long Johns and other scratch-made breads and pastries. Their shoofly pie has customers coming back time and time again. In downtown Lancaster, the historic Lancaster Central Market offers several options for purchasing this classic Pennsylvania Dutch dessert. As you peruse the market stands, check out Wendy Jo's Homemade, making cookies, cupcakes, quick breads and, yes, shoofly pie at Central Market for almost 20 years.
"Shoofly pie and apple pan dowdy makes your eyes light up, your tummy say 'Howdy.'"
– sung by Dinah Shore, 1945
