According to USA Today, the best pie in the state can be found at Casa de Fruta Orchard Resort in Hollister. The roadside attraction has been selling hungry travelers fresh fruit for well over a century, starting as a small cherry stand in 1908. That dedication and excellent produce is what makes its award-winning Fruit of the Forest pie so darn good.
In a roundup of the best pies in all 50 states, USA Today selected the Central Coast institution as its California favorite. The article notes, “Hollister [is] largely an agricultural community, one where the berries grow big and sweet, as evidenced by the mixed berry pie at Casa de Fruta. It’s absolutely loaded down with local fruit.” Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are combined with apples and rhubarb (all grown on the family-owned property) to create a tart-sweet flavor Casa calls Fruit of the Forest.
Thanks to delicious desserts, a full-service restaurant that also features an RV park, inn, 10,000-square-foot restaurant, gas station, playground complete with carousel, and more, an estimated three million people visit Casa de Fruta each year. The location on Route 152 between Monterey and Yosemite makes the stop a road trip favorite. Its fruit pie tastes tremendous any time of day, and luckily, Casa’s restaurant is open 24/7. “In 1957, we put a sign up that said, ‘We never close.’ And we haven’t since,” Casa de Fruta partner Gene Zanger says.
The Fruit of the Forest pie is only part of the fun. The restaurant bakes 11 different kinds of pies daily, including peach, apricot, banana cream, and chocolate. Casa de Fruta is best enjoyed in person, but pie lovers can also have orders shipped straight to their door.
For other exceptional buttery crusts, check out “Must-Try Pies Across California,” featuring delectable desserts all across the Golden State.
