The Pied Cow Coffeehouse on Belmont in Southeast Portland stays true to its name, they have pie! They also have hookah in their patio area and possibly ghosts inside the sprawling Victorian mansion that it’s located in. Chuck Palahniuk wrote that a ghost named Lydia supposedly roams the halls of the Pied Cow.
Fortunately, I did not meet Lydia. According to some show on Discovery, I’m not emotionally “in tune” enough to see ghosts. But I did enjoy a slice of marionberry pie a la mode, in the dimly lit dining room that features an impressive Hindi-style shrine. The waitresses all dress in vintage clothes to round out the eclectic atmosphere (but I’m not sure if that’s planned or if that’s just how they dress).
On to the pie. The presentation was good. It was a clean slice with two scoops of vanilla on top. My only complaint is there was almost too much ice cream.
The crust was initially very good, I really enjoyed the top crust, as it had sugar crystals baked right on top. It also had a good flakiness level. However, as I got further into the crust, I felt like it was missing a little something, there just wasn’t a whole lot of flavor, I guess.
The marionberry filling was excellent. There was a good filling-to-crust ratio for sure, and it tasted like relatively fresh berries, as opposed to the canned filling that a lot of restaurants like to use.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 slices. I definitely enjoyed this pie, but, was not blown away by it. But, it’s decent pie, and given the interesting atmosphere, I think Pied Cow is a great stop for some dessert and coffee, or have some hookah on their patio (if you enjoy that sort of thing).
Pied Cow Coffeehouse
3244 Southeast Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214-4243
Read more reviews about Pied Cow on Yelp.
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