Achatz Pies of Ann Arbor

I wanted to try this place after reading about it in a top pies in the U.S. Got the 4-​berry as mentioned in the article, which is also my favorite. It was okay. Kind of underwhelming really, although this might be because my expectations were high. The crumble on top just didn’t have much texture to it. The filling was pleasingly tart. But all in all, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back.

Hit or miss depending on what your expectations are. My mother buys the 4 berry pie with crumble topping everytime she is near ann arbor. I suppose shed give it a 5 star review. Not a fan of the wipped topping which clearly has stablizers in it. The pecan pue is good but nothing more than you can make at home. The pumpkin is about the same. Regardless, unique in its nature of selling pie. Unique but certainly not ground breaking. Prices are fair.

This will be my second attempt at providing a review on this business. My first review was removed by «Yelp», because of a violation of their policy, regarding self promotion, which I accidentally did while explaining how I became aware of «Achatz». I’ve removed that part of the review.
OK; where do I start first, let’s start with how I heard about «Achatz». Through friends and family. So because I like desserts, I was told about «Achatz». So I took the pilgrimage up to their Ann Arbor location… first thing that caught my eye was how clean the store was, I was greeted by the store employee, who informed me that if I bought a meat /​dinner pie I.e. (chicken pot, beef or spinach) I could get $ 10 off a dessert pie. So I bought a whole pot pie, a individual pot pie and a whole three berry pie. Now the dinner pies come frozen, the dessert pies are ready to eat. So I cooked the individual pot pie, while somewhat savory it had way to much sage. The crust wasn’t bad at all. The three berry pie, was OK I can’t really say it knock my socks off… when u say handmade and your clam to fame is dessert pies, then I’m expecting you to blow me away. «It didn’t happen»…My over all experience was a 4 out of 10. Customer service was OK, product just OK.

I regret walking in here on Wednesday because now (Friday) I have been there twice and bought 4 slices of pie. I will be gaining a lot of weight.
First of all, the employee there — I didn’t get her name, but she is the best. She’s so friendly and gave me a sample of the apple pie. She’s knows what each pie has and can give recommendations.
I love coconut, so naturally, I got the coconut cream pie. I love it. It’s not too sweet like most pies are. The whipped cream on top is super light and also not too sweet. There are pieces of toasted coconut flakes in the pie and it is a delight.
I have also had the cannoli cream pie. It had a little too much almond extract, but it was still super good. There were almond slices on top as well.
Also, if you like pot pies, they have take-​home ones, which I have yet to try. I will post an update to this review when I eat everything.

I LOVE THIS PLACE SO MUCH. Achatz’s Pies has been all over the news, and FOR GOOD REASON, because they absolutely did NOT disappoint.
I was in Michigan for a summer program, and found this legendary place hiding out next to Kroger’s in the Ann Arbor location. My family loved their pies so much that they made me lug 4 pies back to Texas through the airport, just so they don’t have to pay for the outrageous price for online shipment of pies.
I have dreamt about their pies every since!!! Came here for Customer Appreciation Day where it was only $ 12/​pie! What a STEAL.
Favorite would have to be Michigan 4-​Berry Pie with the crumble top. OMG I can’t express how amazing this pie is. Wish I was in Michigan longer to try out the rest of the pies they offer.
But now, I can only dream about them. And perhaps spoil myself on my birthday by purchasing their $ 40 pies through online shipment to Texas. :(

Don’t get me wrong, I still like their pies, but they keep disappointing me over and over, that I just had to rethink my review of this place.
I pre-​ordered a pie online a while ago, and when I picked it up, the crust was not properly baked (the bottom was barely baked, and actually tasted like raw flour and was just not edible!)
I called in, and asked if I can change to another pie, and they said they didn’t have the exact same one, but I could get another pie, if I wanted. When I went in, they didn’t have anything I wanted, and asked if there’s any way I can get the exact pie, which they agreed to give me, but just had to be on another day.
(I guess they don’t make the pies at the stores…)
The second pie I got was still not properly baked, but was a bit better than the first one, so I kept it, but baked it in the oven for 30 minutes or so, which made it much better.
I wasn’t happy about what happened, but was sort of pleased about how they handled it (though they did look annoyed).
Another incident happened just recently, when they had the lobster pie special on Fridays. I had gone to the store to get a few random slices just a couple of days ago, and remembered that they had the special on Friday, so just to guarantee a pie, I had pre-​order a lobster pot pie for the coming Friday in person when I was at the store. The guy took down the number of the gift card, which I was going to use to pay for the lobster pot pie, and said that I probably would be a few cents short and will have to pay when I pick up the pie, which was totally fine.
I went in on Friday to pick up the pie, and since I was going to pay a few cents, as I was told previously, I thought I’d pick up a couple of slices to go as desserts along with the lobster pot pie. When it was time to pay for the pies, the lady said there’s no available balance on the card, which clearly stated 2 days ago that there is *almost* enough for a lobster pot pie. There’s no note with my order saying that the card was run, and she just couldn’t figure out what happened. I was starting to get annoyed, and was not going to pay twice for one pie, and the lady said she’d just let me take the pie home, since she doesn’t know how much I had on the card. I knew it would be just enough for the lobster pie, and was going to pay for the extra slices of pies separately, I paid for those pies, and took the lobster pot pie home.
Both times, I didn’t lose anything, and the incidents were handled professionally, but those incidents could very much have been prevented, and that’s why I got a little annoyed.
I’d still go in to get my pies at times, but it’ll probably be less frequent. Just hope that those «glitches» won’t happen again.

Came here for Pie on Pi day and was very happy to get some single serving pie slices. It isn’t a chain (that I know of) so I was happy that there were independent.
Looking forward to trying some more flavors as what I tried here was apple crumble, and it was delicious!

I had no idea a café next to Kroger could look this cute. Exit Ann Arbor. Enter NYC-​chic. Seriously. It is so cute in here and the fresh pie smell is oh so yummy. Oh and their pies. And I could go on and on about the wonderfully nice people who work here.
I just love their Michigan 4 Berry Crumble. The berries are ALWAYS bursting with flavor (it’s quite tart and sweet at the same time) and the buttered brown-​sugar streusel topping adds the perfect crunch and sweetness.
–Strawberry Rhubarb Pie: this one is also a winner. It’s actually tarter than I thought it would be considering how sweet rhubarb is. I think they put some lemon in. The crust is nice and flaky too.
FINAL VERDICT: If you want a really great and freshly made pie, always buy Achatz. I admit they are a bit pricey, but they are worth it. You can buy their pies at grocery stores, but heading into their bakery is worth it. Free samples and smells anyone?

I love to bake, and am a huge fan of making homemade desserts, so I rarely buy baked goods. However, my father-in-law’s favorite dessert is cherry pie — as an experienced baker, I realized that to make one at home, it would take me days to pit cherries (never mind the expense of buying fresh tart cherries), make the dough, etc. So we picked one up for his birthday at Achatz — it was an awesome decision. The staff was very helpful (gave us a cherry pie right out of the oven with directions for cooling/​serving). The pie was amazing. The cherries were real tart cherries, and the dough was flaky and delicious. These pies are worth the expense — they are the quality of a home-​baked pie, but save you the work of baking it yourself! I would definitely go back for a special occasion pie. I also thought the shop would be a cute place to meet a friend for a slice and a chat.

The Double Crust Apple pie was delicious. It is tasty served either hot or cold. The crust stays crispy even upon reheating. A portion warmed in the oven and served a la mode is perfection. My only remaining question is how it would taste served with a slice of Vermont cheddar cheese melted on top.

I have tried a wide range of the pies at Achatz Handmade Pies at the Plymouth. Both the savory (chicken pot pie, etc) and sweet pies are AMAZING. I would be hard pressed to pick my favorite as the Apple Crumb is like a harvest explosion and the Sandra’s Sunshine Lemon has just the right sweet and tart in the lemon, the coconut cream is perfection and the Cannoli pie is just amazing. The quality of the pies are exceptional, the range of selection impressive and the wait staff engaging and helpful. I work very close to this store and walk to it regularly to enjoy a slice or pick up a whole pie. You need to give this store a try and you won’t be disappointed!

Stopped by to pick up a pie for a potluck at work, and spent the whole potluck correcting my co-​workers when they complimented me on my amazing «homemade» apple pie. The French silk pie here is also incredible – though apparently it’s even better if you wait 1.5 hours for the pie to come to room temp. I’ve never been able to wait that long. :)

Blueberry pie is very good. But canned peaches for the Peach Double Crust pie? Really?! Seriously?! For $ 15? You can probably get the same from Meijer’s for less. Now I’m not sure whether the blueberries are fresh or frozen.

This place is amazing! Try the lobster pie! It is absolutely delicious! Oh, of course lobster pie SOUNDS good… but this is so much better than you can imagine. There are HUGE chunks of lobster in every bite. This would be a great addition to any party. Guaranteed to be a hit!

We were introduced to Achatz at a friend’s house. He put out a pie and we proceeded to stuff our faces with it, only pausing said face-​stuffing to mumble, «Oh my god this is so good.» And it was.
Maybe two months later we made it to Achatz’s store and each got a slice to bring home with us. It was good. It wasn’t as good as that first time, but still, a very nice slice of pie.
I give this four stars, not fewer, because the slices are big and tasty, there’s lots of variety (i.e., many flavors of sweet pies, and even some savory), and I like the small feel of this place, even if it is a chain.
I give this four stars, not more, because the second time we had the pie it wasn’t mind-​blowing, which makes me wonder about consistency. Also, price.
With all of that said, now I want pie.

We love their pies, and now we can get them even fresher at their real store than at Whole Foods. For some, the crust of the pie is everything, and Achatz really excels with their flaky goodness. The appropriate savory quality of the crust is not salty, but it’s the perfect companion to the sweet fillings or creams, because you can actually taste the contrast. The crust texture is pleasingly crispy and holds up well even after several days in the fridge. Now, this isn’t to demean the fillings, because those are nicely done as well. The apple isn’t treacly and has just a bit of snap to it in both texture and flavor. We much preferred the traditional pie to the crumbly top kind, because we rather like crumbly topping that has more chunky crunchiness to it. Like the apple pie filling, the blueberry filling smacks appealingly of fruit rather than chewy jam.
Of the cream pies, I liked the chocolate best over the peanut butter chocolate (forgive me, my ancestor deities) and the coconut cream pie, though I wouldn’t hesitate to eat any of them again. The peanut butter one was yummy but wasn’t quite pb-​ey enough for me, but I might just need another taste test. The coconut was enjoyable too, but I found it a bit sweet. The chocolate one has a dark enough chocolate taste to elevate its flavor far above average. Note to the pie lovers out there: it’s a kind of whipped cream topping on these cream pies rather than merengue, but I’m not a big merengue fan anyway. The pies don’t come cheap, but due to their quality, they are excellent choices for bringing to dinner parties or for holidays when you know everyone else is presenting a bottle of wine or a six pack. To save a bit, check out the discounted pies of the month and the periodic customer appreciation days. You can also sign up for coupons in email if you don’t mind doing that sort of thing. It may just be worth it for pie.
On holidays make sure to call in advance to order. They might not have your favorites available due to the rush for pies on those days.

Awesome four berry pie with a great balance of tart and sweet. I look forward to trying more varieties!