Uptown Pie Company

Our downstairs neighbors purchased an online coupon from UPC and when we invited them over for a movie night, they brought the pie.
1) First they could not just go in the store and choose a pie with the coupon. They had to receive notice 48 hours in advance and were given a limited selection of choices.
2) Neighbor picks up pie and the worker says «Careful since it’s fresh» without saying more.
3) Pie spills all over in the car. Blueberries everywhere from this mush of a pie. He at least could have given her a heads up and a bag. Or at least made an actual pie versus one that was undercooked with melted frozen bag blueberries.
The only good thing was the crispy crust but the actual inside was inedible. Complete waste!
Three strikes… and they’re officially Closed! As is the combined Cupcake Gallery business. Not a surprise one bit.
**This business has closed and is becoming the new FLATS.

Great pie… bad service pretty much sums up how I feel about Uptown Pie. Yes, the pie is delicious and the cupcakes are too, but there is more to a great business than that. Obviously the business was lacking because my reviews just kept losing stars.
I won’t go into details about the food since this place is now closed due to the owner starting something new and moving on from pie and cupcakes. Which might actually be a good thing since the past few times I was in there he was cordial but not overly friendly. Also, the door was locked at 5:30pm even though the hours are until 7:00pm (so I had to knock on the door to be let in) and he didn’t have any record of my pie order I placed online. So I had to settle on a pie I didn’t even want. I understand you did a Groupon and your inbox has over 400 messages and you’re pretty much a one man show, but customer service should be #1. At least offer a coupon for 20% my next order or something like that. I honestly didn’t really get an apology… I was pretty bummed.
If the pie hadn’t been so good I would have written Uptown Pie off forever, but I guess I’m going to have to anyway since they are now closed. Too bad too because that area of Wilson needs cute stores like that! Oh well…

Let’s preface this by saying this guy makes awesome pie. And he seems like maybe a long time ago he was a nice and reasonable person. However, I worked for him for a week, then left because I’d seen enough. He has still never paid me. This was three months ago. I damn sure didn’t sling pies for 25 hours for free, all I ask is for the pay he promised. I’ve tried on numerous occasions to collect the check and he keeps stringing me along. Hopefully I will get it soon, at which point I will update this Unilocal listing.

I finally tried Uptown Pie last week, after going to Hoosier Mama Pies several times over the past year or so.
Bought slices of four pies, plus a cupcake.
Country peach: A nice deep-​dish peach pie, though rather ordinary. Could have used an extra kick, maybe some nutmeg. A solid B.
Lemon chess: At first bite I thought it wasn’t lemony enough, but by the third bite the lemon flavor really took hold. B+
Vanilla buttermilk chess: Like a custard pie that went to college. A subtle, interesting pie, not too dense, not too sweet. A–
Raspberry-​peach crumble pie: A nice combination of flavors, though the crust could have been better. B or B+
The raspberry-​lemon cupcake was sweet enough, as my late mother would have said it, to curl your teeth. Kid’s fare maybe, but not for this adult.
Finally, I’ll note that Uptown’s pies seem to run a couple bucks more each than Hoosier Mama’s.
Overall, then, I’ll try them again, but I think Hoosier Mama has more consistent quality and slightly better value.

When I found out there was a pie truck driving around Chicago, I hoped that I’d find it on my next trip to the city. Lucky me, I caught it in the business district right before my bus departure. I got a slice of blueberry apple pie and it was pretty darn good. It took a while to get it, but I think I may have caught them a bit before opening. Anyways, I’m all about supporting the food truck movement. Get a slice of pie!

I bought a Living Social deal for a pie from Uptown Pie Co., but I would pay to erase this awful experience…
I sent an email on ¹⁰⁄₂₂ and left a voicemail on ⁹⁄₂₃ for a Dutch Apple pie that I’d pick up on Sunday. Asked them to confirm. They didn’t.
Arrived on Sunday to pick up Dutch Apple pie. They didn’t have any.
Instead, we decided on an Apple-​blueberry-​walnut pie. Instead, the sales girl surprised us with a peach-​cranberry pie.
Although the pie was pretty on the outside, the crumble crust was gooey and undercooked.
Within the first few bites, TWO of my friends found short, black hairs in their slices.
WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! I am completely mortified for bringing this goo-​hair pie to a party!
My friend also bought 6 cupcakes from ajoined «The Cupcake Gallery» which shares a kitchen. We threw those out as well, no one willing to risk tasting whatever «special ingredients» were in that frosting.

I used a Living Social coupon, which was really hard to do. Using the e-​mail as instructed was impossible, another reviewer had the same issues as me. But I REALLY wanted pie, so I called and asked for him directly. Owner had an attitude and decided to read me the e-​mail he’d expected me to have read even though he had been telling me his e-​mail hadn’t been working, which had been his excuse for not delivering pies I had ordered in the first place.
After all that, the pie looked pretty but wasn’t very good. Couldn’t even eat all of it. Sigh. Won’t be back, and will discourage my friends from it.
I wanted this to be a quaint local business, with awesome pie, that I could frequent, alas.

You live, you learn … And you NEVER try to do business with Uptown Pie Company. What a joke … Seriously.
I stupidly bought a Living Social coupon for Uptown Pie Company more than a month ago. As of now, I have yet to have anything from the business, even though I tried in vain for more than two weeks now just to order two flipping pies.
I followed their instructions, and placed my order MORE THAN 48 hours in advance to be picked up on a Friday. Tuesday? No response. Wednesday? No response. Thursday, I call. «He’s going to check the emails tonight. He’ll confirm later.» Friday? No response. So I call again. «We didn’t get that order, so we don’t have any of those pies.» WHAT?
I even went as far as to post something on the company’s Facebook wall just asking what the issue is. His response? «And we appreciate the support. We just found out our server has been rejecting emails. Please email me directly your telephone number and I will have a resolution for you.» He, of course, included his email.
That was last Friday, and I emailed him my phone number immediately. Have I heard anything back? Nope. And to top it off, my comment was removed and I have now been blocked. Childish games from a business owner won’t get you very far, I am afraid.
To be honest, I am sad that I am having to write such a bad review of a local business … Especially one that I really wanted to try. But I will not support someone who does not value their customers. And from all the reviews I have read on Unilocal,I am glad to see I am not the only one. I just wish I had read them all BEFORE I bought the coupon. I have requested a refund, and I better get it.
Like I said, you live … You learn. And you make your own pies.

Bought a Living Social for a pie. E-​mailed my order 2 DAYS AGO as instructed by the coupon. Went to pick up my pie to be told it wasn’t done because the person who cooks them had to go out town and that no one who worked there had access to the e-​mails to call customers. WHAT?! How do you run a business like that? We actually ordered one of their savory pies and were going to have it for dinner. Not going to support this small business anymore.

This place is extremely unprofessional. First, their website is completely wrong and has the wrong hours on it but they don’t bother to change it. Second, I ordered a pie 2 days in advance like they requested and they still did not make my pie. To add insult to injury they tried to offer me a 2 day old cold pie. I ordered and paid for a fresh pie 2 days in advance and that’s what I want! I don’t think that’s asking too much. I wish I could write a review on the taste of the pies here but I didn’t get one to taste.

I would have given them 2 or 3 stars if not for their over the top prices.
I purchased a Dutch Apple price $ 23 & change with tax, is totally ridiculous even for a medium sized pie made with organic apples and flour.
Flavor wise it was okay — certainly not great — a little too tart but with good texture on the apples. The bottom crust was so thin the pies juices soaked through and basically de-​solved it.
Crumb topping was good.
For a lot less money you can get a far superior pie at Costco that is at least twice the size and for far less money
I also got a slice of Pecan Pie — which had a better bottom crust. Most pecan pie are overly sweet, this one had a rather flat tasting filling which was rather dense and lacking in flavor.
Even with a groupon I would not go back.

My first purchase from a Chicago food truck was not all I expected.
The Uptown Pie Company truck was parked right behind the Empanada truck. There was a long line for that one and a nonexistant line for the pie truck, so I took the opportunity to check it out. I got the peach pie. The guy on the truck (maybe the owner?) was nice and even gave me a menu/​punchcard. Since I was already full from lunch I was going to save the pie for later. It was in a plastic container inside a paper bag, and had no whipped cream so I thought it would be totally fine to stick in my bag until later. When I got home, the liquid from the pie filling seeped through the paper bag and all over my stuff! Well, maybe it was my fault… But why was the filling SO watery? When I ate the pie, it was mushy and the crumble topping at some points became a gluey mess. I am not sure what would even cause a stretchy gluey consistency in a streusel topped pie except maybe the pie wasn’t baked thoroughly — it kinda had that raw flour taste. The crust save for the very ends was thin and mushy too. The peaches were just okay. It was starting to give me a stomach ache so I didn’t finish the slice. I was hoping for more.

Living Social (A Groupon Type Deal) is offering a deal currently for Uptown Pie. The Cupcake Gallery (connected to The Uptown Pie business) ended up terminating the Groupon offer, due to bad reviews and poor customer service to Groupon customers etc. Beware before you buy the Living Social offer

Their food truck was rolling around the loop today and I grabbed two slices of the pie. Darrius, the driver and pie slinger was super cool and really helpful in my pie decision.
I tried the key lime and the peach. Both were delicious. The key lime was really good with the graham cracker crust and delicious whipped cream topping. The peach came with a cobbler like topping that was darn tasty too.
I guess there is also a brick and mortar joint, but I like that I was close to the pie truck by random chance. Buy 9 slices and get the 10^th for free.

This place is weird and awkward. The clerk looked and acted like I was the first person he had seen in weeks. The pie and cupcakes were very expensive. Their drink choices were very limited. Right now you’ve got to be wondering why I gave them a 4. The pie was amazing. These people are eccentric pie and cupcake artists. Ignore the awkward clerk, the bizarre décor, the insane price tag and buy a pie.

I’m kind of surprised at some of the harsher reviews for this place, but everyone is entitled their opinion. I got a slice of chicken pot pie and a slice of the lemon chess pie. OMG the chicken pot pie was DELICIOUS! Super flaky crust, tender chunks of chicken, great veggies and sauce and herbs that you could actually tell what they were by sight and by taste.
The lemon chess pie was also very good. Very lemony, a great crust and a healthy portion size. I did take both slices home to eat so I can’t speak to the over all ambiance of the place. I thought it was nice inside. No it is not fancy but it is clean, they have nice furniture and really what more do you need? I’m guessing at this but I am assuming these folks just graduated from culinary school and don’t have a ton of money to put into «pretty» but they did the best they could and it worked for me.
I also bought four cupcakes but will have to amend this review at a later date. I just can’t eat 2 slices of pie and 4 cupcakes in the same day. Well… I could… but I won’t.

This place is bizarre. Yesterday I had a lovely lunch with a friend at Demera. We wanted dessert, but weren’t interested in ice cream (which is all Demera offers for dessert), so we decided to check out Uptown Pie Company. The space is also the Cupcake Gallery.
Can we talk about the atmosphere here? Or lack of, really. It’s not at all inviting. The displays and the furniture are utilitarian and ugly. It seems as though they have never had customers. They don’t serve coffee (seriously, a pie place that doesn’t serve coffee?). The beverages they offer: bottled water and a crappy assortment of herbal teas. The only reason we sat in there is because it was 42 degrees with heavy winds and rain. And the heavy wind kept blowing the front door open. Apparently the only way to fix that is to lock the door, so the door remained open the entire time we were in there.
When you first walk in, you see an unattractive display case with about five varieties of cupcakes. The cupcakes look okay, but they’re way overpriced for what they are. I’m fine with paying premium for baked goods if the product is exceptional (Fritz Pastry, Angel Food, Sugar Bliss, to name a few), but the Cupcake Gallery cupcakes did not look to be of that caliber. Over to the left in a refrigerator case are a few whole pies. The guy who was working there was nowhere to be found for at least the first two minutes we were in there. When he finally appeared, I asked whether it was possible to get a slice of pie, or if they were only sold as whole pies. He seemed surprised by the question, as if no one had ever asked him that before. There are no signs anywhere indicating how the pies are sold nor the prices for them. After he told us we could get slices, we both opted for the bourbon walnut. It sounded like a solid choice. He gave us the slices on plates, and then as an afterthought brought out flimsy plastic forks that wouldn’t cut through the pie, so we ate the pie with our hands.
Okay, the taste of the pie. Wow, it was BAD. Really bad. It was sickeningly sweet and had a strange chemical taste. And then my friend said, «It tastes like bubblegum!» He was right on. The crust was also horrible. It was really dense and heavy and not at all flaky. If the pie had tasted good, I would have been able to forgive the poor atmosphere and the lack of good customer service, real flatware, and appropriate beverages, but when they can’t even get the pie right, well, I really don’t know how they stay in business.

The best thing this place has going for it are the cupcakes and pies. The problem is that the cost, atmosphere, customer service, and trouble don’t really make it worth it. There are better places to get cupcakes.
I’ve had both the cupcakes and the pies here. They’re good. I’ve tried to order some cupcakes for a party before, but like it seems everyone else experienced I got no reply or call back. For what they’re charging you should get some customer service with your cake and icing
If you’re walking buy and want to pick up a slice or cupcake for dessert after dinner, then this place is ok. I wouldn’t recommend sitting in there to enjoy your treat though. It’s what I would imagine a cupcake store would look like in an apocalypse wasteland.
I really doubt I’ll be going back.

If you want to sell pie, I am your guy.
Despite its proximity, I would never have been interested in this place when it sold only cupcakes. Now… well, I may have to become a semi-​regular. Both UPC and First Slice are equidistant to my new digs; I am the geographically luckiest pie lover in Chicago.
The first bite that I ever tried was bourbon walnut. It’s as if this pie was made just for me. Absolute bliss. Perfection in pie form.
The apple is too sweet for my tastes. It’s high-​quality stuff, but I prefer a dominant fruit flavor in my fruit pies, rather than an overwhelming sweetness like this espouses. I had to eat it in two sittings (and that is saying something for me!). Same story with the pumpkin – just give me more rich, earthy pumpkin and less sugar please!
Key lime? Damnit, same deal again. A good key lime pie should have a tart key lime flavor. This pie is really nice to eat but only vaguely lime-​y.
I’m rounding up to 4 stars out of good will, but right now I’m moderately disappointed with everything that’s not bourbon walnut. I’ll still be back though.

Move over, cupcakes. Pie is where it’s at.
Uptown Pie Company is the sister bakery to Cupcake Gallery, and when I heard about its opening in early April, I bookmarked it immediately as I am obsessed with pie.
It’s a pretty cute little place, conveniently located a few blocks from the Wilson stop on the Red Line, and street parking is pretty easy to come by.
They have a few tables and a couch for those that wish to linger and eat their pie, but I opted to take my treats to go. They still sell cupcakes, so I picked up one for my niece, called the Choco-​Monster, which she loved. It looked way too sweet for me, and besides, my mission on this day was pie.
They didn’t have a huge variety to choose from, but I assume as more fruit becomes in season, that will change. I chose a slice of the classic apple, as well as a blueberry scone with lemon curd, and a dreamsicle twinkie for my mom.
I loved the scone, which was softer and less dense than a traditional scone, and it had a lovely light lemon flavor.
The pie was good too. The crust was flaky and buttery, with undercurrents of cinnamon. I prefer my apples a little more tender, but if you like yours crisper, then you will enjoy this pie.
I am planning on returning soon as they expand their offerings, and I am particularly excited to try peach and blueberry, which are two of my favorite pies.
They also offer savory pies like chicken pot pie, quiches, and tarts, all of which sounded fantastic.
I’m definitely planning on becoming a regular at Uptown Pie Company.