The Price of Pumpkin Pie

Once you get beyond the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, it's time for pie. If you don't have time to make your own, you've got a range of options for buying one in and around Piedmont, from budget to gourmet.

9" Oven Fresh Pumpkin Pie, $3.99, . Safeway offers pumpkin pie at a price that's hard to beat. At $3.99 for a 9" pie, they give you the most pie per dollar. The cheapness, though, is evident in the quality. There is excess moisture on the surface of the custard and the crust is broken in many places.

8" Pumpkin Pie, $3.99, . Safeway's Montclair store also offers a pumpkin pie for $3.99, but this one seems to be in better shape. While the crust is nothing fancy, it is at least more consistent all the way around the pie. These pies, however, are only eight inches around instead of the usual nine.

Bonerts 9" Pumpkin Pie, $6.99, . These pies feature the thinnest crust out of any of the pies surveyed. Additionally, it appears Bonerts leaves their pies in the oven for a little longer to give them a crispier top.

Gianna's 9" Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie, $13.99 at . Gianna's crusts stand out upon first look—weaving back and forth, they frame the pies artfully. The pies themselves have a much darker color than the other pumpkin pies surveyed, lightening toward the center. These pies are delivered fresh to Piedmont Grocery each morning.

Gianna's 9" Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie, $14.99 at . The Village Market is selling the same pie as Piedmont Grocery, although here most pies are not kept refrigerated. In addition to the 9" pies, Village Market is also selling the smaller six inch sibling for $6.99

PieTisserie's 9" Chocolate-Crusted Pumpkin Pie, $21.99, . This specialty pumpkin pie from PieTissierie in San Francisco features a chocolate crust—good luck finding that elsewhere. The pie is also very moist and full of gooey filling. If you would like one from Mulberry's you have to stop in there and order it a couple of days in advance.