Verified in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie is a signature dish of United States; we have verified places to eat it in Philadelphia. Molasses-and-brown-sugar custard pie with a crumb topping, baked deep, served in slabs at Reading Terminal Market and Lancaster County diners. Start with where to eat Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie in Philadelphia.
Molasses-and-brown-sugar custard pie with a crumb topping, baked deep, served in slabs at Reading Terminal Market and Lancaster County diners. Wet-bottom is the canonical style.
Shoofly pie is the canonical Pennsylvania Dutch dessert, born in 18th-century Lancaster County kitchens that had molasses and flour but not chocolate. The name comes from the cooks shooing flies away from the sticky molasses surface as the pie cooled. Two styles run: wet-bottom (the molasses layer stays soft and gooey beneath a crumb top) and dry-bottom (the molasses bakes into the crust). Lancaster's Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse bakeries each claim their own version; in Philadelphia, Beiler's Bakery at Reading Terminal Market and Dutch Eating Place have run wet-bottom shoofly pies since 1984 and 1974 respectively. The pie pairs with strong black coffee at breakfast or as a 3pm snack.
Where to eat in Philadelphia:
Where to eat Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie in Philadelphia: the editor picks
Guided tour · 45 minutes
Explore the Reading Terminal Market of Philadelphia on a walking tour. Learn about the market's history, hear stories of some of the family-owned merchants, and choose...
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Discover Philly's most popular food favorites on a guided foodie walking tour. Get a taste of the city's history and culture as you chow down on favorite local dishes.
Water activity · 2.5 hours
Celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner cruise on the Delaware River. Enjoy a festive dinner with a live DJ and games.
