Banana cream pie from Frank Fat's on L Street, the restaurant Frank Fat opened in 1939, which takes pre-orders for whole pies and finished its 2026 Dine Downtown menu with one.

Frank Fat opened his namesake restaurant in 1939, and it came to be filled with notable politicians as well as people from all walks of life. In 2019 the Fat Family Restaurant Group celebrated 80 years as the oldest restaurant in Sacramento owned exclusively by one family, and in March 2013 Frank Fat's received the James Beard Foundation America's Classics Award. The restaurant, at 806 L Street, takes pre-orders for whole banana cream pies, and its three-course menu for Dine Downtown 2026 finished with banana cream pie.

Where to eat Frank Fat's Banana Cream Pie in Sacramento

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  • Frank Fat's

    Order The banana cream pie, which you can also pre-order whole.

    Frank Fat's on L Street, near the State Capitol, is a James Beard America's Classic that has brought Sacramento's movers and shakers together since 1939.

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Make it at home

Serves 84 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 blind-baked 23cm pie crust (sweet pastry)
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 40g cornflour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 500ml whole milk
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 ripe but firm bananas, sliced 5mm thick
  • 300ml double cream
  • 30g icing sugar
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract for the cream

Method

  1. Whisk egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and salt in a bowl until smooth.
  2. Bring the milk just to a simmer in a saucepan. Pour slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to a thick custard, about 3 minutes.
  4. Off the heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve and press cling film directly on the surface. Cool 30 minutes at room temperature, then chill 1 hour.
  5. Lay sliced bananas in the blind-baked crust. Spread the cooled custard over the bananas to fill the crust. Chill 2 hours until fully set.
  6. Whip cream with icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Pile onto the pie and swirl with the back of a spoon. Serve cold.

Editor tip. Slice the bananas just before assembly so they don't brown. The custard must chill fully before topping with cream or the cream slides off.

Common allergens: Egg, Dairy, Gluten.