Well you knew we couldn’t visit Key West without discovering for ourselves who has the best key lime pie on the island. Even during our short trip, we still managed to fit in three local key lime pie bakeries and we think we’ve found the very BEST! They all tout themselves as the original and as the best, well I’ll let you decide for yourself.
First up was the Key West Key Lime Pie Company claiming to be the Original for over 100 years – it’s right on their sign. Their pies are award-winning and made with no preservatives in the store located on Greene Street.
You can watch them making the pies and dipping slices on sticks in melted chocolate right in front of you.
Their pie was the most unique from the others because it had a lighter texture and color, almost like chiffon. The flavor was the most tart of them all. Their graham cracker crust was lacking though – it was too thin and too crumbly – as you can even tell from the photo.
Who has the willpower to pass up frozen key lime pie dipped in dark chocolate on a stick?? I did enjoy that the tart pie paired with the dark chocolate made this treat not overly sweet so I easily finished it. Oops. So while their plain pie was not our top choice, I liked their frozen dipped slice the best.
Next up – Key Lime Pie Factory – also located on Greene Street and also claiming to be the original. They do have something a little different in the way of a Coconut Key Lime Pie; I stuck to the original and even though my husband is a key lime purist he had to try the coconut.
While none of the pies were bad by any stretch, this one was our least favorite. The filling was heavier, more dense and overly sweet compared to the tartness of the last pie. They did seem to have perfected that crust though. Just look at it.
The coconut version actually had a better texture – lighter, fluffier, more creamy. Disclaimer: our perception of their pies could be slightly distorted by the fact that we were a bit tipsy from the infamous wind & wine sunset cruise we enjoyed our last night there.
Their store also offered a ton of key lime and coconut flavored products like baking mixes, cookies, syrups, etc. for purchase.
The final stop on our Key Lime Pie tour was Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Pie Shoppe. I had heard good things. While they certainly don’t tout to be the original, they are proud of their slice of paradise located at the corner of Elizabeth and Greene at the Key West Bight where they also have an outdoor cafe serving up goodies like pancakes with key lime syrup for breakfast and lunch.
We can quickly admit that this one turned out to be our favorite, not only for their superb key lime pie recipe, but the mecca of free sample of key lime flavored goodies. There were cookies, candies, crackers, jams, sauces, salsas, drink…it was insane. We are shameless when it comes to free samples – don’t get in our way during sample time at Costco.
Kermit’s key lime pie slice was just right – kind of like Goldie Locks & the Three Bears. The texture was in the middle of being light/fluffy and dense/creamy, not overly fluffy and not overly dense. Just right. The flavor provided the perfect balance of tart and sweet with just enough whipped cream. The whipped cream also had the perfect smooth, whipped texture. To top it off, their crust was amazing. A layer of graham crackers just the right amount of thickness that was not overly crumbly or sweet.
Finally we also tried their frozen strawberry key lime pie on a stick dipped in white chocolate. YUM! It was tart and tangy and sweet! It was actually a little overly sweet for me – I couldn’t finish it all – but the hubs loved it. The strawberry and lime flavors really shown through the white chocolate. It was a nice pairing, but I love a good dark chocolate covered strawberry and wonder if that would have made this even better.
I am sure your opinion of who has the best will be different from ours – it’s all about personal preference when it comes to the flavor. Some prefer an uber tart pie, while others want one that is super sweet. So you’ll just have to check them out for yourself! They were all worthy of the name and worthy of a taste, so no matter which bakery you choose in Key West you will not be disappointed. Just be sure to enjoy a little slice of heaven while you are in Key West because it doesn’t get any better!
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