San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — For many flip flop-wearing San Diego tweens born into a life without weather or seasons, a trip to Julian in ‘winter’ is the first time they see snow.
A favorite pastime of locals is to drive up to Julian, stop on the side of the road, and take pictures of the snow on the ground. At an elevation of over 4,000 feet, that white powder tends to fall from the sky.
Julian is a former gold-mining town located east of San Diego with picturesque streets and old wooden buildings that could pass for the set of a John Wayne movie. The one-lane drive up to town can either be pleasant or maddening, usually the latter if it’s the weekend, tourist season, and/or you’re a road-raging Italian with a foot problem. On a weekday, flooring it on some of the open stretches can be incredibly cathartic.
As soon as you hit the main drag, or really the only drag, you head for apple pie, the thing for which the city is known; flakey, buttery, and sweetly delicious. After eating my way through half the pies in town, I’m pretty sure that Mom’s sells some of the best.
Like all good pies, the pies at Mom’s are all about the crust, although they’re not created equal. The classic flakey version at Mom’s brings with it a rich, perfectly tender, ultra luxe experience that turns to butter at the touch of your teeth. There’s also a sweeter crumb variety that’s diabetes and obesity in pie form, basically a streusel that’s sprinkled on and amplifies the syrupy sweetness of the apples a little too much.
Besides apple, other pie flavors are available year-round including strawberry and bumbleberry, and seasonal fillings include pumpkin, pecan, peach, and cherry. The apple-cherry pie at Mom’s is the perfect amalgam of sweet applies and tart cherries, highly recommended if you, like me, find apple pie too sweet, but you enjoy the sharper taste of cherries.
There is also freshly pressed apple cider with a slightly acidic edge, and which comes served in tiny cups that belie the price.
About that — this all, of course, isn’t cheap. Expect to pay over $20 per pie depending upon the filling and crust you select, and slices run $5.50 before toppings (ice cream or whipped cream).
Written by Joy
Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.
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I loved the pie’s at Mom’s too. https://www.hungryones.com/2022/02/moms-pie-house-julian/
Yeah it’s all about the apple cherry flakey pie for me, a little sweet/tart slice of heaven. And thank you I’ve linked over to your review!
Thanks for the link! I’m thinking of visiting next week…
Very cool, Julian this time of year is lovely. The air is crisp and it’s not as overrun with people, though Mom’s and the other place (Julian Pie Company) usually have lines regardless.