There are restaurants that have wine lists. Hathaway’s Diner has a pie list. That’s right, ask the server about what kinds of pies are available, and she will bring the whiteboard with the list of fillings right to your table.
On the weekday lunch hour that my family visits the restaurant, there are nine pies on offer. They’re all made in-house, and various staff members play their parts. One person works on flattening the pie dough; co-owner Pam Charlet handles the meringue. Her husband, Lyle, makes sure the oven is set just right.
It is a darn serious endeavour, and it’s this sort of attention to detail that ensures there’s a lineup outside the door of what’s become an Edmonton institution. Tucked away in a Calder strip mall, diners in the know have made Hathaway’s a favourite of the online food-review sites — and it’s clearly a community hub. The tables are filled with customers enjoying breakfast skillets loaded with sausage and cheese, sipping coffee or going for the super-well-portioned lunches.
But it’s the pie that ties it all together. We tried the Chocolate Cream, served with whipped cream and a strawberry. The crust is chocolate, like an Oreo cookie smashed up and baked. Meanwhile the Limeberry is a personal favourite. The pink cream is filled with berries, and you can definitely taste the citrus infused into the dessert.
13225 132 St., 780-488-5989, hathawaysdiner.com
This article appears in the September 2019 issue of Avenue Edmonton
