Pie Lab

I’d love to review the Pie Lab but called ahead to check open times and was told till 7 on Sunday’s. Drove from Bonney Lake for a date night and there was a sign on the door «closed for staff meeting». This was at 4pm… What staff meeting takes 3 hours? Why not have it after advertised hours? Another family showed up at the same time and the staff just stared at them through the windows.
The pie might be good but their unprofessional random closing makes it impossible to know!

I stopped at Pie Lab, first time, last evening! Was waited on immediately, very friendly girl & liked the selection! Got Curry Vegetable pie for my hubby & he loved it! Also got 2 mini fruit pies & they too were delicious! Also was given a discount card for future purchases! I’ll be back!!!

I was so disappointed with our experience with Pie Lab. My friend Josh, whom ordered from Pie Lab before and has been a long time walk in customer got forgotten with an order for a special occasion Tuesday night 01−19−16. He called to confirm the order the day after he placed it when he never got a confirmation from them and they said, (sorry Josh, we messed up and your order won’t be ready for tonight). WTF! At least they could’ve called him before he had to call to inquire so we didn’t have to scramble at the last minute to figure out an alternative. This was my first experience with them and it was negative, I won’t be going there ever. Not a good way to run a business that’s new.

Nice little pie shop in Kent. Nice addition to the area. Definitely want to come back and try some of their other pies.
Plenty of parking, as it’s located in a strip mall that has a large parking lot.
The service was pretty good. Very informative and helpful, with good recommendations. Also friendly, which is always a plus. There is a small amount of seating inside the place, so if you want to enjoy your pie there, that is an option.
They have a nice assortment of pies, as well as sizes (regular and mini). I wound up getting the apple crumble, which was delicious. Lots of apples! Great taste. Chose the crumble over the regular apple pie as the regular looked pretty thick in terms of the dough on top, which seemed like it might be kind of dry. It is a little pricey tho ($ 26 for a whole pie), so just expect that.
Overall, great addition to the area, great treats. Will definitely come back to try some of the other pies!

I came here on a Thursday night at 6:30 and they still had a good selection of whole pies, pie slices, and mini pies. My boyfriend and I tried the mini sweet potato pie which had a marshmallow and pecans on top, and a coconut crème pie. The latter won our tastebuds over!
Each pie was $ 3 which is a great deal a cute dessert that’s perfect for one person.
The folks working there were nice and welcoming and the lab itself was very clean and had ample sitting room at the bar and tables.
Check it out on your way into or out of trader joes if you are craving a sweet treat!
They also have quiche!

Not impressed. Went there towards the beginning if sept. When they were having a soft opening. the pie slices were small. The lemon sour cream was good. I was expecting something really special but was not impressed with price or flavor.
Thanksgiving we got a whole apple pie. Not impressed for $ 26. The apples were still hard, but it was packed with them. I like to have some sauce in my pie, bug this lacked it. Id rather go to costco n get an apple pie there.

Although Pie Lab by Trader Joe’s in Kent seemed to have a rough start with pie selections and mixed reviews, I am pleased to say that I am a return customer. $ 3 for the mini pies seemed steep at first but pastries at specialty bakeries at Pike Place Market charge just as much. I strongly recommend the sweet potato pie, pumpkin praline, salted caramel apple and the chocolate chess. Steak and ale was unique and tasty. And the chicken pot pie was flavorful without being too salty. I used to say I’ll stop by Pie Lab if I go to Trader Joes. Now I find myself heading straight for the Lab to see what’s new. You should too

I went in to grab a piece of pie about an hour before their closing time. It was great because it seems they have increased their pie selection in their display case compared to when they initially opened.
However, nobody acknowledged I was there that day. About 3 employees passed by and each continued doing their tasks. I don’t believe I was the only one who felt this way since another customer walked in after me and they ended up leaving. An employee finally came by and acknowledged that I had been waiting there for some time and apologized for the wait.
The service was not consistent to what I had experienced before. It was slightly disappointing as I felt they did not value me as a customer. Although their pies are tasty, it’s not a spectacular pie that they can afford to forgo customer service.

I like to read reviews before venturing to new places. And yes, I have read the reviews for PieLab since I was anticipating their opening for a while now. I definitely think that PieLab deserves way more than what 2.5 stars. I understand they just opened and were probably having trouble but I’m pretty sure they are getting in the swing of things from my experience.
I went in on a Sunday morning, a little after 8 am. The place is modern looking and looks very cozy. I like the fact you can sit there and watch the person make pies as you’re enjoying yours or a cup of coffee. I definitely like the superhero/​comic drawings on the wall (I;‘m pretty sure it was a picture of the person making the actual pies.)
We were friendly greeted by everyone saying hi. There were multiple mini pies available. I can’t remember them all but they included nutella pumpkin (i think), mac & cheese, bacon mac & cheese and sweet potato. We ordered two of each of the mac & cheese, sweet potato and a slice of corn quiche!
I tried both the mac & cheese and they were full of flavor. The corn quich was also flavorful. I liked their crusts A LOT! They were so flaky and perfect.
I’ve made the decision to definitely order a pie for Thanksgiving and will definitely be back for more!

Pie Lab — Engineering Happiness. Such an intriguing sign! Was this to be one of those places where you engineer your own pie to take home or was it just a pie shop? Pie Lab is the latter, a regular pie shop that has a very loose science lab theme.
I was going to TJs one day when a man who was walking out of Pie Lab proclaimed that they were «doomed to fail.» Oddly enough, this statement piqued my interest. Pie is easy to make, how bad can it possibly be? Was it the staff that triggered this statement? I need to know!
I decided to try them out the next day. It was around 2pm when I got there and they were out of pies. A pie shop… that’s completely out of pies… many hours before they’re scheduled to close. I decided that I would possibly try to stop by after a grocery store trip, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way again (you shall not fool me twice, Pie Lab!).
Many weeks later (AKA today) I finally got around to going in Pie Lab. The way the shop is set up scrunches everything right by the door and it’s just not attractive. It’s actually a large place, but the layout makes it feel really small when you first walk in. Thank goodness it was noon and completely dead!
The shop was clean and the cases were full with several options. I opted for 2 mini pies: peach bourbon and apple. Great hustle from the employee! She saw me coming in and quickly made it to the case to help me; other than that service was average. I was surprised that the pies were given to me in little bags. I would expect pies to be in a box, but it worked out since they were cold.
Presentation is sloppy, the mini pies especially aren’t much to look at. I’ll disagree with Melissa H.‘s comment that a 6 year-​old made them. They’re not *that* terrible, more like a young teen’s work. Most of the pies had crusts that were pulling away from the pan. A lot of new bakers are plagued with the shrinking crust, and at ~$ 30 for a whole pie I fully expect the baker to know why the crust is pulling away and how to prevent it. But I digress, the word «professional» simply means you’re paid to do it, it doesn’t necessarily equate to skill.
Okay, definitely huge fail on presentation, but taste is where it’s at! Am I right?!
I feel these types of pies are best heated, so I popped them into the oven to make sure I got the full pie experience.
Mini Apple: smells like dough with undertones of spice. Even after being heated the smell doesn’t really scream «apple pie!!» to me; crust smells good though. The first bite was quite good. Really good tasting crust, but the filling flavor is a little too subtle in comparison to the copious amounts of crust. One of my bites had underdone crust, but 1 out of 4 or 5 isn’t bad I suppose. By the end of the mini pie I was actually getting tired of the crust. Too much of it compared to the filling. I won’t be ditching my apple pie recipe any time soon; the time it takes to make one myself is worth it.
Peach Bourbon: Smells like it’s more flavourful than the apple. The topping crust is really thick! Fearing a total crust overload based on the apple I opted to save this one for much later. This one was definitely a lot more enticing than the apple when it was heated. The filling was quite good, but it was hit and miss. Some of the peaches were perfectly cooked, others were disappointingly underdone. I don’t feel compelled to get another one.
It’s places like this that made me wish Unilocal allowed half stars. I’d be willing to give them 2.5, but they’re definitely not worth 3. While I wasn’t impressed today, I definitely feel that there’s a lot of potential. If they’re still in business this Summer I’ll give them another chance.

This area of kent needed something like pie lab; cheap, good, and unique. This hit the nail on the head. Pie tastes AMAZING, haven’t had one I didn’t like. Staff is super friendly, place is super clean.
The only thing I might ask, develop a system for your menu. Like a «Mondays» special or on a white board write the next days menu down. You never know what kind of pie they have that day until you go in.

This place is conveniently located next to Trader Joe’s. I’m not big into pies but I’ll make an exception for Pie Lab’s pies. Their crust is out of this world! It’s what makes the pie! It’s a bit pricey for a whole pie or even a slice of pie at $ 5.00. I’ve had their quiches and was not disappointed. I usually purchase their mini-​pies at $ 3.00 a pie. It’s a perfect serving size. The staff is young and are usually friendly but are there to work. They don’t know much about the business… At least the ones I’ve talked to. I’ve never sat down to enjoy the place. I’ve always taken my pies home. The pies are boxed in Brown to-​go boxes. I’ve been back here 5 times now and counting.

We arrived at 6:30 pm on a Saturday night.
I expected there to not be a big selection and I was correct.
What we found was 3 savory selections and 2 sweet. I would say that was pretty good.
Coconut Cream and Triple Berry.
2 different quiches (one veggie) and Mac and Cheese.
Oh there was Bacon Apple. Yes, you read that right. Bacon Apple. Or Apple Bacon. Is that savory or sweet? I am not sure of the category.
We left with one slice of Coconut Cream. As it is my favorite, I was happy. I was not happy with the price however. 5 $… a bit steep for me. My luck the slice was big enough to share and not feel like I was in a sugar coma.
Where the line starts is a bit of a conundrum, but we made it work. We as in me (my kids) and the people in front of me and behind me.
I found the customer service to be A-​OK. No complaints there.
Public: I see lots of reviews about small amounts of variety, but you have to remember this is a small business and overhead needs to be taken into account. Be patient.
The cashier did say they would have pot pies soon. I am looking forward to that. I think this place has potential. 3.5 stars.

AMAZING & the BEST ever! Had the Triple Berry and Lemon Custard slices. Just the perfect balance of sweet to compliment the fillings. The crust is flakey, tender and supports everything in order. It’s like a loving marriage.
The staff is friendly, attentive and knowledgable about the products. The owner, Susan is passionate about the pie creations. Stop in to visit and stay to for a slice of heaven. You’ll be glad you did. Order whole pies 2 days ahead. It will be baked that morning for you to pick up.
Definitely will be back soon to enjoy a slice or two and a whole pie to take with me! These pies are home made, not mass automated production.

I had a slice of cherry pie. The crust was superb. Well done job. The cherries were awesome… nice and tart /​firm. The staff was friendly, attentive, and I was asked several times how I like my pie. This is where it ends. Like other reviews here I have to agree on many points.
I have great hopes in the changes here, but repeated reviews such as this are required to ensure return guests.
Lack of selection — when I first walked in there was the «showcase» of pies, or there lack of. Seriously what a disappointment. I’ve heard of shelves in the times of the USSR that were better stocked. That case should be fully stocked with so many choices I have a hard time making a decision. As I sat and enjoyed my slice of Cherry Pie I repeatedly watched the faces of people walking in, only to disappointment to choice.
Whirlpool traffic flow — a prior reviewer spoke of this and I have to agree… you have the pie case, the point of sale, the food delivery, and espresso prep and delivery all in the same area! Holy Cow. Bad traffic flow and your consultant/​restaurant design team should be giving you money back for a terrible design. You have too many things go on there in one area. I think the pie case is too soon in line with the counter. Part of it is also due to the function of how you accept payments. You need a separate order printer /​payment area down the line for fulfillment. (I specialize in this field and work with several restaurants/​merchants in the Seattle area. I would be happy to provide you some more info around this if you are interested) None of the activity in the kitchen appears to be a concern of urgency to get more pies out for guests.
Presentation, Presentation, Presentation — poor serving skills. That Cherry pie has a beautiful crust star pattern on top. Unfortunately the server butchered the slice to where that wonderful top is no longer recognizable. Based on other photos here, I would say this is a problematic. Stop murdering your pies! Looking at guests to the side of me and their sloppy pies presented to them it continues to go on. You have a first class tasting product… train the staff to present it that way. It should be presented in a way that I hate to take a first bite out of it because it looks wonderful.
Again, from my culinary passions of baking and cooking… you have a great crust and I am interested in tasting other pies, when they come available. I’m not sure my observations has the highest weighted value to you or your other guests… this was my personal experience. I believe you have some things to work out on several levels. I do know from my career… there are lots of awesome chefs and bakers out there… they make a superior product. That’s what they specialize in. Restaurant design, process flow, and inefficiencies are typically not their bailiwick and hence great food disappears from the market because the owner/​chef didn’t have another partner who specializes in these other details that keeps guests coming back.
To those still reading. If you can just focus on the product for now… the crust is what it is all about. Then the filling. PieLab does an awesome job on the crust and the Cherry Filling. I’m sure it would be the same for other filling choices. Those who have visited in the past, if you liked the product — keep checking them out. Most owners are truly concerned and will take guest feedback seriously.
The guy who said go to Sheri’s across the parking lot needs a culinary lesson.

Really hate to do this but as others have stated, I’m hoping it saves others frustration and helps the business to get feedback so they can make adjustments.
The pie display case is immediately inside the door, along with the cash register. This design flaw creates a sloppy, unorganized traffic jam as soon as you walk in. People are bunched up and you have no idea who is being helped, who’s waiting etc. the case should be moved.
Same complaint as others about lack of variety. I believe there were 4 choices? Also a sign saying they aren’t taking orders for whole pies? Ummm, you are a PIE store.
They had samples for the lemon cream. It was delicious. Pie crust taste just like my own homemade that I just don’t have the inclination or time to make.
I ordered a broccoli «quiche» as I had seen it on the website & I love a good quiche, along with a mini Apple. It seemed a bit high priced (can’t remember exact total) but I do not mind paying for quality at all. *fingers crossed*
Get it to go since it’s too chaotic in there. Pull up to a park & go to enjoy my fresh warm quiche. WTF? It’s COLD! Never warmed up & who eats cold quiche? Disgusting! 1 bite, in the trash!
The mini Apple pie was fantastic! Couldn’t have improved on it myself.
Owner was nowhere to be seen which I found odd since this is a new business. She should absolutely be greeting & interacting with the folks who waited eagerly for her business to open. Kent is very tight knit. Good & bad press travels fast.
The cashier (who I believe is the mgr if I recognized correctly from the site), was very friendly.
So A+ for the one employee I interacted with & the delicious apple pie.
D for the horrible «flow» of the business.
Great big fat F for the cold unedible quiche.
I’ll give them a month to get their minds right & try once again. If they don’t get it by then, they won’t last 6 months.

In town from out-​of-​state, my hosts told me how they’ve been waiting for this shop to open. Perfect. I planned on picking up a gift certificate as a «thank you» for their hospitality. I walked in and saw only 4 strawberry pies and 4 lemon and some individual chocolate pies. I was surprised at the small inventory but understanding that they just opened the business, I wasn’t really bothered by it, thinking that by the time my hosts used the gift certificate the pie lab would have a better selection.
I was greeted politely by the cashier. I told her I wanted to purchase a $ 25 gift certificate. She wrinkled her nose and said she didn’t think they had any but would check. She walked over to the lady making pies and asked. The pie maker look exasperated, turned to me and made the excuse that they’ve only been opened for four days and they don’t have any gift certificates.
Since i have owned my own business before, I get that. I get that the beginning is rough with many hurdles. However, I also know that if one wants their business to succeed, they make it work. I would have gladly accepted a signed piece of paper as a gift certificate… nothing fancy… my hosts and I would have had a lighthearted chuckle about the cute new business and their funny gift certificate. Unfortunately, I was simply refused. No gift certificate.
So I said I’d like to buy one of the eight pies in the case and was informed that I was not allowed to buy a whole pie. HUH? Are you kidding? Nope. I could buy slices but not a whole pie. In order to bring home one slice for everyone in the house we would have bought a whole pie anyway.
This has to be the strangest experience in a new business I have ever had. I wanted to give them my money and they would not take it. Insanity. As we left empty-​handed, I told my friend that what we just witnessed was likely a person who was really good at making pies but very bad at business.
I am a huge supporter of small business and I sincerely hope that this one will get their act together quickly. I wish them much success but I know that in order for that to happen, they are going to have to make some BIG changes — FAST.

Let’s be honest,
Like most I am pretty disappointed in the opening as well. This place was NOT ready to be opened. First day, only 3 selection of pies and 2 syrups for coffee. I work close so I stopped in again a day after they had another two pies selections but one pie of each.
Service– the young gals were friendly but had no idea what they were doing. They can not slice pie correctly. My first slice had ¾ of the bottom crust missing plus it was all a big mess when I opened the container. The owner was there both days and wasn’t greeting or even paying attention to the employees. If you’re not a chain location you sure as heck better welcome your new clients. These people will come in daily for some pie and coffee yet there is no involvement from the owner. I get it. You have only been in business 5 days… But I don’t see any effort.
Pie– the taste of the coconut cream pie is actually quite delicious! One of the better pies around. The pie slices are tiny and $ 5 each. They cut them super sloppy and ruins the way I’d want to enjoy my pie. Very little selection. It is actually quite frustrating and confusing. Pie lab doesn’t fit the name. They have average looking pies and no unique flavors. In a business sense it isn’t worth it. They don’t even look appetizing. The case isn’t organized and has no lighting.
Overall I feel horrible writing a bad review but it’s only accurate and the owner should take a lot of these reviews as helpful. You have a great location with not a lot of competition around. 80% of your first time clients won’t return. Wish you the best!

So disappointed. I wasn’t expecting much as I had no idea what Pie Lab was. We walked in and there wasn’t but two choices. Figured they were still figuring out the demand so wasn’t too bothered. Ordered a mixed berry and apple and left.
On the way home I questioned the price as I thought $ 11 was a little steep for two pieces of pie. However maybe they were large pieces and I guess if you went to a restaurant it would be that much. However, when I opened the box at home I was shocked with what I saw. The apple pie was thrown in the box sideways and the mixed berry was a half of a slice. Maybe three bites at most.
I haven’t even tried it but I won’t be back. This is not how you win someone’s business.

I came in and thought it was a spot where you could build your own pies, but was wrong. It was the third day open and there was a lot of open space just not many pies. Snicker doodle, berry and apple were the only choices right now and I got a slice of the berry and apple
A total for two slices were 10.86. I came home to try the pie.
The crust was flaky and the filling not too sweet, however the slices were tiny :(
I feel like it wasn’t worth the price, maybe 6 $. Would have been more appropriate