Pie: I love it. Who doesn’t? Well, if you don’t also love pie, just cut your losses and back out now because from here on out, this is my love letter to pie. It was a staple of my childhood as my family knew that no decent meal was complete without pie. We’ve gone for pie for celebrations, for holidays, for morose occasions, and even just because it was a Thursday. Lucky Moon Pies not only brightened up my taste buds, but it also brightened up my day because it brought up happy memories.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Lucky Moon Pies is technically Lucky Moon Pies and More because they offer more than just a slice of pie. They have savory options, like sausage gravy biscuit bombs (yes please), baked spaghetti, sandwiches, and more. On my visit, they featured chicken pot pie. It seems to me that they pick items that show off their pastry skills because the pot pie crust was no regular crust. It was a homemade, flaky, crispy crust, and it was really good.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Lucky Moon is only offering curbside right now, but my pot pie came out hot and fresh and was still warm by the time I got back to Champaign to enjoy it. It was a decent size for an individual portion. I couldn’t finish it all, but maybe that’s because I was holding out for a lot more pie to try. The filling was really delicious with no artificial flavors to be found. Pot pie is classic comfort food, and it was a great starter for the rest of what lay ahead.
Photo by Remington Rock.
We’ll start the dessert line up with the strawberry pie. This was a lovely slice of spring that was made with fresh strawberries and topped with whipped cream. I think strawberry pie can be the most hit or miss, but this one was a hit. It tasted homemade and was very classic; there was no zhuzhing up, just a reliable piece of pie, which is how it should be. The strawberry pie would be a great bright treat for these warmer months.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Next was the banana sheet cake with cream cheese icing. This cake was super moist (if you don’t like that word, get over it; there’s no other way to describe good cake) and not too sweet. The cream cheese icing was excellent, and again very obvious that it was made in-house. The edges were even a little crispy which I really liked. As a super bonus, I had a corner piece, so win-win! In an effort to rationalize dessert for every meal, I could see the banana sheet cake even crossing into breakfast territory because it had a similar consistency to banana bread.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Sticking with the banana theme — because they were out of peanut butter pie — is the banana cream pie. This is one of my favorite kinds of pie. There was a layer of real bananas, and it was topped with a toasted meringue swirl. It was super creamy and mild, with no artificial banana taste, thankfully, because that’s just the worst. I really liked the meringue, too, because it tasted really marshmallowy, and it wasn’t gritty at all like a lot of pie toppings can be.
Photo by Remington Rock.
I also had the yellow cake slice with chocolate buttercream (#balance). The first notable thing about this one is that it was huge. Honestly, it was the biggest individual cake slice portion I’ve ever seen. Yellow cake and chocolate frosting is a classic and is a go-to in my family, so I was rather relieved that when I tried it, I was in heaven. That chocolate buttercream was incredible. I’m a person who can sometimes live without the frosting, but with this cake I could’ve just eaten the buttercream. It was rich and creamy — and outshone the cake a bit. It’s currently sitting in my fridge waiting for me to wrap up this review so that I can go reward myself for submitting it.
Photo by Remington Rock.
I saved what I considered the best for last: the salted honey pie. Reader, this pie has changed my life. I’m not sure I can have any more birthdays without this pie. I’m gonna need a whole one for myself, so take this as just an FYI to my friends and family. This is more of a sweeter pie, but it’s nice and simple at its core. No frills, just good, delicious pie. It has a strong caramel flavor, and I’ve honestly never had anything like it. I somehow managed to exercise some self control and make it last through the ride home. Like all their pies, the crust is deliciously flaky and light. It’s not thick on the bottom so it doesn’t overpower the fillings. You can tell Lucky Moon takes what they do seriously, and it pays off big time.
I highly recommend a visit; don’t try to find a special occasion, just go because you deserve a damn good piece of pie. Or two. Or six, like me. I regret nothing.
Lucky Moon is just a hop over to Mahomet, easy to find. Not to mention that the shop is a delightful little cottage. They have a different menu every day, so if you need to go multiple times, this is a judge-free zone. Check them out on Facebook or Instagram to see what they’re offering. There’s no other little shop in this area specializing in pies and homemade goodies like this, and even so there would be no contest: Lucky Moon Pies and More is a shining star in the community.
Lucky Moon Pies
401 E Oak St
Mahomet
Wed-Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sat 8 a.m. to noon