For fans of O Pie O, the artisanal pie-making endeavor founded in 2014, the summer of 2015 was a long drumroll.
The business had announced its cafe would open in East Walnut Hills in the first quarter of 2015. But there were delays — as often happens in construction projects — so pie lovers had to be satisfied with carryout, lining up in Findlay Market to pick up honey vinegar pies or concord grape pies.
The crash of the cymbal finally came, quietly, on Sept. 13 when O Pie O announced on Facebook that the shop was open for brunch as part of a soft opening. It actually had opened a few days before, and the official hard opening was Sept. 16.
O Pie O cafe is open Tuesdays through Saturdays for breakfast and dinner, brunch Sundays (527 Madison Road), serving savory pies, sweet pies, and wine and beer. Sales at other locations have ceased, and patrons are asked to order whole pies 24 hours in advance.
EAT PIE, WATCH THE MAGIC
While it was always fun to grab an O Pie O pie at Findlay Market, the new space is a destination. Airy and bright, with high ceilings and a long, family style plank table in the center of the main room, the dining room has a view to the oven where the magic is made with the help of European butter, fresh fruit, and a baker’s skill. The shop is located on a revitalized stretch of Madison Road in East Walnut Hills, where a host of new eateries and shops have cropped up.
“We’ve had a big response already," Co-owner and chief chef Ian Sobeck said. "We’ve been super busy. It’s been intense hours and a lot of hard work, but it’s been great to see all the people coming through.”
Sobeck said the café’s owners and staff are working out hours, menu particulars, staff training, and trying to identify kinks in the operation. “We’re trying to keep up with demand.”
Honey-vinegar continues to be the best-selling pie, followed by grape. O Pie O also had a short run of late-harvest rhubarb pie and a poached pear with almond frangipani filling.
SAVORY AND SWEET
At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the cafe was busy. Outdoor patio tables were all taken, and several people sat indoors at tables and the zinc counter. The pie maker’s guiding principle of using high-quality ingredients that are locally sourced when possible was in evidence in a tart-tasting concord-grape turnover with a light, flaky crust.
The evening menu included chicken pot pie, made with Amish chicken, leeks, Yukon potatoes, carrots and peas; Chilean beef empanada; corn and cheese empanada; Malabar tomato soup; salads and sides; pour-over coffee; and, of course, sweet pies.
The breakfast menu also included choices of savory and sweet pies and turnovers, with oatmeal, granola and yogurt for the cafe’s “no pie” patrons — if such a thing can be imagined.
Hours, subject to change, are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and brunch only on Sunday.
