Julian Pie Company: Menu, Hours, Locations & Best Pie

Julian Pie Company is the best-known bakery in the mountain town of Julian, about 56 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. It has two shops: the original at 2225 Main Street in Julian and a larger bakery at 21976 Highway 79 in Santa Ysabel. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Whole apple pies start at $30.95, and the Dutch apple and apple-berry crumb pies are the ones people drive up for.

The story behind Julian Pie Company

Julian became an apple town after its gold rush faded. By the 1890s, promoters were calling the area “the greatest apple belt in the world.” Pie came much later. Liz Smothers, who had moved to Julian from Alabama, opened Julian Pie Company in September 1986 at age 53, using the apple pie recipe her mother taught her in Kansas. Her husband Keith made dough, peeled apples and pressed cider in the early years. In 1989 the couple bought an apple farm, and Keith planted about 17,000 trees.

The Santa Ysabel bakery opened in 1992. It handles most of the baking, supplies stores across San Diego and Riverside counties, and ships pies around the country. According to Edible San Diego, Liz died in May 2022 and her son Tim took over the business. The original apple recipe hasn’t changed. Julian’s own apple season lasts only a couple of months, so the company now uses Granny Smith apples bought from other growers, including orchards in Washington and Oregon. Its about page says those tart apples hold up well in cold storage.

Julian Pie Company menu and prices

These are the whole-pie prices from the Julian Pie Company website. In-store prices and slice options may differ.

Pie	Whole pie price
Original Apple	$30.95
Dutch Apple	$30.95
Apple Mountain Berry Crumb	$30.95
Boysenberry Apple Crumb	$30.95
Cherry Apple Crumb	$30.95
Peach Apple Crumb	$30.95
Strawberry Rhubarb	$30.95
Pecan	$31.95
Natural Apple (no added sugar)	$32.95
Caramel Dutch Apple	$34.95

The shops also sell apple cider donuts, other baked goods and gifts. Dave Smothers makes the pecan pie with pecans from Priester’s Pecans in Alabama.

What to order: On a first visit, start with the Original Apple or the crumb-topped Dutch Apple. If you like fruit pies, add one of the apple-berry crumbs. A bag of cider donuts is handy for the drive home.

The two locations

Julian (Main Street)

The original shop sits in the middle of Julian’s historic Main Street, a few doors from the town’s other bakeries. It’s the one to visit if you’re making a day of it in town. Phone: (760) 765-2449.

Santa Ysabel (Highway 79)

The Santa Ysabel shop at 21976 Highway 79 is in Santa Ysabel, west of Julian, so you’ll reach it before town if you drive up through Ramona. It’s a good stop when Main Street is packed on fall weekends, and it’s the place to pick up several pies at once. Phone: (760) 765-2400.

Both shops are open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to the Julian Chamber of Commerce bakery guide. Holiday weeks get busy, so call ahead if you need a large order for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Other pie shops in Julian

Julian Pie Company isn’t the only bakery that brings people up the mountain. Main Street has several pie shops within a few blocks, so a pie crawl is easy.

Mom’s Pie House

Mom’s Pie House at 2119 Main Street has been baking since 1984 and is the other name people search for as “Mom’s apple pie Julian.” The classic choice here is apple pie in crumb or flaky crust. Many regulars order both and compare. You can watch the bakers through a window, and the shop also serves soups, sandwiches on fresh whole wheat buns, apple dumplings and espresso drinks.

Mom’s has a second location in Wynola, at 4510 Highway 78 just west of town, which hosts the Art in the Orchard fall festival. The chamber guide lists both shops as open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mom’s online pickup menu lists whole pies at $23.95 for most apple and fruit combinations and $24.95 for bumbleberry, cherry and pecan. Phone: (760) 765-2472 (Julian), (760) 765-2264 (Wynola).

More pie stops on Main Street

• Julian Cafe & Bakery, 2112 Main Street: a sit-down restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with apple pie for dessert. It’s the easiest option if you want a meal and pie in one stop.
• Apple Alley Bakery, 2122 Main Street: homemade apple pies plus pot pies, calzones and sandwiches at lunch. Closed Tuesdays.
• Marisol’s Pie Shop, 1921 Main Street.
• Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel: known for its breads, but it also bakes pies, strudels and other pastries.

So which is the best pie in Julian?

There’s no official winner, and locals argue about it. A fair summary: Julian Pie Company for Dutch apple and fruit-and-apple crumbs, and Mom’s for a traditional flaky-crust apple at a slightly lower price. If you only have time for one stop, go with the shop that has the shorter line.

Apple season and when to visit

Fall is peak season. U-pick orchards along Julian Orchards Drive and Highway 78 usually open in late summer or September and run until around mid-October or until the apples run out. Some charge per bag, and some take cash only. The harvest varies a lot from year to year. In 2024, Volcan Valley Apple Farm closed a week after opening because of an extremely low crop. Before you plan a picking trip, check each orchard’s site or the Visit Julian event calendar.

By early November, u-pick is mostly over for the year. The pie shops stay open year-round, though, and weekdays from November through spring are much calmer than fall weekends. The Julian Cider Mill, which turned 50 in 2025, is worth a stop for fresh cider. Winter sometimes brings snow, and that draws its own crowds on weekends after a storm.

Getting to Julian

Julian is about 56 miles from downtown San Diego, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car in light traffic. There are two main routes:

• Via I-8 and Highway 79: Take I-8 east to Highway 79 north. The road climbs through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and past Lake Cuyamaca, about 9 miles south of town. It’s the most scenic way in.
• Via Ramona and Highway 78: Head inland to Ramona and follow Highway 78 to Santa Ysabel. The Julian Pie Company bakery is on this route, so you can grab a pie on the way up or on the way back.

A loop works well: go up one way and come back the other. Public transit to Julian is very limited, so plan on driving.

Who a Julian pie trip suits

It’s an easy day trip for families, couples and visitors who want a break from the beach. The drive is part of the appeal: oak woodland, apple orchards and, in fall, some of the only real autumn color in San Diego County. With more time, you can combine pie with a hike on Mount Laguna, or keep heading east down to the desert using our Anza-Borrego directions guide. In spring, families who like picking their own fruit can try San Diego strawberry picking closer to the coast.