University Heights Pie Shop Heading to Orange County

Orange County pie enthusiasts will soon be able to enjoy a piece of home-baked goodness from San Diego; University Heights’ Pop Pie Co. is coming to Costa Mesa in mid-September, where it will share the same strip mall with Sidecar Doughnuts’ flagship store. The local pie purveyors are taking the place of well-established Aussie-style pie shop Pie-Not, which shuttered in June after six years.

Founded in 2016 by co-owners Steven Torres and executive chef Gan Suebsarakham, the Park Boulevard pie company was hand-picked by Pie-Not, who approached the partners about replacing them in the space. Torres shared, “We’ve had plans for expansion for a while now, and this was a perfect match.”

Open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the all-day eatery will offer Pop Pie’s signature menu of savory individual-sized pies in flavors ranging from traditional Chicken Pot Pie, Aussie Meat Pie, and Steak & Ale to pies filled with curried vegetables and chile-spiced braised pork along with sides like creamed corn and kale slaw. Their dessert pies, including Salted Caramel Apple Crumble, Coconut Cream Pie, and Key Lime Pie, come by the slice and as whole 9-inch pies or in handheld form, sweetened with guava cream cheese or lemon curd and mixed berries. Small-batch ice cream from their companion scoop shop Stella Jean’s, will also be offered. The shop will also function as a full-service coffee bar, fueled by beans from Portland’s Heart Coffee Roasters.

Though Pop Pie Co. is heading out of town, Torres and Suebsarakham are still focused on local expansion; we’re hearing that additional San Diego locations are definitely planned for the future.