Agawam Diner: Cream Pie Delights!

The Agawam Diner, located at 166 Newburyport Turnpike (U.S. Route 1) in Rowley, celebrates its 85th Anniversary this year. It was originally established, with a Worcester Lunch Car, in Ipswich in 1940 and seven years later was replaced by a larger lunch car. After 1950, the diner was moved to its current Rowley location. 

They have an excellent breakfast menu, with delicious pancakes, but they also have a bakery in their basement where they produce numerous pies and pastries. If you just stop by the diner, they have some whole pies and pastries available for purchase, but if you want to ensure you get a specific type of pie, you should order ahead of time. Over the last few months, I've stopped by the diner a few times and purchased their three cream pies: Coconut, Banana and Chocolate. 

Each cream pie costs $30, which I feel is reasonable for the size, quality and taste of these pies. They feel heavy in the large box, and you realize you're not getting some tiny pie. Please note that the diner only accepts cash. 

The Coconut Cream Pie, like all of their cream pies, is topped by a relatively thick layer of creamy and light whipped cream, which also isn't overly sweet. This pie is topped with some toasted coconut, and the interior filling has a rich coconut flavor as well. Once again, it's creamy and delicious, but isn't overly sweet either. The pastry crust is thin and flaky, and not the heavy crust you find with some other pies. Overall, it feels like a lighter dessert, so you might be tempted to enjoy a second slice. It's easily large enough to satisfy 6-8 people, dependent on the size of the slices. 

The Banana Cream Pie was equally as delicious and light, with good-sized slices of banana within the filling. 

The Chocolate Cream Pie was just as delicious and light as the other two pies. This pie was covered with chocolate sprinkles and its chocolate filling was rich and creamy. 

I would highly recommend all three cream pies. They are large but taste light, with a fresh whipped cream topping and creamy & delicious fillings. The pie crust is thin and crispy and overall, the pies taste like a home-made pie. Out of the three, it's very difficult for me to select a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be the Coconut Cream. 

On my future visits to the Agawam Diner, I'll try some of their other pies, such as the Pecan, Apple, and Custard. They also carry other pies, including Lemon Meringue, Blueberry, Cherry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Squash, and more. 

So, go to the Diner for breakfast, and buy a pie to take home with you. And if you want a specific pie, order ahead.