Like participating in a turkey trot or watching the downtown Thanksgiving Day Parade, waiting in line for hours for a pie (or three) from the Flying Saucer Pie Company is a Houston holiday tradition.
Co-founded in 1967 by the late William Leeson, aka “Pie Bill”, Flying Saucer remains a family business, with day-to-day operations now run by his daughter Heather Leeson. The decades-old shop in Independence Heights has remained a reliable destination for fruit and cream pies, available whole and by the slice, with customers thronging the counter to make their selection almost daily. Its popularity is understandably skyrocketing as the holiday season approaches.
Flying Saucer Pie Company in Independence Heights.
Megha McSwainThe iconic blue building, splashed with vibrant UFO and space-themed artwork, draws holiday pie lovers in flocks around this time every year. With tents, lawn chairs and reading material in hand, they are ready to wait their turn in the long queue that winds along West Crosstimbers.
“We see people starting to line up on Monday,” says Cresencia Andrade, a longtime Flying Saucer employee who once worked Thanksgiving week and is still manning the counter this year. “Tuesday they start lining up in the evening to have a pie on Wednesday.”
Flying Saucer’s Classic Pumpkin Pie is a Thanksgiving favorite.
Megha McSwainAhead of the busy week, Flying Saucer is canceling the option to buy pies by the slice, only offering whole pies the week before Thanksgiving, and the team is adding extra cash registers to ensure quick and efficient checkout. On weekdays, doors open at 7 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with the shop selling freshly baked pies until 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, unless they sell out earlier. Flying Saucer is closed on Thursdays.
Waiting in a flying saucer line for Thanksgiving pie is a Houston tradition.
Megha McSwain
Flying Saucer Pie Company offers a mix of fruit and cream pies.
Megha McSwain
Megha McSwain
While pumpkin pecan pies may seem like hot stuff during the holiday season, it’s Flying Saucer’s popular strawberry cream pie that’s the most sought after. “People buy all kinds of pies at Thanksgiving, but strawberry cream is the biggest seller all year round,” admits Andrade.
Customers in search of pies aren’t the only ones who flock to the Flying Saucer during Thanksgiving week: Houstonians of all ages stop by to experience and be part of the bustling crowd. “Some people don’t even buy pies,” Andrade laughs. “They just come to hang out and meet new people.”
Flying Saucer’s Strawberry Pie is the #1 seller in the store.
Megha McSwainThe energy is high, with visitors playing music, socializing and striking up conversations about all things pie and more. Reporters from local news stations make appearances, along with film crews in town, while aerial footage is recorded from helicopters hovering overhead. Consider the scene an experience to add to your Houston vacation bucket list.
Flying Saucer Pie Company
Find it: 436 W Crosstimbers St, Houston, TX 77018; (713) 694-1141
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
