Let’s be honest: Albany’s pie game is a choose-your-own-adventure, and you’re about to flip to the best pages. We’re talking the absurdly flaky empanadas at Mandy Cakes, where the maple topping is basically a personality trait, all the way to the gas-station glory of EZ Trip, where the warm food case is low-key legendary.

You’ll hit the farmers’ market for sourdough that could anchor a ship, then swing by Pizza Now! for garlic knots that should be illegal.

Yes, this list includes a Safeway. That’s not a mistake.

That’s a warning. Grab a fork and start reading.

Sidekicks Gourmet Desserts and Espresso

Highlights
Matcha perfected by skilled baristas
Cozy patio, bright fresh interior
Staff fixes mistakes generously
Coffee, bagels, and desserts shine

You walk into Sidekicks Gourmet Desserts and Espresso and immediately feel like you've stumbled into a friend's living room, if that friend happened to own a very shiny espresso machine. The matcha arrives with a quiet confidence, perfectly whisked by baristas who clearly know their way around green powder. I sat on the cozy patio, which is bright enough to make you forget you're in a strip mall. The staff fixed my order mistake with such generous grace that I almost felt guilty for being wrong on purpose. The coffee, bagels, and desserts all shine, but honestly, I'd return just for the chance to be corrected again. Small words, big kindness.

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Hazella Baking School

Highlights
Owner greets you warmly
Apricot cream cheese croissant
Bookable baking classes
Fresh options early morning
Friendly owners and staff

The owner greets you like you're a long-lost relative who finally made it for Sunday brunch, and honestly, that warm welcome is half the reason you'll stay. Hazella Baking School smells like butter and ambition, with an apricot cream cheese croissant that could make a grown person weep into their lap. The early morning options are fresh, flaky, and gone by nine, so set your alarm. You can also book baking classes, which means you can learn to make your own pastries instead of just haunting the display case. The owners and staff are friendly to the point of suspicion, but you'll take it. Buy two croissants. You'll thank me later.

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Le Patissiér

Highlights
Worth the morning wait
Pastries sell out fast
Owners are incredibly kind
Sweet and savory variety
Every item tastes great

Le Patissiér is the kind of place where you wait in line before the doors open, and you do it with a smile because you know it will be worth it. The pastries sell out fast, so the morning wait is part of the ritual. Owners are incredibly kind, which makes the shame of buying six croissants feel less embarrassing. Every item tastes great, from the sweet to the savory, and you will not leave empty-handed. I’m pretty sure the butter content is medically inadvisable, but you won't care. Get there early. Hoard your favorites. Regret nothing.

You might also want to check out the best seafood market in Portland.

PizzAmoré

Highlights
Dough, toppings, sauce sing
Triple threat, well done
Leftovers reheat beautifully
Service recovers with gift cards
Tastes fresh from oven again

At PizzAmoré, the dough, toppings, and sauce sing a perfect three-part harmony. The triple threat is real, and they cook it well done, which is the only way a pie should face the world. Leftovers reheat beautifully the next day, which is a blessing for those of us who can't eat an entire pizza in one sitting. Service hiccups happen, but they make it right with gift cards faster than you can say anchovy. The pizza tastes like it just came out of the oven again, even after a night in the fridge. It’s a small miracle, and it’s delicious.

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Albany Farmers' Market

Highlights
Best strawberries in years
Gluten-free pastries available
Glorious sourdough and greens
Dogs and artisans abound
Friendly neighborly shopping vibe

The Albany Farmers' Market delivers the best strawberries I've had in years, which is a bold claim, but they are here to back it up. You'll find glorious sourdough and greens so fresh they might still be growing. Gluten-free pastries are available for those who need them, and they don't taste like sad cardboard. Dogs and artisans abound, and the whole vibe is friendly and neighborly, like a block party but with better produce. I came for pie supplies and left with a sourdough loaf, three plants, and a new friend. It's the kind of place you wander through and feel whole.

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Greenhouse Coffee + Plants

Highlights
Kind staff, great drink advice
Mocha wins over skeptics
Return-worthy lattes, sweet shop
Quirky restroom surprise awaits

Greenhouse Coffee + Plants has kind staff who will talk you through your drink order like they're defusing a bomb, and honestly, it's charming. The mocha wins over skeptics, even my friend who claims she hates chocolate. The lattes are return-worthy, and the sweet shop is a bonus you didn't know you needed. The best part? A quirky restroom surprise that I won't spoil, but trust me, it's worth the walk. Come for the coffee, stay for the plants, and leave with a story. Just make sure you're not in a hurry. Good things take time.

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EZ Trip Travel Center

Highlights
Best customer service ever
Clean, well-stocked store
Friendly staff, Dusky & Kenah
Good gas prices nearby
Decent warm food selection

EZ Trip Travel Center is the last place you'd expect to find great customer service, but here we are. This is the best customer service I've ever experienced at a gas station, and I've been to a lot of gas stations. The store is clean and well-stocked, with a decent warm food selection that will save you in a pinch. The friendly staff, particularly Dusky and Kenah, remember your name and your order, which is both impressive and a little creepy. They even have good gas prices nearby. It's not a pie destination, but it's a travel center that understands hospitality. Stop in. Say hi. You'll leave smiling.

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Bread & Roses Market

Highlights
Reasonable organic produce prices
Friendly owner and staff
Great pantry deal finds
Delightful sourdough bread
Sneaky good wine selection

Bread & Roses Market is a cozy neighborhood spot where the organic produce prices are so reasonable you'll double-check your receipt. The owner and staff are friendly like you're a regular even if you've never walked in before. Great pantry deal finds abound, and the sourdough bread is delightful, with that perfect tangy crust. Their sneaky good wine selection will have you buying a bottle you didn't plan on, but you won't regret it. It's the kind of market that makes you want to move your whole shopping list here. For pie ingredients, this is the spot. Just don't blame me if the wine makes you forget the recipe.

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Pizza Now!

Highlights
Friendly, timely, allergy-aware service
Bacon Swiss Salad stays fresh
Best garlic knots ever
CBR pizza wins kids over

Pizza Now! is the full package. The service is friendly, timely, and remarkably allergy-aware, which is more than most places can claim. The Bacon Swiss Salad stays fresh, even after a drive home, which is a feat. And the garlic knots are the best I've ever had, fluffy, garlicky, and dangerously addictive. The CBR pizza wins over kids, and honestly, adults too. It's the kind of place that makes you feel seen and fed. Plus, the staff actually listens. You'll leave with a happy belly and a new favorite spot. Go for the knots. Stay for everything.

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The Biere Library

Highlights
Great beer, cozy spot
Fun book-filled atmosphere
Tasty Belgian meatballs, frites
Swift, kind service
Worth another visit

The Biere Library is a cozy spot that pairs great beer with a book-filled atmosphere, which is my personal idea of heaven. The Belgian meatballs and frites are tasty, rich, and perfect for soaking up the good vibes. Service is swift and kind, and the library theme is fun without being gimmicky. It's a place where time slows down, and you can read a chapter between sips. Definitely worth another visit, especially if you're a book nerd with a beer obsession. Just make sure you don't spill anything on the pages. That would be a tragedy.

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Safeway

Highlights
Custom cakes sometimes vanish
Deli rebrands Reser’s salad
Prices double for repackaged goods
Birthday plans go extinct
Photo proof politely declined

Safeway is the cautionary tale in this pie pilgrimage, and I say that with love. The custom cakes sometimes vanish into thin air, like they were never ordered at all. My birthday plans went extinct faster than a dodo in a comedy sketch. The deli rebrands Reser's salad and doubles the price, which feels like a magic trick nobody asked for. When I asked for photo proof of my missing cake, the staff politely declined, which is somehow both infuriating and hilarious. This is not where you go for pie. Go for the spectacle. Stay for the absurdity. Just don't expect a birthday miracle.

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Mandy Cakes Bakery & Bistro

Highlights
Flaky empanadas worth waking for
Legendary house-made maple topping
Gluten-free lemon bar perfection
Gorgeous custom gold cakes
Birthday cakes that steal the show

Mandy Cakes Bakery & Bistro makes you want to set your alarm specifically to experience their flaky empanadas. These are worth waking up for, which I never say lightly. The house-made maple topping is legendary, and it lives up to every whisper. The gluten-free lemon bar is perfection, a bright and buttery miracle that will convert your pickiest friend. Then there are the custom gold cakes, which are so gorgeous they should be in a museum of edible art. My birthday cake from Mandy Cakes stole the entire party, and I didn't even miss the attention. Trust the hype. Arrive early.

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