Red River Rivalry of Pie: Searching for the Best in Oklahoma and Texas

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Red River Rivalry of Pie: Searching for the Best in Oklahoma and Texas

Railyard Pie Company in Edmond, Oklahoma. (Photos by Steve Skinner and Steve Johnson)

Oklahoma and Texas have been official neighbors since 1907, when Oklahoma became the 46th state. Oklahomans and Texans have more in common than not, but they haven't always been the friendliest of neighbors. In July of 1931, a border dispute between the two states led to the so-called Red River Bridge War, during which Oklahoma Governor William Henry "Alfalfa Bill" Murray sent the National Guard to the Oklahoma side of a bridge across the Red River. Texas Governor Ross Shaw Sterling answered in kind, deploying a group of Texas Rangers to their side of the bridge. The standoff was quickly diffused, and the only shots fired were by Texas Rangers taking target practice. 

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Nowadays the Oklahoma vs. Texas hostilities are mainly limited to the annual Red River Rivalry, one of the longest-running and most storied college football rivalries in the country. First played in 1900, the rivalry series has been held uninterrupted since 1929. The teams have met 120 times, and Texas leads the series 64-51, with five ties. Each October the two teams meet at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas to settle bragging rights for another year. 

Bags full of decadence at Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies near Davis, Oklahoma.

Texas also holds an edge when it comes to great motorcycling roads – a glance at the Butler Maps-rated roads in each state clearly makes the point. But there are other "quality of life" considerations important to motorcyclists, and near the top is food. When you drill down in that category, it doesn't take long to get to pie and the cafes and diners where good pie can be found. The question of which of the rival states has the best pie is an open debate.

I, along with two of my riding buddies, Steve Skinner and Steve Johnson, set out to settle the question once and for all during a three-day, 1,100-mile motorcycle tour we called The Red River Rivalry of Pie. Our plan was to eat our way through some of the best pie cafes in each state, compile our admittedly unscientific results to declare a winner, and enjoy some great Texas Hill Country roads along the way. 

Apple crumble pie from Railyard Pie Company in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Our adventure began at the Railyard Pie Company in Edmond, Oklahoma, which sits in a newly renovated old part of town, with vibrant shops, restaurants, and a weekend farmers' market. Railyard has an inviting and friendly atmosphere, often treating customers to live bluegrass music on Saturday mornings. We sampled two pies: lemon cream and apple crumble. Railyard didn't disappoint – we agreed the pies were outstanding and looked forward to judging how they would stack up against the stiff competition yet to come.

Total pie count: 3 pieces

Oklahoma City's Pie Junkie is tucked between a bar and an art gallery in the city's hip Plaza District. Its pies impressed our discerning taste testers.

Our pie tour turned south to Oklahoma City. Pie Junkie, located in the city's groovy Plaza District, is a compact operation, accommodating only about a half-dozen dine-in customers. Most of the customers we saw were picking up pre-ordered whole pies or grabbing slices to go. We sampled Pie Junkie's French silk (chocolate), Drunken Turtle, and (again) apple crumble. The pies were amazing, and we began to realize just how difficult picking an overall winner would be. After licking our plates – literally – we hopped on the bikes, pointed them southwest on Interstate 44, and headed toward Lawton, about 90 miles down the road.

Total pie count: 6 pieces

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma, preserves 60,000 acres of grasslands and granite mountains.

The weather was cooperating beautifully, with the temperature in the low 60s, clear skies, and light winds. As we approached Lawton, we could see the Wichita Mountains outlined against the western horizon. We detoured from the interstate onto State Route 49 in the direction of the quirky town of Medicine Park. Mount Scott, one of the highest points in Oklahoma at 2,464 feet, towers over the eastern edge of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, where buffalo, elk, and longhorn cattle freely roam. We took the 3-mile-long paved road that leads to the top and were treated with striking vistas in every direction.

Back on I-44, we continued south, crossed into Texas, and at Wichita Falls picked up U.S. Route 281 south toward Jacksboro and Mineral Wells. The road cuts through a swath of cattle country but soon gives way to a gently winding, undulating roadway and more wooded terrain. Looming over the town of Mineral Wells is the 14-story Baker Hotel and Spa, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Opened in 1929, it originally boasted 450 guest rooms, ballrooms, a bowling alley, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool. The hotel thrived throughout the 1930s and '40s, but after 20 years of decline, it closed its doors in 1972. Now under renovation, the hotel should reopen in 2026.

State Route 49 is a winding, scenic ride through the wildlife refuge that goes by Mount Scott, Lake Jed Johnson, and Quanah Parker Lake.

South of Mineral Wells, the bridge on U.S. 281 that crosses over the Brazos River is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Spanning 1,138 feet, the continuous-truss-style bridge was built in 1939 and has been recently refurbished.

We pressed on along U.S. 281 south to Stephenville where, recognizing that man cannot live on pie alone, we stopped at Hard Eight BBQ for lunch. Since this is a pie article, I won't dwell on the many great qualities of Hard Eight, but for the record, it's an excellent place to satisfy your inner carnivore.

The Fredericksburg Pie Company is in the heart of Texas Hill Country west of Austin. We liked their pie so much that we had two pieces each, which fortified us for a fun ride on two of the Twisted Sisters: RM 336 and RM 337.

We followed U.S. 281 south to Lampasas, where we angled southeast on U.S. Route 183 toward Austin. Pink, white, and red wildflowers added splashes of color to the sides of the road and the green fields beyond, giving us a taste of what we would see in abundance in the Hill Country west of Austin. We overnighted northwest of the city after a great day of riding that covered nearly 450 miles.

On Day 2, we made our way to U.S. Route 290 west out of Austin for the 75-mile ride to Fredericksburg. U.S. 290 between Austin and Fredericksburg is a beautiful road, parts of which are rated by Butler Maps, and there are several breweries and wineries along the highway.

Fredericksburg Pie Company

Fredericksburg Pie Company is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. until the pie is gone – usually around 3 p.m. We arrived about 15 minutes after it opened, and there was already a dozen or so customers in various stages of pie-induced bliss. The place is homey, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. When we asked about their best pie, the friendly staff quickly shared their motto: "We've got no time for bad pie – everything's good." And they weren't wrong. The coffee was great, and the pie was even better. We quickly scarfed down the first round – lemon meringue, coconut cream, and orange bourbon pecan. Then we moved on to round two: key lime, chocolate meringue, and coconut cream. Our scorecards showed that the setting, service, and pie (six pieces in one visit!) at Fredericksburg Pie Company received high marks.

Total pie count: 12 pieces 

It's hard to beat a ride on Texas' Twisted Sisters on a beautiful sunny day.

Stuffed and quite happy, we turned our attention to finding some great Hill Country roads, specifically the famous Twisted Sisters – RM (Ranch-to-Market Road) 335, 336, and 337. Our plan was to ride most of RM 337 from the jumping-off point on State Route 16 at Medina, pick up RM 336 at Leakey, and take it north to its end at State Route 41. The two Sisters are curvy, fast, and undulating, and we worked off a lot of the pie calories hustling our big bikes down those roads.

We are all veterans of the Twisted Sisters, but we agreed that they seemed better than we remembered – maybe it was the beautiful day, springtime greenery, and colorful wildflowers. Or pie-induced bliss. At the junction of RM 336 and State Route 41, we set our GPSs for Marble Falls, about 140 miles to the east, where we would stop for the night.

The Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, Texas, serves a wide variety of wonderful pies as well as hearty homestyle breakfast and comfort food.

Day 3 dawned cold and threatened rain. We hustled over to the Blue Bonnet Cafe for breakfast and our first pie of the day. The cafe opened in 1929 and has been in its current location on U.S. 281 since 1946. A perennial award-winner, the Blue Bonnet is a motorcyclist's dream – great breakfast, great service, great atmosphere, dedicated motorcycle parking, and world-class pie. We showed up at 8:15 on Sunday morning, and the place was already packed. As pre-breakfast appetizers, the Steves had slices of German chocolate cream and I had regular chocolate cream. Everything was outstanding.

Total pie count: 15 pieces

Blue Bonnet Cafe

It was hard to leave the Blue Bonnet Cafe, but we expected inclement weather to cross our path, so we zipped up our Gore-Tex riding gear, put on our waterproof gloves, and set off. Our target was Glen Rose, about 125 miles to the north. Before long, it was raining heavily and the temperature had dropped into the 40s. By the time we made it to Pie Peddlers, the rain had lightened up, and we needed hot coffee and warm pie to lift our spirits. Four pieces of pie – chocolate meringue, Every Berry, blackberry, and buttermilk (a house specialty) – and a pot of coffee later, we were warm, dry, happy, and ready to get back on the road. We pointed the bikes north toward Oklahoma City, with one pie stop remaining.

Total pie count: 19 pieces

Blue Bonnet Cafe

North on Interstate 35 through the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, the rain had cleared, and the sun occasionally peeked out of a mostly cloudy sky. After crossing back into Oklahoma, we were soon rolling through the beautiful Arbuckle Mountains, the oldest known formations in the U.S. between the Appalachians and the Rockies. The granite rocks date back at least 1.4 billion years.

Our final stop was nestled in those mountains – Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies, near Davis. Some might call including a fried pie shop in an article on the best pie cafes pure heresy, but a 4.7-star rating with 4,225 Google reviews suggested it had a place in our Oklahoma vs. Texas pie smackdown. And getting off the interstate at the State Route 53 exit allowed us to enjoy about 10 miles of pretty and twisty U.S. Route 77 near Turner Falls State Park. Three hot, delicious fried pies later – pineapple, chocolate, and pecan – we were on the bikes for the final leg back to Oklahoma City, about 78 more miles north on I-35.

Total pie count: 21 pieces

Four slices of pie and a pot of hot coffee at Pie Peddlers in Glen Rose, Texas, was the perfect way to warm up after riding in cold rain.

The Red River Rivalry of Pie had been a great ride and a labor of love. After three days, more than 1,100 miles, two Twisted Sisters, six pie shops, and 21 pieces of pie, we were ready to announce a winner. Our unanimous selection – Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, Texas. It's simply fabulous on every metric. We diverged, however, on second place. I picked the Railyard Pie Company in Edmond, Oklahoma; Steve Skinner selected Pie Junkie in Oklahoma City; and Steve Johnson selected the Fredericksburg Pie Company in Texas. But we were splitting hairs – the truth is you can't go wrong with any of the rival pie cafes we sampled. Pie on!

See all of Rider's touring stories here.

Red River Rivalry of Pie Resources

• Oklahoma Tourism
• Edmond, OK
• Railyard Pie Co. (Edmond, OK)
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Pie Junkie (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies (Davis, OK)
• Texas Tourism
• Fredericksburg, TX
• Fredericksburg Pie Company (Fredericksburg, TX)
• Marble Falls, TX
• Blue Bonnet Cafe (Marble Falls, TX)
• Glen Rose, TX
• Pie Peddlers (Glen Rose, TX)

Tim DeGiusti lives and works in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tim returned to motorcycling in 2012 after a long break and has since ridden throughout Oklahoma and 44 other states (and counting).

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