Pine Country Restaurant

Is there a bad time for pie? We think not.

At Williams’ Pine Country Restaurant, open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, you can have your pie with breakfast, lunch and dinner. For that matter, you can have your pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And you’ll be tempted to do just that. 

The aptly named restaurant is just the kind of place you’d expect to find in a mountain town along Historic Route 66. It’s pine-paneled and comfortable, with green-checkered tablecloths, a coffee bar and a large gift shop. But it could just as easily be called Pie Country. 

The pie case stands front and center, stocked with confections selected from a menu of 35 mouthwatering varieties and made fresh daily. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects. But why settle for a slice of apple when you can feast your taste buds on blueberry apple peach, pineapple coconut or raspberry cream?

Often described as “mile high,” these pies are paeans to excess. A slice of banana chocolate peanut butter could feed a family of four, with leftovers. But whatever you choose, order it with a large cup of Pine Country’s excellent coffee.

If you like your coffee fancy, the Western-themed coffee bar serves whimsically named beverages such as the Doc Holliday Steamer (steamed milk and sweet syrup), the John Wayne Teardrop (layered syrup, half-and-half and espresso) and the Clint Eastwood Espresso (coffee with muscle).

Breakfast is popular at Pine Country, with classics such as country-fried steak and eggs, served with country gravy; applewood-smoked ham and eggs; and house-made biscuits and gravy. On the sweeter side are cinnamon rolls, French toast and “sweetcakes” — pancakes topped with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream.

The lunch menu is heavy on comfort foods: pot roast sandwich, patty melt, open-faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. But you’ll also find a few interesting twists on diner classics, such as the Texas Red Burger, served open-faced on cornbread and topped with house-made chili and cheddar cheese; and the Rowdy Reuben Burger, a ground-beef patty topped with corned beef, coleslaw, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing and served on grilled rye.

Dinner classics include prime rib, fried chicken and pork chops, as well as T-bone steak and spaghetti with meatballs. The shepherd’s pie takes a vegetarian twist, with a veggie burger instead of ground beef, house-made mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. There’s also a selection of salads, diet-friendly meals and even sugar-free pies, if you’re feeling virtuous. But what’s the fun in that? This is a place to indulge.  

If you haven’t been to Pine Country, it’s pie time you do.