As sunlight pours in to the Hoosier Mama Pie Shop, master pie-maker Paula Haney tells a customer that she sold out of everything on the shop's opening day. With banana cream pie, apple pie and chocolate chess pie gleaming from the counter of the three-table pastry shop, the pies tempt the tummy, especially if you've already tried the pies at other cafes where Haney distributed her goods before opening the shop. She also sells her pie at cafes like Metropolis in Edgewater and the Unicorn Café in Evanston.

Banana cream pie is luscious and thick with banana slices and vanilla pastry cream topped with white chocolate curls; and chocolate chess pie is like a divine, chewy brownie with a flaky, scrumptious homemade crust. Other lovely pie varieties include strawberry-rhubarb, pecan, coconut cream, chocolate cream and lemon meringue. With a rotation of about 40 varieties of pie, there’s bound to be something satisfyingly tasty to buy in each visit.

Customers may buy whole pies or by the slice, and coffee, muffins and scones are also available. A chocolate-orange muffin also hits the spot, with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips and orange gratings studded throughout the muffin. Mirrors on the wall make the tiny space seem a little bigger, and a green-and-white checkered tablecloth on the table in the window is a cheery touch to the already charming pie shop.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Mary Susan Littlepage