In the small town of Keo, about 24 miles southeast of Little Rock, one of the South’s great hidden secrets is waiting for you to discover it. If you are a dessert fanatic, you can’t miss a trip to Keo to check out Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets.
AY Publisher Heather Baker and KARK host DJ Williams made the trip down to Keo to find out why Charlotte’s gets such rave reviews. In fact, Southern Living named Charlotte’s coconut cream pie as one of the best pies in the United States.
But the small-town restaurant got another recommendation that led Baker and Williams to Keo – Baker’s mother. “Your mom said we need to be here,” Williams says.
“My momma told I better get up in here,” Baker jokes.
While Baker and Williams get acquainted with the store, the owner Charlotte Bowls is in the back, getting all of the desserts prepped for the feast to come. While her coconut cream pie gets all of the attention, there’s plenty of desserts to go around.
Gesturing at the coconut cream pie, Bowls says, “It was written up in Southern Living. They loved the meringue, and they bragged on how tall it was. It’s probably one of our best sellers. People come from all over everywhere to eat this pie.”
In addition, Charlotte’s Eats & Sweets offers a sweet potato pie, pecan pie, cakes, as well as savory options like burgers, sandwiches and more.
Here at AY – we’re all about the pies right now!
“We have a sweet potato pie. People really like that,” Bowls says. “The pecans [for the pecan pie] come from our orchard, and they are always fresh.”
Once the pies are ready to go, they are taken out into the restaurant where Baker and Williams are waiting to chow down. Before taking a bite, they pause to admire the artistry that has gone into making the pies, especially the sky-high meringue on the coconut cream pie.
“Look at this – look at this meringue,” Baker says.
The verdict once they take a bite of the pie? “There’s just enough coconut to make you want more. It is good,” she says.
They move on to the pecan pie and more, growing more impressed with each bite. “I picked the worst month ever to start my diet. But sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Williams says.
Once the meal is done, Williams is ready for his hot take of the day. He and Baker have tested three pie spots so far, and he already has a favorite. “That is some good stuff. We’ve been to two other places so far. I hate to say it – I’m an honest person – I would say that this is my number one spot so far,” he says.
“I think my momma was right,” Baker says.
While Baker and Williams have finished this week’s pie spot, there’s still more to come. Check back next week when they visit the last stop on the Pie Bucket List.
READ MORE: Easy as Pie: Bucket List