Special Agent Dale Cooper famously extols, “a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. Damn good food. Diane, if you ever get up this way, that cherry pie is worth a stop” in the opening monologue of David Lynch’s beloved nineties TV show, Twin Peaks. These immortal words, spoken about the Lamplighter Inn, are also ones I have often repeated myself – though in my case, I’m usually referring to The Cherry Pit on King Street.

“the American in me just had to take a look”

I first came across this establishment in February of 2025, at the glowing recommendation of a foodie friend. His description sounded almost too good to be true – a new cafe on King Street selling vinyl records and sweet, American-style pies. Now, Cambridge has no shortage of cafes, but one that specialised in pie? Well, the American in me just had to take a look.

The exterior, painted a bright butter yellow with a cheerful sign spelling ‘The Cherry Pit: Music - Pies - Coffee’, promised a bit of sunshine on what was otherwise a cold, grey, winter’s day. Inside was a wall of vinyl, displaying a wide array of artists to browse through, from Miles Davis to Taylor Swift. Immediately, I was transported to the diners I had visited so many times through the screen in films like When Harry met Sally, and Pulp Fiction.

“Immediately, I was transported to the diners I had visited so many times through the screen”

A kind of cultural nostalgia made it instantly familiar, but the quality of that damn fine pie and coffee has kept me coming back. The menu consists of pumpkin, pecan, apple (gluten-free), and cherry (my favourite!) pies, as well as typically one wild-card specialty pie. From that first visit, what I can only describe as a love story of truly epic proportions unfolded between my pie and me. Soon, it became a weekly treat, a kind of club house for me and my friends. For the first time, I was a regular somewhere, I “knew a place”, I had a “usual”.

Through my countless visits, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know The Cherry Pit’s wonderful owner, known first among my friends simply as “the pie lady”, and then by her actual name, Ellis. Much of The Cherry Pit’s charm must be owed to her, not least because all pies are made by her (alone, by hand, from scratch and in house), but also because of her warmth and openness. Always friendly and down for a chat, she was kind enough to sit down with me after closing one evening and talk all things Cherry Pit.

I begin by asking Ellis about the process of opening the café. The Cherry Pit is a distinctive presence on King Street, and I’m curious about what led her to create something so singular.

“Before the Cherry Pit, I worked a freelance corporate gig doing graphic design for big music and tech companies like Spotify,” she tells me. “I loved it, but wanted a change. Owning a place where I could sit behind a counter all day, listen to good music and chat to cool people was always the ultimate dream. Over the years, I managed to save up enough money to make it a reality!”

“The Cherry Pit was that great love child that had come along, at last”

Music, clearly central to that dream, leads our conversation naturally to the soundtrack of The Cherry Pit’s creation.

“As I was getting to the final stages of the Cherry Pit, I was listening a lot to ‘At Last’ by Etta James,” Ellis says. “The Cherry Pit was that great love child that had come along, at last.”

American pop culture is the lifeblood of The Cherry Pit, present in every corner of the space, so I ask Ellis how she defines that influence.

“Put simply, it’s American movies, music, and literature – but it’s more than that. It’s a feeling,” she explains. “Some kind of nostalgic, romantic pang in the soul. Describing it doesn’t really do it justice – something has to make you feel it. I wanted to give people that feeling in a physical space. It can be beautifully cinematic here, and what’s even better is that everyone brings their own plot.”

What began as a personal dream has become a shared space, one where music hums softly, pies are crafted with care, and strangers become regulars. Great food, yes, but more than that. It's a place worth stopping for.