The Top Three: Chocolate Pies

Rita’s

Phoebe Flynn Oliver is the pastry chef at this super-trendy Dalston hangout. The venue is a collaboration between several cool foodies — Jackson Boxer offers up fried chicken, for example. There’s always a chocolatey pie (£4.50) on the menu: try to get your hands on a slice of the gingerbread, caramel and chocolate orange one.

33-35 Stoke Newington Road, N16 (ritasbaranddining.com)

The Hummingbird Bakery

If you want to treat someone, you can’t go wrong with one of The Hummingbird Bakery’s creations — in particular the dreamy chocolate pie (£33 for the whole thing). It’s insanely rich and covered with cream for good measure. You can have it delivered, or pop into one of the five sleek branches, which feel more like delis than cake shops.

(hummingbirdbakery.com)

Outsider Tart

This bake shop was founded by two Americans who missed their home-style sweet pies, cakes and cookies. So they opened their own shop, with a breakfast bar covered in cakes. Make a pilgrimage here for anything from brownies to whoopie pies (from £2.50), but leave room for a wedge of mud pie — it’s very, very chocolatey.

83 Chiswick High Road, W4 (020 7096 1609; outsidertart.com)