This is a great place to stop on a road trip. Good food (try the grilled cheese on apple bread), great pies (very reasonably priced and far better than other farmers markets I've tried so far), and the place is so well run that there never seems to be any long lineups inside. So if the parking lot looks packed don't be afraid to go in. Our most recent trip there was just to get one of their pies...it was a 4.5 hour round trip but we ended up staying for lunch and grabbed a coffee for the drive home. I would definitely do the trip again. They also have a lot of free activities for those with young kids. read more

You can't miss the big apple, it's right next to 401. The apple pies and ciders are amazing here. The bathrooms are very cute and clean. A nice place to bring your kids to with the farm themed decor, mini farm and mini golf put. read more

My wife and I stopped at your store last Tuesday and had lunch, wanted breakfast but were to late. Lunch was good and bought several pies and a four pack of butter tarts and different snacks for the trip back to Brampton. The pies were very good but pricy, the butter tarts were tasteless mush and threw them away. Store bought Granny butter tarts have 10 times the flavour, talk about lunch bag let down, definitely not worth taking off the shelf. Dave B read more

Awesome desserts, especially the apple CAKE! Sooo gooood. Cute souvenirs and knick knacks.

We make a trip to this place from Toronto every Summer when we just want to have a little day trip. We feel this place has become very commercialized and lost the family place feeling since the last time we visited. Apple pies are still good but nothing on menu and the ice cream place very stingy and unfriendly. read more

last time we went to the big apple for lunch I bough cookies beanie boos and my brought a pie from the store the food was good we will return tomorrow read more

I'm just like you. Passed by the Big Apple dozens of times, maybe more, driving between Ottawa or Montreal and Toronto. A few years ago I stopped in to get a slice of pie. This past weekend I stopped in again, and they have made a lot of changes! It's definitely worth going in for a bite. My guy really wanted a burger, not exactly my first choice with all the delicious apple treats to choose from. But he insisted it's one of the best burgers he's ever had. It was busy in there. There are tables and tables of every kind of apple goodie you could want. They you take your stuff up to the cashier to pay before you exit. There's also a cute little 'Country Store' which I'll browse more thoroughly next time. Of course I can't leave without saying hi to the animals too. Hi llamas or alpacas or whatever you are. Hi little goat. The big apple is a great pit stop for the young or not-so-young if you're driving by on the 401. read more

If you are a baker, or know what a good pastry is, you won't like the pies at the big apple. The crust is flat, no taste and so are the apples. You wouldn't know you were eating Apple pie unless your eyes are open. The mumble crumble is soggy and no taste. I don't know how they boast about how many pies they have sold. Certainly not the ones dumbed into the garbage. Long walk up inside the Apple to only see the 401, trees and construction garbage. They list that the beavertails and rides are open until closing, well everything was closed at 3pm. Have no idea why this is such a big attraction. Only thing good was the Apple bread, it was moist.but not a lot of apples. Not really worth wasting your time to get off the highway. Very expensive,for little taste. Grocery pies taste better and are cheaper. read more

we were just passing by few days ago after picking up my inlaws from Toronto who came to visit from Scotland. We picked up few pies to take back home in Ottawa. They described by everyone in the family as the worst pies they have tasted for a long time. Even the size has somehow shrunk by one or two inches but they kept the original size of the box. We have felt that the quality has been going down for the last few years. It is amazing that the company does not seem to care to improve the quality of its products given he very reviews it has been receiving lately. Even more troubling is the impact this may be having on the reputation of Canada given that many tourists stop by and try their products. I will never buy again. read more

My husband and I used to come here on the way to Warkworth. It has change quite a bit. They have really expanded and it looks fantastic. We ate the chicken sandwich and it delicious. I can't wait to come back and try the smoke chicken wings. They had a lot of kid oriented things to do. It's a great spot to bring my 4 yo with so many things to touch and see. And you can't beat the free price. read more

It seems like they are more interested in building more attractions and becoming an amusement park than they are in the quality of the food they sell. I bought what they laughingly reffered to as "Apple Bread" and nope no apples in it, and not even a hint of apple flavor. I also had a pulled pork sandwich that was dryer than the deserts of the middle east with little to no flavor. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the food. I know it's the 'off season" but still... read more

Goodness me, that place is BUSY. They've got a lot on offer. We had to stop and pickup a pie. The pie was good. There was so much more that we could have made an afternoon of it. You have to stop there at least once. read more

Not too bad for a place to grab a slice of pie but a tourist trap for nic nacs. Pie isn't world famous just a bit above average restaurant quality. Petting zoo mini golf and you can climb inside the corny apple out front. read more

Be very careful with the food quality. I ended up getting very severe food poisoning from the Ribs at the food counter inside the restaurant. The porc was not cooked thoroughly, I noticed right away when I took a bite of the first piece. Unfortunately I still got a bad reaction to the food. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone, make sure you examine the meet before you eat it. Very important!!!! Other than that, everything is great. The baked goods are great. read more

I was very disappointed, and when writing on another review site about my experience, found even more serious concerns from other travellers. Mine included a charge of 59 cents to have a loaf of apple bread sliced, a charge for water, under-cooked apple crumble, and a refusal to consider a refund because the product was, in their words, "up to our standards". Others complained about finding mold and apple cores in the pies, and tshirts with obscene messages in the gift shop. I encourage readers to google and browse other reviews for more details. read more

My family purchased a pie from the Big Apple this afternoon. 5 hours later, we opened the pie to enjoy after our supper only to discover that the pie had several days worth of mould on it. If Apples are your brand and Pie (and your bakery) are a prime way of promoting your business this kind of thing cannot happen. Why go out of your way for this place when there are so many fantastic farm markets around the GTA? http://www.pinglesfarmmarket.com/ http://www.knoxpumpkinfarm.com/ read more

Coming back from Ottawa to Toronto we decided to stop and purchase an apple pie. I cannot believe this pie - first it was not cooked., the apples were so tough I had to use a steak knife to cut them, second the topping with brown sugar had been overcooked and big chunks of sugar turned to stone was pretty difficult to eat. I then decided to cook in my oven for 1 1/2 hours which did help a little bit. Finally I mushed it and took out the brown sugar chunks, added a bit of milke and turned it into a pudding and cooked it for an hour. This is amazing!!!! they call this an apple pie. I would like to know what kind of apple were used in this pie. I have never had such a touch apple pie. I guarantee you this will be the last. read more

I haven't been to the Big Apple in a few years. We use to live in Trenton and this was one of our regular outings. Then we moved and every opportunity I get I go for a visit and pie. The Mumble Crumble is my favourite. Also As our children grew up we would visit the animals. I hope to bring my Grand-daughter this summer so she can experience the fun and enjoy the food as much as her father did. Lovely atmosphere, love the gift shop. Good clean area to stop and either have a cold drink, eat your pie or take it home. (I usually bring quite a few home and freeze them). I think everyone should stop and check it out. SL Ottawa read more

Pit stop on the way between major cities. I had driven past this place so many times before finally going inside. As most reviewers have implied they sell pies & other baked goods here, as well as an assortment of fast foods. Quality is usually very good but there are some subpar days. Has all kinds of things to do outside while resting as well (including climbing the giant apple itself). read more

Great apple dumplings and cider! Both non alcoholic and alcoholic. They have a cider brewery as well as a candy shop. Always pick up a gluten free apple pie for my sister and sugar free one for my mother. They both love them. Easy stop off the 401. Came once before with my wife and we had the apple bread grilled cheese with bacon. Was pretty good as well. read more

Completely a shit show in the kitchen. The stuff messed up the orders and didn't check customers order number before asking. Waste of 15 mins waiting in line. No satisfied and will not recommend read more

I went there in August with my family. The smoked ribs smelled so good. When we got them they were cold. I contacted their web site, they said they had problems with new staff and they asked for my address so they would send me a voucher. Weeks later I asked if they had my address, yes they did. Six weeks later still nothing, I contacted them again. They said the manager was on vacation and I should have something by the end of the week. Now it's two months later, some customer service, from August to October???? read more

I've been driving by this place on and off for 20 years and I finally decided to stop. In retrospect, a holiday weekend perhaps wasn't the best time to visit as it was crammed. There was a 10-minute line to place a food order, a 30-minute wait for our order number to come up, and then a cash register line a dozen people deep while we held our trays. But you can't really fault them for being busy on a long weekend, and they offered an unprompted apology for the wait. Overall the place still had a "family business" feel to it. There wasn't any charges for the "extras" like the petting zoo or the observation deck. The giant apple was elderly but had been painted over and over the layers of carved initials. Chairs were plastic and the music was tinny. The food was honest and homestyle. The washrooms were spotless. There were suitably kitschy souvenirs and loads of candy for sale. Sure it was tacky, but I didn't end up feeling exploited like you do at some tourist places. Approach it with the spirit of fun, and you'll be glad that you stopped in. (And the pie we took home was fantastic). read more

I recently stopped at The Big Apple on my way home from Toronto and was gravely disappointed. For a bakery, the baked goods were of mass produced quality. While on the grounds, I sampled their Maple Apple Pie. Frankly, the crust was mediocre and the filling had absolutely no maple flavour. Either they gave me the wrong piece of pie or they need to add actual maple syrup to their recipe. I purchased a loaf of their "famous" Apple Bread, which turned out to be an expensive loaf of white bread with a tiny streak of cinnamon down the centre, and a small Apple Walnut Coffee Cake. Surprisingly, the coffee cake was not too bad. However, it was still of mass produced quality. In my opinion, don't waste your money. You can support your local, small bakeries, pay the same amount, and receive much tastier goodies. read more

Nice place to stop and shop. A bit expensive bitblots to see. Worth the stop. Apple everything. I recommend the apple cheesecake and apple crisp. read more

I hate to disappoint previous reviewers, but, for decades, the Big Apple has been fruit fly central. 15 - 20 years ago, stopped in, made up our coffees, opened the glass window, watched (truly) 250,000 fruit flies take wing, closed the door, set down the coffees, and walked out. Not much has changed with the new owners: our first visit in decades resulted in watching an immigrant family open a number of desert & bread containers, and carefully finger all the merchandise. Nah, I'd hate to get food poisoning again, although I didn't get it here. read more

I bought an apple pie from here and it was disgusting...It had several apple stems in it, way over priced and not worth the money! I also noted that the employees are treated like slaves. I was disgusted with the way they were talked too. One girl was not allowed to have a drink of water and there was no air conditioning in the building. She was standing with her hands crossed (not her arms) and was told she was never to do that again and that she was lazy! Don't bother spending your money on the tourist trap and where do people get off treating their employees like that! read more

I have been reading reviews on here that are so "outdated" - The Big Apple has made many, many changes recently and it starts with new "Ownership" and Management" - For those that have visited in the past, you need to revisit!!!....you will Definitely be pleasantly surprised! Big Changes have happened - and I mean Big!!!. Please give this awesome place another visit, and you will see what I mean! From the minute you walk in, to the moment you leave... you will not regret, the pleasant service, happy atmosphere, the awesome choices of a really great menu with quality products and large proportions! A great selection of items in the gift shop, to the fun activities surrounding the Big Apple for the entire family to enjoy! You will no doubt go back to the Big Apple every time you pass through Colborne on the 401 and you most likely will highly recommend it to your friends! Why/ - because of the awesome changes that have taken place and the quality you feel and receive from a very happy staff member who truly enjoys respect and appreciation from their new ownership!!! . Love it! I love the feel, the happy staff, the awesome food,and the fact that there's The Big Apple IS the place to stop in to, satisfy your hungry taste buds, stretch those highway legs, grab an awesome loaf of apple bread for the road, (the pumpkin loaf is to die for right now) - believe me - you will not be disappointed! If I had a choice between having lunch at the Big Apple or one of the many fast food chain outlets... hands down - Big Apple wins! See for yourself on your next drive through Colborne! read more