We bought a tres leche birthday cake with fruit. It is extremely cold out and we kept the cake in the fridge but the cake slid. It was very unstable. The fruit was unripened and tasted terrible. I was upset we had to serve the cake at the birthday party. read more

My all time favorite bakery ever. No other bakery has the quality that this one has. The pastries and food is amazing. The cakes are always really good and not too sugary like other bakeries. Staff is knowledgeable and helpful with all the cakes I've gotten from them. The ambiance is quiet and homey. I come to them for every event! 10/10 recommend. Thank you Bella Palermo! read more

Good food. Is amazing selection . They seems Sicilian the caffe is great and very cheap. They also have a tea room inside. read more

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Great Italian authentic bakery! Classic fresh pasteries, cookies, cakes! Delicious types of coffee! Friendly staff! Comfortable area/location! read more

Was recommended about two weeks ago. My oldest son decided to have some of his friends over for his birthday, so needed last minute cake. We got an oreo cake..it was great. Went back tonight and got a chocolate mousse cake (the slice), a small oreo cheesecake, and two m&m cookies. The cheesecake was sooooo creamy and delicious, the cookies my guys loved and the slice of cake was great too so rich and moist. Staff was great, and very helpful. Just found out they have parking on the side or something another customer mentioned since there is NEVER any street parking. Overall, you won't be disappointed! Going tomorrow to pick up some cookies for my father in law. read more

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Today 5/19/2025 at 12:06 pm. We came with my mother and parked in the parking lot reversed. We waited a few minutes as we were trying to coordinate our order but decided to hold off better and go home. When I turn on back again my engine, out of nowhere, a guy named Marcelo, was reversing (using the businesses car white van, the plate was XFL W36) and he hit my front, which in that instant I rang my horn and he seemed scared looking from his mirror. I go out if the car and asked what happened and which I told him, he just hit my car, which he stated he was sorry. Then, he said "nothing happened and everything is okay" he was about to go away, which I was angry as he was so chill about all of this. Imagine minding your own business and a guy just crashed into you. I believe he though no one was on the car as his reaction was as it wasn't his first time getting away with this. When I asked his name and took a photo of the plate of the van he started freaking out. I wanted to share this as I can't trust leaving my car and enjoying my meal while this type of negligent employee works here. read more

Bella Palermo is a famous pastry shop on Elizabeth Ave. It's a favorite of many, with a clean storefront, friendly and attentive staff, and inexpensive pricing. Where Bella Palermo excels most is when it comes to selection in quantity, but much of their pastries and baked goods I've sampled lacked quality. They carry Italian pastries and cookies, Portuguese tarts and desserts, Mexican breads, Uruguayan bizcochos, a variety of cakes, but much of their product lacks the fresh-baked taste. Perhaps I'm not visiting early enough in the day, but the pastries I've tried, such as their pastel de nata, cannolis, bizcochos, are often slightly stale. The semifrio, cold-served pastries all look nice but many are not made in house. Try Bella Palermo for yourself. The cookies are certainly not a bad choice, and they are a good option for ordering custom cakes. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - Bizcochos - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

I love the cakes here and the cappuccino. I recommend it bought many cakes here and am very satisfied.

Environment Clean show cases with decadent pastries Cakes & cookies. Sugar free option is a plus. Brick walls wood floors patio in the back for parties with flat screens. Service English & Spanish. They due excellent wedding Cakes. Did daughter's sweet 16 & moms birthday. Both cakes were fresh to order. Bought Thanksgiving cake and no disappointment here. Some reviews said the freshness is subpar. I have gone a few times and the rainbow cookies were stale. The Portuguese Natas or flan are always my choice. The fruit tart excellent also. Only one star shy from five. Only issue is the parking. cookies read more

Always get my birthday cakes from here. Delicious every time with a wide variety of flavors. You're bound to find something you like. They also carry a lot of smaller pastries for on-the-go snacks. read more

Pastry heaven! Best bakery in Elizabeth. I've enjoyed everything I've ever bought from this place. They carry a variety of Italian pastries but have added Spanish and Portuguese deliciousness by having pan de tres leches and pastel de Natas. They are located in the center of Elizabeth, they have a small parking lot with sitting in the front and back of the bakery. When you walk in the smell of fresh baked bread is so alluring giving you a sudden impulse of buying every French roll! My favorite pastry is the lobster tail and the fruit tart. The filling is so good;finger licking. Their breakfast sandwiches are made to order, you choose how you want the egg and meat plus condiments. Their cakes are the perfect ratio of sweet and freshness. I recently custom ordered a NY Giants cake, they did exactly what I expected. The price wasn't too cheap but they where so willing to tailor to me I was extremely happy with the service and overall cake. They always have enough workers to get the line going, they accept debit and also have an ATM. Definitely recommend this place. Be prepared to buy more than what you came for and don't worry every calorie is worth it. Don't forget your coffee with extra whipped cream. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - Giants cake made to order! Clean, simple and tasty! $55, can I get one like this for my bday? - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Greedy! A few people there help and know what they do but I guess if the boss doesn't care, oh well! Made me a cake that looks apropriate for a funeral not for a birthday and the excuse was you didn't pay $200 so for only $90 that's what you get. And it was a 12 inch cake... read more

Italian Pastry Heaven!!! Oh Yah! All homemade Italian pastries 5 star +. Cases and cases of irresistible desserts. Cannoli's will be freshly made to your specifications while you wait. Custom Cakes made to your specifications and not overly sweet. Plus they also serve unique homemade ham and cheese calzone's and pepperoni rolls. JUST CHECK OUT MY PIC'S. Words can't describe the awesomeness. Just get on the next plane to Newark and bring several suitcases. If you live local all I can say is Lucky You!!! F*ck those cupcake shops this is the REAL DEAL. read more

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Buying cakes from a grocery store is against my religion. This is my go to bakery, for ready made cakes. They always have a good selection of smaller to larger sized cakes. I have also had made to order cakes here too, they do a beautiful job at decorating and the cakes have gotten rave reviews! These cakes are always moist and fresh, my favorite being the red velvet. I have tried to find good ready made red velvet cakes at other local bakeries, but this one by far is the best tasting and had the best texture. There is also a nice eating area and coffee bar, the baked breads and desserts are equally as good ! read more

This place deserves better ratings on here than it's getting. As a frequent yelp user but infrequent reviewer I felt they earned some justice and appreciation. I've had so many things from them over the years, everyone has always been friendly, and no one I've ever shared their desserts with has ever complained. Maybe it's a little on the pricier side for cakes but they're truly exceptional. Tried the ice cream cake today for a work anniversary and it was really an elevated cake that everyone enjoyed. Parking is challenging, lots of double parked cars in the area too. But they can't control that. Read the reviews, not just their star ratings, there's a trend in them, "the item(s) taste really good and fresh." read more

What a delicious little pastry shop! They had a lovely selection of Italian butter cookies and pasteries. The pignoli cookies were nice and soft. The people working there were very friendly. They had some prepackaged cookie trays, which was nice since I was looking for something to give as a gift. There were some gluten-free options, such as the mixed fruit with whipped cream in a chocolate bowl, which I ordered and found very satisfying. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

I am so furious with this Bakery. When I placed an order for my husbands birthday I specifically told the person that took my order, whose name was Ximena, that I wanted a tres leches cake extra wet because I did not want a dry cake. She wrote on the receipt extra wet, I also told her I wanted strawberries on top ALL the way around which she also put on the receipt that I wanted strawberries on top. I paid for the cake which was $48.00 the same day that I ordered it.Two days later when I went to pick it up, the cake was not made the way that I wanted it. I was embarrassed to even give my husband a piece of this garbage they call their version of a tres leches cake. He couldn't even enjoy that nasty disgusting dry cake neither the rest of my guests.I threw the whole cake in the garbage. I will NEVER order anything from this place nor do I recommend this bakery to no one. On top of that the workers have no work ethic, nasty attitudes and do not seem very interested in what the customers ask for. If I could I would I give these people 0 stars because that's what they deserve. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - A very dry "tres leches cake" - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Ask them to make me a chocolate butter cream cake and they told me they can't make one. Went to another bakery didn't have a problem. Won't go back to Bella. Plus their sugar free option is a joke. read more

Sadly, I'm not so happy with Bella Palermo anymore. I used to like coming here because the food was good, decent ethnic treats that I can't find near me, but I always found the service to be somewhat unfriendly in general. I've overlooked it before, but today I overheard them blatantly mistreating an obviously same sex couple. I heard a woman call one of the guys rude and then when the couple was at the counter, another employee who I think said he was the owner's son, was even more rude and said the one guy looked ridiculous. Such an embarrassing interaction. I've decided to not come back anymore. There are so many other options in Elizabeth and I want to enjoy every part of my meal, including the behavior of the employees. read more

Stale cookies ,okay bread, and the Uruguayan empanadas where so dry and no flavor! Where's the salt??? This is a type of place you go in once and never again! read more

The food is always great and I love their coffee but costumer service sucks, first I order my breakfast over the phone and usually go pick it up, well today the lady with the long black hair in a ponytail that works in the front had an issue with us ordering over the phone and eating there and she said to my boyfriend in a really rude way that we was told before that we couldn't do that and that if we wanted to order to go we had to pick it up and leave not stay, so I got in the conversation and told her that I'm a paying customer and that if I wanted to order over the phone and eat it there it was my right and that if they couldn't do that for me I would go elsewhere so she told me that they are not going to change the system they have for me. so I got my food and ate it there, with my disabled aunt, boyfriend and proceeded to pay, I payed and asked the young male that works in the front when can I come by to talk to a manager or owner and he told me that their is no manager and that the owner wasn't going to talk to me, so I turned my back and he said that I looked ridiculous, I couldn't believe what I was hearing!! I turned around and asked him what he said and he repeated it and proceeded to say that his honest opinion was that he preferred for us not to come back!! So I asked him who he was and he replied the owners son, I don't understand what makes him feel entitled to treat people how ever he wants because he's the owners son and we were never disrespectful to them. Such a shame I feel we were being discriminated for being a gay couple and we frequent this establishment and spend allot of money there. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - Every time I go I spend over $40 dollars. - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

This place is not bad. But if you've had REAL Canolis you won't be happy with theirs. I like to taste the coffee in my cappuccino not just milk. Nice people but I had to repeat myself twice because there was an angry customer yelling about her cake. read more

This place was OK. I don't know if I'd go back again. The cappucinos weren't very tasty; the bread wasn't that good.

I made a special order for my dad's first post-heart transplant anniversary, and thought this would be the perfect place to get this extra special cake from. After doing some sketches and coming to an agreement with the designer, we finally placed the order and anxiously waited for the day it would be ready. When that day came, we saw something that was not agreed upon and not only was it something not agreed up but completely sloppy work. Being that this would be extra special and I mentioned to them that this is not what we agreed upon we still ended up paying full amount for the cake. Here are some pictures of this sloppy and unprofessional cake. Cake tasted very fresh and was good asides from it being cosmetically challenged read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - Dad's 1st post-heart transplant cake. Truly disappointed and employees had no type of remorse for messing up my dads cake - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Listen, I'm an Italian girl! Things like Ricotta cookies and Cannoli were laid out on the table for any and every occasion. Eclair, cream puffs, pignoli cookies you name it! Bella Palermo locks is down! I'll tell you what, this is what I get. A ham and cheese on a croissant. Ok? I have that with a coffee and a cannoli. Then before I leave I take a box with me. I get like one of everything. I want to highlight the cannoli. The shell is so crunchy and has the perfect touch of cinnamon and the filling is seriously the most delicious stuff EVER! It's on Elizabeth Ave in Elizabeth. I can't think of another Italian bakery in Elizabeth. Reason is, Bella Palermo. They never slack. And a croissant that good will keep me loyal. read more

Oh man. my mouth is watering just reading the name "Bella Palermo.".. THIS is the Italian pastry place to go to in Jersey! Incredible prices for incredible pastries and cakes right in the heart of Elizabeth, not too far from the Newark Airport. You can snag just about any delicious treat you can think of. My family has ordered cakes from them for years - they even made my sister's wedding cake! If I find myself living in New Jersey when I get married, I am definitely snagging mine from them as well. Because my words seem to be falling short (probably due to a sugar rush), I will say simply that you should do yourself a favor and close the web browser, grab your GPS and get to this place ASAP. read more

Comparable to the best cannoli's in New York for $2.50 each..the cream is smooth and perfectly sweet...well done! If I'm in the area, I will come again! Definitely recommend!! read more

Great place! Love them! I get all of my cakes here and their Italian bread and baked goods are so delicious.

My family loves their tres leckes with dulce de leche filling cake! It's amazing! Moist and not sickly sweet. All the pastry variety is delicious. I live 30-40 minutes from the shop but the drive is worth it. read more

I ordered a tres leche cake and it was NOT moist. I was highly disappointed. I have ordered the individual slices many times before and it comes with a puddle of juice that is really good!!! But when you order an entire cake, it does not come with the puddle of juice and is a missing key ingredient. I was assured the juice would be inside the cake, but no one at my party could tell it was a tres leches cake. It simply was too dry. Will not order again. read more

Fast social distance system, everything was moist and delicious. Good customer service

I made a special order for my Twin's first birtday and thought this would be the best place to get it . Was very excited being that it was my babies FiRST BIRTHDAY PARTY. I placed the order a month in advance i was very specific on how I wanted the cake and the colors that I wanted even gave them a picture to be use as a guide. The day of the party came I was anxious to see the cake to my disappointment what I received was a totally different cake of what I had order I was very clear when I said I wanted pastel colors and what I got was sloppy work with all dark colors .. Paid $300 for cake that looked like it was bought in a grocery store .. If you want to be disappointment free on your special day don't place you're order here they do what they feel like doing not what you ask for !! read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - A total disaster To the left is the cake that I order and thought would be getting and to the right is the cake that I received - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

I am a regular at this bakery. This place is 5 stars for many reasons. The staff is super friendly and sweet and the baked goods are delicious. Try the empanadas, they are awesome. I bought a carrot cake for my gf's mom and she said it was the best she ever had. read more

I've been here twice and both times I had a slice of their pineapple tres leche cake...it was very yummy! ...not too sweet yet sweet enough. The first time I came here, my boyfriend had the Tiramisu slice; he thought it was good but too sweet and heavy. The price for a slice is reasonable but a whole cake for 15-20 people is overpriced. Service was good and friendly, they have a nice variety of desserts, place is nice and clean, however, there was not enough seats and tables to sit inside. Parking is a little inconvenient...it's metered street parking and since it's a busy main street it was hard to find a close parking spot. Overall, a nice place to have a yummy dessert. I'll definitely go back and try different things. read more

Has 2 cakes done there one for my sons communion which came out beautifully and the other one for my daughters baptism which they did to perfection just as u requested not to mention delicious!!! The only reason why I only gave them 4 stars was bc the delivery of my cake was late I got to the restaurant and there was no cake. read more

Bella Palermo Pastry Shop - The top of my daughter cake - Bakeries Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

It is one of the most clean bakeries in Elizabeth! Their 3 leches cake is the best thing ever!

We ordered and prepaid for a cake and the cake stand for a party months in advance. The cake was delivered LATE and WITHOUT the cake stand!!!! We went in to speak with someone and no one was "available". Never called us to apologize or give us a reason. Never gave us anything for not delivering what we had paid for. Very unfortunate. Wasn't cheap either. read more

The pastry was delicious but the customer service was awful. We were the only people there and they all just saw us and left to the back. They didnt even bother to tell us to wait a bit. Just straight up stared at us and walked away. They were rude! read more

My go to for birthday cakes. I really like the choices offered. My favorite was the tres leches cake. They have a consistent quality and always provide reasonable prices. read more

One of the best pastry shops in Elizabeth! Great customer service & delicious tres leches cake!